This is where it all started. Yes, Roundware was named after the ROUND installation. And the ROUND installation was named after both King Arthur and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
ROUND, on exhibit in 2008, was the first participatory audio installation Halsey Burgund ever created in a museum. It was commissioned by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and used pre-smartphone mobile networked devices to allow museum visitors to leave audio comments about the museum’s artworks as well as hear those of other museum visitors, artists and curators. The voices were combined with music into individualized audio experiences intended to democratize opinions about art.
Way back in 2007 when ROUND was conceived, the technological platform to accomplish this piece was not in place, so Roundware was born. It has come a long way from these beginnings, but the philosophy of collecting opinions and experiences from people and re-distributing them is still at the core of the Roundware project.
ROUND interface on mobile device
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