A billboard that listens to passing traffic. Quiet drivers see calm, drifting particles; loud drivers see growing chaos and a “Shhht”.
Problem
Many streets in the centre of Amsterdam sit above 70 dB. For residents that means stress, hearing damage, bad sleep and windows that stay shut. We wanted drivers to realise that they are part of the noise.
Solution
A microphone and the JCDecaux billboards that already stand all over the city: visible, safe to look at while driving, and run by a computer that can be controlled through a CMS. On them, a 2D particle system reacts to the sound of each passing car.
Visualisation
Positive reinforcement works better than punishment, so we rewarded quiet drivers with an even calmer animation. The louder a car, the faster, denser and more colourful the particles get, until the system tips into red-and-white chaos that vibrates with the volume and shows a “Shhht”.
We built it with the Canvas element and the Web Audio API, without libraries, to learn both from the ground up.
Design rationale
The design rationale (in Dutch). Tap a page to read it.