LOCATION-AWARE MUSIC
LOCATION-AWARE MUSIC
A GPS-navigated musical app experience amplifying Indigenous voices produced by SOZO
The Holladay Brothers are renowned for their location-aware composition: music created and mapped to a physical space, released exclusively as an app experience, using a mobile device’s GPS to dynamically alter the music as the listener traverses a landscape. Their first production in 2011, “The National Mall” mapped to the park in Washington, DC, was described by the Washington Post as “magical… like using GPS to navigate a dream” and was included in their list of the year’s top albums (a first for an app).
They have since gone on to create site-specific app experiences for:
Central Park, New York, NY
Downtown Austin, Texas, in partnership with SxSW Interactive
Washington Square Park, New York, NY, in partnership with NYU Skirball Center
The Fairmont Orchid, Big Island, Hawaii, in partnership with IBM
The grand opening of the new US Embassy, London, UK, in partnership with the US Department of State
Osseghem Park, Brussels, Belgium, in partnership with BOZAR I Love Science festival.
Michigan Tech University
Texas A&M University
Michigan State University
Strathmore
The location-aware app is inspired by the landscape and serves as a community building tool which engages the unique local narratives and talent. Field recordings and works by local composers and spoken word artists can be integrated into the app, along with visual imagery and design.
The app's primary goal is to foster a sense of community by offering unique, personalized art experiences that inspire people to engage more deeply with their surroundings through sight and sound. It encourages users to slow down, take in their environment, and discover a new appreciation for the world around them. By cultivating a more mindful and intentional connection to their personal journeys, we aim to expand the understanding of what it means to engage with art, encouraging audiences to see it as an integral part of their everyday interactions and self-expression.
“How can we create the feeling of humanity and connectedness within this new reality?”
Hays and Ryan Holladay
ABOUT THE HOLLADAY BROTHERS
Brothers Hays and Ryan Holladay create innovative music experiences that celebrate the act of discovery. With a shared background in composition and music production, their projects span a range of fields and disciplines and frequently invite user interaction, blurring the lines between performer and participant. From sound and video installations to mobile apps, their expansive body of work represents an intricate blend of art and technology that reimagines how we interact with and experience sound. The Holladay Brothers have garnered critical acclaim as sound pioneers and multi-dimensional storytellers.
The duo received early praise for their location-aware composition: music created and mapped to a physical landscape, released as mobile apps, using GPS to dynamically alter the music as the listener explores their surroundings. Their first production, “The National Mall,” a location-aware album mapped to the eponymous park in Washington, DC, was described by the Washington Post as “magical…like using GPS to navigate a dream” and was included in their list of the year’s top albums (a first for an app). They’ve since gone on to create similar works for New York’s Central Park, SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, and other sites around the world, partnering with groups like IBM and the US State Department in the process. As a Senior TED Fellow, Ryan spoke about the project at the annual TED Conference in a talk that has been viewed more than a million times.
Hays and Ryan continue to break new ground with the latest iteration of their live show, which showcases an interplay of old and new, utilizing an array of antique lamps retrofitted with LED bulbs, networked and synchronized with the music to create a duet of light and sound. Last year, they created new commissions for Dolby’s headquarters, the Hirshhorn Museum of Art and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, among others. Their scoring and sound design work can be heard in television shows like ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and on podcasts such as Meditative Stories, Sincerely X, Constitutional and Masters of Scale.
The Holladay Brothers have spoken at universities and institutions worldwide and have been featured in numerous media outlets including The New York Times, BBC World Service, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, WIRED and Fast Company.
“It’s exciting to change people’s ideas about how music can be experienced and interacted with, and give people the opportunity to see the places they know in a new way.”
ABOUT CHISA YAMAGUCHI
Born into a multicultural family, Chisa Yamaguchi (Producer) simultaneously celebrates her passion for tradition and innovation. Her desire to discover, collaborate and deepen her connection with people, place and planet has taken her to six continents, embarking on community service projects, undertaking family pilgrimages and gracing historic stages and theaters as a professional dancer for over a decade.
Driven by intuitive nurturing and a zealous need to contribute joy to the world, she avidly advocates for interdisciplinary art and collaborative practices as means to dissolve perceived barriers to open emotional and physical pathways to truth, justice and love. Fervently on a mission to align her personal power with her professional values, Chisa brings her caring presence, grounded discipline and deep listening to everything she undertakes and creates. She celebrated her stage directorial debut with Lincoln Center’s 2021 Restart Stages Series and continues her role as creative producer on several location-aware app experiences across the US in partnership with Sozo artist The Holladay Brothers. Chisa also closely collaborates with GRAMMY-winning music and media artists Alphabet Rockers as a creative producer and strategic partner centering impact and community.
Photo Credit Stephanie Poth