Five key projects by sound designer and Dezeen Awards judge Yuri Suzuki
Pentagram sound design partner Yuri Suzuki has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five key projects that best reflect his work.
Suzuki uses sound and visual language to examine the relationship between people and their environments "questioning how both visual art and sound evolve to create personal experiences".
The Japanese artist has worked with various musicians including Will.i.am and Jeff Mills, as well as commercial clients such as Google, who he collaborated with to develop a unique AR Music Kit.
"I am working on multiple projects ranging from research and development for a high profile tech company, sound branding for the entertainment sector, as well as some new sound art installation pieces for both internal and public viewing across the world," Suzuki told Dezeen.
Suzuki among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
Judging has begun for Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors. The longlists will be published on Dezeen in September.
Other judges joining Suzuki this year include architects Farshid Moussavi, Jayden Ali and Thom Mayne, interior designers Kelly Behun and Titi Ogufere, and designers Sabine Marcelis, Maurizio Montalti and Paola Navone.
Read on to find Suzuki's views on the five projects that best represent his studio's work:
"Sonic Bloom is an interactive community-focused, multi-sensory installation that explores the nature of communication through sound.
"During the pandemic, I felt I'd almost forgotten how to communicate with others and wanted to create a piece that worked as a communication device to create opportunities to start a conversation with someone.
"It became a bridge between two different times: a return to older forms of communication and newer pandemic and post-pandemic modes."
"The Ambient Machine was another project born out of the pandemic. Since we were spending so much time at home, I started recognising ambient sounds and surrounding noises more.
"Together with the Japanese furniture maker E&Y, the first customisable product was created allowing people to customise their own background noise with a number of sounds and effects.
"A new open edition has just been released featuring new soundscapes ready for purchase through E&Y's online shop."
Read more about Ambient Machine ›
Sound of the Earth: Ch 3, Milan, 2022
"SOTEC3, followed two prior works, Sound of the Earth Chapter 2 and Sound of the Earth: Pandemic Chapter. Chapter 3 took the premise of those two projects and evolved it further by using AI to create an interactive website with a physical installation to represent how audiences were experiencing artworks in a post-pandemic world.
"Through active participation in the creative process, it became an auditory portrait of the world in which the lines between audience and artist blurred, both becoming creators of the piece."
Read more about Sound of the Earth: Ch 3 ›
MUBI Sonic Identity, 2021
"This was my first major project as an artisan of sound where we came up with a unique approach to creating the sonic identity for MUBI.
"The team explored the history of cinema and its relationship with sound and used a number of different techniques such as Musique Concrete, tape music, pen point percussion, uses of synthesis and string recordings, to create something that sounded completely new.
"The sonic DNA was inspired and constructed from the seven dots of the visual identity thus tying the brand together."
"EV Car Sound is a research project into the crucial role electric car sound has on a user's safety, enjoyability, communication and brand recognition resulting in a range of car sounds.
"It's about the relationship between human beings and machines. To make sounds more customisable, machine learning is used to help integrate an individual's calendar so the sound can adapt to the type of activity the user is doing, as well as avoid repetition."
Read more about EV Car Sound ›
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.