Amateur Intelligence Radio

AIR was created in 2014 as a permanent installation for the main hall of Union Depot Station in Saint Paul. The goal of the project was to contribute to the revitalization of this historical landmark. Integrated into a transitory space where people rarely interact, AIR helps to break commuters social isolation. By telling their stories, the installation strengthens a sense of belonging and connects them to one another.

AIR has stories to tell, a logical brain, and a voice. But to create a compelling personality, emotions needed to be added to the mix: excitement, anger, and sometimes, boredom.

For AIR, a two-dimensional model of emotions was established based on Russell’s circumplex model of affect (1980). 9 emotions were specified and mapped along two axes: the pleasure axis and the arousal axis. All that was left was to specify AIR’s internal likes and dislikes; its pleasure heightened with sunny weather and new listeners, and its arousal fluctuated with increased number of visitors and moon visibility.

The result was a simple yet dynamic system: for example, when the Mississippi level rises above 8 feet–one of AIR’s major dislikes–the system’s pleasure level drops. Depending on the system’s arousal level, the event can lead to an angry or depressed radio show host.

AIR’s emotional state is naturally reflected in its voice. Pitch and speed were modulated in the voice’s synthesis software, and parameters were set for each of the 9 emotions. With some additional fine tuning, and the occasional yawn and sigh mixed in, AIR (hopefully) sounded more realistic. Besides using emotional states to sculpt its voice, conditional rules were also implemented for tying specific stories to specific emotions: happy stories for happy buildings.