When was the last time you experienced an echo? Did your experience evoke the wonder you felt as a child the first time you shouted into a cave or canyon?

S4A artist Chris Warren’s new project, The OMNI ECHO, is an immersive synthesizer and augmented reality experience that stretches sounds in time. Participants can sing and harmonize with their own lingering voice; they can find humor in hearing their own laugh, resulting in a continuous loop of giggles and guffaws; or they can play a simple bell, listening as the familiar tinkling sound envelops them for moments on end.

In Chris’s words, “The OMNI ECHO is a dynamic reverberation chamber, where sounds sustain gracefully in the air." Wearing a white coat and dark glasses, he welcomes individuals and small groups into his sound laboratory, where your ears are treated to an unfamiliar and delightful experience, transporting you outside of time. For the duration of your stay, you are simply mesmerized by the sounds you make and how they dance with one another. As you leave, Chris expresses his gratitude — “Thank you for coming to make noise with me” —and you are very glad you came.