The development of the companion web application to the Tan Bone installation took place, for the most part, independently from the that of the installation itself. In fact, the initial intention was not to develop a companion application at all, but to provide a platform for engaging with the field recordings LiLi (KSA) made from the protests in Myanmar.
On the 3rd of February, LiLi (KSA) sent recording made from his mobile phone to Sam Tsao, with the idea that it could "be use(d) as art". The recordings from this period were of the nightly 8 P.M. sound protests, with various kitchenwares and utensils. Tsao suggested the creation of a site (the web application) to engage with these recordings.
On the 5th of February, Tsao sent LiLi (KSA) a video demonstrating a prototype of their idea. In the video, Tsao shakes their mobile phone. As the phone shakes, a field recording plays. At this point in time, a UI (user interface) had not yet been designed. Tsao shared an initial design and there were also plans to work with a Myanmar designer. This idea was eventually abandoned.
First design of the web application
On the 7th of February, LiLi (KSA) notified Tsao of a possible exhibition of Tan Bone, which he had been working together with Joshua Weitzel. This marked the beginning of LiLi (KSA), Joshua Weitzel and Sam Tsao's collaboration as a small collective.
The version of the web application that was used for the first exhibition of Tan Bone was created with a design by French designer Louziness, who lived in Myanmar at the time.
First iteration of the web application
The web application was a mobile only website, where, upon loading, the user was prompted to unsilent the phone and click start before the recordings could be accessed via shaking the phone. This mode of interacting with the field recordings was chosen deliberately as a conscious mode of interaction with sound material on the internet. The act of shaking the phone, possibly in close proximity to the users ear for the recordings to be audible, puts the user in a stance somewhat similar to the stance of someone in rage. It is also a conscious decision on the part of the user to symbolically show solidarity, either in public at an exhibition or in the privacy of their own homes, to the people protesting in Myanmar.
The first iteration of the web application also featured a short introductory text written by Thun Bohn Naing, photographs by Hae That Htet and Emily Fishbein and a page with links that was to be constantly updated with the latest mediao coverage of the situation in Myanmar. This version acted as a hub of media and information for users and is still online as of the time of this writing with the link: https://tanbonev1.soch.cc. The page with links is, however, no longer kept up to date.
For the second version, Tsao redesigned the user interface from scratch. This time, they opted for a design that could be accessed from both mobile and desktop devices. It featured a responsive web layout with a realtime artwork as the centerpiece. The centerpiece was inspired by traditional Myanmar textile patterns and is a minimal representation of them, using colors associated with the ongoing protests.
Mobile view of the second iteration
This iteration of the web application kept the short introductory text by Thun Bohn Naing but forgoed the page with links in favor of a dedicated page documenting the lives of the martyrs, who used the pots at the protests in Myanmar. It was designed to identify more with the Tan Bone installation and truly function as a companion application.
Unlike its predecessor, the field recordings are already accessible via shaking directly upon loading the application. There was no need for the user to click on any button to activate it. The played recording was also chosen randomly upon the loading the page, so that the chance of multiple viewers engaging with the same recording at the same time was reduced. The idea was that, with enough willing participants, the viewers could provide an additional dimension of sound to the installation, one which they themselves actively contributed to.
With the development of this project having started out as an ad hoc project to give the sounds of the protests in Myanmar presence in Europe, little conscious thought was given to the choice of medium for achieving this.
In retrospect, Tsao felt that it was the right medium. With mobile devices being ubiquitous and access to the internet just as much so, the web application tested whether solidarity through such a medium and mode of interaction was possible. Ultimately, the level of solidarity and compassion shown fluctuates depending on various factors, and it is not exactly possible to measure viewer response with regards to this.