tap-a-lap-splash!

tap-a-lap-splash! is an interactive rhythm experience about seeking flow and calm. This year I haven't been able to swim since March, with public pools closed and the ocean inaccessible without travel. I've missed swimming in open water particularly. There's a certain irony to missing the chosen isolation of being out in the ocean, away from anything but the water, when so much of this year has been a forced isolation.

In the practice of open water swimming, managing your heart rate and spatial awareness with rhythmic timing of strokes and breaths allows you stabilize yourself amidst an unstable and often unpredictable environment. I miss the focus and intention of that practice, and wanted to make something to share that experience.

This experience was made with A-Frame and Tone.js. The code for this project is open source and available on Github. The experience was originally made for Gray Area's Winter Showcase 2020 and was inspired by ideation done as part of  the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe's course on making personal games. I recommend playing with headphones on, to enjoy the spatial audio.

If you enjoy, feel free to donate a little so that I can continue to make new things!