The Pulse Memorial is a web-streamed sound installation that commemorates the lives lost in the mass shooting at the Pulse Bar in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed forty-nine Latine, Black, and queer patrons. This tragedy happened in June 2016 during a period of heightened fear among immigrant and marginalized communities anticipating the Trump election victory in November. Inspired by Toni Morrison's concept of “disremembrance,” which denotes an emotional experience of erasure due to a lack of acknowledgment, this web sculpture disrupts disremembrance by using sound to evoke presence. The installation commemorates victims that continue to be erased out of broader histories of domestic terrorism and gun violence. The broadcasted sound plays an 8-channel score, then transmitted via WebRTC to participants — one channel per device — for a multi-channel sonic event. This project transforms memorials from passive, site-specific events to community-driven experiences. It provokes curiosity about digital media's role in preserving cultural memory and amplifying marginalized voices.

Currently, the eight-channel sound is composed of field recordings, audio abstractions, and data sonification using the numerical data associated with each victim (their birthday and victim number, listed alphabetically). The sound is meant to function as a narrative and virtual monument to commemorate the victims. The sound streams live in the network and only exist when the machines are on and people are listening together. They do not only exist on fixed spaces, but are grafted temporarily onto already existing architecture. Moreover, this project reimagines the potential of vibrational sonic experiences: the basis for many esoteric healing practices, such as those found in sound baths and tantric chanting, for example, where vibrations at particular frequencies cause calming, soothing, and meditative states of rest. The final output will be through web streaming, particularly through mobile browsers, of audience members to create a digital caphony memorial.

This project is a collaboration between Brook Vann and August Black, and we are currently in the process of adapting the concept for 49 channels over 49 minutes. The new adaptation draws inspiration from the existing graffiti-like memorial panels that are currently positioned at the Pulse site. These panels, layered with handwritten notes left by the community, accumulate and fade over time, capturing the shifting yet enduring nature of remembrance. Similarly, we aim to adopt an ephemeral model: as we solicit and collect new audio contributions, incoming audio (voice recordings, personal accounts) will gradually replace older tracks, creating a constantly evolving broadcasted memorial.