Art

Mud Flaps I & II
Open-Mic Feminist Performance Party

Mud Flaps I & II
Highways & Byways: American Road Culture

Upper NY Bay: 2001

Interaction

In this 9/11 tribute piece, visitors can metaphorically search the past (imagery of the World Trade Center towers standing above the foggy bay) with a flashlight. As the visitor moves her flashlight across the screen, she reveals a matching spotlight in the projected video, leaving behind a trail of video pixels that gradually fade into the fog.

Inner workings

A camcorder aimed at the screen is connected to a computer that processes incoming and outgoing video in an application built with software MaxMsp with the Jitter plugin. The application tracks the bright spot of the flashlight, and uses that location to determine the current area of illumination and revelation in the projected video. As the painter's flashlight moves, previously illuminated areas gradually fade out into pixellation.

LaserStripe

Interaction

Dancers on the LaserStripe platform generate freeze-frame snapshot slices as they move across laser beams in the platform's base. The newest stripe from the current snapshot overlays the old ones, capturing the revelers' movements through both time and space.

Inner workings

Whenever any of the 3 laser beams on the stage is broken or unbroken, the LaserStripe signals the computer (running MaxMSP/Jitter). With each laser beam update, a snapshot from live video corresponding to the triggering laser beam is layered over the video projection.

Soft Wall

Interaction

As a dancer pressed into the Soft Wall of fabric, the fabric extended the lines of the dancer's body. Also, the sound, stage lighting, and video projected onto the fabric changed in response to the shifting blend of fabric and dancer.

Inner workings

The Soft Wall is a curtain of spandex fabric (interchangeable) anchored at top and bottom. Several sensors along the top of the Soft Wall continuously transmit stretch pressure data (as MIDI). The Soft Wall connects to any MIDI device, or to a computer. The device/computer then generates its response (music shifting, lights brightening, video projection fading) based on the readings from the Soft Wall.

Squaring the Circle: A hopscotch installation

Interaction

The "Squaring the Circle" dance performance ended at a hopscotch game with a backdrop of same-channel televisions. When dancers and passers-by played on hopscotch squares on the sidewalk, they triggered changes in the television video and music.

Inner workings

The hopscotch squares were plexiglass-and-copper sandwiches functioning as MIDI mat switches. The MIDI was sent to a computer (running Isadora), which generated the video feed and the musical soundtrack.

Human Nature: A musical chair

Interaction

People had a seat in the chair and did what comes naturally. As they sat, expert field specialists could be heard providing commentary on their chair behavior for the audience (backed by a slick soundtrack).

Inner workings

As a person was sitting in the chair, sensors on the chair continuously sent pressure and light readings to the computer. Based on these readings of movement, the computer (running Director with Beatnik) changed the commentary and the musical soundtrack.