Songs at a Distance
A collaborative telepresence performance with interactive dance, music and video, staged simultaneously in California and New York on April 28, 2007.
Live dance, music and processed video animations generated at both locations were interchanged between the two sites using high-bandwidth Internet2 network technology. A cast of 25 student performers and media artists in the eMedia Studio at UC Irvine interacted through video and audio with professional musicians and student media artists in the Loewe Theatre at New York University. The performance included dance sequences which directly influenced the visual and aural accompaniment generated by the Active Space interactive performance system. A telepresence video-based motion tracking component analyzed real-time video to recognize various movement characteristics. The results of the analysis influenced the behavior of two real-time interactive composition systems, one for visuals and one for soundscape.
The Active Space system at UCI tracked the movement of dancers performing structured improvisations. In response, the composition systems produced synthesized video and audio combining live and pre-recorded vocals and visuals to create a mediascape screened simultaneously at both sites and streamed live over the web. At NYU the mediascape was integrated within a live electro-acoustic music concert.
Student performers and media artists at UCI included: Aaron Cota, Alyssa Plackitt, Amy Lewis, Anaelle Echalier, Aubri Siebert, Beverly Andrews, Byeong Sam Jeon, Candice Cross, Jamie McCann, Jessica Wung, Julie Parker, Laura Muscianese, Marc Sicignano, Marci Tuttle, Michael Lane, Natalia Valerdi, Quin Kennedy, Rachel Pace, Rocky Kamdar, Sarah Luna, Shadi Shariat, Silvia Lindtner, Valerie Browne, Valerie Cabag, Wendy Carcano.
Links
Production date: April 2007
Venues
Frederick Loewe Theatre, New York
Winifred Smith Hall, Irvine, California
Credits
John Crawford - Director; interaction & media design; media performer
Lisa Naugle - Choreographer
Martin Gotfrit - Composer
Dinu Ghezzo - Composer
John Gilbert - Composer
Acknowledgements
ACSUS: Association for Canadian Studies in the United States
Calit2: California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology
UROP: UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
Bren Foundation
Apple Computer
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts
UCI Department of Dance
Beall Center for Art and Technology