Made in collaboration with Impossible Theatre, and Forkbeard Fantasy. A LanBox DMX control system had been developed that ran a looped programme based on film of three performers exploring paranoid body language. DMX control cables linked the other figures so they could operate in concert. In order to make the figures sensitive to the audience location I developed motion tracking software as well as an Arduino to LanBox interface (this was before DMX shields for the Arduino were available) A camera in the ceiling detected motion using frame differencing. Movement in particular regions of the room increased an associated level of intensity. The regions with the highest intesity would then orient the rotation of the Robots. Messages identifying zones were sent from four pins on the Arduino. These allowed us to output fifteen instructions (sent as a binary value). The robots would sing into position and then perform a sequence from pre-defined animation loops. The project was scheduled to be exhibited as a part of a performance at the National Theatre in December 2011. Sadly, because of Arts Council funding cuts, Forkbeard Fantasy were unable to proceed with this project. Exhibited: Huddersfield Art Gallery, 2009.
Technology: Processing, Arduino, Webcam, LanBox |
