DJ Light Peru

This Max MSP-based sound and light installation allows users to serve as a DJ, controlling the audio and visual performance over a large physical area. By using a thermal camera to detect movement, this project translates live arm movement and hand gestures to produce sound and specify light color. I think the concept is well done; the light is not only influenced by the user’s gestures but is also generated by the audio feeds. To me, the sound that is generated by this system seem to cacophonous and dissonant; they seem to clash with the lighting’s soft colors. This installation was part of a Christmas celebration in Lima, Peru, and I expected the effect to be more celebratory, harmonious.

LOVE – Interactive 3D Mapping

A monochromatic version of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture is present at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. At the time of the Max MSP-based installation, the sculpture wasn’t well lit at night, leading the artist to create an interactive element. Looped videos were projected three-dimensionally onto the sculpture, and colors would shift based on proximity sensors that detected a person’s position as she walked by. This implementation brings a certain liveliness to an existing monochromatic sculpture without physically altering it, and provides passers-by with an element of surprise. From the video, it was a little difficult to tell how a user’s position was mapped to the shifting of colors; I think presenting a more obvious mapping would make it more engaging. I also felt like the projection’s movements could have been slowed down to make it seem less busy/distracting.