3. black box fading

(above) a snapshot from the 360° video black box fading
(above) the entrance to the ZHdK Immersive Arts Space, the literal black box, decorated with square handouts/program notes each of the participants received.
(right) a view of the rehearsal space and the three computers used to run the production (one for motion capture, one for audio, and one for visual projects). These computers were present on the set for the filming, but removed from the set for the live event.
(above) the handouts for each of the participants (each handout features the QR code on the front and one of the three quotes on the back). Scanning the QR code takes you to the online program notes at chua.ch/box, where there is also a form to leave feedback on the event.
(above) circled are the motion tracking cameras distributed throughout the IAS.
(above) 5 rigid bodies are attached to my body, and a sixth is attached to the 360° camera filming me.
(left and above) my own grids I constructed out of inspiration from the calibration grids. Grids are also a prominent motif in cyberpunk culture, of which I am also a fan, from early childhood until now.
(above) the 360° camera + Zylia Ambisonics microphone in action.

(above) the revised AIYA Max patch, which includes a new management system for the "voices" of the machine, and mapping rigid body parameters to the machine's buffer selection, sound effects processes in Ableton, and shifting grids in TouchDesigner.
(above) the recording rig used to hold and move the 360° camera and Ambisonics microphone.
Somehow I feel conflicted over creating a work about improvisation in a composed setting…pandemic aside, perhaps this format illustrates precisely my blurred perception of improvisation vs. composition…..if you watch recordings of an improvisation, does it still feel improvised for you? If you edit and combine recordings of improvisations together, does it already make the work a composition?
(above) an early version of the shifting grid, made in December, 2020.
(above) the oscillation of the grid reflects the "agitation" (or lack of agitation) of the improvisation machine
(above) the improvisation machine flashes white when it chooses a new audio buffer excerpt for its source sound material. This communicates to me an anticipation that the sonic output of the machine will change.
><