CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Whoa, This Projection Mapped Video is an Acid Trip

Creators: Ryan Somerville and Andy Yen were first brought together by the joys of communal living, when they ended up as neighbors during an arts residency program in Shanghai. The now-collaborators' skillsets couldn't be more diverse. Somerville is an American composer, whose body of work focuses primarily on interdisciplinary approaches to musical creation. Yen, on the other hand, is a jack of many trades, and his artistic practice includes fashion, visual art, multimedia, and installation-based work.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

This project is inspiring to me, because I love to see the intersections of many art forms into one piece. As far as art is concerned I have always dabbled in many areas and I love to experiment with how different techniques or materials interact with each other I can see that cross over with this piece in how the music, media design, color theory as well as fashion and movement play on each other. When the human form is visible I am in awe of the interaction of the media on the person's ski. However, at other times it is not clear that the shape we are seeing is human. It is at these times that I can appreciate the music and color and pattern of the piece. I can also see this use of projection mapping as a serious addition to performance either through theatre and dance. Now that we are entering a new technological age, who can say that our music cannot be visible or that our performers cannot be clothed in light opposed to fabric?

Katherine Sharpless said...

That video was a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be. Perhaps I couldn't imagine the media, lights, sound, acting, and costume elements coming together so smoothly in the abstract art realm, but now I'm much more interested in these artists and their work. In the video, it became different to separate the actor from the projection. I wonder if this kind of work can be achieved in more of an installation setting, or so seamlessly on stage, instead of in a video. I also am intrigued by Sommerville and Yen's artist statement: "striving to meld academia with a contemporary artistic language that would have a wide, yet intellectual, appeal". At CMU, CFA and CS can seem like completely separate worlds, but we really benefit from each other more than anyone else. This reminds me of Angel's upcoming project to host a creative day for CS and Drama to learn software and develop projects together. This collaboration is so beneficial for us, and not only in the media department, because it can keep us up to date on what tools are out there for us to better execute our ideas with.

Galen shila said...

I think its really awesome that this kind of independent interdisciplinary work is getting out in the world. I find artistic collaborations like this so incredibly inspiring. This kind of work that transcends both theatrical and visual is always amazing. It really shows what opportunities are out there for artists. The mix of dance audio and visual is one that is always awe inspiring. we dont see much in traditional theater but if anything that just makes it extra special for us when it dose show up. With the invent of augmented reality and VR i am excited to see what else comes out of this field of performance. I can really see some truly incredible things being done with this kind of new technology. i always hope that this art is encouraged and funded so that we can have even more incredible performances like this. It is really a wonderful thing.

Ali Whyte said...

I love stuff like this. With all that is happening in the media world right now, I cannot wait to see where it will all go. Technology like this is what allows the theatre world and its artistry to keep expanding and evolving an changing. I especially just love the concept of this in particular, the colours and forms created, to me, is fascinating and beautiful. I especially love that this was a collaboration. I think the theatre world can learn a lot about the way we collaborate or the possibilities created by collaboration from other fields and disciplines, especially when they span multiple like this article discusses. I really like the trend of suing dance and technology together and I'm waiting for when it catches on in the theatre world. I have seen a few smaller, more experimental shows using stuff like this, but I wonder what it would be like to experience something like this on a bigger stage.