Temporary Cities is a performance combining an augmented reality visual instrument
with live synthesized sound composition.
A series of 6 vignettes, the performance draws inspiration from contemporary
trends towards elaborate and disposable systems in software, architecture and social networks.
What do the cities of the future look like? Rapidly designed, instantaneously built, elaborated on then rendered obsolete by
the next iteration. When math and material merge we will live in a world of temporary cities.
The performance is a whimsical and brooding conceptual
design format for future cities.
The performer hand places shapes beneath a video camera.
Computer vision algorithms track the
geometry of the shapes and augments them
with layers of 3d generative graphics.
Embedded in the angles are the initial flaws and
misalignments of how the shapes were
placed. As the scene unfolds, these flaws
propagate leading to complex and unstable
visual systems.
Sound is composed and performed for each
scene, both affecting the geometry as it
unfolds and listening to parameters from the
cities' advancement.
Visuals composed and performed by James George using computer vision and graphics in openFrameworks.
Sound composed and performed by Daniel Peterson with SuperCollider.
Temporary Cities is performed using a camera looking downwards onto a table top. The camera's image, mixed with computer generated imagery, is projected at large scale for the audience. The performer places shapes beneath the camera which are recognized by the camera using computer vision. The position of the shapes is interpreted by the generative graphics system to produce visuals that extend from the real world positions into 3d geometry.
The physical set up for temporary cities consists of an antique box filled with specially design plexiglass shapes, a retrofitted LED lamp custom fit with a firewire camera, a korg usb midi controller, a laptop, and custom software written in openFrameworks.
Temporary Cities premiered during Art Basel in Miami
December 4th 2010 8PM
Part of "Street Show" public projection and performance
Hosted by Harold Golen Gallery
2294 NW 2nd Ave.
Miami, Fl 33140
:: MAP ::