#vox lumen

[belovedvocation-blog]

Zata Omm's vox:lumen Produced with Harbourfront Centre's World Stage and in association with York University (The School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design) and Aesthetec Studio. Choreographer William Yong proposes a future in which human labour produces energy and the pleasure of movement works to integrate technology into the social sphere. Thanks to a multi-year creative partnership with ground-breaking researchers at York University and interactive designers Aesthetec Studio, Zata Omm is undertaking a formal experiment of the most absolute practicality: What does a show that is powered by sustainability look like? Lighting itself with energy created by the dancers, the audience and renewable sources, vox:lumen imagines a situation in which the necessity of illumination structures every human interaction. The performance confronts the audience with the most elemental metaphor for understanding, as dance becomes the interplay of darkness and light – the light we make ourselves. Zata Omm's Energy Fair outside Harbourfront Centre Theatre: 23rd February to 7th March 2015. The audience is invited to help contribute to vox:lumen‘s energy needs at this energy fair. World Premiere: 4th to 7th March 2015 Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Toronto, Canada. Concepts and Choreography: William Yong Dancers: Michael Caldwell, Irvin Chow, Daniel McArthur, Brendan Wyatt and William Yong. Lighting designer: Simon Rossiter Music Composer: Andrea Rocca (Actress Voice: Zoe Hunter) Technology designer, props designer and research partner: Mark Argo and Asethetec Studio Set designer and technology consultant: Ian Garrett Workshops technical director and technical consultant: James McKernan with assistants Jonnathan Leong-Sem and Adam Brewer. Production technical director: Kirsten Labonte Dance and technology research strategist and video designer: Elysha Poirier Creative process outside eye: Andrea Nann Director of strategy and development: Randy S'ad Documentary film maker: Timothy Garrett Zata Omm company manager: Samantha Mehra Energy Fair Educational Programme Partners: Stephen Trigg and John Wilson. Additional artists in creative processes: Benjamin Landsberg, Nicholas Melymuk, Anastasia Shivrina, Anisa Tejpar, Mateo Galindo Torres and Naishi Wang.

[squaredproduce-blog]

VOX LUMEN FINALIST FOR BEST LIVE EVENT VFX AND ANIMATION

Fed Square’s collaboration with Deakin University, Vox Lumen for White Night Melbourne has been named a finalist in the Live Event VFX and Animation category of the prestigious Australian Effects and Animation Festival (AEAF) awards.

Created by Deakin Motion.Lab, Centre for Intelligent Systems Research (CISR),  and AppeARition, Vox Lumen attracted thousands of visitors to the Square over 12 hours. Its digital projections fused with dancer-driven live motion capture created a live performance experience integrating both the performer and the crowds and resulted in a kaleidoscope of motion graphics on Fed Square’s Big Screen.

Peter Divers, Project Manager of Vox Lumen, says the whole team is excited to be nominated for an AEAF award.

“Vox Lumen was an amazing opportunity for visitors to Fed Square to participate in a large-scale interactive art installation, as well as to see live motion capture in action,” he said.

[squaredproduce-blog]

White Night Melbourne Shines at Fed Square

Photos from the Vox Lumen: People into Light project at Fed Square for White Night Melbourne in partnership with Deakin University's Motion.Lab. A custom-built motion tracking system translated the dancer's movements on stage into the Miss Lumen character on the Big Screen, captivating the thousands of people that visited the Square during the course of the 12-hour event.e

[squaredproduce-blog]

VOX LUMEN LIGHTS UP THE SQUARE

After 6 months in development, Fed Square will be transformed into an interactive world of digital projections and graphics with the live motion capture project, Vox Lumen – People into Light for White Night Melbourne.

On such a large scale this projectis a first for its creators, Deakin University’s Motion.Lab and Centre forIntelligent Systems Research.  We caught up with project manager, Peter Divers during the busy final hours before Vox Lumen switches on for the 12-hour event this Saturday.

“People will see live motion capture in action with a combination of new technology and contemporary visual art.” Peter said.

An inertial motion capture system will translate a dancer on stage into a sci-fi like character on the Big Screen, who has been affectionately named Miss Lumen. The graphic display will become a digital artwork of neon lights and dazzling particles.

The control will then be in the visitors’ hands when tech-equipped beach balls are thrown to the audience. As the balls bounce through the crowd, a live video camera will detect their movement and a live motion feed will stimulate graphics of the Big Screen.

A 360-degree experience will be created as the light projections on Fed Square’s facades also respond to the motion tracking – all of which will happen in real time.

“We’re pushing motion capture out of the dark den and into the public realm.” Peter said when describing the many challenges that presents versus a controlled environment such as studio.

With up to 100,000 visitors expected for Fed Square over the course of White Night Melbourne,  the Vox Lumen project will be a sight to behold and perhaps a one-time only experience until the next year’s festival.

“It’ll be exciting to demonstrate the potential of this combination of performance and technologies in public place.”