An interactive audio-visual setting of Denise Duhamel’s poem from the mobius series. Using Unity3D game engine in conjunction with a custom audio engine the piece explores populating a virtual mobius strip with the original poem and allowing user to traverse the ensuing virtual world. In the spirit of Denise’s infinite poem, every time the experience begins, it does so at a different point in the poem. Visually, the work explores composition of subtle evolving hierarchies among the camera, the mobius strip, and the virtual particle-driven environment.
The speed of motion is intentionally limited to induce a meditative/introspective state through the exploration of the ever-changing aural landscape. The soundtrack changes and evolves depending upon listener’s specific location in the poem and is further enriched by complementing aural layers that are triggered by a combination of user’s proximity to specific words/places in the poem and statistical chance. Some of these offer up to several minutes of unique content in and of themselves, encouraging listeners to stop and reflect on certain thoughts expressed by the poem.
FORGETFULNESS (2009) was originally commissioned by and published in the New River Journal, the oldest new media online journal in US.
It was also presented as a performance piece using a Nintendo Wii controller hidden in the forearm, allowing the performer to navigate the piece through subtle choreography. A third iteration was presented as an installation using Wii Fit board where viewers could navigate the virtual landscape by gently tilting their body.
Performances:
- DISIS Digital Id 090424 performance event, Blacksburg, Virginia, April 2009. (premiere)
- Sonic Explorations concert series in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 20, 2010.
- Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States conference (installation version), St. Cloud, Minnesota, April 8-10, 2010.
- MUSICACOUSTICA 2010, Beijing, China, October 27, 2010.
- Unveiling the Painted Curtain: 21 C Interactive Art; Morlan Gallery, Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, September 16-October 28, 2010.
- TAMU Laptet and Friends concert; Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, November 1, 2011.