Project 3

Title

Double S Batteries

Project Description

The concept of our project was driven by the theme of “Childhood” and the nostalgia it brings up for us. We tried to use our project to evoke the feelings of happiness and carefreeness in a fantastical way, transporting viewers away from reality. We used a launchpad as it provided a way for us to have a light show, which evokes a sense of childhood with its bright and colorful lights and its buttons that kids often used as sensory toys. 

Perspective and Context

In terms of visuals, we are taking inspiration from Adam Chao’s VJ style, where he tells a story through the overlays of his visuals and linking them to his audio. In terms of audio, we are taking inspiration from Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) because we like their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, and drum machines. 

Development & Technical Implementation

Our project focused mainly on the sequence of lights shown through the launchpad. These lights were made by MAX in Ableton to sync to the audio. We then manipulated what those lights would look using different effects and transformations provided by VIZZIE. The MIDI controller was used to determine which effects were being used and how much we were manipulating those parameters. There were some effects that I had to turn on and off with my own fingers, that couldn’t be done with the MIDI controller. 

Our setup was very physical, as we used a webcam to capture what the launchpad was showing to be grabbed by MAX. We used a cardboard box to house the launchpad because we did not want any light pollution and wanted a way for the launchpad to stand up so we could shoot it straight on. 

Sophia worked on the audio and I worked on the MAX patch and the physical display, and I helped her with the lighting effects and she helped me with curating the flow and timeline of our performance. 

Performance

I had a lot of fun performing. Although I wish that we could’ve practiced/rehearsed more, there was a good form of adrenaline as we experienced and went with the flow. The results were actually much better than what we had planned for. There were some technical difficulties such as the webcam delaying and the lights pausing, but in the end it added to the live element and even made it seem like it was supposed to be that way. Because of these difficulties, we had to try new things and realized that there were things we could’ve done from the beginning to make the experience look better. These moments were when we deviated from our original plan for what happens when, and I’m glad we were able to find new things that we weren’t able to discover during our rehearsals. 

Conclusion

I really liked how our project turned out and it was a really fun experience. I did wish we had more visuals because as pretty as our lights were, I wanted a way for enforce this transportation away from reality even more, so that we could have a different scene from the lights before coming back. I did appreciate people coming up to us after the performance and telling us that our performance made them really happy and reminded them of video games and emulated their experience as a child, which is what our original concept tried to get across. I learned a lot about the nuances of performing with both audio and visuals in mind, and how to connect them to become a cohesive piece.