Interactive Installation at the Venice Biennale

AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION

It consists of the use of BlackTrax© technology, a motion capture system that monitors the movements of people and objects to obtain various “real time” interactions.

The use occurs through the implementation of IR (infrared) cameras calibrated in space, and thanks to which the position of the user in space is identified once small infrared LED sensors are worn that are detected by the cameras.

COLLABORATION WITH THE VENICE BIENNALE 2022

During the 66th International Festival of Contemporary Music of the Venice Biennale we collaborated with the artist Paul Hauptmeier for the creation of the interactive multimedia installation “Diaphanous Sound” thanks to the implementation of the BlackTrax© system.

Thus a hybrid space between real and virtual space was born. The audience, equipped with headphones, moves in the space listening to different sounds reproduced in specific points of the room. Thanks to tracking via BlackTrax©, the sounds vary based on the position of the spectator and create a fusion between real and virtual space. This union becomes even more evident in the points where the virtual sound fades to merge with the sounds of the real space produced by the visitors themselves thanks to microphones placed in the room.

The space of the installation was divided thanks to the use of lasers that created different architectures and walls of light and in turn defined the areas in which different sound realities were perceived, leading the audience to walk in the space to discover all its secrets.

SPECIFICATIONS

Specifically, 12 IR cameras were used to completely map the space. These cameras identified the “beacon” sensors placed on the visitors’ headphones to understand not only the direction but also the movement and rotation of the head. The setup also included 9 Kvant© Burstberry lasers connected to each other in a network and controlled in real time by the BlackTrax© and Pangolin© Beyond Ultimate systems.

The process began at our showroom where it was possible to test the technologies and the interaction, program part of the effects, thus speeding up the assembly times at the Venetian location.

credits:

TITLE: “Diaphanous Sound”

ARTIST: Paul Hauptmeier

WHERE: Biennale College Musica di Venezia, 2022

PAUL HAUPTMEIER (1993) DIAPHANOUS SOUND, 2022 (30’) AUGMENTED REALITY SOUND INSTALLATION

PRODUCTION: La Biennale di Venezia – CIMM, Centro di Informatica Musicale Multimediale

WORLD PREMIERE

TRACKING AND LASER TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIER: Laser Entertainment srl <www.laserentertainment.com>

LASER ENTERTAINMENT PROJECT MANAGER: Diomedi Mattia