Fujiko Nakaya + Shiro Takatani “CLOUD FOREST”

August 7 – October 17, 2010
installation / commissioned by YCAM
CLOUD FOREST (YCAM Re-Marks)

under construction.

Seiko Mikami “Desire of Codes”

March 20 – June 6, 2010
installation / commissioned by YCAM
Desire of Codes (YCAM Re-Marks)

Outline

This large-scale installation investigates the forms of human corporeity and desire facilitated by surveillance technology and network society. It is comprised of three parts – a wall with a large number of devices (”90 Wriggling Wall Units”), six robotic “search arms” suspended from the ceiling to follow visitors (”6 Multiperspective Search Arms”), and a huge semi-spherical screen composed of 61 hexagonal cells (”Compound Eye Detector Screen”) – the work incorporates various systems that generate complex interaction between the respective parts’ images and sounds. The YCAM InterLab team designed and produced various mechanisms and sound generation systems based on the ideas of the work’s creator, Seiko Mikami. In order to further expand the general concept, a system that allows higher-order interaction was devised to reciprocally interlock the interaction between the visitor and each of the work’s components.

Developmental accomplishments

Development/design of robotic search arms

Search arms fitted with video cameras and projectors continue to film the visitor while following his/her movements, and simultaneously projecting the recorded footage. These arms were co-developed by the YCAM InterLab team and Ryota Kuwakubo. Kuwakubo was in charge of designing circuits and developing software for controlling the arms, while YCAM InterLab took over the circuit and sensor communication protocol, and the design and development of the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism was designed around a combination of step motors and servo cylinders to prevent the built-in video cameras and projectors from turning upside down. In addition, parts used in high-torque industry robots were employed to enable the search arms to respond instantaneously and precisely when a visitor approaches the area, and point their ends in the direction of that visitor.

Construction of a sound generation system

A special system was devised to continuously record via shotgun microphones various sounds inside the exhibition space, such as noises and voices of visitors, as well as the machine noises of the wall devices and search arms, and store the collected data together with data of sound pressure and frequency components in a database. Also developed was software for the generation and processing of sounds utilizing audio sources from that database. With this software, previously recorded audio files were culled from the database and used, retrieved based on criteria such as noises caused by visitors, and the states (response/standstill) of the three individual parts of this work (”90 Wriggling Wall Units”, ”6 Multiperspective Search Arms”, ”Compound Eye Detector Screen”). Eight speakers and four subwoofers were used for the playback of sounds generated by this system, carefully tuned and arranged in a layout designed to let the sounds “float” across the entire exhibition space.

Construction of an imagery/sound/light interaction system

A system that allows higher-order interaction was devised to reciprocally interlock the interaction between the visitor and each of the work’s components, in addition to interaction that emerges from the relationship between the visitor and the work at large. This system was used to continuously gather angle measurements and sensor data from each of the 15 rows of devices in ”90 Wriggling Wall Units”, vertical angle values of the servo cylinders and horizontal angle values of the step motors in ”6 Multiperspective Search Arms”, and numerical data indicating the ratio of categories displayed in the 61 cells (single eyes) in ”Compound Eye Detector Screen” as image/sound/light parameters and trigger factors. These ultimately controlled the autonomous updating of the ”Compound Eye Detector Screen”, determining the timing of the sounds created by the sound generation system, and illumination of the search arms and wall structure, as well as effects such as the shifting of the sound image in the exhibition space.

Technical Credits

Artworks、Concept : Seiko Mikami
Development for Search Arms Device : Ryota Kuwakubo
Programming for the compound eye detector screen : Norimichi hirakawa
Development for the wriggling wall : TAKEGAHARASEKKEI:
Programming for the wriggling wall : Sota Ichikawa:
Special Cooperation : Akihiro Kubota , Junshi Horiguchi

Corporate sponsors: AD Science Co., Microvision, Inc.
Cooperation: Tama Art University Media Art Lab. , Perfektron LLC.

YCAM InterLab

Technical Direction、Spatial Design： Soichiro Mihara
Mechanical Design for Search Arms Device : Richi Owaki
Sound Plan , Sound&Light Programming : Satoshi Hama
Lighting Design : Fumie Takahara
Spatial Construction : Takuro Iwata , Mitsuo Uno

Marebito-no-Kai “PARK CITY”

August 28 – 30, 2009
Theater performance / commissioned by YCAM
PARK CITY (YCAM Re-Marks)

Outline

This theatre piece emerged from a collaboration between playwright/director Masataka Matsuda (Marebito-no-Kai) and photographer Keiko Sasaoka (photographers’ gallery). Themed around the city of Hiroshima as it was rebuilt around a park after the war, the piece implements various choreographic methods to involve the audience based on the key aspects of time and distance. In line with Matsuda’s direction, introducing a viewing style that combines looking down upon the stage from a distance, and at the same time seeing the actors up close, the YCAM InterLab members suggested to use the venue’s second-floor seating only, and transmit images and sounds from the stage to small monitors that would be installed on each seat. In order to realize this idea, YCAM InterLab designed a mechanism for the monitor setup, built a distribution system, and developed software for audio/video output.

Developmental accomplishments

Technical Document

• Technical Rider(pdf)

Construction and installation of audience monitors and distribution system

An original distribution system was devised for relaying images from multiple video cameras installed on stage, and previously recorded video material gathered on the stage and in the city of Hiroshima, onto small monitors with built-in speakers installed on each seat in the audience. The UHF transmission method from TV broadcast was employed, allowing stable parallel distribution of different video and audio data. In addition, with the aim of touring around different venues, the efficiency of the piece’s setup was subject to testing. The monitor stands in particular were designed and produced in consideration of different seat shapes in order to make them mountable to seats in a variety of different venues.

Development of imagery and sound control software

Software was developed for the synchronous control of a video matrix switcher and an audio mixer in order to switch images and sounds precisely in accordance with the piece’s successive scenes. Along with previously recorded footage, images filmed by seven video cameras placed across the stage were fed into the video matrix mixer via twelve channels. The audio mixer was fed through approximately 20 channels with sound corresponding to the filmed material, and sounds recorded by a shotgun microphone installed on stage, as well as by lavalier microphones attached to the ten actors’ bodies. With the custom software, images and sounds from the multiple sources could be easily appointed for each scene, and saved/switched with multiple preset parameters such as fade-in or fade-out. This also made it possible to respond as needed to directional adjustments during production stage.

Technical Credits

Written and directed : Masataka Matsuda
Photography : Keiko Sasaoka (photographers’ gallery)
Sound : Masamitsu Araki
Costume Design : Kyoko Domoto
Dramaturg : Tsuyoshi Tanabe
Assistant director : Yuriko Maiya
Costume Assistant : Ryoko Katayama

Equipment Sponsor : AVOX

YCAM InterLab

Monitor Distribution System : Takayuki Ito
Monitor Stand Design : Richi Owaki
Video&Sound Control Software Development : Satoshi Hama
Stage Manager : Takuro Iwata
Stage Technician : Mitsuo Uno , Clarence Ng (Esplanade)
Sound Design: Takayuki Ito , Etsuko Nishimura
Lighting Design: Fumie Takahara
Video Technician : Richi Owaki
Video Shooting : Ryuichi Maruo

Strange Kinoko Dance Company + plaplax “The Rainy Table”

February 28 – March 1, 2009
Dance performance／commissioned by YCAM
http://therainytable.ycam.jp/

Outline

This collaboration between Strange Kinoko Dance Company and the media art group plaplax revolves around the theme of ”a journey departing from a gap in daily routine”. Based on a concept developed by Strange Kinoko director Chie Ito, the dance piece incorporates various imagery to enhance the expressivity of the world-view illustrated on the stage. YCAM InterLab was in charge of proposing and implementing various ideas related to imagery production, including the use of projection mapping, and visual effects aimed to transform the viewer’s sense of scale.

Developmental accomplishments

Trick video shooting

The utilization of the basic camera effect of showing objects (dancers) bigger the closer they move to the camera made it possible to create in this video a kind of perspective that could not possibly occur in reality. Another trick implemented for this piece was the use of mirrors for filming the dancers’ feet, moving at various distances from the camera, in order to gather them together in one floor area. The resulting footage looked as if filmed from underneath the stage floor. This method proved more efficient for producing and editing a video of multiple simultaneously dancing persons compared to the method of synthesizing footage of individual dancers on a computer.

Technical Credits

Concept, direction, choreography: Chie Ito(Strange Kinoko Dance Company)
Stage design, projection, media technology: plaplax(Motoshi Chikamori + Kyoko Kunoh + Yasuaki Kakehi)
Music: Yumiko Ohno(Buffalo Daughter)
Costume: AOMI
Assistant direction: Yoko Koyama
Stage manager: Michiko Yasuda
Animation: Ai Ohara(plaplax)
Programming co-operation: Daisuke Akatsuka

YCAM InterLab

Video system design: Richi Owaki
Lighting Design: Fumie Takahara
Sound Design: Takayuki Ito