Dissertation. Playing with light

Playing with light From videoprojections to mapping Núria Xaubet i Pujadó

Overview of the videoprojections and the evolution towards the new era with vj’s and mapping, explaining the most relevant items and making an analysis about it.

Tecnocampus Mataró-­‐Maresme & Glyndwr University December 2012

Index

1.

Introduction

1

2.

Background

2

3.

Nowadays

3

4.

Development. Process 4.1.

Study of the space 4.2.

Creation of the content 4.2.1.

Inspiration 4.2.2.

Visual content 4.3.

Output. Projection 4.3.1.

Software 4.3.1.1.

Madmapper 4.3.1.1.1.

Syphon 4.3.1.2.

Resolume 4.3.1.3.

Modul 8 4.3.1.4.

VDMX 4.3.2.

Projectors

4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7

5.

Types 5.1.

Architecture 5.2.

Interactive 5.3.

Audiovisual performances 5.4.

Light painting 5.5.

Live shows. Concerts 5.6.

Retro projections

10 10 10 11 11 12 12

6.

Relevant artists 6.1.

Antivj 6.2.

D-­‐Fuse 6.3.

VJ Culture (Grant Davis).

6.4.

Coldcut

13 13 13 13 14

7.

Some applications. Analysis.

7.1.

Mappings on people 7.2.

Black line 7.3.

Mappingson a Building 7.4.

Mapping on a show. “Com va la vida”.

7.5.

The V Motion Project. Interactive mapping. Kinect.

15 15 16 16 17 18

8.

Conclusion

19

9.

Bibliography

20

Table of figures

Figure 1: Blender

Figure 2: Architecture

Figure 3: Audio-­‐visual performance

Figure 4: Light painting

Figure 5: The Icebook. Retroprojection Figure 6: Mapping on a people

9 10 11 11 12 15

Figure 7: Eyjafjallajökull (Black line example) Figure 8: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Figure 9: ‘Com va la vida’

Figure 10: V Motion Project

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1. Introduction

Video projections are video signals that are projected on a surface. If we develop the technique a little bit further and try to project different content than what we are used to watch (films, presentations, conferences…), and we also change the aim and the way it is done by adapting this projection to the structure of our surface, we will give life to an unanimated surface. That is mapping.

Mapping born due to the evolution and the development of new technologies: computers, new projectors, the software’s evolution, Internet and of course, because of the society. These are the bases and reasons of the video projections development.

More and more people are interested in being introduced at this technique or even improving their knowledge about projections and that is because of the step-­‐by-­‐step learning process of the technique that we can see in a lot of applications, as I’ll explain along this dissertation.

Video projections have a lot of applications. This is one of the reasons for which mapping is being so popular and remains in audio-­‐visual and multimedia society. The fact of being able to create, produce a different audio-­‐visual piece or multimedia and feel like artists has made that, conscious or not, we are surrounded with all kinds of video projections.

The type of projections that stands out, currently, is the Vj (Video Jockeys). People that play with light, doing real artistic creations. They appear for first time in 1981 as announcers of a program featuring music videos. At present they are known as an artist who creates and mixes video live and synchronises it to music. They are audio-­‐visual and multimedia artists.

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2. Background

We could say that the origins of musical video projections are in the dance halls of the eighties.

It was here when the image started to be mixed with the sound. People was choosing the music, named DJ (Disk Jockeys), created loops of images (random or not) and had to synchronise them with the audio, in such a way that generated some contents that went in accordance with music. It created a spectacular effect by the age. They were Dj and were in charge to play with the video live.

This technique is getting better and improving along years and every day it has evolved more, not only for discotheques, but also in any type of show.

At the end of the 70’s electronic music was born, which opens a new way in ‘House’ music.

There was the need to have new visual experiences, beyond the music. At this moment the ‘figure’ of vj was born. First vj’s appeared at the end of 70’ at New York, in the Peppermint Lounge Club, a place destined to the development of the video art and performances. This club was the main place where this technique was developed and where techno, trance and house music (among others) were synchronised with video performances. This mixture of music and video filled the gap that there was on stage at that moment.

VJ culture has evolved. At the end of 20th century, society wanted to experience, to create contents related with cinema, architecture, music, design, improvisation, creation and in short the digital art. Later on this culture was also known with the name of ‘ve-­‐je’, ‘vijing’ or ‘vi-­‐ji’, and they helped to develop the elements of the audio-­‐visuals live performances.

Anyway, the term VJ means “video presenter in musical video tv program” and they act as disk jockey. MTV (Music Television) was the main promoter thanks to having a TV program based on video clips that had broadcast to give more rhythm and dynamism.

Some of the most respected VJs are: The Light Surgeons, Actop, D-­‐Fuse, UVA, 8gg, Elliott Earls, Coldcut/Hexstatic, Visual Kitchen, etc.

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3. Nowadays

Currently video projections are a very common technique. Firstly we could only dind them in cinemas, presentations or any other show that needed to project a video or image on a surface, but now the VJ culture has appeared, people that plays with light and visual arts. We can mainly find them in discotheques, clubs or concerts where they work making live performances.

These artists work with a computer and some visual content synchronized with the music, in such a way that when it is projected, the images move around with the same rhythm than the music.

This technique improved along the years thanks to the technological evolution and the needs of the society. They don’t only projects in musical spaces, but also we can find them in every type of space like theatres, shows, sculptures, museums, music festivals and other electronic music events, on people or cars or any other elements, which so far we couldn’t imagine. In this way, creativity has been developed and we can achieve to produce works of art by only playing with light, sound, a basis and imagination.

This has made that other demonstrations related with performances have appeared, like live art –in a space of art to make a session of vj, where it will also be instructive-­‐, livepainting – improvising performance art, in which artists complete a visual art piece in a public performance–, live performance –project which it can be represented like a act that it’s part of an exhibition of art’s works-­‐. And live cinema –That one that is represented in cinemas–1.

Audio-­‐visual performances and live cinema find themselves immerse in a new electronic culture and in the new media art. The Vj culture represents a new production technique of a video creation in time with the realization and mixture of the contents in real time. Moreover, there is a big community behind this technique. People that want to grow, to be formed, to create, to improve, to succeed and to become popular in the vjing’s world and Internet. New technologies have been the fundamental root of all this development.

1

El VJ y la creación audiovisual performativa. Tesis. UniversidadRey Juan Carlos, Madrid, 2010 3

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4. Development. Process

To make a mapping we have to follow several steps. First, we have to know the base where we will project, if it will be a handmade recreation, a construction, a flat screen or any other element or surface. In any case, the process can be different depending on the surface.

If we have to map a big building like a monument or a cathedral that is going to be far from our job, the preproduction will be longer because we can’t work in front of our base. In these cases we should to make a 3D model of the building to work at home or at the studio, and it’s also important to know the accurate sizes to achieve a good result without modify anything when we go to project our work on this construction.

We can divide the steps by: Space’s study

Cameras

Contents

Video Clips

Process

VJ software

Output

Projector

VJ software

Production tools

Video synthesizers

Production tools

Monitor

4.1.

Study of the space

First of all we have to define our set (the surface where it will be projected) and make it digital to have a reference. There are two options to prepare a mapping. We could go to the place where we will do the projection and work there, with the computer, the projector and the object in front of us, or bring an exact image of the object model with us and by doing this, we will be able to work from home, this is named spatial scanner. In big mappings, like buildings or big shows, it is recommended to take the second option.

To take an image, the software Madmapper (explained at point 4.3.1.1) includes an option that can transform our projector into a 2d scanner only using camera, the projector and Madmapper software. So we have to link our camera and projector to our laptop (it is required to use a specific Canon EOS camera, the software only supports some ones, so we have to check our camera compatibility).

When these three devices are connected, we can tell the software to send instructions to the projector in such a way that the camera takes photos every time that projector projects signals

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of light, like white lines: vertical, horizontal, thicker, thin, diagonal, etc. Finally we will obtain many photos that the software will merge in a digitalized image of reality, so the result will be one photography that reflects the true as a base to work on it with After Effects, Cinema 4D or the same vj software’s.

This is a good way because without this spatial scanner we have to be at the exact place where we will do our mapping. There are some times that we can’t be at the same place, for example when we are mapping a building, it’s better to have an exact photo of our space and later go to the place with all work done and with the only need to do the last adjustments to start our video projection.

4.2.

Creation of the content

4.2.1. Inspiration

Mapping is a technique that requires a long time, the surface have to be represented, square this with the reality, transform you into artist and create all the visual content, besides adding visual part to it, therefore, it’s obvious that one of the most important capacities to remain it’s the patience to work and especially the creativity and desires to test new things.

We have explained that it have a great relationship with electronic music, since it has their origins. If we analyse it, we will see that some elements stand out over others, these are the repetitions, the loops or the programming.

One of the techniques that creators’ use is the sampling, fragments of a sample that we will use again in a future. Sampling can also be made with loops, that is, a continuous repetition of fragments. The programmer has to mix all these elements and configure them as random.

In this way, if we change the music for image, we will find that many of visuals are loops of videos created previously.

4.2.2. Visual content

The visual content of the video projections are formed by a set of animations and effects that we have created previously with specific software. Typically we can found as 3D animations as 2D. To create 3D animations we can use different 3D software. There are a large list, but probably, software’s most used in that aspect are Cinema 4D, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Studio Max, Blender, etc.

There is a mainly software to create visual content, it is After Effects. We can integrate 3D and 2D animations in it. It’s one of most used to make this type of work, the preview of the projection, so it’s a very important program and it’s good to have knowledge’s about it to become a good vj.

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4.3.

Output. Projection

4.3.1. Software

How we explained, we can create the content of a mapping using a large variety of software, but to project we need some more specific. There is a lot of software for it and here are the most popular:

4.3.1.1.

Madmapper

This is another software to make video-­‐mapping projections (only for Mac OS). This software allows the artist to create some content and make the experience of mapping textures to physical objects in a real time.

The interface of the software is divided by two workspaces: a utility column, and at the right side, there are two Windows to manipulate the surfaces: Input and Output. The fact of having this structure represents that it is especially focused on the process. In the input we can work with the videos, images or any content we put there. Here we have to adjust and transform the surfaces to select the exactly zone we can use to be visible on the output view.

4.3.1.1.1.

Syphon

Unlike Resolume or another software’s, Madmapper doesn’t offer so much control of video controls, but it focused more in the process of the digital surface representation of the physical objects in the computer.

To improve this problem of capacity of the video control, it has been created an application that accomplishes this task. Syphon is a plug-­‐in that allows us to connect two programs, for example Resolume and Madmapper, in such way, that all videos we are preparing to Resolume will be able to have them synchronized with Madmapper. It’s syphon and has compatibility with a variety of main software’s like Modul8, Resolume, VDMX, Quartz Composer, and more. For this reason is a good option if we want to introduce external elements

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4.3.1.2.

Resolume

Software created to video projection, mainly live performances. It is one of the most used software’s at present. It have capacity to save several layers of videos with different columns at the same time, in this way, we can mix them and play them together, or at different times, synchronized with the music, etc.

It has a section to create patches o surfaces to represent digitally and exactly all the surface.

We can divide it by input and output signals. The second one it’s used to define where we will project our videos. In such way to square every video with the area appropriated.

It can work in Windows as well as Mac OS platform.

4.3.1.3.

Modul 8

We can find more software’s to create video projections. Another one is Modul8. It’s similar than the last ones, used to lunch videos and to manipulate these from the same application at the real time, it’s not difficult to use it, in such a way that it’s indicated if we need to work immediately to make spontaneous creations or interactive installations, etc. Therefore, it’s indicated to make live performances, theatre, vj sessions or contemporary art.

It’s popular software. It’s easy to interpret if we have some minimum knowledge’s about these software’s. It’s designed for MAC OS and created by vj’s that needed a program that fit to their needs. They are GarageCUBE and they also take part of the Mapping Festival placed every year in Geneva.

4.3.1.4.

VDMX

Software to create applications of video processes in real time. It allows us to create spectacular effects. The interface is based on modules and it let us to construct our own virtual video studio from different presets. It has interaction with another applications like Quartz Composer, software to create content using the programming.

The main use is for vj’s, performers, events, visual artists, shows. .

4.3.2. Projectors

It’s very important to know which projector we will use in our mapping. This will describe us the resolution with which we will work and will project. On the other hand, it is also important to know other aspects as the space where we will work; the amount of people who will see the projection (determines the size of the projected image); the distance that there will be between the light source and the surface will receive light (to be able to square the sizes and to create the content correctly); the contrast (for the brightest or dark images); and the surface of the screen, or in this case, the model or base on we’ll project.

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The projectors have a large variety of technical specifications. The most important are the resolution, the amount of light or brightness, the sensor technology or the lenses angle. Next you can see these most relevant features and the main characteristics.

Resolution Native resolution: it’s the real resolution. (Non-­‐compressed and not-­‐expanded)

Input signals Standard

Resolution (px)

SVGA XVGA WXGA

800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 720 1280 x 1024 1440 x 1080 1920 x 1080 16:9 1920 x 1280 4:3

HD Ready

Full HD 2K or 4K

(cinema) Sensor technology

-­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐

-­‐ -­‐

DLP (Digital Light Processing) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) ·∙ Height brightness and contrast ·∙ Low efficiency ·∙ Rich colours ·∙ Smoother video ·∙ Low contrast ·∙ Smaller box ·∙ More visible pixels (screen door ·∙ Generate more dark blacks, the effect) mirrors inside the System reflect all ·∙ Larger box light. ·∙ Blacks more grey. More lighters ·∙ Need more lumens in ambient ·∙ Good quality in ambient light light.

Brightness.

Very relevant aspect for projectors. Measured in ANSI lumens. Defined by the audience, the size of the room or the place brighter.

1000 or For smaller and closer rooms, without any ambient light. It is a less cheaper option. Is becoming a Standard for the industry.

For a rooms with a normal lighting condition. It’s not necessary an extreme darkness. Used for conferences, school usage and a 1000 to usual presentations. However, it’s advisable to reduce the 2000 environmental light that there can be.

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2000 to 3000

3000 and up

For an ambient light and an audience less than 100. Used for a presentations or conferences of a large duration. A bit more expensive.

For big places and for different applications like auditoriums, concerts, conferences, nightclubs, churches, etc. Usually are fixed for the projection. Used for audiences of 200 with an ambient light. If we have 100 or more in a place with bright lights, we will use 5000 lumens or more. These types are expensive.

Moreover, we can pay attention to other aspects. For example the lenses, these works like a camera, where the smaller number means more light. The lens also can be without zoom, including a manual zoom or with a power zoom (motorized, we can adjust the image at the moment).

We can also consider the portability, the size and weight. We have to know the use we will give to the projector. There are 3 categories. The ultra light projectors to be able to transport them without being a problem; the conference room projectors are heavier but brighter and better; finally, the fixed installation projection have a higher price, on the other hand can be adaptable for a bright rooms and different resolutions.

MAPPING ON LARGE INSTALLATIONS

When we have to do a mapping on a large surface, sometimes is required more than one projector. To relate them and make the images not remain cut by the change of projector, we need to make a previous work called blender, that is, have 25% of the screen shared with the other projector, in such a way there will be part of the content projected by two devices.

To make this, we need a graphic card that allows us to connect the computer to more than one projector. The next step is work with the program, at the advanced setting -­‐input section-­‐ we will define the different patterns, and at the output section we will do the final adjustments to the layers to have a little part of the projection shared.

25%

Figure 1: Blender

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5. Types

5.1. Architecture

Figure 2: Architecture

This type is probably one of the best known. To change the look of a building is really spectacular, for this reason, when we speak about mapping we take as a reference these video projections that leave surprised the public are seeing it.

Mappings on buildings or cathedrals usually have a background, some message or reason that bring him to make it. For example, we can explain the history of a city or about the same building; or we can make an event presentation that takes place in the same building, etc.

It’s a way to meet a great amount of people. These shows are different as what we are used to see; seeing a popular building that changes totally its look, which is constructed or demolishes, which it seems to open up and interior elements turns up, etc. All of that is a call for society, which is surprised and later stands at the event till the end.

All of that are needs of the audiovisual market. The aim of the technique is to stand out and demonstrate something new to the spectator (to be different of what is currently in the market).

5.2. Interactive

Society wants more than only typical mappings on buildings, on plane surfaces, etc. Market needs more than this; it has restlessness and because of that we advanced until find interactive mappings, where the viewer is able to modify the projection contents.

For example, we can find video projections according to the voice where the frequency is synchronized with some colors and these will change into the screen every time we talk with the exact tone.

Moreover, we can also play with smartphones or tables using applications created for the mapping, in such a way that we can control what are watching and projecting.

This type of mapping attracts lots of people, since we can be participant and feel like Vj’s for a while, and not only simple viewers.

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Finally we can find more interactivity with devices that detect our movements and these can control the visual content. We are talking about Kinect, an infrared detector movement that has the ability to recognize several points of our skeleton and represent them in a computer. It works with three cameras that are incorporated in the same gadget, so we can control the movements or body positions by assigning effects to its.

This device is used mainly in systems like Wii, PlayStation or Xbox 360 to interact with games without the need of to connect cables among the devices.

5.3. Audio-­‐visual performances

Figure 3: Audio-­‐visual performance

The interaction also has an important task when we want to relate a scenography with an emotions or sensations. These types of video projections are normally experiments are done in order to explore new synergies between the human body and the rhythm and light.

People have an important role here because we project on them and they have to interact with the visual contents, which are usually synchronized with their movements.

In this example we focused on the live contemporary dance performance playing with the sound and the visual effects that provides senses to us.

5.4. Light painting

Figure 4: Light painting

A video projection provides life to a surface typically plain, without relieve as it could be in a cardboard, a wall, etc. The main part is the way the light acts, the reflection it creates, the reliefs, etc. In this case it is very important to do a good work during the production of visuals, the effects, animations, light positions... to achieve a good result simulating we are in front of a structure in 3D when it is only a plane where several silhouettes appear.

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5.5. Live shows. Concerts

In this case, the video projection helps to reinforce the sound content with images that explain the song story. Commonly, in the majority of concerts we can find led screens, which they already show the audio-­‐visual material needed, but other times we can also find a support of the sound with video projections; here is where we can play and integrate mappings to strengthen the sound and to interact with the band or musicians.

5.6. Retro projections

Figure 5: The Icebook. Retro projection

This are projections where the source of light arrives from behind the surface in such a way that the light doesn’t arrive from de front, as in the majority of projections.

This is a way to create new shapes, to be able to put elements in front of the scene without remaining illuminated. It can be useful for us if we want to play with shadows or silhouettes of the objects that are in front. Light arrives from the back so it will create a backlighting.

This type of projection can have different applications, for example in the theatre, as sceneries. In this case we also can play with the fact of having several layers of sceneries so the first, the one that would be nearest to the public, is darker than the last one, which will be more illuminated. We can play with this, making integrations on the stage and adding more elements (visuals or physicals). We will get more senses with the interaction between the light and characters.

It is worth money spending for theatres because it represents an important economical saving.

We avoid having to buy decoration material of the space, in such a way that we don’t have to change them manually, like now, so the scenes will be modified only from computers and will achieve a major speed and effectiveness.

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6. Relevant artists

6.1. Antivj

They are a collective of artists that runs away from the typical vj’s. Normally, vj’s have some more abstract visual contents, and maybe sometimes without a story line that transmits us the message. However, Antivj try to do more research and development to experiment and deliver new things.

Nivolas Boritch, producer and coordinator of Antivj, explains that:

We were all interested in getting away from the “rectangular screen” format, and to bring projection into the real world around us to project onto buildings, structures, transparent materials and in 3D as well.

So from there, we wanted to get together and focus on the idea of “projected light in space”.

In all the projects I do, I play with visual perception and I try to trick the senses using optical illusions. I really like the idea of modifying the perception of things. In a way, it is almost like modifying reality2

6.2. D-­‐Fuse

They are a group of audio-­‐visual artists founded in London in the middle of the 90’s for Michael Faulkner. It’s a group formed by different artists that uses the creative potential of new technologies to produce multiscreen performances and to talk about social questions that affect us everyday. They make performances related with photography, mobile media, architecture, TV, experimental documentary cinema, live cinema and temporary installations.

They are also known for the book they edited in 2006: Audio-­‐Visual Art and Vj Culture.

6.3. VJ Culture (Grant Davis).

He is an award-­‐wining VJ ranked among the top visual performers worldwide. 12 years ago he gave up working with deaf children, and then started his experience with a live VJ environment. He thought visuals were the only way to interpret the music for the deaf people.

He has been working with a lot of distinctive dj and music groups. Moreover, Grant and his partner Xarene produced and released the book and DVD that’s covering the global VJ scene, “’vE-­‐jA: Art and Technology of Live Audio Video”.

2 (Lemercier, 2011)

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6.4. Coldcut

Besides these current artists, we can also go back in time and talk about Coldcut. They were a British group that turns up at 80’s. Formed by Matt Black and Jonathan More they have been the precursors of the music based on samplers, the scratching and the processing of image and music in real time.

Later on, they were interested in dance and chill out, drum and bass, jazz, electronic, hip-­‐hop or funky, so they were a polyvalent group. In a way, they have been a great influence for their predecessors. Moreover, Coldcut created his own vj software, Vjamm, to be able to show their performances in real time.

Coldcut have been the icon of many avant-­‐garde and artistic practices of the 20th century, and we could say that they have been the first postmodern mapping artist with the achievement of political and ecological messages, leaving back commercial practices and the consumerism.

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7. Some applications. Analysis.

In this last point I will make an analysis of some video projections that I have investigated through Internet and that I found more interesting, attempting to take an example of each different type or mapping artist. Thanks to this analysis we will be able to have a more practical vision of what I explained along this work.

I will analyze how these are made, the aim with which they were created and the function. The purpose of this part is to find the effects that mapping brings over the society, and how it can contribute to the development of this technique.

7.1. Mappings on people

Figure 6: Mapping over a people

The creativity and desires to innovate has made that vj’s tried to map all types of elements.

Artists have escaped from the traditional mapping on buildings or walls to project on a person, managing to change for complete the aspect of him/her.

We can change the dress of a person, or make it seems a robot or a different human, or for example, to project his eyes opened but having them closed, etc.

The fact to create amazing videos is that people want to share it through Internet, and it immediately becomes viral by becoming popular and runs all on laptops and computers around the world.

However, sometimes we will end up remembering more the way it has been presented that the product that is being promoted.

We need an actor for making this mapping and it has to remain still model and immobile during the video projection, because we need to square all the content with our actor to achieve a credible result.

It is also interesting to have a white base to see good colors and be able to project any color and texture. Due to that it is a common thing to paint the actor with a white color to achieve a perfect result (body painting usually).

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7.2. Black line

Figure 7: Eyjafjallajökull (Black line example)

When we project on an inanimate surface, this already has its own relief, in which we will play to project and change with the help of the light and the images. A technique we can use to highlight even more all the elements is to draw lines tracing the contours of the image we’ll project. It’s a technique that adds depth and volume to a flat visual and can create a lot of visual effects without having any surface with relief.

It’s a good way if we want to save money and resources and to make a different mapping, only using a flat object and our imagination. However, previously we have to prepare our set exactly in 3D to project it on the wall or our surface and paint it.

Antivj created this show, inspired on the Icelandic volcano that erupted two years ago and a lot of flights in Europe got cancelled.

7.3. Mappings on a Building

Figure 8: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

A mapping on a building it’s the most common nowadays. As in the majority of mappings, it consists on giving movement to an element that is static. We can create optical effects as if the building was falling down or in construction, or as if there were people inside, etc. All these effects only happen by playing with the animations and light and creating true works of art.

We can create video mapping on all what we want: a cathedral, smaller church, a town council, some emblematic building, or a simple house. However, obviously, it’ll be more complicated if there is more relief in the buildings, smaller corners that we will have to represent digitally for afterwards being able to project on the building with precision.

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Normally, we make a 3D model of the building to make this type of mapping. Thanks to this model, it is easier to work and we can create the animations at home, without the need to be in front of the building. In these cases we can also remove an image scanned (explained at point 4.1), which will save us work and time.

This example corresponds to a mapping made by vjspain at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

7.4. Mapping on a show. “Com va la vida”.

Figure 9: “Com vala vida”

It is an example of integration of a mapping into a show. We can change a typical scene to add more interactivity. It’s based on images that are changing according to the interview topic. In this case we are analysing an interview of two people. It’s about different topics, so they have to have a lot of visual content to find the appropriate in every one.

That’s good because of we achieve more depth in the subjects of conversation. They want to get a visual image to relate it with the content of the interview.

I find that it is a very useful format and can be used in the future in order to change the traditional format that we are used to see, where the background remains static.

The creation and assembly of the mapping have been take part by “Welovecode” and “Tigrelab”

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7.5. The V Motion Project. Interactive mapping. Kinect.

Figure 10: V Motion Project

This is an example of how we can use the kinect to make a spectacular show with a video projection. In this case, the artist wanted to turn motion into music only by using a technically modified (more powerful) kinect and an audio software. The Kinect is located in front of the screening and controls the movements of the boy.

This practice, as Custom Logic says (the idea’s creators), was not easy since there was a delay between hitting a virtual key of the projection by body movement and hearing the sound, so they had to find another solution like using two computers and a different software. They explained that, in this case, “the skeleton based audio control system” so “the distance between the hands turns one dial in Ableton Live, and the angle of rotation controls another one”.

What they wanted to make with this show was that people who were watching the projection could see at the moment that the boy was creating the music himself instantly with his movements. They had to explain this concept clearly, only using a visual language, because of that they need to use an awesome visual content projected.

People attending the performance were surprised because it’s not a common thing, by that moment in time, to see someone dancing in front of a wall and, at the same time, creating sound and modifying visual content that is projected there.

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8. Conclusion

In the last years technology has evolved in a vertiginous way, every day new devices, new software, new updates appear that makes the mapping technique develop and creates things that at the beginning were unimaginable.

We couldn’t think at the beginning of cinema that we would synchronize the audio with the image; that we could be the attendants of creating an audio-­‐visual product straightaway, at live; that we would project on an important or religious building, transforming it; or that we could project on us, on people, being able to change the aspect and bring different perspectives. In short, to change the form people see and understand the art.

A new audio-­‐visual style has been created. It is tied to the traditional form with the culture, with the society, which needed changes of the products presentations, shows or any other event that can be accompanied with video projection.

Making this work has helped me to understand this entire world much better. I only knew a small part, what is seen from the outside, from videos, reading online forums, talking with people or looking at Internet. So far at the beginning of this essay, I hadn’t investigated the origins and the effects it could have over the society, more than the simple boom of that technique.

It’s a work that reaffirmed me that a product can be very simple visually, but the making of can be a very long work that the viewer hasn’t appreciated if you do not know about this world.

Behind the video projections there is a big community of people, bigger than we think, and that it evolves day by day, experimenting, satisfying needs, restlessness and doubts that helps us to improve until achieving sufficient maturity to create shows as those that we have been able see in the last section of this dissertation.

On the other hand, we have seen that with a few resources we can create a great variety of video projections and not only in those that we are more familiarized. Currently, it has already gone beyond and we can modify the physical structure of what we put behind, creating visual effects painting the relief of some of the elements that we’ll project there in order to give more depth, or basically being us who modify the visual contents of what we see.

It’s clear then that we have to follow this way. Everyday this community is bigger and every time people will get more used to these types of projections, in such a way that it won’t be an innovation or a discovery of a technique. In the next years we will be surprised ourselves with other shows than nowadays we can’t imagine.

It is an increasing world, in development and evolution. So, it will be necessary to see, investigate and experience what it puts in front of us to satisfy the society needs that is tired of the conventionalism. Give a few years to this technique and we will discover the future of mapping

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9. Bibliography

Books

• Pérez, Blanca Regina y Bustamante Yábar. El Vj y la creación audiovisual performativa. Tesis. Madrid: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 2010.

• Faulkner, Michael. VJ: Audio-­‐Visual Art and VJ Culture. London: D-­‐Fuse.

Lawrence King, 2006.

Videography

• Tigrelab. Vimeo. 2011. <https://vimeo.com/35460189>.

• Samsung. Youtube . 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9wBxf-­‐ NIbbI>.

• Festival, Mapping. Vimeo. 2011. <https://vimeo.com/35343291>.

• Lemercier, Joanie. “Vimeo.” 2011. Eyjafjallajökull. <https://vimeo.com/32811205#at=0>.

Webgraphy

• Resolume. Resolume VJ software. <www.resolume.com>.

• Spain, Clubbing. Clubbing Spain. <http://www.clubbingspain.com/artistas/uk/d-­‐fuse.html>.

• Spain, VJ. VJ Spain. <www.vjspain.com>.

• Madmapper. Madmapper -­‐ The video mapping software. <www.madmapper.com>.

• MacGuire, Davy and Kristin. The Icebook. 2010. <http://www.theicebook.com/The_Icebook.html>.

• Logic, Custom. V Motion Project. 2012. <www.custom-­‐logic.com/blog/v-­‐ motion-­‐project-­‐the-­‐instrument/>.

• GarageCUB. Modul 8. <www.modul8.ch>.

• around, Mapping. Categories and mapping artists. <http://www.mappingaround.com/>.

• AntiVJ. Anti VJ Blog. <www.blog.antivj.com>.

• About projectors. <http://www.abbysguide.com/projector/>.

Others Course of mapping. MadCenter. Barcelona. September 2012. Course

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