ACO VIRTUAL: Interactive virtual chamber orchestra, with 3D musicians

The Australian Chamber Orchestra has unveiled ACO VIRTUAL, an installation that provides music-lovers the opportunity to experience what it is like to be surrounded by thirteen performing musicians, with the opportunity to control what you choose what is heard. The installation was created in collaboration with Mod Productions, an interactive multimedia company.

This promises to become a fantastic music education and performance tool!  To get a better understanding of ACO VIRTUAL, view the following video clips:

ACO VIRTUAL Trailer


"Each instrumentalist was filmed at Fox Studios, ACO artistic director and lead violin Richard Tognetti said, using the same "bullet-time" camera equipment used to shoot The Matrix, in both 2D and 3D. Visitors can enjoy the full stereoscopic experience with provided 3D glasses." -CNET

ACO Virtual Launch of Touring Installation

ACO VIRTUAL launch at MCA from Mod Productions on Vimeo.


CNET Interview: Building an Interactive Virtual Chamber Orchestra



How they did it:

The experience is controlled by a touch-pad app:

Credit: Will Huxley, ACO VIRTUAL

RELATED
Building an Interactive Virtual Chamber OrchestraAustralian Chamber Orchestra
Michelle Starr, CNET Australia, 9/26/13

ACO VIRTUAL

Mod Productions

Mod Productions Blog

Mod Productions ACO VIRTUAL

ACO VIRTUAL:  Play With the Band (pdf)

(Information for exhibitors)

ACO VIRTUAL iPhone App

I missed this one! Design and the Elastic Mind - the Interactive Data Visualization Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, 2008 (Johnathan Harris and Sep Kamva)

The installation, "I want you to want me", is an exploration of the search for love and self in the world of online dating.  It was created by Johnathan Harris and Sep Kramvar, for the 2008 Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. The installation has several movements that focus on the following themes:  


Who I Am, What I Want, Snippets, Matchmaker, and Breakdowns.  The result is a moving  glimpse into what it is like to be human and looking for a relationship in the digital age:  




RELATED
"I Want You to Want Me" website
We Feel Fine interactive website, by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar

In March of 2008, I spent some time digging deep into We Feel Fine website. I uploaded screen shots of photos and text to Flickr, which are displayed in the slideshow below:



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The following is a link to a post I wrote in January of 2009, highlighting some of Jonathan Harris's work:
Digital Storytelling Platforms and Multiple Perspectives: A look at the work of Johnathan Harris - Food for Thought for Interactive Timeline Design

SOMEWHAT RELATED
I came across the link to this information from Anne Helmond's New Media Research blog, which addresses the fact all of the information we generate publicly on the web through our blogs, Facebook comments, and tweets, is readily available for data mining and storing. Here's the beginning of her post:

"A few hours ago the following tweet by @librarycongress appeared in my timeline  “Library acquires ENTIRE Twitter archive. ALL tweets. More info here http://go.usa.gov/ik4”"

All your tweets are belong to us

Update on Ideum: Multitouch, Multiuser Table at the California Science Center

Ideum is a company that has been around since 1999.  It focuses on the design and creation of "computer-based exhibits, multitouch installations, rich Internet applications, and social networking sites for museum and Web visitors."   Gestureworks is the software developed by Ideum, which is an authoring solution for Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex.

Below is some information, including a video clip, of one of Ideum's most recent installations a multiuser, multitouch table at the California Science Center.

Case Study:  Ideum's  L.A. Zone Multi-touch, Multiuser Table (Jim Spadaccini)

Here is an excerpt from Jim Spadaccini's post:
"This multiuser, multitouch table exhibit in the L.A. Zone allows visitors to explore a satellite image and map of the LA Basin and view overlays in thematic areas that explore fire, air, water, and earth. In addition, points of interest are placed on the map in the form of images and videos. All of the content and navigational controls are available in English and Spanish. The exhibit software runs on a custom-built 50" multitouch table that supports 60+ simultaneous points of input."

The Ideum team has spent a great deal of attention to the way groups of museum visitors interact with their multitouch applications. In the past, they've noticed that on a 50" surface, visitors would experience interaction conflicts. In the present application, more than one visitor can manipulate the content without changing the interaction of others.  Spadaccini points out that multi-user control of touch screen exhibits is new, so interface design concepts developed for single-user interaction are no longer useful.  Social interactions around a multiuser display are now something to consider.

In my opinion, what the Ideum team learns through their design process can be quite useful to those of us planning to develop multiuser educational applications for interactive surfaces and displays. What I liked about this exhibit is that it has a monitor that mirrors the display, so people can view the interaction from afar.  This feature would be useful in classroom settings that have an interactive table and an interactive whiteboard. The interactive whiteboard as the secondary display so the teacher and other students could see what the group at the table was exploring.



Multitouch Google Maps and Flickr Mashup Built with Flash



Update: A video showing how Ideum's multi-touch table can withstand all sorts of heavy-duty treatment:




Note:I have been pretty busy over the past couple of months- I have much that I haven't yet blogged about.  More to come!

Varied Collection of Interface Interactions: Art and Sculpture Videos For Your Viewing Pleasure

Cross posted on The World Is My Interface

I've been exploring the contributions of artists to the world of interactive digital media. Here are videos of some of the interesting works I've come across recently.  Some of the videos are of older works, but were new to me.


INTERACTIVE KINETIC SCULPTURE
Kinetic Pond

(I'm still searching for more information regarding the Kinetic Pond.)

Rose Finn-Kelcey:  It Pays to Pray.  Interactive Sculpture at the Cass Sculpture Foundation.  Filmed by Robin Fitton.

"Insert 20p and select one of a range of prayers. An interactive sculpture which gives you back the money after providing an interesting message. Warning not to be used by the holy or holey. The prayers were about relationships with various chocolate bar brands."    It Pays to Pray Description


Fiber Cloud, MIT Mobile Experience Lab

The Cloud - from MIT Mobile Experience Lab on Vimeo.
For more information, see the Fiber Cloud web page.


Marque Cornblatt: Interactive Kinetic Steampunk Sculptures (1993-1996)

Marque Cornblatt blogs at The MediaSapien:  The Art and Culture of Hypermediated Identity
Marque Cornblatt's MFA Thesis:  The Emergence of the MediaSapien

Daniel Rozin's Wooden Mirrors (Uses video system)

More Information: Daniel Rozin Interactive Art


GIANT- Interactive Sculpture at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (2008) David Butts
Imagine what this could do if it was controlled by gestures and a system of sensors!


Nothing (without you)(Adam Chapman)Warning: What is inside the box is sort of yucky!


Hall of Faces that Follow
(Installation at Puzzling World in New Zealand-I don't think this installation is computerized.)




Interactive Sculpture:  MirrorMap, by Ryan Schenk


Self Organizing Still Life- David Fried's Kinetic Sculpture at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (responds to sounds)


Another video of Self Organizing Still Life

Act/React: Interactive Art Installation Video Milwaulkee Art Museum
Brian Knep discusses computer technology and his art:


Scott Snibbe's Deep Walls   Milwaukee Art Museum

Scott Snibbe's Artist's Statement (Focuses on interaction)