On behalf of the Modul8 Team I want to wish you a busy New Year with lots of projects, festivals, installations, stage design and most importantly good health.
From our end we have delivered to you modul8 2.6. One of its key features is DMX support. So far this has been a very exciting addition for those who are already working with DMX. And for people new to it there may be some things to learn but once you get the basic idea I am sure we will be seeing a lot more VJs working with lighting in addition to their video.
One of the projects that I was able to see and hear that really impressed me in terms of lighting and its implications was the above project by Sigma6. I hope it will inspire you to think about this subtle medium.
This years activities in the live video world could be summed up by the proliferation of outdoor mapping projections. A year ago this practice was limited to just a few individuals and collectives. However the trend has caught on and these type of projects are happening everywhere and in a variety of contexts.
The constants of these are outdoor events where a public building is transformed by mapping imagery to the surfaces of the building. In some ways if done properly this has the effect of something akin to the wrapping of the Reichstage. A public facade that people see every day is renewed by non malicious means, temporarily giving it new life. In my observations of audiences who are in attendance, the reaction is very similar to the ‘ooo’s and ‘ahh’s of a fireworks display. The positive sides of this are twofold. The VJ gets pulled out from the club and the concept of synesthesia is brought to a wider audience.
Back in the DJ/Dance world we are also seeing more work where customized structures are created for more immersive experiences. Immersive though has emerged not necessarily as something the surrounds the audience completely. In fact that could be considered counter productive as human beings don’t have 360 degree vision, and the DJ who is almost always the focal point of the dance party can only be in once place. By that sort of deduction a more realistic definition of immersive could be defined as an area around the DJ that enhances the experience of the music.
Not to imply that there is no place where projections behind you are not useful. The above link is a rare example from Udart that documents the use of modul8 in the event world. Here the video is a component of a social event. There is no DJ. The focus is in providing a unique environment for people to enjoy not the music or the visuals but each other. While the doc is entirely in Dutch but most of the references here that are modul8 related are highly visible. Highly practical and straightforward. The way we like it.
Looking forward to a great 2010.
