Fools (2014)

An Interactive Music Video Installation

This project aims to explore the ways in which gestural interfaces and trans-media is used to promote music performances and artists in the context of modern day technology and society. This Interactive music video installation ‘Fools’, aims to amplify the poetics of a cover of an Etta James song through multiple iterations and their outcome.

A project done in collaboration with Fabiola Einhorn

CHALLENGE

How might we explore new avenues for musicians to advertise themselves and transfer the experience of a live music performance?

OUTCOME 

An interactive music video installation including a performance of Fools We Mortals Be by Etta James, using a webcam to get the dancers in the video to dance with the audience. Improvisational music is about more than purely audio - it is about the energy and body language between the musicians and how they interpret social queues in the given moment. Turning the user into a co-author of the piece, this music performance aims to bring the audience closer to the performers through digital means, yet letting the artist maintain full control of the music. 

Design Process:

1- Identify Areas of Opportunity: How might we bring a live music performance to a bigger audience through digital aids? 
2- Research: Similar existing projects, gestural interfaces, corporeality, dance, music industry. 
3- Ideate: Sketches, storyboards, interdisciplinary workshops. 
4- Envision: Create complete concepts including user scenarios and personas. 
5- Create: Rapid prototype. 
6- Test: User test evaluating acquisition of desired feelings. 
7- Recruit: Dancers and musicians. 
8- Execute: Scout location, set up scene, record. 
9- Test: User test evaluating acquisition of desired feelings with final audio and video. 
10- Evaluate: Evaluate outcome and adjust accordingly. 
11- Iterate: Trouble shooting, debugging and finalize prototype. 

An Etta James cover of What fools we mortals be performed by students from The New School for Jazz.

Sean Steele- Vocals, Blair Milne- Vibraphone, Jayne Fife- Acoustic Bass, Joey Ziegler- Drums

Eugene Lang College Ballet Dancer Emily Katz and Katy Roth.