skinslides ver.1.3
Construction: Richi Owaki
Performance: Alessio Silvestrin
Sound: Otomo Yoshihide
Programming: Satoshi Hama (YCAM InterLab),
Technical support: YCAM InterLab
-
Conceived as an “interface for a permanent preservation of the dancer’s movements,” this video dance piece is based on the novel idea of producing images and sound first, and subsequently programming a data-choreography out of the single elements.
Three displays are embedded in the venue’s floor, while sensors detect the visitor’s movements. The displays show vivid projections of the contact points with the floor of an improvising dancer, and by moving around in the exhibition space, the visitor adds an element of chance to the generated sequences of footage on the displays. (All the sequences are consisted by five parts of scenes, which includes 55 footages.)The soundtrack is composed of the sounds of the body movements and of their contacts with the floor, and music performed by Otomo Yoshihide based on footage of body movements.
-
About the system
This work consists of three projected images, and an additional one that the computer program calculates with. The three connected images are displayed in the form of projections and sounds in the exhibition space, while the fourth is available as a sound channel only in the adjacent patios on both sides of the exhibition space. Here the visitor can try and imagine the fourth, non- visualized image while listening to the soundtrack. Further, the sequences of images and sounds on each display follow rules based on Fibonacci numbers, and are at once determined by the dancers movements, sounds, and other uncertain data for the sake of variety and diversity.
（A special set was built for the works visual components, which were ﾞlmed in hi-vision in order to visualize the dancers subtle movements and gravity on the floor.）
Systems and software used for the development/production: openFrameworks, Processing, MAX/MSP.
-
PDF File (6M)
-
-
Full 20min
-
-
kinslides refer to Shozenji Temple as a model.Shozenji Temple: Opened by Funei Gottan in 1286 in Kyoto. The temple is famous for its Zen gardens, which are Japanese rock gardens (karesansui) created by Enshu Kobori (1579-1647), and Chitenjo (bloody ceiling).Karesansui: Karesansui is usually created by white sand and white stones, but this garden has evergreen azaleas in the white sand. The garden design uses 7:5:3 ratios, particularly with the plants. Watching carefully how the plants grow and keeping them in the 7:5:3 ratio gently guides them, protecting the groups of plants. Cutting the branches and keeping the groups in order allows them to grow.
The skinslides program follows this particular ratio like the garden, slowly changing its form.
Chitenjo: In 1600, war raged across Japan and Mototada Torii and his garrison died defending Fushimi Castle, most of them suicidally attacking the enemy. After almost all of his men died fighting, Torii committed suicide with the remaining men rather than be captured alive. The blood of the faces, legs and hands of Torii and his men stained the wooden floor and would not wash off. After Torii’s defeat, the wooden floor was dismantled for use in other buildings as was typical then. Over 20 years later, the boards were used in Shodenji temple’s ceiling to commemorate the dead.
The shadow of the dead on the floor goes beyond documenting history, creating a different level. Putting the floor where the ceiling is means that observers have to look up at the ceiling in order to watch, changing gravity and causing a unique feeling from looking up.
skinslides are inspired by this flipped space of the Chitenjo.Francis Bacon: skinslides represent theater expression through movie skills while still remaining as artwork.
-
Francis Bacon (1909-1992), who greatly influenced contemporary art after World War II, is famous for his expression of human fear: fear of violence, fear of loss, and fear of being human. His paintings are primarily formed by three frame sets, and we can analyze those three by constructions, forms, and shapes, or force, rhythm, and time.
In skinslides, we have three screens with intervals of 0.9 m of space between them, helping the audience to imagine the performance in the blank space. This practice came from Bacon’s painting where he expanded space through using space and emphasized the shapes of motion. In addition, the wall painted orange around the skinslides pays homage to Bacon.