Connecting the Edges – Organic Motion powers real-time intercontinental visual arts performance
At the 2010 International Digital Media Arts Association (IDMAA) annual conference in Vancouver, Canada, Organic Motion’s technology helped to power the world’s first real-time intercontinental visual arts performance. Entitled, "In the SAME PLACE, at the SAME TIME," the performance connected dancers and visual artists from the corners of the globe, including Canada, Japan and the United States, to conduct a real-time choreographed digital performance.
Organized by James Oliverio, Digital Worlds Institute Director and Professor of Digital Arts & Sciences University of Florida and multiple Emmy Award winner, the breakthrough event showcased the power of Organic Motion’s markerless motion capture technology, teaming up also with Emily Carr University, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ZeroCSeven from Japan, and IOCOM from Chicago, the partnership created the world’s richest real-time collaboration engine, which allowed performing artists located around the world to see and interact with each other in a simulated stage. In essence, the event literally joined performers located across Planet Earth into the same virtual space.
Dancers stepped into Organic Motion’s systems in Tokyo, Vancouver, Florida and New York and instantly had their movements tracked to power the motion of virtual dancers; the dancers’ performances were projected to one another. In this choreographed virtual reality production every movement was animated in real-time to one another.
The entire performance was projected to the attendees at the IDMAA event, where audience members were able to watch both the live video of performers, as well as the animated versions, as they danced in sync and created music with virtual instruments with one another.
"As a part of our 'In Common: Time' series, we wanted to create an event that would demonstrate a globally-distributed network joining multi-cultural performers moving and interacting in the most natural way possible, and to join them in real-time into a shared virtual environment," said Oliverio. "CONNECTING the EDGES showcased how technologies like Organic Motion's are helping digital arts education, visual performance, and creativity to rapidly evolve in a compelling and intuitive human-centric trajectory."
