June 01, 2012

Bugzzz: A Cautionary Tale

York professors Gwen Dobie, William Mackwood and Don Sinclair are brewing an exciting high-tech theatre experiment using the Microsoft Kinect:

Dance and theatre professors begin work on ‘Bugzzz’
25.08.2011

"...Professor Don Sinclair joins the Bugzzz team as the sound and interactive projections designer. Sinclair will map performers’ bodies on stage using 3-D motion capture technology to create a mesh outline. From the 3-D model, Sinclair can manipulate exact projections of colour, image and light onto performers’ bodies, permitting them to be illuminated without background spill.

The software developed by Sinclair will advance the field of interactive technology in theatre performance. Undergraduate and graduate students in York’s dance and theatre programs will have access to the technology in a new course, The Interactive Stage: Developing Digital Design Tools for Live Performances."

‘Bugzzz’ buzzes to centre stage May 31
29.05.2012

"Combining drama, dance and opera, the play’s dual themes of sustainability and the transcendent power of art are reflected in its creative treatment and production values. Bugzzz has the look and feel of a live graphic novel, with a comic book esthetic. Instead of using resource-intensive physical sets, illustrations by graphic artist Jimmy Zhang are projected onto a comic book-shaped scrim behind the action. As the titular bugs play on the ruined staircase of the Paris Opera House, the building is transformed into its original grandeur in sequences where the insects reminisce about the world before humanity destroyed it.

The work’s futuristic look continues in the costumes designed by Dobie’s colleague, Professor Teresa Przybylski , and constructed in the Department of Theatre’s wardrobe workshop. Przybylski’s creations feature high-tech wireless LED lights and a complex projection system that uses the Kinect, a motion-sensing input device for the Xbox 360 video game console.

'Our bug costumes glow,” said Dobie, the stage director, dramaturge, choreographer and co-creator of the show. “They’re lit with battery-powered LED ropes and panels that change colour to reflect the character’s moods. Using the Kinect’s infrared technology, we can light a costume with precise video projections to mimic an insect’s iridescent wings.'

The development process for both lighting systems took more than a year. Interactive media artist Don Sinclair, a Faculty of Fine Arts professor in York’s digital media program, is the mastermind behind programming the Kinect. The LED components for the costumes, as well as the set, were developed in collaboration with a team of lighting technology specialists from industry partner, AC Lighting Inc., led by the firm’s managing director, J.F. Canuel."

We are thrilled we'll be able to draw on these creators' invaluable expertise for A Midsummer Night's Dream at York next March.

Bugzzz runs May 31st through June 10th at Artscape Wychwood Barns. Visit Theatre Direct to buy tickets, and see the Out of the Box Productions website for more on the project, including an image gallery.

Posted by Alison Humphrey at June 1, 2012 11:19 AM