A few weeks back I was invited along to a live installation in Hoxton Square—it was the beginning of a series of events based around video artist/director Saam Farahmand's VideoPortraits idea (which we featured at our London event last year). The portraits involve people flinging themselves around to music while 3D motion tracking technology, from special effects wizards The Mill, records their every move, reading depth, velocity and color, so participants can create real-time trails making a unique portraiture.The Mill’s project manager Joel Godfrey explains, “Our creative technologist developed generative animations using a C++ coding framework called Cinder. They all follow the same basic rule, anything that is generated must come directly from the dancer’s body. The Polygons are created by a dancer’s movement creating a unique mesh based on their body shape, from which the polygons grow. The more the dancer moves, the higher the polygons will get.”The invite arrived in my inbox asking if I'd get involved. Sure thing I said, without really thinking it through.
So the day came and off I trotted to Hoxton Square where there was a big box set up (see above) to capture the dancing magic and broadcast it to the people milling around. It was as I approached that I started to have some doubts about the whole affair. Nervously, I joined the queue—waiting in line behind lively drag queen Jodie Harsh I was feeling increasingly vulnerable. I'd chosen my song, the dance hit smash "Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash. I was set, I was going to make a complete idiot of myself in the name of creativity and journalism.As I watched a man in front of me go in and take off his clothes and put on a dress, smoke a cigarette, and fling himself around without a care in the world, I wondered how I might escape. "Are you going to do that?" asked Ms Harsh. Not quite. The clock was ticking, I was getting ever nearer to the front of the queue, wearing an increasingly harrowed expression. It may not seem like such a big deal, but then, you've never seen me dance.Just as I thought I'd have no other option but to shake my "thang" like someone's drunken dad, sweet fate stepped in to help me out: a woman with a small child wanted to have a go and I was asked if she could go in front of me. With a hidden motive I said, “By all means! Let me just step aside and get out of your way. Probably best if I step outside of the rope and move myself over here… yep, there you go.” That was it, that was my opportunity. Without looking back I put down my empty vodka glass, avoided the PR people and kept walking, walking… and walking, losing myself in a perfectly timed crowd of people going past. Onwards to the tube station. I was clear, I'd made it, I'd saved myself and others the embarrassment of seeing me dance. In public. Phew.If, unlike my cowardly self, you want to get involved and happen to live in London, they'll be at the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane on November 17th to 20th and 24th to 27th. Then the whole thing will culminate in a live finale at Village Underground on December 2nd where you could find yourself projected onto a giant screen as part of a live audiovisual set by Jamie XX. And all your friends can point and laugh.
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