OP_ERA Premiers at the Beall Center

The Beall center for Art and Technology

is pleased to present the U.S. Premier of

OP_ERA: SONIC DIMENSION

Daniela Kutschat & Rejane Cantoni


April 26 - June 11
Opening Reception April 26, 6-9 pm

OP_ERA: sonic dimension is an immersive and interactive installation designed as a music box. The box is a black, open cube (three walls of 3x3m each) filled with hundreds of visually identical violin-like strings. Tuned with the specific tension, each virtual string vibrates with a visual-sound frequency (light and sound waves) that varies according to its relative position and mode of interaction. The objective of this project is to research the geometry of sonic spaces and to develop sonic interfaces.
In OP_ERA: sonic dimension there are two modes of interaction. In the first case, the input interface is a 360 microphone that collects the users sounds. When the microphone picks up a sound, the software analyses, filters and converts it into equivalent visual outputs. If the user sounds like an F, he will see the relative F frequencies vibrating as strings according to Pythagorean principles. In the second case, the input interface is an array of sensors. Used to detect the users position this interface allows the system to interpret any action as a gravitational force. For example, when the user points to a string set, the action not only vibrates the selected strings, but it also changes the shape of space time.

Biographies:

Daniela Kutschat, of S Paulo, Brazil, is an artist, lecturer and researcher. PhD in Visual Arts, she coordinates the Post-Graduate Studies in Interactive Media of SENAC in S Paulo. Her research focuses computer systems, digital media, cognition and human-computer interfaces. She also develops body-space integrating systems for interactive and VR environments. More recently, the project OP_ERA was sponsored by Transmedia, Itacultural (2002) and awarded with the 4th Prize Sergio Motta (2003). More about her work and exhibitions can be found at www.danielakutschat.com .

Rejane Cantoni is an artist and new technologies researcher who develops human-machine interfaces within intelligent environments. She has a Ph.D. in Communication and Semiotics from the Catholic University of S Paulo, where she works as an Assistant Professor in Technology and Digital Media at the Computer Science Department. www.rejanecantoni.com

Credits

OP_ERA: SONIC DIMENSION, 2005
CONCEPT AND IMPLEMENTATION: Daniela Kutschat & Rejane Cantoni
PROGRAMMING: Victor Gomes
SPONSORS: The Beall Center for Art and Technology, UC Irvine
COLLABORATION: ATOS Industrial Automation, LTD.

For additional information, please contact Indi McCarthy and (949) 824-6206
http://beallcenter.uci.edu