Yvonne Yu: Projection 3 Relief Mapping

 

Concept:

My concept for this project is centered around the song Alien Superstar by Beyoncé. I felt that while Alien Superstar represents Beyoncé as an artist, it also connects to the black LGBTQ+ community that have been pioneers in history. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community who are people of color are prevalent throughout history, but often forgotten. For example, the genre of the song, dance/electronic pop, originated in black queer spaces and were often used at drag shows. I wanted to incorporate that idea into my compositions by utilizing color, movement, and images to express my visual interpretation of the song. I decided to use the Janus relief model because I feel that the brain and faces would best depict my visual interpretation of Alien Superstar and the extraterrestrial vibe of the song.

relief model

Technique:

I begun by calibrating the Janus file to the model in the studio and connecting the LED's to my MadMapper file. After connecting the model to my file, I then setup my compositions. 

composition 1

In my first composition I focused on the rhythm of the beginning of the song. I used Strobe on the LED's to mimic an alarm and match the announcement-type sample being heard. I used Retro Lava, Voro Cubes, and Spectrum materials on the Janus model to create an abstract visual. I did not want to use imagery in this composition as I felt the shapes and colors would better match the energy of the music.

composition 2

 

In my second composition I used Ribbons on the LED's to match the change in pace in the music. I added Starfield to the head to go with the extraterrestrial, outer space vibe of the instrumental. On the brain I added an image folder with images of important queer activists (Marsha Johnson, Gladys Bentley, Bayard Rustin, Ernestine Eckstein, Stormé DeLarverie, James Baldwin, and Lorraine Hansberry). While some of the activists pictured were more open about their sexuality, other activists were more prominent in civil rights but nonetheless important members in queer history.

composition 3

I decided to create a third composition to match the change of pace in the song. For this composition I used Funkadelic on the LED's to signify a sort of otherworldly feel. The LED's also create a stained glass effect on the brain that can be seen through the images. For the head, I used Plasma_07 which I synced to the music to create bigger waves. I wanted this portion of my project to be very colorful and wavy. I kept the image folder on the brain so that it plays with the Black Theater sample used in the song.

 

Interpretation:

 

Overall, I am satisfied with the result. I had fun being able to calibrate on a more complicated model/sculpture and playing around with LEDs. I enjoyed trying out different materials and using an image folder for the first time in my projection. I also enjoyed messing around with the connection between audio and materials. If I went back, I would probably build more on my concept and images, but I am happy with what I was able to research and put together for this project.

references:

https://youtu.be/e_aT9pAGQo8