The performance / interactive installation Se mi sei vicino (“If you are close to me”) is a practical research into body-environment interaction and the possibilities of using the body as interface. A core element of the work is a sensor floor on which a performer stands, functioning as a human antenna; when they come close to or are touched by members of the audience, the movements the bodies are registered as electromagnetic activity. Surrounding the floor are large projections of computer graphics, which change their form according to fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. The relative distance between the bodies determines what can be seen and heard. The images are basically algorithmic organisms connected to audio compositions, generated by the open-source rendering engine OGRE. In this way, the work not only explores how bodies can function as an interface in immersive environments, but investigates the technological possibilities of open-source applications.

Produced by Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/TBA. Supported by STEIM and Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten