After these initial experiments, the overall concept gradually became clearer and the project gained more focus and direction. What personally helped me a lot at the start of each new session, whether online or in person, was that we took the time to brainstorm together. During these brainstorming sessions, we would summarize where we stood at that moment and what we had already explored and tested. This allowed us to make much more precise decisions about what we wanted to discuss or examine more closely as the next step.
Throughout the process, our final product gradually emerged from a forest of ideas. Namely, we would contrast two different types of synergy during the live performance. On one hand, using the stage setting, which would consist of large canvases to enrich the visual space on stage. On the other hand, this stage design would be contrasted with a digital projection that reacts in real-time to the music, transforming each sound into moving images, creating a unique and unrepeatable interaction between sound and vision.
This chapter explores the first type of interaction in more detail.
As mentioned in the previous chapter, the search for the right stage setting was quite challenging. With regret, we decided to give up the idea of transparency, whether through the transparent stage curtain or the plexiglass canvas, as it was difficult to put into practice. This decision was not easy, but looking back, it was very helpful and instructive for us. Sometimes, it’s necessary to set aside a specific idea that has reached a dead end to avoid a lack of progress. Additionally, this can make room for new ideas and approaches.
We decided to create a stage design consisting of large canvases. The design would include four equally sized canvases, each measuring 1 meter in width and 2 meters in height. The reason behind these specific dimensions is that the canvases should be able to cover the musician completely, to create a visual interplay between the musician and the canvases. Additionally, the canvases will be mounted on small wheels, allowing them to be moved around the stage. This way, a dynamic stage setting can be created, in which the performance will evolve with the different positions of the canvases.
The result of this decision is the following series of sketches, which represent possible stage setups using four canvases. The saxophone and the orange lines are meant to symbolize the musician's movements, as they are meant to merge with the stage design. The musician can either stand next to a canvas or hide behind it, and so on.
Fig. 19: series of sketches: possible stage setups using four canvases
At this point, we decided that the performance would be divided into artistic-musical scenes based on the synergy between these two art forms. Two to three scenes would focus on the interaction with the stage design, while another two to three scenes would highlight the visual live impulses. In this case, the canvases on stage would take the positions shown in the sixth image, allowing the visual space to remain open and focused on the projection. The TouchDesigner projection would therefore be present and active only in the last of the six sketches .
