AV INSTALLATIONS

Potential Energy - 2019

Project Type: 

Potential Energy is an interactive audiovisual instrument + environment.

This is an ongoing and evolving project that I plan to expand in the future.

Overview:

There’s some sort of energy build up behind the walls.  Small streaks of light and electricity leak out from time to time as the pressure from the energy world behind the wall intensifies and tries to escape.

As participants walk through three different zones, their movements are able to break open pieces of the wall in a number of interesting, intuitive, and musical ways. The sterile and monochromatic 2D marks on the wall open up to reveal a vibrant and chaotic 3D world behind. 

All three zones together will create a constantly evolving piece of music based on the interactions simultaneously happening in each zone. Without human interaction, the zones slowly close their openings to the energy world and fade away.

OVERCAST - 2019

Overcast is an interactive projection installation in which participants create generative landscapes of life by spreading projected rainfall onto a dry and barren desert valley.

Viewers will approach the installation and notice a projector shining a bright texture of cracked desert earth down onto a white 3D valley with surrounding mountains.

As viewers wave their hands over the valley and through the projected light, a shadow is created… similar to a passing cloud.

As this “cloud” passes over the valley, it leaves a trail of projected falling rain that lands on earth and follows the contours of the landscape similar to actual rain.  The low rumble of thunder and relaxing noise of falling rain will be heard with the formation and passing of this cloud. 

The rain is then absorbed into the cracked desert earth, creating small patches of life in its place… life grows with increased rain and human interactivity. 

These elements of life are generated dynamically and uniquely with each passing cloud. No two interactions with the valley will be identical. 

Over time and with a lack of rainfall and human influence, these elements of life will eventually wither and fade back into the cracked desert landscape.

Overcast is commissioned by the City of Las Vegas and on display in multiple city galleries throughout 2019.

SQUAREONE - 2018

SquareOne is a real-time animated interactive projection mural on display in one of Downtown Las Vegas’ finest and most exclusive galleries… my new apartment.

Built originally to further explore methods for creating and transforming perceived 3D forms on 2D canvasses, SquareOne also took on the ability for interactivity.

Viewers (::ahem:: house guests) are able to augment the lighting, color, and displacement of the shattered outline on the wall using projections and an iPad.

The base outline itself is made from strands of meticulously placed and trimmed gaff tape.

The real-time projections are generated in Notch and controlled via TouchOSC on an iPad.

Documentation Video by Rosemary Fajardo

Here are some videos that documented the process:

WORM HOLE Installation - 2017

Worm Hole room installation, curated by Meow Wolf for the Life Is Beautiful Festival Art Motel, Sept 22-24, 2017, in Downtown Las Vegas, NV.

Collaborators:

Animation: Brett Bolton
Audio: Benton Corder
Fabrication: onefortythree
Sculpture: Miguel Rodriguez
Design: Spencer Olsen
Design: Eric Vozzola

Photo: Alan Penney

Still On Music Video / Interactive Installation - 2015

This is a music video made by strangers in an interactive installation called CPU Dance Studio. The song is called "Still On" and all AV was created by Kitze + the CPUs.

One weekend in September, 2015, a bunch of brave friends and strangers took automated “dance lessons” from a computer at Space_145 art gallery in Las Vegas.

After pressing a blue arcade button in the middle of the room, each user was greeted by a friendly CPU dance instructor who appeared on the screen in front of them. The CPU gave them one task: follow along with the the robot instructor on the screen. As users went through their dance lesson, the room lights dimmed and the wall behind them (including the user’s body) filled with projected visuals.

All of these lessons were video recorded and then stitched together to create a music video composed of a bunch of strangers dancing in sync… all being covered by, and interacting with, synchronized projected visuals.

All visuals are projections captured in camera.

For more info on the process and tools used to make this video, check out my post here:
kitze.link/still-on-music-video-interactive-installation

Chromazone Collaboration - 2016

This is a multimedia installation I worked on with Spencer Olsen and Eric Vozzola.

Eric and Spencer created the awesome 2D art on the walls and added the 3D shape in the corner where the walls meet. I created a 3D model of their work based off of a photo, made some animations for color and lighting effects, and then projection mapped those animations back onto their piece. Fun!

Credit for this video: Spencer Olsen
Credit for the music mix: The Rabbit Hole

Thanks to [N]Site Studios and Spark LV for having us

Velveteen Rabbit's Burnt wall installation - 2014

Interactive Projection Installation on a Burnt Wall, projection, 9' x 15', 2014

A building burned down in an electrical fire. The new owners of this space (which would become Velveteen Rabbit) decided to rebuild, leave some of the more interesting burn marks on one portion of the wall, and commission me to make a permanent installation. I took photos of the burn marks, manipulated them in multiple pieces of software, and projection mapped the resulting videos back onto the original wall. This layering makes for some really interesting and mesmerizing results.

To invite viewers to stand next to the wall and be a part of the experience, I made this installation interactive with an Xbox Kinect and custom built AV system. Any time someone steps in front of the wall, their body is outlined and followed with projected light. Body movements will also generate floaty particles, unveil secret wallpapers and textures, or create a special "ghost friend" who follows people around and copies their actions.

This installation uses technology and human interactivity to breath new life into an environment that would normally be demolished and regarded as ugly.

Go see it in action and get an awesome cocktail at Velveteen Rabbit in Las Vegas.