nicholaslongstaff.ca

………………..excerpted from the article written by Cristina Howorun

What the Dancers are looking at (a few seconds later!)

Toronto nightclub to showcase Shh Ahh Ohh
Shh Ahh Ohh, created by Rea McNamara and Nicholas Longstaff, is a shadow installation that refuses to be constrained by frames. At the media lab exhibit, the display encompassed an entire room, filling two large walls. Arguably one of the most popular exhibits, the interactive installation encourages participants to set into the crossroads of light and shadow.

Participants’ movements are mirrored and digitally projected as shadows on a large screen. Different movements trigger different colours, shapes and noises, including the seemingly random appearance of an animated crow.
Armed with only a budget of approximately $700, a $20 web cam, projector, screens and vvvv software [4] - open source software developed for real time video synthesis - the interactive exhibit is already enjoying some success. Next month Shh Ahh Ohh will be installed in Circa Nightclub, a 53,000 square foot, four-storey mega club, located in the heart of downtown Toronto’s nightclub district.

“We’re still working on the design specifics for the showing,” explains Longstaff, “but I’m excited about the possibilities, and to see how dancers interact with the screen, their shadows, the colours. I’d love to see floor-to-ceiling screens, where dancers from different floors could be projected and interact with the shadows from dancers in different areas of the club.”
Longstaff, like other graduates of the program, are hoping to bring investors on board. “I think this project can go beyond entertainment venues and has real potential as a learning tool.”

Drawing from his experiences as an educator, he cites colour theory and dance as potential educational venues for the project. “There really is quite a bit of possibilities,” he says, echoing the hopes of his fellow graduates.

………………..excerpted from the article written by Cristina Howorun