bodymover - body-driven audio-visual environment, 1999

In the end of the 1990s, the development in the fields of projection systems, real time graphics and computer vision had reached a level, where large scale interactive floors became a feasible. The following two projects explored this mode of interaction.

Created for the interface exhibition at the expo 2000 in Hanover, Bodymover is an interactive multi-user installation utilising the whole body of the visitor as an interface. The players could interact with each other as well as with the surrounding physical objects in the 20x5 meter space.

The camera system detects the presence of the visitor, and shows it in the form of a digital "aura" surrounding the person on the floor. The players can manipulate this glowing halo by movement. For instance, extending a leg or a hand to one direction deforms the aura and shoots out a stream of particles. If the particles then hit any of the sound objects positioned on the floor, they create different sounds, dependent on the speed and direction. In this collaborative experience the participants compose their audio visual environment in a playful way.