ORBITER
INTERACTIVE SOUND ENVIRONMENT
BY VERA-MARIA GLAHN, MARCUS WENDT
INTERIOR DESIGN: HEIKE LEHRMANN WITH ANNE SCHMITZ
THE “ORBITER” DRAWS THE VISITOR IN AND TAKES OVER ALL OF HIS SENSES. IT IS A PLACE FOR VISITORS TO LAY DOWN AND RELAX, WATCHING THE FIRMAMENT ABOVE THEM. THE VISITOR CAN CONGER UP NEW RINGING BODIES WITH A GESTURE AND PUT THEM INTO ORBIT. AS IF HE WERE SITTING IN THE BELLY OF THE INSTRUMENT, THE PLAYER IS ENVELOPED BY THE MUSIC, AS ARE THE EARS, BODY AND SPACE.
THE DREAM OF REACHING FOR THE STARS IS AS OLD AS MANKIND. THE MATHEMATICS OF THE PLANETARY ORBITS AND THEIR PERFECTLY GEOMETRIC AND SIMPLE FORMS HAVE INSPIRED SCIENTISTS AS WELL AS ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS. DO THE LAWS THAT EXPLAIN THE WORLD LIE CONCEALED WITHIN?
MUSICAL PRINCIPLES LIKE PHASE ROTATIONS AND TONALITY ARE BASED ON CALCULATION PRINCIPLES AND FIND A SYSTEMATIC COUNTERPART IN THEIR ORBIT.
THE PLAYER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INSTALLATION IS OBSERVED BY A CAMERA. THE SCENE IS LIT BY INVISIBLE INFRARED LIGHT. THE SOFTWARE BEHIND IT RECOGNIZES THE HAND OF THE PLAYER AND PLACES A NEW BODY IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION.
THE VISUAL AND AUDITORY PROPERTIES OF EVERY BODY CORRESPOND: THE BIGGER THE BODY BEFORE IT IS SET IN ITS ORBIT, THE LOUDER ITS NOISE; THE FASTER ITS SOUND, THE FASTER ITS STAR AND TONE ORBIT AROUND THE MIDDLE.
THE INSTALLATION IS BASED ON CUSTOM-BUILT SOFTWARE USING LATEST GAMING AND COMPUTER VISION TECHNOLOGY, PERFORMING REAL-TIME ANALYSIS OF A CAMERA IMAGE OF THE PLAYER AS WELL AS GENERATING 6-CHANNEL-AUDIO AND VIDEO SIGNALS.
