Creative Technologist for Chemistry Creative
Soho / Chinatown, NYC
2021 - 2023
INTER_ is a 2-story interactive and immersive space located within the Historic National City Bank of New York, from creator Pete Sax, with the incredible team at Chemistry Creative.
My role as lead Creative Technologist included pre-production, development, and installation of the interactive tech and video components throughout the space.
I was also involved in creative development, and provided concept art and pre-visualization for key installations throughout the pre-production process.
The space contains dozens of projectors and 4k displays with hundreds of feet of video and data cabling, as well as a handful of large LED walls with unique pixel map configurations. Servers were configured by-hand during pre-production and installed on-site with a fiber network throughout the building.
As visitors move through the space,, there are a number of interactive moments that utilize live-camera feedback- unbeknownst to visitors at the time, these interactions are temporarily recorded and used to create generative art on display in the final room.
Integration with scenic, lighting, audio, production crew, and in-house staff was crucial throughout this project. Cheers to everyone involved!
Dave Tandem (Interconnected), Jonathan Masterson, Georgios Cherouvim, Beau Burrows, Brian Snigur, Seth Scoville, Nicholas Motyka, (Intersensory), Charlie Gangemi, Tommy Martinez (Internal / Interplanetary), Taliesin Gilkes-Bower (Cymatic Well), Andrew Giugno, Julian Baeza Hochmuth (Lighting), Danny Taylor, MPC, Oliver Chapoy, Henrik von Sivers, Danush Dopierala (Audio), Lovejoy Paradise, Kasey Burgess, May Ghadanfar, Pablo Gnecco, Anthony Montalbano (Production + Direction), Mal Mal, Hozi, Patrick A. Moore, Marta Kaminska, Robert Scoville, Mark Musters, Hillary Ureña, Hannah K. Hollis, Simon Fernandez, Jin Pak, Anthony Azcona, many more scenic artists and fabrication specialists.
https://jonathanmasterson.com/
Jonathan Masterson
https://ch3.gr/work/vfx/
Georgios Cherouvim
https://www.matthewpattersoncurry.com/
MPC
https://www.bryansnigur.com/
Brian Snigur
https://lowres.co/
Andrew Giugno
https://www.mayghadanfar.com/
May Ghadanfar
https://yopablo.studio/
Pablo Gnecco
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-burgess/
Kasey Burgess
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-montalbano-35a979162/
Anthony Montalbano
https://www.instagram.com/jules.b.h/?hl=en
Julian Baeza Hochmuth
https://www.instagram.com/picturesbyrobots/?hl=en
Dave Tandem
https://www.futurewife.tv/
Beau Burrows
Taliesin Gilkes-Bower
Tommy Martinez
Oliver Chapoy
Danny Taylor
https://www.instagram.com/malcolmnyc/?hl=en
Marta Kaminska
https://www.instagram.com/hhoozzii/?hl=en
Hozi
Marta Kaminska
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm14411966/
MARTA KAMINSKA
Marta Kaminska
https://marta-kaminska.squarespace.com/
http://www.hannahkhollis.com/
Hannah K. Hollis
Patrick A. Moore
Once guests are checked in for their experience, they are invited to wait in the orientation room.
This room acts as a holding chamber for timed groups, as well as an introductory film which guides visitors through a range of emotions and abstract thoughts.
There are 2x hidden NDI cameras in this room which capture preliminary interactions from guests.
After the conclusion of the introductory film, visitors head up a mirrored escalator.
On either side of the up-escalator, there is a built-in structure of angled mirrors and LED tubes. There are 3x ultrawide displays and an NDI camera hidden behind 2-way mirror panels. There is an additional NDI camera mounted on the ceiling at the far end of the 2nd floor, angled down the escalator.
The displays shine through the 2-way mirrors and appear within the mirror tunnel, while the camera feed is recorded and fed back into the system.
Once upstairs, guests enter a large ovular room with 360 degree audio and projections and LiDAR tracking.
I used TouchDesigner to create pre-visualization tools for creative development, as well as a unique visual sequence that was used as a part of the show.
Upon exiting the projection space, visitors move through a psychedelic garden full of lights and color. There are 6x Arduino units and ultrasonic sensors which control lights and sounds.
The 'Cymatic Well' (originally conceptualized by Taliesin Gilkes-Bower) is a large steel pan filled with water that can be controlled through saudio fequencies. I worked with a small team to prototype controllers and . After some iteration, we ended with 3 crystal balls that use a laser sensor- similar to the track ball of a computer mouse- and allow guests to control sound and play the pan like a large instrument.
There is a large transducer attached to the bottom of the well, which is controlled by an Ableton Live session. The vibration from this transducer creates a number of distinct resonant patterns in the water, which are visible on the surface. Due to the nature of cymatics and the shape of the vessel, only specific frequencies would create patterns on the water. Throughout development, I worked with Tommy Martinez to find the frequencies that would produce a pattern. Sound supervision was coordinated by Oliver Chapoy and MPC, with speaker installation by Danny Taylor.
There are also a number of unique visual interactions that are triggered based on specific user participation and are displayed on the large LED wall behind the well.
Once visitors are finished on the 2nd floor, they descend another escalator into a dark, rocky cavern.
After turning the corner and reaching the end of a long corridor, guests are invited to explore the walls of the chamber and look for motion activated control points. These control points work like a large organ, and play various ground-shaking tones when activated.
In the center of the room there is a volcano structure. Here, guests are invited to 'release' something into the fire. Inside the structure there is a hidden Leap motion controller, which allows users to affect the audio around the room, while their hand appears in the LED wall in front of them.
Atop the LED wall there is an Azure sensor which reveals a glowing magma character when activated.
The final gallery replays the interactions of each user's experience, covered in all-white tiles and containing 10x large 4k displays. Each display is linked to a camera feed from a specific interaction, and sources recordings from the past 2 hours.
On either side of the room there is a large horizontal display containing all of the interactions that are playing in the room at that time. When a user steps in front of the frame, the image morphs into a live-camera feed, creating an infinite tunnel.
The heart of the installation is a series of interactive "time portals," each representing a different historical era. These portals are equipped with motion sensors, touchscreens, and augmented reality interfaces, allowing visitors to step into different time periods and explore them in an engaging and informative way.
Our team has meticulously choreographed the installation process to ensure that every element seamlessly fits into the overarching narrative. We've worked closely with artists, historians, and technologists to guarantee that every aspect, from lighting and sound to digital displays and physical artifacts, complements one another perfectly.
Our team has meticulously choreographed the installation process to ensure that every element seamlessly fits into the overarching narrative. We've worked closely with artists, historians, and technologists to guarantee that every aspect, from lighting and sound to digital displays and physical artifacts, complements one another perfectly.
Upon entering and exiting the building, visitors can walk around a rectangular lobby area.
On the back wall there is a large TV mosaic with a unique arrangement of TVs. We worked to provide a cost-effective solution and provide preliminary content.