Don Quixote - a Digital Puppet Show: Thesis Project
Theis Project Idea:
Quick beginnings of a concept collage - I plan to add more images as I hone in on the core of the design concepts.
The interactions possible between artist, video, and sound in real-time have reached incredible levels. However, there is little exploration in what this actually has to do with live performance. I would like to take these systems of interaction and add physical interfaces, so that the performer can have direct and indirect effects on video and sound through physicalization. Through this experiment I will examine how the ability for real-time mixing can be enhanced by the element of a live, physical performance, and vice-versa.
In my production of Don Quixote, performers will control digital characters being projected on a screen. Just like a traditional puppet show, the audience will be able to see both the performer and the character(s) they are controlling. The performers will also have possibility for control over video and sound elements.
Just as the puppet is a physical extension of the puppet-master in marrionette shows, my production of Don Quixote will explore this relationship between performer and digital media.
I chose the story of Don Quixote to explore ideas of reality, virtual reality, and augmented reality through my content. Also, the story often jumps between different planes of existence (reality, imaginary, both), just as my actors will exist on multiple planes of performance in the show, which could prove to be a very interesting dynamic.