Pictoplasma Intro 2019

I was approached by Pictoplasma festival to create their introduction animation and a large interactive holographic installation.

As part of Pictoplasma’s expansive Inter_faces exhibition at Silent Green Kuppelhalle, Berlin, I was commissioned to create a life-size holographic installation and immersive background that encouraged visitors to interact and engage. The project was called Character Proxemics and I was featured alongside character artists; Julian Glander, Peter Millard, Elenor Kopka and Eran Hilleli, with sound design by David Kamp.

For my part I created a tiered totem-like character, that revealed further layers and behaviors as visitors approached, pulling them into a a percussive dance.

When deciding on the theme of my piece as is often the case I looked to animal behavior. Specifically avian courting rituals and the dance of the peacock-spider. I love the way in which anatomical details and flourishes are nested and hidden until required to entice a mate or dominate a rival. I constructed my character on this principle, a totemic construction that reveals more with increased engagement. This along-side the technical consideration of the space.

I knew the character was going to loom large and I enjoyed the idea of it’s first appearance being quite unassuming, but giving a hint of what was to come - the body has the appearance of a container and there are grooves along the top that suggest it might have a telescopic function. As the character grows and reveals it’s layers, it produces a new layer of instrumentation contributing to the sound-track playing in the hall.