Dialogue (Obstruction 1)

Artists: Ben Johansen and Tsen-Ling Lin

Abstract: Dialogue is a melding of my Initial Project Proposal and that of Tsen-Ling’s (summarized below).  Our two ideas have been joined by creating a dramatic (theatrical) interaction between a clarinetist and a personified light-box.

[Tsen-Ling Lin's Initial Project Proposal was to create a dialogue between a live clarinetist and a pre-recorded clarinetist that would "live" within the Max/MSP/Jitter program.  With the use of Facial recognition, the live clarinetist could be analyzed in order for the clarinetist within the program to respond accordingly.]

Technology: Using Max/MSP/Jitter, the clarinetist and the light-box will appear to be in conversation with each other.  A set of “vocabulary”, or pitch patterns, will be composed and entered into the Max patch.  When a specific succession of pitches is played by the clarinetist, the light-box will respond with a predetermined reply.  The light-box’s reply will always be the same for a given pitch pattern but how it “performs” the reply is determined by an analysis of the clarinetist’s speed, loudness, and movement (movement will be analyzed using facial recognition using Jitter; the more movement, the more varying the speed and volume changes).  If the clarinetist, for example, plays a phrase quickly, loudly, and while moving around a great deal, the light-box will respond with a quick, loud, and nervous sounding reply.  Nervousness will be translated as loudness and speed varying quickly.  In order to add to the audience’s insight of the dialogue, live video of each “speaker” will be projected on a screen (switching back and forth between the clarinetist and the light-box depending on who is speaking).  Which camera is being projected will be triggered by who is speaking at the time.  The light-box’s reply material will be precomposed (fixed media) material comprised of color change of the internal RGB LED, opening and closing of the light-box’s lid, and musique concrète containing manipulated sounds of the box opening and closing.  [After presenting the project, suggestions were made and we have concluded that the project gains a greater depth and interest by adding another dimension = the light-box should also initiate conversation.  As is, the project is only a call and response (rather than a real dialogue); at some point in the peice, the light-box should also speak with the clarinet responding (either improvising or playing preconcieved replies based on the light-box's "speaking".  A possible way of implimenting this would be for the clarinetist to use a foot switch to initiate and stop the light-box from "speaking" in such a way that it appears that the light-box is in control of the conversation while the clarinetist is simply responding.]