"netBody"(Augmented Body and Virtual Body II)

Performance "netBody"(Augmented Body and Virtual Body II)


Montag, 13. Oktober
21 h, Aula, KHM, Filzengraben 2, 50676 Köln

"netBody"(Augmented Body and Virtual Body II)

http://www.myspace.com/netbodyperformance



In seiner Performance verknüpft der japanische Performance-Künstler Suguru Goto die reale Aula der KHM mit der Realität einer virtuellen Aula im „Second Life“: Ein Avatar kontrolliert die Bewegungen eines robotischen Tänzers in Echtzeit; umgekehrt aktiviert ein Performer durch seinen „Body Suit“ die Bewegungen eines Avatars.
Der performative Einsatz von „Body Suit” und „Powered Suit” schafft einen closed circuit zwischen der virtuellen Welt des „Second Life“ im Internet und dem realen Erfahrungsraum der Tänzer auf der Bühne. „Body Suit” löst die handheld-Steuerung ab und wandelt stattdessen die Bewegungen seines Trägers direkt in elektronische Signale um, die im Internet in Bewegungsabläufe einer virtuellen Figur übertragen werden. Der zweite Anzug, „Powered Suit”, stellt eine Art tragbaren Roboter dar, der die Körperbewegungen eines weiteren Tänzers steuert. In der Performance wird der Flirt mit der virtuellen Welt als physische Interaktion inszeniert. „Body Suit“ und „Powered Suit“ verbinden die Performer körperlich mit dem „Second Life“.










9:00 PM on the 13th of October, 2008 of German time - Central European Summer Time (ex. at 3:00PM on the 13th of October, 2008 in East Coast, USA - Eastern Daylight Time).



Monday, 13. October
21 h, Aula, KHM, Filzengraben 2, 50676 Cologne, Germany

"netBody"(Augmented Body and Virtual Body II)

http://www.myspace.com/netbodyperformance





netBody

-“Augmented Body and Virtual Body II”


Description of performance


In this performance, we link the real world to the online reality of Second Life. We do this at the physical level: the bodily movements of a person in the real world control an avatar in Second Life, while an avatar’s movements guide a human being’s.
Second Life is a 3D online digital platform created by its residents. Here, each flesh-and-blood human creates a unique identity – an avatar – to inhabit the digital community environment. The contact between these realities is usually effected through a monitor, keyboard and mouse. In this work, the whole body takes part; we develop technology that makes communication between the two realities two-way and physical.
A movement-registering mechanism built into the BodySuit allows a person’s movements to directly control the behavior of an avatar in Second Life. Conversely, the Powered Suit contains motors that control the human body like a marionette. It is a sort of robot you can wear, controlled by an avatar.
With this technology, geography, location and space no longer hinder physical interaction between bodies. A Second Life avatar becomes a vehicle for physically connecting the individual to society. This could make it possible for people all over the world with the correct hardware to share each other’s bodies over the Internet.
We play with our perception of an individual’s body as his or her identity. In this project, we do not know exactly who is controlling the Powered Suit or where they are in the world. Our bodies become a combination of ‘real’ and computer-generated information and are thereby improved. Perhaps this could lead to new ways of using our bodies we can discover only by controlling them from outside, through the Internet.

How to participate in or see the performance with your avatar in Second Life
You can see or participate in this Interactive Installation or Performance with your avatar:
Download a customized version of the Second Life Viewer program from one of the following locations:
http://www.robertderrick.com/netbody/
http://suguru.goto.free.fr/Contents/SuguruGoto-e.html

Log in to Second Life. If you have not registered yet with Second Life, you can get your account from:
http://www.secondlife.com

After logging in, teleport your avatar to the venue in Second Life:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/OHIO%20Edu/140/103/39


Go into the building and go up to the top where there is a concert hall.


The performance will take place on the stage in the concert hall. On the stage, there will be two avatars, one that is controlled by the BodySuit and another that is connected to the Powered Suit.


If you would like to participate the performance by controlling the Powered Suit (robot) with your avatar, go up to the stage and enter the zone on the right. Then, you become Powered Avatar and can control Powered Suit in real time. Depending on your gestures of Avatar, a dancer who wears the Powered Suit will peroform as you like. You can leave there anytime you like and let other avatars try this. You can also try to play some musical instruments with Powered Suit. The Powered Suit can be controlled by only one avatar at a time.
If you would like to participate in the performance by having your avatar be controlled by the BodySuit, go up the stage and enter the zone on the left. Then, you become BodySuit Avatar and can be controlled by BodySuit in real time. Depending on the gestures of BodySuit in Real Life, a dancer who wears BodySuit will control you avatar. Although your avatar is under the control, you can leave there anytime you like and let other avatars try this. You can also try to play some virtual musical instruments on this stage. Only one avatar can enter this region at one time.
Behind the stage, there is a screen which shows the real stage. You can monitor how the real stage with BodySuit and Powered Suit and the virtual stage with our avatar and your avatar perform.
Try to dance or play music with our avatar. Depending on how well you perform, the public applauds and gives a credit for your performance. The best player will receive an award.
For further information:

http://www.robertderrick.com/netbody/

Credit:
Suguru Goto (Initiator of project, Concept, Inventor of BodySuit and Powered Suit, Music, Design of images)
Rob Powell (Second Life Programming)
Shu Okuno (Powered Suit Performance: Dance, Mime)
Bijuree (BodySuit Performance: Dance, Mime)
Bernd Voss (Technical support, Academy of Media Arts Cologne)
Martin Nawrath (Electronic Technique, Academy of Media Arts Cologne)
Robert O'Kane (Unix Systems Administrator)
Sam Blanchard (Elbows of Powered Suit Technique, Ohio University)
Japan Electronics College (3D images support and cooperation)
Shinji Sasada (3D image direction)
Yuuta Ishii (3D images, Second Life 3D Images)
Tetsuya Sasaki (3D images)
Miho Odagiri (Design)

Assistances:
Jochen Arne Otto (Powered Suit Technique)
Lorenz Wortmann (Powered Suit Technique)
Julia Wewers (Powered Suit Technique)
Anne-Marlen Gaus (Artistic Assistant)
Marianne Heinz (Artistic Assistant)
Veronika Schyra (Second Life Interface)
Very Special Thanks to: Anthony Moore, Heide Hageboelling, Academy of Media Arts Cologne
Special Thanks to: Klanglabor at KHM, Katherine Milton, Nathaniel Berger, The Aesthetic Technologies Lab - Ohio University, Christopher Keesey, IRCAM, Fuminori Yamasaki (iXs Research Corp.), Nir Bakshy, Cornelius Pöpel

Biography:
Suguru Goto (Initiator of project, Concept, Inventor of BodySuit and Powered Suit, Music, Design of images)
http://suguru.goto.free.fr
http://sugurugoto.blogspot.com
Suguru Goto is a composer/performer, an inventor and a multimedia artist and he is considered one of the most innovative and the mouthpiece of a new generation of Japanese artists. He is highly connected to technical experimentation in the artistic field and to the extension of the existing potentialities in the relation man-machine. In his works the new technologies mix up in interactive installations and experimental performances; he is the one who invented the so called virtual music instruments, able to create an interface for the communication between human movements and the computer, where sound and video image are controlled by virtual music instruments in real-time through computers. Lately, he has been creating the robots, which perform acoustic instruments, and he is gradually constructing a robot orchestra.
He has been internationally active and has received numerous prizes and fellowships, such as Koussevitzky Prize, BSO fellowships, the first prize at the Marzena, Berliner Kompositionaufträge, a prize by the IMC International Rostrum of Composers in UNESCO, Paris, DIRECAM, French Cultural Minister, and so on. His works have been performed in major festivals, such as Resonaces/IRCAM, Sonar, CICV-Les Nuits Savoueuses, ICC, Electrofolie, Haus der Kultures der Welt - Haimat Kunst, ISEA2002, NIME 2004/2005/2006, Olhares-Outono, Ressonancias, Audiovisionen, Utopiales Festival, AV Festival, and Mixed Media Festival, Electornika Festival, Share Festival, Areas of Conflu(x)ence / Luxembourg 2007 / Sibiu 2007 - European Capitals of Culture etc.
In 1995, his first opera "NADA (Media Opera)" was performed in Shauspielhaus, Berlin. At the same year, he moved to Paris in order to realize a project at IRCAM, Paris. In 1996, his "VirtualAERI" was given the first performance at Espace de projection, IRCAM. In 1998, he was invited to perform at Sonar, Barcelona. In 1999, he was invited to perform at ICC in Tokyo. In 2003, his concert was given at Pompidou Center, in Paris. In 2006, his “RoboticMusic” was commissioned by AV Festival in Newcastle, England and was enthusiastically received by the large public, as well as the mass medias. He has been producing computer music and researching at the group "Gestural Controller" in IRCAM, Paris since 1995. Lately, he has been working for Brass instrument robots with Artificial Mouth at IRCAM, as well. In 2007, he was Artist in Residence at ATLab, Ohio University, in USA. He is now Artist in Residence at Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, in Germany. He lives in Paris and in Cologne.
Goto's works have been shown in Canada, England, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, ,Poland, Roumania, Spain, Slovenia, Ukraine, Japan, and U.S.A. His works are published by "Edition Wandelweiser GmbH"(Germany). His "Giseion to Gousei" is recorded on CD, which is available from Akademie der Künste label (Germany) and his "Temps tressé III" from ALM Records (Japan).

Rob Powell, Second Life Programming


Rob Powell is an ex-system administrator and computer technician who has had a fascination with computers since the age of 8, though his first love is making music. He likes to take things apart and sometimes put them back together, and likes to make music from dishes and utensils before dinner. Rob holds a degree in Computer Science from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, USA, where he worked for almost 10 years before moving on to freelance work and creative projects such as his work with Suguru Goto.



Shu Okuno (Powered Suit Performance: Dance, Mime)


He decided to come to France in 2000 to study dramatic corporeal mime, a technique little known in Japan. Having earned his diploma in 2002 at l'Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris Marcel Marceau, he is a true corporeal technician. He has also shown his work in Switzerland and many cities in France. His artistic research is focused on original and new creations that are not genre specific. He has also participated in the avignon international theater festival 2008 with his new show. The Violinist and The Spirit of the chaire which he produced.



Bijuree (BodySuit Performance: Dance, Mime)


He is bijuree as mime. Bijuree loves the unknown world since childhood. He couldn't be knight or witchdoctor but has trained mime with master for 4 years.

He has been catching "invisible princess" who always exist ahead ourselves up. Has started to explore to the journey all by land with his mime in Asia and Africa in 2001, he made his mime on the street, any community, festibal and more. Bijuree is searching the boundary that all extreme is