Monday 1 March 2010

Live Visuals

I have recently been asked to do some live visual work for my friend - and techno producer - Audibilis.
He is going to start doing live techno sets and I will be creating the accompanying visuals live.

It has always been an area of visual communication I have been interested in, and so I have been doing a lot of research over the past week.
The first thing that really opened my eyes up to this medium was seeing 'The Great Destroyer' by Nine Inch Nails back in 2006: (1:59 onwards for the amazing visuals)


So, inspired by this, I have been researching visuals all week.
I have been playing with the software Modul8 for a few days, and it proves to be a nice VJ-ing tool (i have  also been asked to VJ at the 'Bring on the Dancing horses' degree show fundraiser, so I may use this software here...).
However, I have been craving a fuller, more creative visual experience.

I then found out about Derivatives Touch Designer. This appears to be more the kind of thing I have been looking for. However, it is currently windows only, meaning i'm going to have to install boot camp on my mac tonight :(

But, the visuals it creates are amazing. It has a procedural, visual programming environment, where pretty much anything can be synced up to music, and filtered using oscillators, midi signals, and frequency ranges (exactly the kind of geeky stuff I love.)
Some of the best examples of it being used live are by Alva Noto (electronic project of acclaimed visual artist Carsten Nicolai) He uses Touchdesigner with his live music to create amazing walls of light.


I think I could recreate something like this myself. (although, not exactly the same, I want to innovate.)
Plus, as a graphic designer, surely a sense of visual balance is a good transferable skill into live visuals?
Watch this space for more info on this project.

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