Extended Media collaborated with director Maureen Thomas and singer Kariina Gretere to create a unique live performance that blended music with immersive, real-time 3D visuals. Gretere performed her original musical settings of lyrics taken from the “Queens Game” interactive HiStoryGame project. Dynamic, projected visuals acted as a virtual stage set, responding to the music in real-time.
This unique performance directed by Maureen Thomas took place at the Artistic Research Cafe, Myrens Verksted, Oslo, in May 2022. Rafal Hanzl utilized Resolume and TouchDesigner to manipulate animted sequences and other visual elements in real-time, responding to Gretere’s vocals and musical performance. The projections created an immersive environment, transforming the performance space and visually connecting the music to the context of Margret’s story.
Rafal Hanzl, acting as VJ, would have worked closely with Kariina Gretere, a Latvian-British sound artist, composer, and performer known for her expressive vocals and evocative musical landscapes, during rehearsals to refine the timing and responsiveness of the visuals, ensuring they complemented and enhanced her musical performance. Gretere’s work often explores themes of history, folklore, and personal experience, making her a natural collaborator for a project drawing inspiration from the “Queens Game” narrative.
The creation of the live visuals for Kariina Gretere’s performance, involved a multi-stage process encompassing both pre-production and real-time performance. The foundation of the visuals was a navigable 3D model of the medieval Akersborg Castle, previously developed as part of Extended Media’s work on “Queens Game” and original animated artwork by Rafał Hanzl, incorporating themes of nature, abstract shapes, and floral motifs.
Pre-rendered video clips of the Akersborg Castle animations, along with any 2D graphics, textures, or visual effects overlays, were imported into Resolume. This allowed for layering and blending of multiple visual elements, using various blend modes to create complex and dynamic compositions. Resolume’s built-in effects library provided further options for real-time manipulation, such as color correction, distortion, and generative patterns. If the performance involved projection mapping onto a non-flat surface, Resolume’s mapping capabilities would have been used to precisely align the visuals with the physical environment.
TouchDesigner, a node-based visual development platform, played a crucial role in providing real-time interactivity and generative visuals. It was used for several purposes: rendering portions of the Akersborg Castle model in real-time, allowing for dynamic changes in lighting or camera perspective; creating generative visual effects that responded to the music. The performance was supplemnted by a live projected play-through of the Queens Game, by Wenche Hellekås. The sound was mixed live by Idunn Snædis Agustsdottir.
Extensive technical and artistic rehearsals were crucial. The projection system needed to be calibrated to the performance space, and the communication between all software and hardware components thoroughly tested.
More information about “Queens Game” interactive HiStoryGame project