A VR instrument that allows for a spatial, full-body experience of abstraction.
A VR project that reimagines the composition, performance, and reception of piano music by fusing its creating, playing, and listening modes. Your ears, eyes, and hands act in concert as you interact with it.
You start by drawing lines freely in the space around you, sparking musical notes notched as points on the lines as you draw them. These notes quickly accumulate, forming distinct melodic phrases and rhythms, while the computer generates an intricate audiovisual dance around you. The work enables a spatial and full-body experience of abstraction not found in any other medium. It will also be used as an audiovisual instrument in a live concert setting.
Jarosław Kapuściński is an Associate Professor of Music at Stanford University, where he is also affiliated with the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on intermedia composition, performance, and Japanese traditional aesthetics. Kapuściński has received grants and commissions from numerous international organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Governor General of Canada, and Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA) in France. His works have been awarded prizes at festivals in Canada, France, Switzerland, and the United States and have been presented at venues such as New York MOMA, Spoleto USA, EMPAC NY, Logan Center in Chicago, ZKM in Karlsruhe, Reina Sophia Museum in Madrid, WRO Media Biennale, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Creative Media Center in Hong Kong, Benz Arena in Shanghai, and National Art Centre in Ottawa. In addition to his artistic work, Kapuściński has collaborated on scholarly websites about Japanese Gagaku music (gagaku.stanford.edu) and Noh Theater (noh.stanford.edu).
Marc Downie and Paul Kaiser have collaborated as OpenEndedGroup since 2001. Working in various media and venues, they make art for façades, galleries, dance, stage, 3D cinema, print, and virtual reality. Their works respond to a wide range of materials—drawing, film, motion capture, photography, music, and architecture. They frequently combine three signature elements: non-photorealistic 3D rendering, the incorporation of body movement by motion capture and other means, and the autonomy of artworks directed or assisted by artificial intelligence. OpenEndedGroup’s films, installations, stage works, and VR pieces have premiered in such venues as MoMA, Lincoln Center, the Barbican, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Hayward Gallery, Sadler’s Wells, and the Berlin, New York, and Rome film festivals. Eight of their 3D digital films were the first of their kind to enter MoMA’s permanent collection.
