3/27/2023 0 Comments Punch drunk sleep no moreTo say it was a glowing success would be inaccurate – we were treading a fine line between game and experience, in an already delicately balanced performance. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we have the job of consolidating and evaluating the project. The team estimate around 100,000 lines have code have been written to make the project work. The real challenge for Media Lab has been creating our so-called 'cauldron' system, which allows all of the different elements to talk to one another, creating cohesive and meaningful experiences for individuals both in their own environments and in the shared space where they come together. The Media Lab story team have written around 5,000 lines of narrative which translates the world of Sleep No More into an online experience. We also installed 10 physical portals, which allowed participants to communicate – these included a poltergeist-like book which online participants could cue to flip a real book off a shelf when their participant was nearby and a typewriter that allowed online participants to type direct messages to their real-world companion.Īlongside these elements, we developed a complete online storycode system, which combines text-based adventure with imagery, pre-recorded video and both automated and operator based interaction. Using a combination of 10 RFID readers and 50 Bluetooth devices we installed a system that allowed us to track our participants' progress through the space, ascertaining their exact location at any point. This allowed us to create a network across the building to live stream sound and audio content to both live and online participants. The physical installation of the project saw us run over 8,000 feet of CAT-5 cable around the site, linking a 100MB internet connection to our control hub within the building with individual runs that broke out to 24 access points. Working across three separate locations and two time zones has not been without its challenges either – we have had only snatched face-to-face time, with most work done via Skype and email. Each night's experience was followed by evaluation sessions with online and real world participants – these sessions allowed us to use feedback to keep adapting and changing the experience throughout the week.Įven in our eyes the project was ambitious, not least in terms of time scale. The project saw 13 pairs experience the project over five nights. We have tried to achieve this using a combination of the following: a specially built mask (one that houses dynamic communication and location based technology), pre-recorded and live fed audio and video (to both real and online participants), portal interactions (which used physical props allowing real time one and two way communication between participants), live video feeds from hidden cameras, live performance and bespoke graphics and props. We wanted to see if we could create an online experience which lived up to the visceral intensity of the live show and facilitate a shared experience which takes place in both the performance space and a remote user's location. The project's aim was to connect a live Sleep No More audience member to an online companion. So when we began thinking about the Digital R&D project it seemed like a perfect progression for us both. Many of the students had seen the show as stewards or audience members and we were invited to talk at the lab.įrom there we helped them celebrate their 25th birthday by building a secret speakeasy in the basement, theming it narratively around Marvin Minsky and his pioneering work in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The relationship between the two organisations blossomed naturally after Punchdrunk staged Sleep No More in Boston. Along with his project manager Simone Ovsey they have assembled a team of talented students who specialise in live performance and physical technologies, networking and online interfaces. Our lead staff contact is professor Tod Machover, leader of the Opera of the Future group. It is devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology. We have been blessed with a great digital partner – MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is a leading research-based university with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research. Our Nesta Digital R&D fund project, developed in collaboration with MIT Media Lab, has been embedded within this project and during the week of May 14-19 we ran its five-day test phase. Participants are masked to explore a transformed six storey night club, with only their senses and instincts to lead them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |