Imprisoned 囚 is an interactive performance that portrays a person struggling in their own space. Thoughts, visualized as nets and strings from within one's mind, entangle the performer as every movement and breath descends into chaos. The work draws inspiration from the Chinese character "囚" (imprisonment), where 人 (human) is trapped within 口 (space), a visual metaphor for internal struggle.
Technical Implementation
The piece is powered by four main technologies:
Kinect
For motion tracking
Processing
For real-time visual generation
OpenCV
For contour detection
Wireless earbuds
For breath detection
Prototyping generative visuals
1. Body motion captured through Kinect
2. Breath intensity detected through audio input These inputs dynamically affect the visual representation of entangled nets and threads.
Sound Design
The audio composition, created by Phyllis Fei, weaves together ambient soundscapes with the performer's live breathing.
Literary Reference
The performance concludes with a powerful quote from "Life, Life" by Arseny Tarkovsky: "I was, I am, and I will be" – emphasizing the eternal nature of self-reflection and existence.
Exhibition
2018, Interactive Media Fall Showcase. Group exhibition at Interactive Media, NYU Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Interactive Media Fall Showcase
Acknowledgement
This work was developed under the guidance of Aaron Sherwood for the course Sensors, Body, & Motion at NYU Abu Dhabi.
