Photo by Jesus Lopez
OCEAN OF INFLUENCE- AN INTERACTIVE ART INSTALLATION
In Summer of 2017 after receiving a research grant from UCI Oceans, I began researching the role of light in underwater ecosystems with the intent of creating an installation somewhere on the campus of UCI where humans could interact with this environment as underwater creatures and experience light in a similar way that these creatures do. It was decided that the xMPL was a perfect space for a project like this, having the technological support necessary to approach this type of design. for a week in the xMPL theater, Ocean of Influence was open for the public to explore and interact. In this version, people were able to activate certain oceanic scenarios by pressing buttons on the control iPad. Each scenario represented a certain issue currently threatening ocean ecosystems. The iPad was the bridge to connect a physical human action to the result in the created environment. The soundscape, designed by Jordan Tani, was successful in drawing your attention to the areas of the room in which each event was occurring, with location specific audio throughout the room. In this installation: people were able to actively cause and observe the results of coral bleaching, red tide, bioluminescence, light-assisted overfishing of squid, and the toll of light pollution on sea turtle populations. All things I learned while researching ocean issues related to light. The end result for our first version of the installation was a fun and mesmerizing atmosphere that visually turned out very similar to how I imagined, but not quite as functional and malleable as I had hoped on the technical side.
The second iteration of this installation was in a secret location in Downtown LA. Produced by BEAR and in partnership with L-Acoustics. Utilizing L-ISA Immersive Sound Technology, this iteration was able to successfully motion track the soundscape to give each person an individual audio experience of the installation. We were one step closer to the motion tracking goals of making this installation ocean fully malleable to the influence of the people moving around within it.
There are a few opportunities coming up in the next year for Ocean of Influence. In partnership with Chef OH, Olivia Hernandez, founder of The Nourish Foundation in Austin, TX and in continued partnership with BEAR productions. We are exploring the world of interactive dining, with the goal of making an evening of informative foodie festivities where the attendees learn about sustainable eating in an artistic format.
The second iteration of this installation was in a secret location in Downtown LA. Produced by BEAR and in partnership with L-Acoustics. Utilizing L-ISA Immersive Sound Technology, this iteration was able to successfully motion track the soundscape to give each person an individual audio experience of the installation. We were one step closer to the motion tracking goals of making this installation ocean fully malleable to the influence of the people moving around within it.
There are a few opportunities coming up in the next year for Ocean of Influence. In partnership with Chef OH, Olivia Hernandez, founder of The Nourish Foundation in Austin, TX and in continued partnership with BEAR productions. We are exploring the world of interactive dining, with the goal of making an evening of informative foodie festivities where the attendees learn about sustainable eating in an artistic format.
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Morgan Embry
Artistic Director, Producer, Projection and Scenic Design Jordan Tani Composer, Audio system design, Motion tracking system design Hannah Tran Assistant Content Creation - 1st install Cheyenne Jarman Research Consultant and Collaborator Celine de Jong Research Consultant and Collaborator Marissa Diaz Lighting Design- 1st install Nita Mendoza Graphic Design- 1st install Jesus Lopez Marketing Photography- 1st install |
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