Saburo
Teshigawara, developed with Volker Kuchelmeister
2008
Virtual human-scale duet choreography stereographic/3D multi-channel
video installation
The six-channel stereo video dance installation is configured in
the Re-Actor system*, an hexagonal projection environment offering
the audience a mobile and versatile platform for sophisticated artistic
and cultural manifestation and a physically immersive three-dimensional
space of representation that constitutes an augmentation and amalgamation
of real and virtual realities. The audience can choose to move freely
around the hexagon to view individual screens or step back and watch
the screens simultaneously. Each screen displays the same scene from
the dance performance specifically choreographed and recorded for
this installation, in time synchronicity but from a different perspective,
analogous to the architecture of the space within which it is projected.
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Installation model and set-up at the eArts Festival
2008 in Shanghai |
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This configuration of the system arrangement allows members of the
audience to experience an immersive three-dimensional virtual space
(the architectural container of Re-Actor) in the physical world.
The outcome is a very natural interface that does not require introduction
or explanation. In common with the material world, a transformation
in location and orientation in the exhibition space leads to an equivalent
perspective change in the virtual world or the viewpoint the dance
performance is observed from.
The modality in which the dance performance was captured, mirrors
the physical configuration of the installation. Six evenly distributed
cameras in pairs encircle a stage, which has similar proportions
to the virtual space. Precise horizontal/ vertical positioning and
orientation of the camera heads is essential to recreate a believable
illusion of the physical space on screens. To strengthen the imitation
of real world perception on screen Kuchelmeister chose camera lenses
to reflect the natural field of view of the human eye whilst the
focal length of the camera lenses was chosen to reflect the natural
field of view of the human eye.
The properties of a stereo image capture system are critical for
the overall quality, depth perception and the sense of reality a
viewer observes. The complex relationship between inter-ocular distance,
near and far plane, the range of subject movement, focal length and
position of the zero parallax plane all had to be defined. These
parameters were generated in a theoretical mathematical model first
and its values confirmed in an experimental set up. The subjective
qualities of the experiment results lead to a minor adjustment of
some of the parameters.
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Mosaic of a video still, six points of view
simultaneous |
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Specifically for this installation, Saburo Teshigawara and Rihoko
Sato choreographed and performed multiple solos and duet scenes lasting
between 30 seconds and 4 minutes long. The multiple view point capture
configuration challenged Teshigawara to rethink the traditional notion
of stage performance, where the audience is usually restricted to
the seating area and the dancers direct their performances accordingly.
In this case, the virtual observer is omni-
present, and the choreographer does not have knowledge or control
over the position of the audience members at any time during the
performance. In addition, the relatively restricted usable space
on stage and the properties of the stereo capture system influenced
the choreography.
In the four day long rehearsal period, the artists established a
framework by defining the aesthetics, composition, lighting design
and structure of the piece. The intention was to place the performers
in a black void, giving them the notion of floating in space without
spatial reference for the viewer. This process required a complex
lighting design, due to the modalities of the set up. In this situation,
with cameras encircling the stage, it was not possible to place lights
anywhere in the scene, only suspended from the ceiling and beneath
the stage plane. The final lighting design comprised of a large softbox
from the top centre of the stage, giving it the necessary diffuse
ambient light without casting strong shadows. Additionally, two concentric
rings of six directional lights from the ceiling and two rings of
(diffuse and directional) from under the stage plane were added.
The intensity of all the lights could be controlled allowing us to
make dynamic lighting changes during a take.
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Recording with six stereo camera pairs |
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The linear composition of the piece was defined as a series of solos
and duets in which each began and ended in total blackness. From
the beginning of each take, the performers were in place on the dark
stage, then the lights faded in, and the take ended with fading lights.
This notion simplified the final arrangement of the segments and
gave the piece its structure.
State of the art remote-head compact single chip CCD cameras were
used to achieve archive cinematic quality and fidelity of imagery.
The cameras are able to capture images in high pixel and color resolution
(1600x1200 pixel, 10bit) and high frame rate (30 fps progressive).
First-rate lenses (Bolex 10mm, from 16mm film cameras) allowed adequate
aperture control, minimal color aberration and good focus. Image
sensing, capturing, recording and previewing are all in the
digital domain, ensuring the best possible image quality. The raw
uncompressed data from the twelve cameras is streamed through capture
boards directly onto hard disk arrays within the recording computers.
The post-processing workflow comprised of image extraction from the
raw stream, bayer filtering, color grading and background noise removal.
Stereo pairs are then aligned with the help of a calibration image
and the zero parallax plane is defined. After cropping the images,
a side-by-side stereo frame is generated (2800x1050 pixel resolution)
and the sequence compressed in a lossless format. These sequences
are then arranged to the final six clips (12 minutes long) and compressed
in MPEG4 for playback.
The choices of cameras, lenses, lighting design, the post-processing
workflow and the high standard in stereo system design and calibration
resulted in extraordinary image quality and fidelity which are in
line with big Hollywood budget stereo feature film production yet
at a fraction of the cost.
Double District constitutes a unique new method of documenting and
experiencing dance. Unlike traditional film/video and photography,
it captures the two modalities of three-dimensional representation,
perspective and depth.
Credits:
Double District multiple video performance was co-produced by EPIDEMIC
and Le Volcan Scene National in France, It was premiered in the context
of eARTS urbanized landscapes a major international visual arts festival
at The Science and Technology Museum in Shanghai.
Direction, choreography, lighting design and costumes: Saburo Teshigawara
Developed with: Volker Kuchelmeister
Performed by: Saburo Teshigawara and Rihoko Sato
Production manager, technical director, stereoscopic cinematography,
video and audio post-production: Volker Kuchelmeister (iCinema)
Lighting design: Paul Nichola
Lighting technician: Rob Kelly (NIDA)
Production assistant: Sue Midgely (iCinema)
Producer: Richard Castelli (Epidemic)
Co-produced by: Karas, Tokyo, Epidemic (Paris, Berlin), Le Volcan
Scène nationale, Le Havre, UNSW iCinema Centre, Sydney,
and kindly supported by Museum Victoria.
Shot with the iCinema Spherecam System
*Re-Actor
Created by Sarah Kenderdine and Jeffrey Shaw. Originally
developed for their virtual 3D theater work UNMAKEABLELOVE,
Kenderdine and Shaw also conceived its use as a 3D visualization
architecture for the multi-view presentation of live performances.
Exhibitions:
Premiere at Shanghai eArts Festival 2008, Urbanized Landscape.
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
Curator Richard Castelli (epidemic, France)
18 Oct - 10 Nov 2008
Volcan Scène nationale du Havre / Le Havre, France
16-27, Jun 2009
Curator Richard Castelli (epidemic, France)
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