Real-time Light Program Design by Carl Skelton/Gotham Innovation Greenhouse for ATOPIA Research, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2016
ATOPIA Research (David Turnbull and Jane Harrison) were engaged by the Kennedy Center to develop a year-long multi-function installation for the 16 x 105-foot reflecting pool in front of the building– a mirrored surface four inches below the surface of the water, dotted with hand-blown glass orbs containing heavily modified RGB yacht tail-lights.
ATOPIA’s brief was to build and operate the installation as a temporary public artwork that could also serve ad hoc as an event/performance venue 24/7 through a full four-season cycle as part of the Center’s program celebrating JFK’s Centennial.
My brief from ATOPIA was to design and implement a system for remotely controllable parametric light compositions with an on-site bypass for live performances and events to be operated by the Center’s theatrical lighting crew. My solution was a web-accessible Max application slaved to a custom variant of the ZCast content management system. DMX signals were sent directly to the fixtures from a computer installed on-site.
I conceived and helped build out a bespoke pre-visualization and composition tool/interface for pre-design and real-time monitoring. Joshua Goldberg did the Max programming.
Yes, we did have a few adventures getting the IT department coordinated with the production department in time for the opening…
