Game Art: Chris O'Shea's Kinect Installations (2011)
In 2007 I attempted to make a simple Air Guitar prototype using a stereo camera (watch video). Unfortunately it didn’t work very well. You had to stand very still and the depth image wasn’t as clean as I would like. Now that the much anticipated Xbox Kinect camera was out and opening up by the way, I wanted to port this demo to explore what the potential of interactive music games could be in the future & also just to experiment with the Kinect. So here is the outcome so far…" (Chris O'Shea)
"This installation aims to encourage children to use their creativity to bring stories to life. It helps to improve their confidence in self expression and develops literacy and speaking skills. The installation allows them to create a performance from within their imagination, on stage, in front of an audience of family and friends. The use of technology literally brings their drawings to life on stage, allowing them to interact and respond to their creations in real time. By using a holographic projection film; sets, characters and objects appear to float on stage alongside the performers. A camera and custom software track the performers, allowing the scene to react in a playful & more dynamic way. For children who show disinterest in writing stories and drawing, but love to play video games, this project hopes to inspire them to participate, creating their own immersive worlds that they can be proud to express their own creations through." (Chris O'Shea)
"Have you ever wanted to pull the strings of your friends and family like a puppet? Do you wish you were as small as a child again, or as big as an adult? This installation transforms your body movements into control of another person. Dance around, jump in the air, do anything you like to make them look silly. However don’t forget, they are doing it to you at the same time. Two people stand in front of the screen, are captured by the camera and turned into paper cut-out versions of themselves. The images are then swapped, so that you each take control of the other. The aesthetic is of a low polygon 90′s video game. Music plays and prompts you to act out to the audience and each other. Two players of different height, such as father and son, see a reversal of scale. The youngest magically becomes big, and the adult shrinks to the proportions of the child." (Chris O'Shea)
Chris O'Shea is a British designer whose installations, digital toys, play spaces and experiences incorporate the latest technologies to reinvent the way we learn and play. His works have been commissioned by the BBC, FACT, Design Museum London and Science Gallery Dublin, and shown by British Council Japan and Kinetica Art Fair. Full profile here.
link: Chris O'Shea
Submitted by Matteo Bittanti