case study 2017 4 min read
An Exercise in Vulnerability
Stout Studio redefine interactive experiences with support from the gx range.
Generative motion graphics agency Stout Studio launched last month, with the opening of experiential installation ‘An Exercise in Vulnerability’. The brainchild of studio founders Lewis Kyle White and Pod Bluman, the interactive installation explored technology’s effect on human relationships.
Collaborating with multidisciplinary artist Kate Tiernan, the immersive audio-visual experience shone a spotlight on our increasingly virtual existence, and challenged visitors to be open and vulnerable with a stranger. Participants were led into darkened room, where they were connected to gestural Leap Motion sensors, traditionally used in VR, and asked a series of questions. Leveraging Notch generative content technology and surrounding users in a 3D volumetric projection environment, users controlled and influenced both the audio and visuals of the experience - manipulating the images to communicate in a visual language with the stranger on the other side of the room.
The process provided each participant with a unique and individual experience. "Its been wonderful to see how visitors have understood and interpreted the visual language" reflects Pod "One of the overriding themes we discovered when speaking to participants was that the experience made them feel special, as if they were part of an experience created only for them. As they had such a tangible influence over their environment, it made the individual feel unique."
The installation was created using Leap Motion technology - a platform developed for the gestural control of VR. By leveraging this, Stout Studios developed a process path to generative content software Notch. The data sent from the users movements was then translated to create the interactive visuals. This was then sent back to the screen via a gx media server with very little latency. Generative sound was created using MAX MSP - which triggered electronic synths to create a soundtrack generated by the user data collected. It connected the audio and visuals, and married the tangible field of interactivity.
While ‘An Exercise in Vulnerability’ was deliberately more psychological in its nature - it does mark the introduction of disruptive motion graphics technology to brand and experiential events. Having already made its mark on the live music industry, generative content can be seen on some of world’s biggest tours, favored by artists including Beyoncé, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2.
"Real time generated content allows for pure interaction. It puts users at the heart of the event. Previous technologies involve pre-visualising and rendering content that you would effectively press play and run." states Lewis. "Stout Studio provides brands and experiential agencies the expertise to create unique visual identities and experiences, for multitude of targeted audiences."
From completely immersive visual experiences, small kiosk style activations, to an engaging experience in a shop window that passers by can engage with, the flexibility of generative content means the possibilities are endless. However, its not just the visuals that disrupt the status quo.
The data gathered from the participant sensors can be recorded and analyzed, allowing brands to collect data like never before. By creating an intelligent and scrutinized approach to how you gather the data and the research parameters, brands can integrate analytics based programs that measure the emotional response to the content delivered.
The data collected is organic and attached to an individual. Although the experience is very digital, the data generated from the participant is sent through an interface and used to influence and project an organic visual experience.
Pod concludes "We have worked with many high profile brands on experiential activations - many are looking for a level of interactivity that has not yet been possible. This new technology really opens the doors to infinite possibilities for truly responsive content and immersive experiences."
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