Project Overview: SummerStage, founded in 1986, is a free, outdoor performing arts festival that brings music, dance, and cultural performances to parks across New York City. Originally focused on Central Park, it has grown into a citywide celebration, hosting world-renowned artists and showcasing diverse genres while remaining accessible to the public. In celebration of SummerStage NYC’s enduring impact on music and culture, I developed a 70x10ft LED wall installation that captures the festival’s rich history for the City Parks Foundation/s Gala. This immersive visual timeline, positioned at the gala’s entrance, brings iconic performances and key cultural moments to life, honoring the artists and experiences that have defined the festival over the years. The LED wall’s design merges archival footage, custom animations, and vibrant graphic sequences to reflect each decade of SummerStage’s history. I integrated the visuals with a smooth, chronological flow, utilizing TouchDesigner and GLSL code for real-time manipulation, allowing for subtle, dynamic effects that echo the rhythm and spirit of the music. The visuals respond to ambient cues, creating a sense of movement that guides attendees through the festival’s evolution. This timeline provided a memorable, visual storytelling element that complemented the gala’s atmosphere, offering attendees a unique journey through music history with an emphasis on New York’s creative pulse.
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City Parks Foundation Gala: The 70x10ft installation for SummerStage’s gala used a blend of advanced LED technology, motion-tracking, and real-time content manipulation to create a dynamic timeline experience. TouchDesigner powered the main visual sequences, allowing for precise control over animations and effects that adapted in real-time. GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) code was incorporated for custom shader effects, providing unique visual depth and vibrancy to each era represented. Additionally, a Kinect sensor tracked audience movement, triggering subtle changes in the LED visuals as people approached or moved along the timeline. This interactive element engaged viewers and enhanced the storytelling, making the installation a memorable tribute to SummerStage’s history.
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Summerstage NYC: The PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera setup at Central Park’s SummerStage is designed for dynamic live coverage and high-quality video streaming of its events, capturing a variety of angles and audience perspectives. These cameras are strategically mounted to offer unobstructed views of the performers, stage, and crowd. I would adjusted the camera remotely through a controller and would mix the feeds live with a black magic switcher. I could then either take the video signal from the switcher and mix it in resolume/synesthesia for audio reactive effects, or I could resolume with the PTZ all within the black magic switcher.
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