Katharina Rosenberger, composition, audio programming, concept
Charles Bascou, programming, technical direction
premiered May 5 - 22, 2007, Festival Les Musiques, Galerie District, Marseille, France
Room V is an interactive sound installation. Visitors are invited to control and manipulate the unfolding of a music composition with their body movements. A software interface created with Max/MSP and SoftVNS uses motion capture to perform real-time sound synthesis and re-spatialization of previously recorded acoustic music.
One person at a time, wearing wireless headphones, enters the space to find a complete concert set up for eight instruments in a dimly lit setting. Chairs, music stands with little lamps attached are there, only the musicians are missing. The mood of the space is silent and still. However, once the person enters, a sonorous world opens and the ensemble music can be heard over the headphones.
As the visitors make their way through the room, the motion tracking software lets them increasingly gain access to the inner structures of the music. Sound becomes concrete and malleable, giving the listeners the impression of a physical reality that can be touched and felt.