Watching Imogen Heap dance her way through cyber visuals and glowing-LED percussion, it’s easy to forget that you’re not watching a special effect. What was once a hypothetical, speculative scenario in sci-fi is now just what Imogen is doing with gloves and sensors. At the same time, the lineage to artists like Pamela Z or Laurie Anderson is clear, too. Now the question is, what’s next?
“Me the Machine” debuted in a performance on her gloves. The music really is one that she can play with wearable tech. The music video just adds visualization to that performance – and, in the process, demonstrates another point of the glove system. It’s designed to be able to transmit data to anything you like, visuals or robotics or any output you desire.
Our friend Miho Tanaka makes the gestural visualization tool AirMakr with Roman Miletitch and sends this in. Miho connected with Imogen at the CDM-hosted MusicMakers Hacklab 2013 with CTM Festival.
And the timing is key: with three days left, Mi.Mu is some distance from its goal.
For more background on the project:
How Gloves and Wearable Tech Could Change Music Performance: In Depth with Imogen Heap and Team
Imogen, dwarfed by the visuals. Yes, they shot this live on a stage. Photo: Adrian Lausch.
Miho shares some other notes with us:
– As mentioned, the whole thing was initiated when I met Imogen and her team at the gloves workshop
– Imogen and her team showed a keen interest in Airmarkr, as we were both dealing with the same kind of motion track problem solving and the possibility of a collaboration came up, and so I pitched her some visual concept ideas.
– six months later, Imogen got in touch to ask if AirMarkr would be interested in a collaboration to make the visuals for her very first music video using the gloves, so Roman was flown over to work with her team.
– Roman Miletitch was introduced to the AirMarkr team because of his previous project Calligraphie, 3D, and his ongoing work with the research team visualising the gestures of sign language (skip to start from 0:33)
– As Artistic Director of AirMarkr, Roman has been responsible for making the output of the motion tracking a thing of delight and beauty.
– Roman is currently finishing his Ph.D on Artificial Intelligence and Swarm Robotics.
Credits:
Two years to the day since Imogen unveiled the first version of ‘Me The Machine’ with her Mi.Mu Gloves, here’s the official music video!
Back the Gloves on Kickstarter: http://immi.fm/mimukick
Pre-order the “Sparks” deluxe box set: http://immi.fm/ihdeluxeNew album “Sparks” coming soon…
Imogen said: “Today is Earth Day and 2 years ago I performed the first version of Me The Machine written with and for my Mi.Mu gloves. I am dying to let you hear the album but I have to wait, but today I want to let you hear and see the studio version and the additional music video. Hope you really enjoy it! Most of the visuals are being manipulated live using my Mi.Mu gloves as I didn’t just want to mime. So I went one step further and worked with the team on getting the gloves ready for visual manipulations.”
Video concept: Imogen Heap
Shot at the Roundhouse, Camden on 8/9th Dec 2013.
Thanks to Marcus, Dave and Sarah at the Roundhouse and the students from
http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/take-part
Ersinhan Ersin: Director/set design/co-editor
Co Director and Editor: Leo Fawkes
Producer: Marta Sala Font
Production management and design: Liz Berry
Visual/glove integration, sound: Adam Stark
Visual/glove integration, Kelly Snook
Visual Artist. Dandelion seeds, growing structures: Ersinhan Ersin
Visual Artist, Particle man visuals: Kirk Woolford
Visual Artist, Geometric landscapes: Mox
Visual Artist, AirMarkr / scribbler visuals: Roman Miletitch
PA: Catherine Bentley
PA: Jennie Fagerstrom
Adrian Lausch: Time Lapse photography
Rigger: Simon Ambrose
Roundhouse Tech: Simeon Bate and Steve Royle
Projectionists: Richard Dieckmann and Matthieu Lachenal
First Assistant Director: Jamie Roberts
Director of Photography: Will Hanke
Second Camera Operator: Will Williamson
Camera Assistant: Guy Gotto
Steadicam operator Ben Marshall
Focus Puller Ryan Parkins
Assistant/Runner: Charlotte Sterland and Pippa Riddick
Runners: Tess Faria, Katarina Valaskova, Harry Balding, Sana Hall, Linzi Ann Mangan
DIT: Libby Knowles, Aidan Stimson
Outfit Designer: Rachel Freire
Outfit Designer Assistant: Rebecca Elley
3D printed pieces made by Igor Knesevic
Stylist: Sabina Emria
Styling Assistant: Liz Denson
Hair and Make Up Artist: Oscar Alexander Lundberg:
Thanks also to Miho Tanaka & Roman Miletitch for AirMarkr gestural visualisations – www.airmarkr.com
Camera Assistant: Hannibal Morris
Grading by MIke Prior