The Ikigai Machine
A touring artwork comprising of an interactive installation juxtaposed with live performances in which a Deaf artist explores his relationship to sound through light and vibration. Not being limited to traditional environments, the artwork may be sited at festivals, on stages and in city streets, engaging a variety of communities.
Large format projection & LED pixel mapped sculptures serve as a thematic backdrop to a visually narrated science fiction story of an isolated inventor living in a world without sound.
I am responsible for the stage & tech design and perform a live musical score accompanying the narrative multimedia components.
The Japanese word “IKIGAI” (pronounced Ick-ee-guy) represents the active pursuit ones values, making use of your skills, providing what the world needs and doing that which sustains you and brings you joy. Ikigai is the cross section of all these things and this project represents my Ikigai and hopes to inspires others to pursue their own variants.
Presentations
Northwest Deaf Arts Festival, June 16th 2018, Mississippi Studios, Portland Oregon.
Action shots from the first public short-form revue of The Ikigai Machine to an audience of over 300. American Sign Language poetry, sound-reactive visualizations mapped to LED pixel fixtures, large format video projection, live music & theater serve key roles in the production. I was also responsible for stage & tech design for the entire festival.
Visual Narrative Excerpts
Pre-Production
Video Production, May 2018
[Pictured Left] Scott Selby, Heather King & Scott Lewis (Actors). [Pictured Right] Actors with Myles de Bastion (Producer) & Andre Gray (Videographer).
Pre-production Sketch & Concept for Large Scale Festival Site Installation, February 2018
[Pictured Left] Sketch of the visual plot cues and overall narrative themes. [Pictured Right] Concept art proposing final form of the artwork.
Script Excerpt
“In the forest, a cove-like machine shelters a small group of festival-goers huddled together, attempting to stay dry during a spell of light rain.
The machine emits relaxed warbling tones in synchronicity with a subtly-shifting glow as if content with the human company. A new festival-goer joins the group, the machine glows brighter and more tones swell into harmony.
Another festival-goer reaches out, finding both the metallic and translucent surfaces to be warm under her fingers. The machine responds to each touch with a subtle resonating vibration and ripple of light circling outward.
The scene is set, at the due hour the artist arrives, clad with similar translucent patterns of light as those engraved into the machine. Wordlessly, he makes a series of gestures with his hands, a signed language that causes the machine to rumble deeply, an acknowledgement felt as much as heard. The huddled group opens a pathway for the approaching artist, keenly aware that something novel is about to occur.
Silence.
The artist raises his hands, merging palms with the machine, vibration, light and sound crescendo. The performance begins.”