stalagmites

/controllable lighting stage set for TR/ST
//story
Robert Alfons of TR/ST approached us for a new stage lighting set for the band's Fall 2014 North American tour and he was really interested in something that would add an extra dimension to performances. We had some conversations about what that could be and decided to build something completely immersive for the band. We came up with the idea of eight stalagmite forms that can be set up in different configurations depending on the venue.

Each stalagmite has a controllable LED bar inside and working with a starting suite of effects, Alfons can apply behaviours to them to display in real time while the band is performing. The effect is striking as the deep hues from the LEDs wash over the band or the strobing lights silhouette their figures up on stage.
//how it works
Inside each stalagmite, RGB LED light bars are controlled using a custom version of Cortex, an application we created specially for lighting and kinetic installations. Running within Ableton, Max For Live sends Open Sound Control data through a network to Cortex.

Cortex takes that data (for example, pitch, volume or vocals) and then applies a pre-determined light behaviour. Working with a starting suite of effects, the flexible nature of Cortex allows Alfons to add or change textures or video to Cortex, apply behaviours and see them in real time rendered in the stalagmites.

/artworks