A Brief Survery of my Work and the Proposed Collaborators for this activity in support of DYCP Application
My latest construction Moths At Work (Dec 2020, costumes designed by Eleanor Hooper & made by Imogen Singer). I built a very succesful road legal electric assist trycycle tandem:
The tandem involved satisfying mechanical engineering. I fitted basic Arduino driven lights to the costumes and various simple LEDs to the trike – they all lack the interaction this activity could bring. The Trike has a simple electric assist that again could be much improved with learnings in this activity. The show was oved by people whose houses we passed.
Cart for TOAST (2019/20 for Without Walls and Wild Rumpus) I designed and led the build. There are twin 24v motors to control the cart with motor control software by Kyle Hirani. The cart can be driven 1 handed by the drummer or tuba player (me) and has several safety features. The powerful system allows us to move a 3 piece band in a muddy field.
BabelVane has been in development since June 2020. I designed the device and construct them. I carried out the initial coding before having to hand it over to Kyle Hirani and Chatrapathi Akula at Vasthu. They are pairs of Internet Of Things devices taking readings from a “knob” and sending them via a IOT server managed by a python script on a Raspberry Pi to a parter device anywhere on the web. The aim is to make a simple “emergent langauge” project – where people create their own simple communication project – and also to help me explore this technology that could be deployed in so many ways with audineces. This could be devices touring homes (as these will) or that audinece have for a wekened at a festival following clues along a narrative as actors in a larger play.
The Weather (2020) is a mixture of ideas. Intitally an AR app that we scratch built the first draft of – including a 3d rendered world with sound and light sculptures. Michele Panegrossi supported me at the end of teh process and de-bugged the app. (he basically rebuilt it – he’s a genius). The idea was/is to design and test forms in game and AR and then build live with AR inage recognition to enter true XR.
Celestial Sound Cloud (2016-20) Designed and scored by Eleanor Hooper. I engineered the build and rigging. We met Kyle on this project where he coded and designed the 5 individual brains housing music and interaction and a comms system. Working with Kyle I have taken many principals I have
Further engineering for Theatre
Proposed collaborators for this activity:
Ralph Skrimshire of Handspring design
Is a lead maker at Handspring with 20 years experinece working with wood as a tree surgeon, sculptor, large scale timber framer and delicate steam bent structures worker. He has previous worked as a maker and rigger for Pif-Paf so undertsands the realities of outdoor light art. There are few UK sculptural steam bending makers with such experience.
Kyle Hirani of Vasthu, Cirque Bijou and CodSteaks
A relative newcomer to the field Kyle is a Kenyan Gujarati Robotocist and technologist with a strong feel for the practical demands of the work we make. He can integrate many systems, with a focus on hardware and lighting. He designed the lighting for Cirque Bijous light Energy Dancers and numerous installed automations for CodSteaks. As an ex vehicle designer he understands the need for weather proofing.