Feasibility of the living canvas: restricting projection to a performer on stage

  • Authors:
  • Martin Naef;Cathie Boyd

  • Affiliations:
  • Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, United Kingdom;Cryptic, Glasgow, United Kingdom

  • Venue:
  • MM '08 Proceedings of the 16th ACM international conference on Multimedia
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

The Living Canvas initiative aims to use a performer on stage as a dynamic projection surface. Using machine vision in the near-infrared spectrum enables the system to follow and adapt to the performer, restricting projection to the silhouette. Ultimately, the system aims to create the illusion of a completely dynamic costume. This paper introduces the concept and presents an implementation and analysis of the performance-critical stages of the projection pipeline, proving the feasibility of the idea as well as analysing the limitations introduced by current digital projection technology. Bringing together the research from computer graphics and machine vision with the artistic vision and guidance from Cryptic, the initiative aims to create and explore a new expressive medium by taking projection systems on stage to a highly interactive level and providing a powerful new tool for live video artists.