Balloon Release (2017)
Balloon Release is an opportunity to incorporate two actions which I do not commonly use in my works for balloons: helium and a balloon pop. Balloon Release is an action piece, a sculpture and an acousmatic multi-speaker experience rolled into one. For the version exhibited at Harvestworks Digital Media Center, the sculpture was a suspended mesh and wire tunnel, rimmed on either end with lush fake fur, with a large needle embedded in the top interior. Visitors to the installation receive a white inflated helium balloon and are instructed to release the balloon into the sculpture. When the helium balloon rises to the top of the tunnel it is burst by the needle and the detritus falls to the floor below. A motion sensor and a microphone hidden in the sculpture transmit to MaxMSP that the balloon has been exploded which sets off quadraphonic playback of a balloon pop slowed to approximately 30 seconds in length. This is followed by playback of one of several short compositions I have created (approximately one to two minutes long) created from 4 to 24 players making various balloon sounds, with the groups divided equally between the four channels, giving an immersive experience.
Balloon Release has the ability to trigger other sculptures in the installation “Chamber Ensemble (for Balloons).” When the balloon is popped in Balloon Release, the ReBa interactive sculpture reacts emotionally, making a variety of exclamations such as “Oh my!” via her text response, followed by instructions that the visitors should listen to the piece and ReBa will be available again upon its completion. The illuminated 3-D balloon sculpture Stripes Too also has the ability to respond, temporarily fading to black, and then continuing with a light performance that accompanies Balloon Release’s multi-speaker balloon ensemble performance. Programmed by Judy Dunaway with MaxMSPJitter. View Balloon Release below on YouTube:
Balloon Release has the ability to trigger other sculptures in the installation “Chamber Ensemble (for Balloons).” When the balloon is popped in Balloon Release, the ReBa interactive sculpture reacts emotionally, making a variety of exclamations such as “Oh my!” via her text response, followed by instructions that the visitors should listen to the piece and ReBa will be available again upon its completion. The illuminated 3-D balloon sculpture Stripes Too also has the ability to respond, temporarily fading to black, and then continuing with a light performance that accompanies Balloon Release’s multi-speaker balloon ensemble performance. Programmed by Judy Dunaway with MaxMSPJitter. View Balloon Release below on YouTube: