Sound House
(everyone is working)
a durational installation consisted of live video mixing, puppetry and interactive sound system
Directed by Janie Geiser, John Eagle and Cassia Streb
(in development, premiere in Fall 2020, Wenden Museum)
Visual Concept, Video Projection Design, Animation, Video System Design
Project Background
Sound House centers on a series of tasks that shape the sound in the room. These tasks–performed by the ensemble manipulating objects, controllers, lights, walls, Bunraku-like puppets, live-feed video–emerge from our interest in the daily routines of the Minuteman Missile technicians, who work in hidden underground launch facilities operated by the US military since the 1960’s.
Design Concept
In Sound House, the video is part of the narratives which shapes the environment. Live-mixed projection amplifies tasks and provides information.
▸ The Missile Control Room
After a field trip to Titan Missile Museum, I was inspired by the underground missile control room. Working closely with the director and set builder, we tried to re-created different small scale launching stations that allows puppets to interact and suggests the world we are in. My goal is to create an environment where all modes of operation are visible and networked in expansive ways, heightening interactivity among puppets, performers, sound and video.
Puppet inspects video booth
Puppet inspects video booth
Puppet inspects sound booth with shadow play
Puppet working on control station
Puppet going through slide documents
Space overview- station collages
Space overview- security cameras
Puppet working on control station
Puppet working on control station
Different control stations
▸ Tasking through Live Video Streaming
In Sound House, the space is activated by a series of tasks. They are practical works around different stations, performing by puppets and performers, such as bricklaying, coding, shaping walls, inspecting space and writing notes. One of the station is video live streaming, in which the performer and I created several tasks through out the show. The simplified tasks were inspired by the duties of missile technicians, including: writing codes, inspecting maps and diagrams, folding rocket origami, scanning documents and more.
Tasks guide
Laying down tasks
Rocket origami
Task- rocket origami
Live video of map reading layering with real-time coding
Task- inspecting rocket diagram
Installation walk through