APD Week 10 - Stillness: Bed Full of Dreams [][]

By Carlo Tolentino

THEME: Play and Stillness

CONTEXT:

After this week’s class lecture tackling the contrasting keywords relating to play and stillness in the whiteboard this week, I thought about ways of implementing projection-mapping with stillness.

I recalled an RMIT article that showcases a project by PluginHUMAN, Machine Lullaby which explores the intersection of technology and sleep. Brain activity and its capacity in artistic data visualization is a combination that peaked my interest back when I read the article and watched their video: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2019/jul/virtual-dreams?fbclid=IwAR2HhDPZjwC_0dwybBRkWWHcMxt8kqGOXEDHOKfE0errG1xWeYLS4oXHhvM. While the technology of using brainwaves as a form of input is out of my reach, I thought of a projection-mapped content curated method of sleep improvement, or at least, sleep enticement. As someone who has worked professionally as a VJ in music festivals, nightclubs, and parties; I wanted to experiment on performing as a VJ but in contrast, for rest, relaxation, meditation, or sleep.

The relatively unrelated keywords I decided to play with, were Sleep and (visual/play) Performance.

METHOD: To create a video concept of a projection-mapped bed, with controlled visuals to perhaps encourage the improvement of sleep.

RESPONSE: A Bed Full of Dreams is a video concept of a calming VJ performance, projection-mapped on a bed.

REFLECTION: This reflection is a WIP. But it would involve the concept of sleep studies, music for sleep, the contrast of technology and sleep, performance play, “beditation”, the use of baby mobiles, and getting Isabelle to test sleeping on the cosmic bed! Also the title is a callout to Coldplay’s album, A Head Full of Dreams.