DELQA is a collaborative music experience made with Matthew Dear. Through pushing, pulling, and climbing on the interactive arthitecture, viewers are given feedback and control in order to transform original music into a living composition.

We utilized eight Kinect 2 cameras to track not only visitors with in the space, but the physical installation as well. We sourced an elastic fabric with unique properties when looked at through the Kinect. To normal RGB and IR cameras, the fabric was perfectly transparent, letting us see the visitors. However, the fabric was completely opaque to the depth cameras, letting us look at the fabric itself. This let us track the fabric as visitors pushed it, letting us measure where and how hard they pressed.

This interaction drove a 44 channel spatial sound system as well as LED lighting inside the space. Interactions could drive different aspects of the music depending on where they were playing, and what movement the music was in. Visitors who ventured to climb on the center netting were also rewarded with overhead sound cues, further adding to the composition.

DELQA premeired at the New Museum’s NEW INC space in August 2015.

Select Press:
Fast Co
PSFK
Village Voice
The Creators Project
Pitchfork