Illuminate

Abstract

What would it be like if we could see our movement?

This thesis presents, Illuminate, an interactive art installation in which the movements of a person through open space are visually augmented and brought to life in front of them in real-time through custom interactive visualization software. Seamlessly merging physical and digital space, Illuminate submerges a participant into an artificial reality in which their usually unseen paths of movement become visible. Aiming to give the participant a visceral yet magical moment in which they can see, interact with, and play with their once invisible wakes of motion— pushing the boundaries of our senses and making the invisible visible. The project also explores the themes of spatial computing, bodily expression, abstraction, and choreographic interfaces.

Illuminate provides a deeper understanding of bodily motion to a general audience through a playful interactive performance space made for human creativity, expression, and public play. Investigating the poetic implications of making the invisible trails of our human movement visible. It explores the relationship between our bodies' movement, time, space, and the digital world, provoking questions regarding the possible implications of a world in which we can more casually and effortlessly control and interact with digital elements spatially through the free unrestricted movement of our bodies.