[youtube = http://youtube.com/watch?v=u-78CzpaCEM]
Here is a brief machinima that hopefully describes the Architectural Jazz concept a bit more clearly. The idea is to make the inhabitant an active part of both the musical and architectural composition. In real life, when we listen to music, or occupy a space, we generally play a passive role. The composition remains largely unchanged when we listen or observe.
In a virtual environment, we have a unique opportunity to make the architecture responsive, or reflexive. The buildings can ‘know’ that we’re there, and react accordingly. They can even remember that we’ve been there, leaving visual or audio traces of our existence after we’ve left.
It isn’t that these ideas are impossible in real life (example), but its a lot easier and far less expensive to prototype and experiment in virtual reality. Plus, opportunities for true collaboration are more readily available. Realizing this installation, for example, required collaboration and general brainstorming with several others, including Theory Shaw, Ordinal Malaprop and Fumon Kubo.
This installation is only a small step toward a much greater realm of possibilities available to us in Second Life, and hopefully part of a broader collaboration-based, cross-disciplinary movement toward a new language of virtual architecture.
And YES, thanks for asking, but I have been made aware of the similarities between my installation and this =) :
[youtube = http://youtube.com/watch?v=fZRPM1Fn-Aw]
