service design on stage
Digital Water Pavilion by Carloratti Associati
FROM LINEAR TO UNEXPECTED: RANDOM THEATRE
Another example is the Sleep no More performance by Punchdrunk, a British site-specific theatre company: an immersive production inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, told through the lens of a Hitchcock thriller, blending classic texts, physical performance, awardwinning design installation and unexpected sites. The participants (the audience) are given a mask at the entrance and the freedom to roam through the environment to experience a unique sensory journey as they choose what to watch, which actor to follow and where to go. Lines between space, performer and spectator are constantly shifting. As the audience is free to encounter the installed environment in an individual imaginative journey, the memorable part of this unique theatrical adventure is the childlike excitement of exploring the unknown in a very personal (read unrepeatable) way. RANDOMISED SYMPHONY
Now, close your eyes. Imagine you are walking through a park. Let’s say Central Park. Imagine the trees, statues
and lakes were all part of an invisible performance and the conductor was nothing else but your own feet. If you’re not dreaming, then you must be listening to Bluebrain’s album app, a site-specific, location-aware music composition for Central Park in New York City. As you walk through the park, new musical themes hit you every 20 or 30 steps, as if they were emanating from statues, playgrounds, open spaces and landmarks. This project provides a unique sound installation that changes every time you walk a different path as different tracks play, all meshing and colliding in surprising ways. (UN)WANTED NOISE
Another example, in a different context to performing arts and music, is represented by the ‘Digital Water Pavilion’ by Carlorattiassociati. Designed for the Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain, the pavilion consists of a flexible and multifunctional space. The challenge of the pavilion was to use water – water being the theme of Expo 2008 – as an architectural element. The walls were composed of numerically controlled water droplets that could generate writing, patterns, openings for access touchpoint 29
