The SIGGRAPH 98 Interactive Dance Club was a multi-participant
interactive environment with real-time computer-generated
imagery, lighting, and video, synchronized to dance club
music (acid jazz, tribal, ambient, drum & bass).
Instead of dancing to prerecorded music and images,
or passively watching a performance, members of the
audience became participants.
Within interactive zones located throughout the club,
participants influenced music, lighting, projected
computer graphics images, and video. There were zones
for single participants, dual participants and groups of participants. Like sections in an orchestra, output from the interactive zones combined with a pre-defined basic rhythm to form the overall performance. Moving from zone to zone, participants experienced different blends of musical and visual elements.
A sophisticated system of hardware and software
kept all the zones in sync while analyzing and
filtering participant input, in order to deliver
a musically coherent and visually satisfying
experience. Feedback to the participants was
designed to be immediate and responsive.
