Created for Cyberia 2019 in Pune, this three-day festival installation transformed an entire three-floor projection wall into an immersive, evolving audiovisual experience. Each day featured a distinct interaction modality, creating a progressive journey from autonomous generative systems to audience participation, culminating in a live performance that synthesized sound and visuals in real-time.
On the festival's opening day, I mapped a dynamic particle system to the architectural contours of the building facade. The particles responded to mathematical sine wave progressions, creating an ever-shifting cascade of light that flowed across the three floors. The velocity and movement patterns of each particle were influenced by the building's geometry, resulting in a choreography that was both algorithmically precise and visually organic.
The second day invited direct audience participation through an interactive sketching interface. Visitors could draw directly onto the projection surface, and their strokes became seeds for growth through reaction-diffusion algorithms. These digital sketches evolved into complex organic patterns that spread across the wall, transforming simple gestures into sophisticated generative artwork that reflected both human creativity and computational interpretation.
Video for Day one can be found here.
Complementing the main projection was "Monsoon," an intimate installation exploring the emotional resonance of the monsoon season. Using Kinect motion sensing technology, the piece captured visitors' silhouettes and translated their movements into ripple effects across a dark surface, creating the sensation of floating on water.
The audio component featured a generative keyboard that randomly shifted between musical scales, evoking the monsoon's characteristic blend of melancholy and warmth. This sonic landscape was inspired by the poetic reflection: "The lake never had depth, it was always shallow. Reflecting your blue and the sky's hollow. It kept changing its shape to be one with you. The more it changes, the more rigid it grows. Dust settles on its thoughts and memories, it doesn't dream anymore. You knew it all along, it was many pieces with a single flow."
Part 1 of the closing ceremony can. be found here.
The festival's closing ceremony transformed the installation into a platform for live performance. Rishiraj Kulkarni performed ambient soundscapes on the hangdrum, while the projection system responded dynamically to the acoustic input. This created a mesmerizing synthesis where every strike of the instrument generated corresponding visual waves, particles, and formations that danced across the three-floor canvas, completing the evolution from static mapping to human interaction to live reactive performance.
The installation invited contemplation on transformation, impermanence, and the way external changes can paradoxically lead to internal rigidity. Like the monsoon itself, the piece embodied constant movement within repetitive cycles, encouraging visitors to find stillness within change.