Draft Proposal #2

UIC Innovation Center
Proposal Draft

Avatar Dance Theatre
Andrew Oleksiuk

Avatar Dance Theatre is a new media arts centre for live multimedia performance, and production. Its small space has multiple media production and exhibition capabilities afforded by computer vision and display technology. Its production and exhibition philosophy serves artists and patrons by fusing an architectural space with virtual space. As such it could be used both as a production and exhibition space, offering motion capture capabilities in realtime.

Avatar Dance Theatre offers three distinct modalities:
• live performance
• simultaneous virtual and real space interaction
• virtual live performance

Internet TV Studio:
At the heart of the facility is an Internet TV broadcast-capable studio. The three camera setup can be used for live HD streaming as well as offline production capability. A high resolution 105 megapixel display offers a unique and powerful media backdrop that can be used for interviews, lectures or multimedia performance art.

Motion Capture:
The advanced multimedia performance space also features multiple computer vision capabilities for live performance. Performers can control avatar dances with body movement and also use other computer vision techniques to control digital components.

Virtual Worlds:
A virtual world component gives Avatar Dance Theatre adds a separate virtual performance space. It also offers multimodal tools for real time live performance. The visualization capability of 3D online virtual worlds is a underutilized new paradigm for performative virtual art.

Responsive Arts:
Avatar Dance Theatre develops responsive arts through community interaction. The facility's art community programming blurs the boundaries between performer and audience, real and virtual communities, and social media.