the PITA project
The Profoundly Interactive Technological Apparatus, otherwise known as PITA, provides a real-time interactive environment for production of sound and video upon movement.
It all goes down when users stand in front of a camera connected to a computer running BigEye software. This software allows hot spots to be defined within the camera's sight; each hot spot is then customized to trigger various MIDI outputs upon interaction with that space.
The MIDI notes are sent on channels 1-8 (of 16 total) to a keyboard that reads the information and synthesizes it for audio playback. Different hot spots send separate information on their channels, allowing each spot to play a different instrument. While some hot spots may play the same instrument/channel, they handle the notes in unique ways, creating a full range audio environment.
The keyboard then passes along the MIDI information on channels 9-16. Another computer receives these channels, using them to trigger video display in Arkaos software. The software manipulates images from a collection of small photographs taken from a larger painting. (These images are part of separate and ongoing team project -- folded.org). The transitioning images are then projected back to the user and audience.
The PITA acronym originally reflected the unexpected extensive difficulty in piecing the work together. But Profoundly Interactive Technological Apparatus has a nicer tone than Pain In The Ass.
