JULIEN MERCIER (CH, 1988)
Residency period: August 2020
During my stay at La Becque, I continued a research project initiated in January 2020 at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology at ZHdK with Irini Kalaitzidi.
Our project aims to explore the sonification of body gestures, using an advanced motion capture system. At La Becque, I worked with choreography/movement sequences recorded in March in Zürich. I developed simple algorithms to visualize and manipulate the data from these recordings into sounds. I worked on synthesizers and protocols to associate sounds to certain movements, in order to develop interfaces and body commands that can be used by any dancer. From the recordings, I also synthesized new movement sequences with a recurrent neural network (RNN). In a second step, these choreographies imagined by machine learning could also be sonified by the developed musical instruments. This method could be applied to the hand movements of a pianist or percussionist to create new melodies and rhythms. It theoretically allows to keep the typically “human” characteristics of the performers (groove, staccato, etc.). Through these experiments, I seek to explore the creative possibilities of new human-machine interfaces.
Julien Mercier (born 1988) is a computational artist and designer. He graduated in graphic design from ECAL and and completed a MA in computational arts at Goldsmiths University of London. He is interested in the use of machine learning and augmented reality in creative and educational contexts. His work is declined in sound or video installations.
Deep Dancing by Irini Kalaitzidi & Julien Mercier (2020), videographer Stathis Doganis