Stellar Tunes: Interactive Cosmic Orchestra
Mingxuan Xie
Stellar Tunes: Interactive Cosmic Orchestra transforms viewer movements into a symphony of light and sound, leveraging web technologies and machine learning to create a dynamic, interactive installation that personalizes cosmic-themed audiovisual landscapes based on real-time human interaction.
Abstract
Stellar Tunes: Interactive Cosmic Orchestra is a web-based interactive music and visualization installation. Utilizing the p5.js library, it crafts a cosmic-themed visual canvas, while employing tone.js to generate theoretically grounded, infinite random melodies. This innovative installation transforms each viewer—identified by camera technology—into a unique star on the digital canvas. Every star corresponds to a distinct musical track, enhancing the interactive experience.
The precise position and movement of participants influence the generated melodies, providing a personalized musical encounter tailored to their real-time interactions. As viewers move across the camera's field, their movements are mirrored in the dynamic changes in both music and visual elements, creating a harmonious blend of sight and sound.
Future enhancements are planned to integrate advanced machine learning libraries like ml5 and Magenta. These additions aim to improve the installation's responsiveness and interactivity, allowing for even more complex interactions between participants and the digital environment. By analyzing and responding to crowd density and individual movements, the installation will evolve, offering an ever-changing musical landscape.
This installation not only serves as a creative expression of art and technology but also explores the potential of machine learning in enhancing interactive media. It is an exploration of how technology can translate human activity into artful expressions, making every participant both a spectator and a creator
Technical Details
is a web-based interactive music and visualization installation. It employs p5.js for a cosmic-themed visual canvas and tone.js for generating infinite, theoretically grounded random melodies. The installation interacts with viewers using a camera to transform each person into a star on the canvas, with each star triggering unique musical tracks. The position of individuals affects melody generation, creating a personalized musical experience for each participant. Planned expansions include integrating machine learning libraries like ml5 or Magenta to enhance interactivity
Research/Context
In the intricate dance between coding and music composition, ethical considerations and creative expression often intersect in complex ways. As a composer-beginner and programmer, I am deeply interested in examining the connection and distinction between these two worlds. Coding in music can sometimes overshadow the traditional values of composition, imposing rigid structures on an art form celebrated for its emotive spontaneity. Conversely, it offers a framework for infinite creativity, allowing composers to transcend traditional boundaries. My project, 'Stellar Tunes: Interactive Cosmic Orchestra', aims to navigate these tensions, presenting an exploration of intrinsic beauty as conveyed through the universal language of music and the precise logic of code. This installation is designed not just to showcase technological innovation, but to offer a pure experience of beauty, challenging the audience to experience music and visual art as a singular, immersive expression of human creativity.
Further Reading
Living and studying in New York City, I am constantly immersed in its brisk pace, where everyone, including myself, seems to be always on the move. In this environment, the corridors and passageways of the city become silent yet profound aspects of my daily experiences. It is in these transitory spaces that mundane encounters occasionally spark a profound appreciation for beauty, prompting me to pause or take a second look, and thus finding a moment of mental respite. This fleeting recognition of beauty amidst the rush has inspired 'Stellar Tunes: Interactive Cosmic Orchestra'. My goal for this project at the spring show is to provide a similar pause for passersby—a fleeting moment of aesthetic pleasure and a brief escape from the everyday rush. I aspire to make the installation a point of transient beauty that echoes the quiet yet impactful moments I have experienced throughout the city