Part of Milen Kirov’s Doctoral Thesis, “2” is a multi-disciplinary performance that brought together work and talent from across the Institute. The seed for the piece was the concept of the growing together and drifting apart of two people in a relationship. Kirov wrote the score for two pianos and two gongs using echocardiogram data from himself and fellow pianist Neema Pazargad. The two performers played movable platforms positioned by a four dancers surrounded by a suspended sound shell made from rear-projection screens and a suspended metal frame.
I filled the role of both a video designer and a visual performer. I animated a series loops that I played as a visual instrument during the sparse heartbeat-like gong interlude. I programmed video management system to feed video across three computers and seven projectors. I used Isadora as the server and OSC to synchronize control commands sent from my master computer to the satellite machines. Echoing the emphasis on the piano and gong, A MIDI keyboard served as the interface for the entire video system, allowing me to play both musical parts with the animated and live-action content.