QIAN XIANG
Email: xianq734@newschool.edu
Instagram @qianxxianq
TOUCH OPERA
This project presents a cross-media immersive Peking Opera gesture experience, including poster design, and projection mapping of gesture-based interactive motion graphic design. Physical performance in Peking Opera is a multidimensional art form filled with randomness and unpredictability. The rigorous and formalized performance patterns in Peking Opera stem from its extensive cultural refinement but also contribute to its elementariness and inherent impressions in cross-cultural transmission. Additionally, the high threshold of singing and dialogue prevents the audience from experiencing the cultural depth and charm of the performance itself. My design aims to combine with human body movements and using the hand as a medium to restore the fluidity and leverage the abstract, emotion-driven presentations and surreal sound experiences of Peking Opera performances.
The project designs the visual system of Peking Opera gestures by establishing a connection between sign language and Peking Opera performance. All of the icons and patterns on the folded poster are generated by the movement of human hands through Touchdesigner, which is realized by webcam tracking technology. This measure intends to transform the audience from mere spectators into active participants in the drama, designing an immersive experience that engages the human body in the performance. By integrating with the human body's movements, it seeks to restore the fluidity of Peking Opera performances through this medium. Through an abstract symbol design and immersive real-time interaction, the audience becomes visually engaged in Peking Opera performances. The low cognitive cost of gesture interaction allows audiences to explore limitlessly during the experiential process.
Thesis Project at the New School
Gesture-based IxD,
Interactive Communication Design,
Cross-cultural Communication