New:
Organum to appear at New Langton Arts in San Francisco, April 19-23, 2005.
See screenshots and video from latest playtests at Organum: The Game

Released as an animated movie as part of BAM/PFA’s Gene(sis) exhibition in 2003, Organum featured a cast of singing, social creatures who are forced to adapt and survive with the introduction of strange new technology into their world.  Modeled after lungs and voice boxes, these creatures move by drawing on the sound from the air.  In the system set up by the original team of artists, animation drives the sound that in turn drives the animation in mutually reinforcing loop.

In this next phase, we continue this exploration of sound and animation, by using the human voice as an instrument for the control of a character in a game.  Furthermore, there is an explicit emphasis on collaborative play.  In order to succeed, players must find ways to work together, often requiring them to break social norms and behavior.

Design Process

Not only does Organum require the collaboration by its audience, it has required collaboration by a team from multiple academic disciplines.  The design process we have followed reflects techniques from art practice, drama and performance, computer science, and interaction design. 

Using the team as a cast, we have participated in a number of role-playing activities ranging from the predictable – experiments in group singing – to the seemingly ridiculous – the hands-free use of straws to move a ring of modeling clay up model of a voice box.  Additionally, we have progressed through our designs using a number of small tests, that have helped us work out ideas.  These tests have come in the form of animated movies, game simulations, and lo-fidelity interactive prototypes. 

Finally, we have integrated techniques from the user-centered design process by conducting a user needs assessment through interviews and the creation of personas.  This runs against traditional notions of how artwork is typically created, but has proven to be tremendously useful in the creation of this piece of interactive art.

As interaction designer, my role on the project has varied. I have helped bring the eventual audience to the forefront of our discussion and the design process by conducting research with artists and art-goers. Currently, I am working on the development of the game itself, while I continue to consider the types of interaction and overall experience of the players and audience.

More information:

• Video and screenshots from latest playtests (from Organum the Game website)
• "Art and Interface Design" (Perkel, D., a presentation on the results of the needs assessment process. HTML generated by Powerpoint.)
• "Talk to my voice box" (from the portfolio of Greg Niemeyer)

Software used: Cycling 74's Jitter, Max/MSP, and Alias|Wavefront Maya; (First prototype - Java 3D, Pure Data)