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Research and Experimentation, 15 Sept 2023

Videomapping Course for Beginners — Centro Cultural do Cariri

In September 2023 I taught the Videomapping Course for Beginners at Centro Cultural do Cariri Sérvulo Esmeraldo, in Crato (Ceará). This workshop is part of a series of initiatives I have been leading over the last few years to bring digital art to Ceará, alongside the Abstrata Festival.

The course was split into two stages. The first covered the basics: an introduction to videomapping, with reference videos and a first look at the MadMapper software. We did an initial mapping study on simple objects and created content. The second was devoted to a collective experiment on part of the cultural centre’s facade.

The first exercise: mapping a face. A face — used as the test surface for the first class — and a guide mask dividing the face into zones (forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, ears, mouth). Starting from that same mask, I tested different layers of content live, using VDMX for the input and sending the content through Syphon to MadMapper to project the output onto the physical face — we created a few simple images with artificial intelligence. Carved wooden mask, newspaper collage, cracked earth and images of the sertão (including a mapping with cacti, pulling it towards the territory of Cariri itself) — to show the students how the same surface changes identity just by swapping the projected texture.

Máscara-guia (blueprint) dividindo o rosto em zonas de mapeamento: testa, sobrancelhas, olhos, nariz, orelhas e boca Rosto físico usado como superfície de teste, ponto de partida do exercício Projetor Epson configurado na sala, com o rosto físico posicionado na frente da tela Rosto físico isolado, sem projeção
Conteúdo de máscara de madeira entalhada mapeado no rosto físico Segunda variação de máscara de madeira entalhada mapeada no rosto físico Máscara de madeira com faixa de colagem de jornal mapeada no rosto físico Conteúdo de colagem com cruz e recortes de tecido mapeado no rosto físico Segunda variação de colagem com cruz mapeada no rosto físico

The result, live. The images above are the software preview — what the class actually saw was the projection on the physical face, in the room.

Turma acompanhando a projeção ao vivo no rosto físico durante a aula Conteúdo de colagem projetado ao vivo no rosto físico, fotografado na sala Máscara de madeira entalhada projetada ao vivo no rosto físico, fotografado na sala Contorno em traço projetado ao vivo no rosto físico, fotografado na sala

Second part: the facade of the cultural centre. With the basics absorbed, we moved on to a real-scale exercise on part of the facade of Centro Cultural do Cariri, with two projectors. The idea was to work with the elements and the architectural form of the building — windows, openings, volumes — and also with the organisation of the setup: installing the projectors, cabling, alignment between the two machines.

Turma reunida na calçada em frente à entrada do Centro Cultural Dois projetores sobrepostos com os menus de conexão Epson ainda visíveis na fachada Fachada mapeada em roxo, andaime de projeção e turma reunida na grama Vista ampla da fachada inteira mapeada em azul sólido, com a torre do prédio ao fundo Conteúdo em gradiente rosa, roxo e azul projetado na fachada, notebook em primeiro plano Silhuetas da turma em primeiro plano com a fachada azul ao fundo

Some time later I went back to Centro Cultural do Cariri for a new piece: a videomapping on the same facade, in partnership with the Ceará artist Fluxo Marginal, presented during the Unaé Festival. We used elements of his works as the visual material for the mapping — a way for the workshop to unfold into a new piece, this time alongside another artist from the local scene.

Videomapping Course for Beginners

  • Conceived and taught by: Valentino Cabanillas Kmentt
  • Commissioned by: Instituto Mirante de Cultura e Arte
  • Produced by: Misteria Estúdio
  • Venue: Centro Cultural do Cariri Sérvulo Esmeraldo — Crato (Ceará)
  • September 2023