Artist Statement

In the performance “Clouds”, I have used a DataGlove to control audiovisual events that were previously made with my software AV, running on a Macintosh II. In this performance, the performer, wearing a DataGlove, navigates with his hand in an audiovisual hyperspace, passing through many different audiovisual cells, and creates a sort of interactive abstract film. This performance was cancelled however due to customs problems (the data glove was deemed suspicious).

In the quest for audiovisual art that has been lead in the recent years, the need for a device that handles both audio and video events has become clear. The DataGlove, developed by VPL Research Inc., can be considered a very flexible tool of interaction, an ideal instrument to control audiovisual events. In fact, the DataGlove is neither a musical instrument, like a keyboard, nor a pictorial tool like a tablet. It is a neutral device.

The hyperspace can be imagined as a 2 meter wide cube, located in the real world, and Made of little cells. Each cell, located along the 3 axes x y z, “contains” a micro sequence (0.5 to 4 seconds.) of audiovisual events: animations and synthetic sounds. Adjacent cells are related to one another. The last concept is absolutely fundamental. Without spatial coherence among cells, the navigation would be in fact totally meaningless.

• Adriano Abbado (Italy)