Whistling Doves:

The Process

Glenn improvises movement phrases at the chateau along the Côte d'Azur.

Group dances are performed by Glenn through the use of superimposition in post-production editing.

The windows of Studio III have been recreated in their original location providing a projected background of moving clouds that references the actual architecture of the performance space.

Interactive shadowplay will appear throughout the Chevalier section. Video design creates complex relationships between numerous tracks of video and results in a curiously confusing mix of figures, silhouettes, and shadows.

The image of Henry standing in the "Doorway to Infinity" was created through image processing. The doorway exists along the side of the Olentangy River in Columbus, the body was taken from an old family photograph of Henry at an early age, the face was taken from an image shortly before Henry's death in 1937, and the cage contains Glenn's pet dove, Myth. To suggest Glenn's transformation into the charcter of Clews, the composite image is crossdissolved into an image of Glenn holding the caged dove. Glenn then turns, walks through the tunnel, and disappears in the distance.

Click here to see a Quicktime Movie (6 MB).

 

The Slicelight section, a timeless exploration of the artist's inner thoughts, offers Glenn the opportunity to further explore the use of props. A rocking, moon-shaped set piece becomes essential in the section as it serves as set, prop, partner, and projection surface. Images of the "moon" in motion were projected giving the illusion of bouyantly rocking on the ocean.

Many photos which exist in the Clews' family scrapbooks were animated and projected to reference the many memories of Clews.

Mirth, the pet dove, as seen in performance.

Click here to see a Quicktime Movie (8.5 MB).

One section of Whistling Doves features a look at many of the sculptures created by Clews. The candlesticks are from the Chateau de La Napoule and the flames were videotaped in the Department of Dance Computer Lab, then superimposed.

An image of a ghost-like figure lurks beneath the archways of the castle. Glenn was videotaped in silhouette passing in front of four pools of backlight. A series of archways was created to frame the beams of light using a photograph of a single archway from the castle. The images were then merged through superimposition.

Clews' sculpture, The God of Humormystics, is used as a main image in the Sculptor section. Life size images of Glenn are seen dancing beneath the sculpture. Later in the same section, Glenn brings the sculpture to life while standing above the projected sculpture base.

Clews' sculpture, The Thinker, is also used within the Sculptor section although it never actually stood on the base pictured above. Movement vocabulary for this section was inspired by the sculpted shapes of the figures.

The illusion of multiple camera shots is created through the process of digital editing. This technology has allowed Glenn to be performer, videographer, and editor. All footage from the chateau was accomplished without a crew and with only one camera.

 

Multiple movies have been created to visualize this portion of Chevalier. Upon completion, the multiple screens are combined to created one video.

 

Glenn purchased two pet doves in order to study movement tendencies, record sounds, and create video footage.
   Myth and Mystery
   The nest and egg shell
   Mystery tending to the new chick, Mirth.

Myth and Mystery have since parented a number of other doves: Fairy, Sprite, Spook, Poet, Chisel, and approximately 16 other descendants. In July of 2003 an aviary was constructed to house the family of doves.

The process of creating a new work such as this brings to the foreground many decisions and concerns which are crucial in developing ones own personal approach to the application of technology and the creative process in general. These findings were summarized by Glenn in a paper called Creating Art for a Multimedia Theater of Motion.

Dove animations were created by Glenn to be projected within the perofmance space.
 In flight inside a castle  
 In flight with the moon  
 In flight over the sea  

John Meyer Video Residency

 

John Meyer, multimedia/video/dance documentation/design/arts administration specialist and personal friend of Glenn, visited Columbus from Madison, WI for five days in July 1998. His collaborative contributions in the areas of video and multimedia production greatly benefitted the project. Over thirty hours were dedicated to the shooting of video during the five day visit. The Sullivant Hall Theater was utilized as a black space and Studio III was prepared to appear as it will in January. Meyer's visit was funded in part by a Vera Blaine Special Projects Grant obtained through the OSU Department of Dance.

 

The Infinity section of Whistling Doves concludes the evening with the projection of multiple screens rising and falling to reveal glimpses of the various solos previously seen during the work.

 

The Slicelight solo involves a moving prop which acts as a projection screen as it travels throughout the space. In order to identify the specific locations with which the projections may be coordinated with the movement of the prop many tests were conducted. The prop was placed in position, an image was projected into the space from the predetermined angle of projection, and the coordinates of the reflected surface were mapped. From these calculations the following images were created for use in the placement of animations within the projected video. The gray area is the full-screen (640x480 pixel) projection, the white area is the actual dimensions of the wall to be projected onto, and the gold area is the location of the prop at different moments within the solo.

 

   Prop Position 1
   Prop position 2
   Prop position 3
   Prop position 4
   Prop position 5

 

 

Video footage taken of the doves was digitally superimposed with images of Glenn in peroformance.

 

 Myth in the mirror  
 The dove as metaphor  
 Reflections, illusions, and infinate space  

 

Glenn continues to explore the use of props in this solo section of Whistling Doves. The prop becomes partner, set, prop, and projection screen. This exploration on tension, balance, weight, and level is fully integrated within a projected atmosphere.

   
   
   

Video footage by Mikey Thomas.

Multiple angles of the same dance phrase were projected during the Sprite section. An infinity studio space resulted containing a total of ten unison dancing images.

Click here to see a Quicktime Movie (10 MB).

Research Schedule

Initial inspiration - Summer 1991

Preliminary research (Secondary research) - Summer 1991 - 1999

Media Collection/Project Design/Mulitmedia experimentation - Autumn 1997 - Winter 1999

John Meyer Video Residency - July 22-27, 1998

Research Travel (Primary research) - Summer 1998

Newport, RI - July 14-16, 1998

Newport Art Museum, Redwood Library, Newport Historical Society

La Napoule, France - September 2-10, 1998

Le Chateau de la Napoule - Foundation Henry Clews

Production Period - Summer - Autumn 1998

Project Premiere - Winter 1999

Post-Production/Documentation - Winter 1999