♫ Loggins and Messina – Danny’s Song

There Is a Playfulness to Much of Your Work. Is That an Intentional Part of Your Creative Process? or Is It Just Inevitable as People Try to Get Their Heads Around the Possibilities of These Mediums?

I think it may just be a result of my personality. I developed a sense of humor as a defense mechanism when I was younger and it kind of stuck with me. I think that all art in general is about influencing people and making them see your mental space, and for me it is easier to do that with humor or a soft sell than traditional ideas of beauty and design. I just think that I influence more people with a funny story than a command.

As far as getting people to understand these mediums, I don’t think that is ever my goal. There is a real risk in this line of work to fetishise the technology you are using to create art or experiences. If you become too obsessed with the medium or technology you are using to convey a message, you risk alienating your audience or losing sight of your intended objective. Whenever I work on a project I think about what I want people to experience before I figure out what tools I will use. I still keep up to date with all this high tech stuff though, like the Moto 360 smartwatch. Have you seen it? Man, that thing is FRESH!

♫ Christopher Cross – Ride Like The Wind

Is There a Common Reaction You Try to Get out of People When the See or Interact With Your Work?

It really depends on the context. If I am doing an intimate project like Interface, I like to see people come out of their shell and get lost in something that is fun and childish. Some of the most satisfying experiences I have had have actually been at trade shows where I can see someone playing with a game or interactive experience I helped make. A lot of the time these are older people who would not go out of their way to try a game because of the fear of failure or embarrassment, but for one little moment if we can rope them in, they smile. Most of my art for a long time was video or animation, which is fun and fulfilling, but you can’t see someone’s reaction to your work like you can with experiential. I am kind of hooked on that feeling of validation.

On the other hand If I am doing a concert or show, I want to emphasize what the person on stage is doing and push their idea or art as far as possible. Again, it is not about what tools you use, but what the core idea is. One of the most fun examples of this was the most recent Fashion for a Cause show we did for Truman Medical Center. We wanted to see if we could build a flexible sculpture in the center of the runway, and we ended up using moving head lights and a big hazer to achieve it.

♫ Hall and Oates – I can’t go for that (no can do)

What Are Some of the Core Tools and Skill Sets You Rely on Most?

I came into doing this stuff by way of fine art, and I think those skills and ways of thinking really help me in the creative professional world. Fine art has a very different approach to failure than the professional world in that it is encouraged and happens often. This helps you learn faster and switch approaches to problems rapidly until it works. I also learned a lot by working on film sets. When you are on a set, like on a big stage production, there is a hierarchy of people and roles. These roles (director, dp, producer, grip, etc…) are all really important to the final outcome, and if you don’t respect your role, the entire thing can fall apart. In other words, I think that collaboration doesn’t mean you don’t have someone in charge.

As far as technology, I try to use Derivative’s Touch Designer on as many projects as possible. It is a really amazing (and free) program that basically is a programming language for people who don’t know how to program. It has a really cool interface that ends up looking like a schematic rather than lines of code. It is totally open ended, and can be used for anything from lighting control, to animation, to controlling robots. One example of how useful it is was for the Addys in 2013 where we used it to make a giant 3d model of deer antlers that could be controlled by someone moving their head. We were able to do all the positional tracking by velcroing an ipod touch to the back of our characters head and transmitting its orientation via a wifi network to our base computer running Touch Designer.

♫ Robbie Dupree – Steal Away

How Does XO Blackwater Plus a Show?

XO Blackwater is kind of a fun side project that myself and my collaborators can use to test out ideas and techniques on lower budget shows or music videos that help us out creatively. We basically just use what we know to give a visual or interactive flourish to DJ sets or concerts. People go to shows more to see a spectacle than just to listen to music, and we help deliver that spectacle.

The one consistent job that we do and love is the Midcoast Takeover at South By Southwest. The show is a 4 day event where we have a hundred or so bands from the Kansas City area drive down and play on a stage in what has arguably become one of the most important music festivals in the country. SXSW can be kind of a meat grinder for bands and artists. People get shuffled on and off so many stages it is hard to remember which bands you liked. On our stage we have a 6×20 foot LED banner directly behind the band with their name on it. It really helps elevate the importance of the band you are watching and makes them easier to remember. One year we even had a hologram behind the acoustic stage. Also, we get all the Boulevard beer we want for free, which is rad.

♫ Mykki Blanco – Angggry Byrdz

What Is Your Latest Epiphany?

I met and hung out with Mykki Blanco in 2011 while working on a show in NY and didn’t even realize it until two days ago.