t h e b o d y y o u d r e a m o f i s y o u r o w n (2019) is a musical theater piece designed and composed by UC Berkeley Music and Data Science Senior, Trevor Van de Velde. The project incorporates elements of video installation, microprocessors, and live performance. Inspired by the aesthetics of vaporwave, the body you dream seeks to explore our bodies in relation to technology. The installation consists of video and audio of white noise emanating from these artefacts that slowly diverge into those of the corporeal body. Near the end, the performer enters sparking a confrontation between themself and their digital selves. 

The work consists of 8 cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions, each connected to a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+.  Each Pi was fitted with HPlayer2 (https://github.com/Hemisphere-Project/HPlayer2, developed by Thomas Bohl at Hemisphere-Project) and controlled over ethernet via Max (OSC). The piece consists of various 'scenes' in which certain videos have different probabilities of playing as represented as Markov chains. Throughout the piece, these probability distributions change and new images or sounds emerge among the televisions resulting in an ever-evolving installation. 

t h e b o d y y o u d r e a m o f i s y o u r o w n can exist as a multi-media installation or as an active ensemble for live performance.

 

Performed by Amy Liu on Flute and Vocals

 

This project was supported by the Department of Music at UC Berkeley and CNMAT under the guidance of Ed Campion, Ken Ueno, and Jeremy Wagner. Special thanks to Philip Canoza for technical support.  Trevor completed Music 158A and Music 158B and then moved on to the Music and Technology "Discovery Experience", a CNMAT and Department of Music initiative to increase Undergraduate Research and Capstone projects at CNMAT. 

Additional Project Images
2019