Vlny is a cultural project and a series of events in eastern Slovakia focused on contemporary art, light installations, projections and visual experiences. TouchDesigner is one of the tools we use to explore the connection between physical spaces, movement and digital visuals.
For this performance, we wanted to connect contemporary dance with a visual projection that would respond directly to the dancer rather than simply play in the background.
A camera captured the dancer's movement in real time and provided the visual input for TouchDesigner. As she moved through the space, the projected visuals behind her continuously changed and responded to her movement.
Instead of creating a predetermined video sequence and choreographing the dance around it, the relationship worked in the opposite direction: the dancer's movement influenced the visual output in real time. Each gesture, change of position and movement through the space became part of the evolving projection.
This created a dialogue between the physical and digital elements of the performance. The dancer was not simply performing in front of a projection. Her movement became an input that helped shape what the audience was seeing behind her.
For Vlny, this experiment was another way of exploring TouchDesigner as a tool for connecting live performance with generative visuals and creating experiences that cannot be reproduced in exactly the same way twice.
