The Living Canvas initiative aims to explore the novel artistic possibilities of using the performer’s body and clothes as a projection surface in the context of a stage performance. A new projection system will enable a dynamic or even improvised performance by detecting the posture and silhouette of the performer and projecting imagery precisely to the selected parts of body. This will enable the performer to “wear virtual costumes” that adapt to the body, or even receive a different face. The dynamic nature of the system will give full control to the performer who can freely move around on the stage, with the projection always “following” the performer.

The Living Canvas initiative wasled by Dr. Martin Naef at the Digital Design Studio of the Glasgow School of Art..

The Living Canvas technology was first shown on stage as a key part of Cryptic's critically acclaimed performance of Orlando in September 2010.

Established in 1997, the studio has quickly established a reputation as a leading edge research and academic centre within UK Higher Education and has become a flagship for advanced 3D digital technologies, supported by UK and international research funds and industrial partners. Under the direction of Professor Paul Anderson, the DDS is concerned with the imaginative use of new digital tools focusing on a human-centred approach. It provides an intense learning and research environment that maximises the interface between science, technology and the arts.

The Living Canvas initiative is hosted at the Digital Design Studio.

The award-winning Theatre Cryptic was founded in Scotland in 1994 by Artistic Director, Cathie Boyd. Since then its innovative multi media productions have established Cryptic as leaders in creating unique music performances. The company has collaborated with many internationally acclaimed artists and composers, including Gavin Bryars, Yannis Kyriakides and the Latvian Radio Choir.
Having established a global reputation as pioneers in their field, Cryptic has been commissioned by leading international arts festivals and has performed in over fifteen countries worldwide. Highlights include the Singapore Arts Festival, BITE at the Barbican, London and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Cryptic actively supports the Living Canvas initiative through artistic guidance of its Artistic Director, Cathie Boyd, by providing infrastructure and organising workshops.

The Living Canvas has acquired funding from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council to conduct a first feasibility study under grant AH/E006698/1.

The technical feasibility of the initiative has been established during Summer 2007. We designed and implemented a prototype system capable of acquiring a silhouette and successfully restricting projection to a performer on stage. The system receives a video texture from a video server running Max/MSP/Jitter and merges it with the mask acquired using machine vision in the near infrared spectrum. The system is also capable of detecting LED markers within the image to support pose estimation. All software elements have been optimized to run at maximum speed and minimal latency.

The feasibility study generated a poster presentation at the ACM SIGGRAPH 2007 conference. Additional publications are currently under review.

The feasibility study was funded by AHRC with additional support from Theatre Cryptic.

The Living Canvas team was awared the funds by AHRC to continue work on the technology and to bring it on stage as part of Cryptic's 2010 production. The development phase focused on multi-silhouette capabilities and a much more refined control system.

Martin Naef: Towards the Living Canvas
ACM SIGGRAPH 2007 Posters & Sketches
ACM SIGGRAPH 2007, San Diego, USA, August 5-9, 2007

Martin Naef: Concurrent Projection and Acquisition - Fun with Projectors
SIGGRAPH Professional Chapter Seminar, Manchester, UK, October 19, 2007

CCA Glasgow, January 30, 2008, 7-9pm:
Upgrade! features Cathie Boyd (Cryptic) and Martin Naef (GSA) talking about the Living Canvas project.
Organised by New Media Scotland.

SIGGRAPH 2007: Towards the Living Canvas
Introduction into the concept with simulated results.