A Digital Interactive Installation for the Chinese Guqin
Playing the guqin is not only a musical act but also a philosophical practice of harmony with nature. As a Taoist instrument, the guqin reflects the principles of "The highest good is like water" and "Dao follows nature." My interactive guqin installation uses sensors to capture finger movements, pressure, and rhythm, analyzing the player's emotions and adjusting the surrounding projections. Calm emotions trigger peaceful landscapes, while heightened emotions bring storms, allowing the player to resonate with nature and achieve a state of harmony between the self, the instrument, and the world.
The natural scenery, which changes in response to the performer’s mood, is cleverly designed to resemble an old Chinese window view. Using projections and parallax effects, it creates the illusion of looking out a window. Unlike conventional landscapes, this view draws inspiration from ancient Chinese paintings, immersing the viewer in a surreal, otherworldly realm.
The system monitors the vibrations of the guqin's seven strings to assess the player's performance, tracking which strings vibrate, along with the timing, duration, and amplitude of each vibration. If the player is improvising or playing randomly, the projection displays a variety of effects that correspond to the spontaneous performance. When playing a fixed composition, the projection reflects specific visual effects tied to that piece.
In addition to the interactive effects produced by the player's performance, there are also some other interactive effects and feedback.
The visual effects are rich and diverse, including drifting clouds and mist that create a hazy, mysterious atmosphere; bamboo forests swaying in the wind, evoking natural vitality and movement; babbling streams, enhancing a tranquil and serene ambiance; the gradual movement of the moon, symbolizing the passage of time and the eternity of the cosmos; birds and animals gathering and dispersing, reflecting the rhythm of life; and characters quietly entering or exiting the scene.