The future of performance art is architectural; includes robots and video projection

Or perhaps the title of this post should be: The future of architecture is performance art.

See this video by Bot & Dolly for a glimpse into a space where the entire environment is a known quantity - the stage, the room, the performers and the viewer. The intriguing thing here is that most of those things are moving throughout the space! And remember this as you watch - the entire thing is captured in-camera. None of the stuff happening in the room is done after the fact. Not the writing on the floor, not what's happening on the screens - nothing. Like I said, they know where everything in the room is located.

“” — Arthur C. Clarke

This kind of creativity is amazing. I'm now thinking how (and if) I can apply this to my architectural projects. It could make for a heightened experience with little additional expense. For instance, maybe the room can track the occupants as they move through the space and deliver additional "spatial" elements based on their location. Suddenly the architecture's ability to affect the mood of the inhabitant just went way up. I'm not saying it's for every building or every person, but the idea is intriguing.

If we design spaces for this kind of interaction with architecture in mind, how would we design them differently? Would a lot more of our architecture become a screen-like element? Could we get away with less expensive skins and handle more of the fenestration digitally? Could it change throughout the day, week, month or year? Could a simple, dumb space become the ultimate flexible room for so many different activities just by being able to accept digital projections?

I don't condone architecture being relegated to fashion; don't get me wrong. I'm wondering how this can be used to solve real problems - both functional and at a deeper level how people actually interact with architecture rather than simply passing through it.  This just might be a game changer. Put on your thinking caps, kids.

(via The Fox is Black)