After the pandemic shutdowns, it was a relief to be back in the dome performing live. (The pandemic had shut down live performances before anything else!) I dusted off the ANITAR (animation guitar) for a rare Southern California fulldome performance at Dome Fest West in the Orange Coast College planetarium. I performed my “Lotus Gorgon” world and ended with “Carousel of Dreams”. Since Halloween was upcoming, I also added a Danse Macabre section, with spiders and skeletons dancing within a jack-o-lantern arena!
Most dome festivals are centered around movies, so I was one of only two performers at the Dome Fest West. My performance was unique, since there’s still nobody who does what I do in or outside a dome. Real-time world creation is still in its infancy — most people still don’t know that it’s even possible! I was gratified with the overwhelming responses I received. The art I create is a joyful experience that I love to share!
A lot of preparation goes into this kind of high-tech performance. And I’m always trying to create something new for each event! So I had to be disciplined about getting all the hardware and software together. Still, there were a few unexpected hiccups that nearly derailed my entire performance! One software glitch corrupted a configuration file that defined my button panels. This had never happened before. But it DID happen about four hours before my show time! I was in a panic for a half hour before I calmed down and discovered a solution. That was a close call!
I’m always aware that this adventure relies on a lot of bleeding-edge technology. I try to practice and test all aspects of my performance, but there is still a lot of the system that is out of my control. And as the technology keeps changing, it’s a moving target. It keeps me on my toes!
