The TouchDesigner community is expanding across various industries, including brand activations, interactive installations, fashion shows, and more. This tool’s flexibility seamlessly integrates art and technology, making it a versatile choice for creative applications. In this blog, we’ll highlight several TouchDesigner-based art collectives and creative studios making significant contributions to the art world.
Quiet Ensemble
Based: Italy
Website: https://www.quietensemble.com/
Instagram: @quiet_ensemble
Founded in 2009 by Fabio di Salvo and Bernardo Vercelli.
The research of Quiet Ensemble involves observing the balance between chaos and control, nature and technology, and creating subjects that merge those elements. These elements take form from the relation between organic and artificial subjects, focusing on insignificant and wonderful elements, like the movement of a fly or the sound of trees.
Featured Project: Solardust
“Solardust” is a captivating light installation that mesmerizes viewers with its iridescent magic and digital will-o’-the-wisp. The installation transforms the surrounding space into a celestial realm, enveloping spectators in an ethereal experience. Brilliant stars float in the air, suspended within a three-dimensional cloud-like structure that hovers above, emanating a delicate glow reminiscent of light dust.
These solar particles, akin to digital fireflies, are dynamic, vibrant, and in constant motion, pulsating in sync with the accompanying sound, as if they are one with it. The holographic effect creates the illusion of light emerging from nothingness, dancing suspended in the void.
“Solardust” is an immersive artwork that enchants the senses, inviting viewers to lose themselves amidst the twinkling stars and the delicate luminescence of light dust. The interplay of vibrant colors and fluid movements creates an otherworldly tableau, where light and sound intertwine in perfect harmony. It is a transcendent journey, where spectators are transported beyond the confines of reality, immersed in a realm of wonder and contemplation.
TUNDRA
Website: https://wearetundra.org/
Instagram: @wearetundra
TUNDRA is a new media artist collective comprised of Alexandr Sinitsa, Klim Sukhanov, and Semyon Perevoshchikov.
They began as a collaboration between visual artists and electronic music producers, exploring the synesthetic facets of human audiovisual perception through experimentation with new technologies and media.
In their artworks, they blend light, sound, space and use technology as a tool to interact with rapidly-changing environmental context.
TUNDRA’s artistic practices include a/v performances, sound and light installations, generative art and various forms of multimedia experiments. Their artistic approach aims to balance chaos and order by combining technology and nature in various forms of media.
Feature Project: ROW
ROW is an audiovisual installation that explores relationships between sound, holographic image and space. Every second, rows of data float in the air, being converted into messages, voices, and music. Bits of information become symbols that can be combined into words, and words add up to sentences that translate our ideas, thoughts and feelings. The installation is about the perception of information, new language, and spatial dialogue.
The installation is composed of ten LED holographic displays lined in a row, one behind the other, creating a three-dimensional image that visually displays variations of sound.
ROW has received two international awards: the Jury Selection of the 24th 文化庁メディア芸術祭 (Japan Media Arts Festival) and an Individual Award in the “Light Installation” category of CITIC Press Lightening Selection (China).
WHITEvoid
Based: Berlin, Germany
Website: https://www.whitevoid.com/
Instagram: @quiet_ensemble
WHITEvoid is a design and art studio based in Berlin.
Christopher Bauder founded the studio in 2004 to extend his vision for the future where technology is fully integrated with the real world, and an art experience can be sensed at first hand beyond a digital screen in a physical space.
Feature Work: DARK MATTER
Built across 1,000 sqm of exhibition space, DARK MATTER presents a range of multimedia artworks.
These vary from stunning intimate light compositions to interactive walk-through structures and immersive audio-visual performances. Some works are supported by a world-first 3D sound system. Each room has a distinct atmosphere that unfolds on entry, creating a holistic and unique experience that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages and backgrounds..
Collectif Scale
Based: France
Website: https://www.whitevoid.com/
Instagram: @collectifscale
Collectif Scale is a group of creatives from very different professional and artistic backgrounds. A Parisian-based collective, Scale is above all a group of passionate friends who wanted to do something unique in their spare time by bringing their expertise together.
Scale takes inspiration from the world of contemporary art as well as from mainstream and pop culture. Its members love Star Wars as much as Vasarely, video games and modern art.
Feature Project: Hulahoop 2
Hulahoop 2 built on the same technological base as Flux, Hulahoop offers us a very
different kinetic show. The eye of the spectator is aligned with the line forged by the installation. Scale aims to make us forget the presence of technology, to give us a look at a raw and sensitive work.
Hulahoop moves in a mesmerizing and hypnotizing ballet of lights, where you witness a series of geometric patterns orchestrated to the music. The softness of the score is reflected in the lightness of the movements, which flow in harmony with the sound waves, as the material dances to form a poetic and aerial waltz. Hulahoop is maybe the most poetic installation by Collectif Scale.
404.zero
Based: Russia
Website: https://www.404zero.com/
Instagram: @404.zero
Duo Kristina Karpysheva and Alex Letsius are A/V architects and toolmakers creating mind-altering experiences in generative art that require expertise in math, coding, and the science of sound.
By creating mesmerizing digital matter of frighteningly porous frontiers exclusively through coding and modular gear, they push back the limits of footage and sample-free language that is opulent and breathtakingly singular. Taking as starting points their most irrepressible fascinations with death, the unknown and the cosmos, they craft thrilling, precise, painterly code-art that broaches big philosophical questions and provides mesmerizing though highly speculative answers.
Together, Kristina and Aleksandr create modern generative art and innovative tools that raise the bar on the synergistic possibilities of visuals and sound.
Since establishing of 404.zero in 2016, they’ve collaborated on a slew of immersive affairs, always up for the challenge of conjuring new things—modular music, generative visuals, and media production tools.
They have participated in many international festivals all around the world, including Dark Mofo, MUTEK, GAMMA, Electric Castle Festival, LACMA, DIAGE, Circle of Light, and more. 404’s works were selected by Japan Media Arts Festival and awarded by Genius Loci Weimar Festival and IMAP festival. Their debut music album 404.0 was released on Icelandic music label Bedroom Community in 2020.
Feature Project: 3.2 – Dark Mofo
The entire audiovisual content was produced before real setting up – 404.zero spent two weeks in a warehouse in Saint Petersburg with a similar sound system, full tables of modular synthesizers, and visualizer.
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NONOTAK
Based: Japan
Website: https://www.nonotak.com
Instagram: @nanotakstudio
NONOTAK is a creative duo founded by visual artist Noemi Schipfer and light & sound artist Takami Nakamoto that was conceived in late 2011. NONOTAK work with light and sound installations and performance pieces to create ethereal, immersive and dreamlike environments which are built to envelope, challenge and stagger the viewer, capitalizing on Nakamoto’s approach to space, light and sound and Schipfer’s experience with kinetic visual and geometric drawings. This results in a duo who creates pieces that put together light, sound and space in order to provide audience a unique visual and sensitive experience.
The large range of projects NONOTAK are capable of designing and producing allowed them to experiment in many different fields of arts: Architecture, Music, Fine Arts, Digital Arts, Scenography, Theater, Cinema, Dance, Design and Fashion.
The studio never expanded since its founding, NONOTAK still operates as a duo. Sound and visual contents are all produced in house, and their aesthetic is inspired by minimal architecture and optical art.
Feature Project: SHIRO
Wrap-Up
As we’ve seen, TouchDesigner’s adaptability is bringing a revolution to diverse sectors, from live events to digital art. Its ability to merge artistic expression with technological innovation makes it an invaluable resource for creatives. We showcased some of the art collectives and creative studios that are at the forefront of using TouchDesigner to push artistic boundaries, and there are many more out there around the world.
