Lowell Hutcheson, the Director of Arts Programming for Artswego, wanted the final show of the season to be something different than normal. The department’s Performing Arts Series normally consists of a traditional mix of music, theater and dance.

“I was looking for something more immersive, where not only would the audience be more active participants, but where our students would have a larger role in the creation of the project,” Hutcheson said. 

So she brought in Lorne Covington and his “Electric Heliotrope Theatre.”

The title of the event, “Immersive Elements,” gives attendees an idea of what the exhibit is like. The audience will be able to interact with the installation by controlling movement and popping bubbles according to Hutcheson. 

She encourages all who visit to “explore how each group, divided by elements, utilized their own skills, whether that be graphic design, traditional studio arts skills, etc., to approach their element.”

Covington  has previously worked with students at Syracuse University and high school students. Because of this, Hutcheson and interaction design professor Cara Thompson arranged a special course where students would develop the visuals for the installation that Covington would then make interactive. 

Covington is “fluent with visual and performing art, electronic hardware, embedded systems and all layers of software development,” Hutcheson said in an email. Through these skills, he is able to create immersive responsive environments using “in-house developed cutting-edge sensing and software technologies.” 

The show’s goal is to create an environment that provides an immersion of exploration, education, advocacy and improvisational expression. “We continue to innovate in multi-person gestural interfaces, virtual and augmented reality exploration, and other emerging paradigms for direct and seamless interaction,” According to their website. “Our work provides tangible encounters with learning, appreciation, expression, and, we hope, inspiration.”

Hutcheson hopes that each person who visits the exhibit takes something meaningful away from the experience. Most importantly, Hutcheson hopes “that those who attend the installation get a sense of the incredible work our students are doing here on campus, as well as how technology can be incorporated into art for a brand-new experience.”

This installation is held in the Marano Campus Center, room 133. The installation will run every day through May 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo by Quinn Youngs