IN.SIGHT

Middle Distance: a guided calibration

2023

An immersive communal calibration of sound, light, and attention.

middle distance: a guided calibration marked the first collaboration between Torn Space Theater and the Buffalo-based audiovisual collective Groupwork. Presented in three timed slots across a single evening, the work invited audiences into a sustained, meditative environment shaped by real-time image and sound processing. The performance positioned digital tools not as playback devices but as compositional instruments. Projection, surround sound, and spatial architecture converged to guide collective attention toward a shared perceptual center.

Documentation

middle distance 1
middle distance 2
middle distance 3
middle distance 4
middle distance 5
middle distance 6
middle distance 7
middle distance 8
middle distance 9
middle distance 10
middle distance 11
middle distance 12
middle distance 13
middle distance 14
middle distance 15
middle distance 16
middle distance 17
middle distance 18
middle distance 19
middle distance 20
middle distance 21
middle distance 22
middle distance 23
middle distance 24
middle distance 25
middle distance 26
middle distance 27
middle distance 28
middle distance 29
middle distance 30
middle distance 31
middle distance 32
middle distance 33
middle distance 34
middle distance 35
middle distance 36
middle distance 37
middle distance 38
middle distance 39
middle distance 40
middle distance 41
middle distance 42
middle distance 43
middle distance 44
middle distance 45
middle distance 46
middle distance 47

Concept

What does it mean to recalibrate perception together? middle distance explored attention as a spatial condition. The title refers to a perceptual threshold — neither foreground nor horizon — where awareness stabilizes and depth becomes legible. The work proposed that clarity emerges not through intensity, but through sustained orientation. Through controlled pacing, light processing, and durational sound, the piece invited audiences into a shared middle ground between immersion and observation. An observer, apart and a part, views the euphotic outlet — a column, a new perspective. The calibration is communal. The structure reveals itself slowly.

System / Method

  • Real-time audiovisual processing — Ableton Live, Max/MSP, TouchDesigner, and Resolume Arena integrated into a responsive system blending surround soundscapes with spatial projection
  • Custom projection architecture — scrim and rear projection created a holographic effect; imagery appeared suspended within the room, revealing both image and beam as compositional elements
  • Beam legibility — projector oriented toward the audience through nearly invisible scrim; apparatus of projection rendered visible, collapsing illusion into structure
  • Multi-station spatial choreography — installation structured as a ritual of light, vibration, and movement; audiences transitioned through perceptual ‘stations’ contributing to collective transformation
  • Surround sound environment — spatialized audio design emphasizing drift, tonal sustain, and environmental blending; sound moved through the architecture rather than from a fixed source
  • Collective authorship — contributors included Zachary Brown, Alexander French, Joshua Gruder, Alex Morrison, Frank Napolski, Dan Neveu, Travis Poling, and Max Smith; sound engineering by Alex Morrison; production design by Groupwork and Torn Space Theater

Spatial Experience

The work unfolded across three time-slots in a single evening, welcoming approximately 130 attendees into a calibrated listening and viewing chamber. Scrim surfaces and rear projection generated the sensation of imagery floating within the air. The visible projector beam functioned as both light source and sculptural column, creating a perceptual axis within the room. Audience members occupied a shared field — neither fully passive nor actively participatory — situated within shifting gradients of sound and image. The pace widened. The environment slowed. Attention stabilized at the middle distance.

Documentation Notes

Project Date: May 13, 2023. One event presented in three timed slots. Seven artists contributed to the performance environment. middle distance established the foundation for the IN.SIGHT Performance Series, introducing long-duration calibration, spatial projection experimentation, and code-driven audiovisual systems as core research methodologies. Subsequent works — including Field Service (2024) and runtime (2025) — extended these investigations into site-specific environments, archival systems, and generative sequencing.