Fans of self-styled electronic musician Grimes will soon be offered a way to literally be inside her music, as part of a special new project for this year’s Moogfest — a North Carolina festival which celebrates the life and work of music technology pioneer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer Robert Moog.
The new exhibit, which will be called Realiti: Inside the music of Grimes, will use fine mesh and other interestingly-textured objects that can be pressed, pulled, and otherwise manipulated to create a playground meant to represent the inside of Realiti — a track from Grimes’ latest album Art Angels.
The exhibit is powered by Microsoft Kinect technology, which employs special sensors to track the ways in which each fan moves and touches objects in a large physical space. The system will match movements in the physical world with digital manipulations of Grimes’ music, making fans and the exhibit hall cogs in a sort of real-world instrument.
The exhibit is part of Music x Technology, a monthly series which pairs creators with cutting edge Microsoft technology, and has seen collaborations with electronic-leaning musicians like Phantogram and Neon Indian, among others.
The immersive experience is an interesting addition to the repertoire of Grimes, a Canadian singer/experimental musician who self produces her own songs and has crafted her image painstakingly over the past six years. The new exhibit should be and interesting and personal glimpse into Grimes’ world.
It makes sense that the partnership would happen at Moogfest, where musical creators from all over the world come to share new and emerging technologies and their possible sonic applications.
“Moogfest is a destination for innovative creators to share new ideas, so it felt natural to bring Realiti – Inside the Music of Grimes to the festival,” says Amy Sorokas, a brand partnership executive at Microsoft, “With this installation we’re exploring the unexpected ways that technology can enhance the music experience and are hoping to inspire the community with their future endeavors.”
