Discontrol Party

Interactive party dispositif, 2009 - 2018
conceived and produced under the direction of Samuel Bianchini

Mission

• Real-time data visualization design and development
• Development of an environmental visualization software (Discontrol Party #2)
• Development of various communication and synchronization servers (Discontrol Party #3)
• IT and interaction design consulting (Discontrol Party #3)

Project

The interactive festive installation Discontrol Party unites the two, usually opposing, worlds of state-of-the-art surveillance technologies and partying. A dance floor appears in the dual spotlight of a party and a data-driven control and surveillance system with computer vision and indoor geolocation.

Participants of the event are encouraged to carry UWB tags, allowing the system to track their every move. Additionally, video surveillance cameras are installed throughout the space to perform blob and face detection. While partying, the crowd is confronted with multiple real-time visualizations of the collected and analyzed data.

While the system does its best to track and analyze the behavior of participants, their rapid movements and the crowd’s high density puts a strain on the system's performance.

Credits

Discontrol Party #3
micadanses, Paris
February 2, 2018

Music programming: Sylvie Astié (Dokidoki)

With the lives and DJ sets of Rebeka Warrior, Candie Hank, Retrigger, Front de Cadeaux, Mr Marcaille, WR2OLD, Sinead O' Connick Jr.

Discontrol Party was part of 'We are not the number we think we are', an event of the Daniel & Nina Carasso Foundation in partnership with the 'Chaire arts & sciences' (founded by the École polytechnique / École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs – PSL / Daniel & Nina Carasso Foundation), the Cité internationale des arts and of the dance festival 'Faits d'hiver' of micadanses.

'We are not the number we think we are' was curated by Mélanie Bouteloup, director of Bétonsalon - Center for Art and Research and Villa Vassilieff.

Discontrol Party is developed in the framework of the Reflective Interaction Research Group of EnsadLab, the research laboratory directed by Emmanuel Mahé at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, PSL University – Paris.

Technological direction: Colin Bouvry, Dominique Cunin, Jonathan Tanant
Real-time video capture system: Colin Bouvry
Software and IT development (smartphones apps, data visualizations, video mapping): Dominique Cunin, Jérémy De Barros, Léon Denise, Florent Dubois, Ianis Lallemand, Oussama Mubarak, Jonathan Tanant
Network management: Benoît Hérard
Video projection system, sound and light controls: idscènes
Production assistant: Gwenaëlle Lallemand

With the collaboration of artists and designers: Sylvie Astié, David Bihanic, Antoine Chapon, Dominique Cunin, Jérémy De Barros, Alexandre Dechosal, Léon Denise, Lucile Haute, Ianis Lallemand, Oussama Mubarak and the Transcyberien collective

Design of RFID accessories: Claire Bonardot, Ornella Coffi, Cécile Gay, Jennifer Hugot, Pauline Jamilloux, Laure Pétré, Valentine Rosi, Chloé Severyns, Alice Topart, all students in Textile & Texture Design and Fashion Design at EnsAD in 2011

The research and development of this apparatus are conducted in association with the development of Mobilizing.js (www.mobilizing-js.net), a programming environment for mobile screens, conceived by EnsadLab, for artists and designers.  

With the support of the 'Chaire arts & sciences' of the École polytechnique, École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs – PSL and Daniel & Nina Carasso Foundation.

Special thanks to Christophe Aubry (idscènes), Mélanie Bouteloup (Bétonsalon – Center for Art and Research and Villa Vassilieff), Pascal Delabouglise (micadanses), Jérôme Gensollen (EnsAD), Olivier Jean (idscènes), Christophe Martin (micadanses), Boris Molinié (micadanses), Estelle Mury, Yoan Romano, Élodie Tincq and the team of Sonic Protest.

Discontrol Party #2
La Gaité Lyrique, Paris
June 24 and 25, 2011

Music programming: Sylvie Astié (Dokidoki)

Discontrol Party was developed in the framework of the ‘Large Group Interaction’ research project at the EnsadLab/DRii, at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD), Paris, and at the University of Valenciennes and the Hainaut-Cambrésis, France; it enjoyed the support of the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) and of the Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société (MESHS) in Lille, France, in the framework of its research project PRATICABLES. Dispositifs artistiques: les mises en oeuvre du spectateur (PRACTICABLE. The Work of Art as Dispositif: Setting the Stage for Audience Participation)

With the support of the Cap Digital Business cluster for digital content and of the Île-de-France Region, in the framework of the program Futur en Seine 2011
In partnership with La Gaîté Lyrique

Musical program:
Friday, June 24: Schlachthofbronx; Ceephax Acid Crew; Absolute Body Control; Errorsmith; DJ Krikor

Saturday June 25: Captain Ahab; Covox; Bass Jog (DJ Elephant Power & FX.Randomiz); Nero’s Day at Disneyland; DJ Krikor
Technological direction: Antoine Villeret
Environmental visualization software (KetchupAddict): Oussama Mubarak, with the collaboration of Tomek Jarolim and a contribution from
Marie-Julie Bourgeois
Embedded RFID-UWB capture: Xavier Boissarie and Jonathan Tanant (Orbe), with technology from and in partnership with Ubisense Video system (artistic collaboration and engineering): Antoine Villeret and Keyvane Alinaghi
Technical consultant: Cyrille Henry
In partnership with Philips
Tele-performance on Second Life: Disorder Screen Control: Lucile Haute, Claire Sistach, Alain Barthélémy and Frédérick Thomson, with the support of EnsadLab/EN-ER and, for the hosting on Second Life, Metalab 3D - ARTESI Île-de-France
Design of RFID accessories: Claire Bonardot, Ornella Coffi, Cécile Gay, Jennifer Hugot, Pauline Jamilloux, Laure Pétré, Valentine Rosi, Chloé Severyns, Alice Topart, all students in Textile & Texture Design and Fashion Design at EnsAD in 2011
Thanks to the Progis Company and to la Bibliothèque Francophone

Discontrol Party #1
Espace Pier Paolo Pasolini - Théâtre international de Valenciennes, France
November 20, 2009 - opening of the NeXt Festival

Music program: Pan Sonic, Sexy Sushi, Pigeon Funk, Computer Truck, Hassan K, Sascii
Video system (artistic collaboration and engineering): Keyvane Alinaghi
Visual programming: Oussama Mubarak
Data processing and technical advice: Sylvie Tissot
Assistant: Antoine Villeret
In partnership with CiTu and iMAL, Center for Digital Cultures and Technology, Brussels, Belgium