The Bathysphere Team

Principal Investigators:
Francesca Talenti, UNC Communication Studies
Greg Welch, Research Associate Professor, Computer Science, UNC

Audio:
Darryl Dunn, composer
Madison Bullard, UNC undergraduate student

Animation, 3-D:
Marc Russo, principal animator, NC State graduate student
Matt Harris, modeler, UNC undergraduate student
Charlie Hicks, modeler, UNC undergraduate student

Fish simulation:
Chiung-Yi Tseng, UNC Computer Science graduate student

Game Design
Caitlyn Losee UNC Computer Science undergraduate student
Stephen Roller, NC. State University undergraduate student
Zhen Shao, UNC Computer Science graduate student

Motion Capture
Tao Li, UNC Computer Science graduate student

Water Simulation
Mingsong Dou, UNC Computer Science graduate student
Ying Shi, UNC Computer Science graduate student

Logistics and networking
Bil Hays, Infrastructure Manager, department of Computer Science, UNC
John Thomas, Research Associate, department of Computer Science, UNC
Herman Towles, Senior Research Engineer, department of Computer Science, UNC

The Bathysphere Reviews

The work is immersive and quite pleasant as you are surrounded by the soft blue tones of a simulated underwater environment. Therein, sea creatures wander about seemingly at random as a minimalistic soundtrack plays in the background. The projections seem random, that is, until you see your fellow audience members holding and waving about strange objects. The work is interactive: visitors control the digital sea creatures by moving around objects with sensors on them: an umbrella, a fishing pole, a ball. It’s really quite playful and amusing.
– Adam Rogers, Hastac.org
http://www.hastac.org/blogs/adam-rogers/hastacchat-bathysphere-interactive-art-installation

Designed as a virtual underwater opera and interactive game, The Bathysphere features three-dimensional animations and projections on the walls, ceiling and floor of a space, creating under- and above-water worlds.
– The Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/5625691/article-CHAT–The-faculty-projects?

The Bathysphere

An Immersive Experience

With Greg Welch, Computer Science.

The ball controls the octopus, the umbrella the stingray, and the fishing rod the fish. Each creature has its own musical cue. We used a motion capture system, 4 networked computers plus projectors, and the game engine Unity. We were in a building that was originally built in 1822.

This video is a 2-minute documentation of the experience.

Up during UNC-Chapel Hill’s CHAT festival, 2010.

Hamlet

Folger Theater, 2010
Projection Designer for The Mousetrap, the play-within-the-play.

“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king!”

REVIEWS:

The company’s current production of Hamlet boasts just one unique feature, but it’s a good one. Francesca Talenti has converted the play-within-a-play into a video presentation, which spills across James Kronzer’s pristine white set and keeps the onstage audience at the center of the action. A… bravura moment.
– Susan Berlin, TalkinBroadway.com
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/dc/dc478.html

The play within the play… is staged as a kind of art film, silhouettes projected onto the faces and bodies of the actors, Velvet Underground “Exploding Plastic Inevitable”-style. It’s a stunning effect.
– Chris Kilmek, The Washington Examiner
http://chrisklimek.com/2010/05/04/hamlet-syndrome-not-hardly

Also haunting is the video design by Francesca Talenti, which makes for a truly eerie play-within-the-play scene.
– Jenn Larsen, WeLoveDC.com
http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/04/we-love-arts-hamlet/