Turn the Beat Around: Interactive Disco Art

So, a video artist and an electro-mechanical sculptor walk into a bar ... in Poland, in 2005, have a beer and come up with the single most fun audience-participation art installation of which I've ever heard. Adad Hannah and Niklas Roy's International Dance Party is based on a simple premise: the more involved its audience becomes, the more animated the piece, a sort of "disco box" becomes.

IDP looks like an ordinary, large, black flight case on casters, but contains an array of microprocessors, monitoring devices, latch motors, amplifier and speakers, a fog machine and, of course, lights: an LED sign, lasers, a "GOBO" color wheel, a blue police light, ground-effect fluorescents and the de rigueur spinning mirror ball. Music, created by third artist David Cheong (a.k.a. Baddd Spellah), begins to play when bystanders are picked up by IDP's modified Doppler radar unit. Out pops the LED sign with instructions: "Dance to start the party." And dance the bystanders do.

I don't know about you, but I'm sitting here thinking, "Oh! I want one of these!" So here is the beauty part: Adad and Niklas are not only talented, they are forward-thinking. IDP's instructions, as well as Baddd Spellah's accompanying musical tracks, are available for download online under the Creative Commons license. All you'd need after that would be ... well, a boatload of expensive parts, I'd guess. Probably a good ohmmeter, too, and some rubber-soled shoes. A technologically-savvy electrician friend wouldn't hurt either. Still! The potential is tantalizing, because nothing is sweeter than when art and music come together for a celebration.

International Dance Party Pages

• IDP Creative Commons downloads
• IDP in action - video starring Niklas Roy and Adad Hannah
• IDP's touring schedule

Image credit:

IDP's creators, video artist Adad Hannah and machine artist Niklas Roy, are here seen (left and right, respectively) busting moves in front of their installation.