Abstract:

Galileo's First Glimpse (1996) characterizes the moment when Galileo first viewed through his first telescope. In an instant the world that has been intersects with the world of possibilities. The synapse created in their intersection transforms perception, and the world can never be seen in the same way again. Graphics are created by Lorren Stafford.

Galileo's First Glimpse is a live, interactive performance work. The music is performed using a digital audio workstation and a digital sampler. The stereo sound tracks serve as the source input for an interactive graphics generation system, which is projected onto large screens during performance. In addition to the live music performer, a live graphics performer controls visual transformations of the audio signal, affecting the color pallete, waveshapes, and motion. The video version of Galileo's First Glimpse had its premiere at the 1996 International Symposium on Electronic Art, and has since been presented at the Art on the Electronic Edge festival, at the 1997 SEAMUS national conference, at several locations throughout the United States and in Brazil.

Leonardo Electronic Almanac, USA