The Director of Technology at Gentilhomme Studio, Jérémy Ferland has been involved in technological development in cultural fields since 2015. He has integrated interactive technologies in museums, dance productions and television, collaborating with Pointe-à-Callière, Sleeping Beauty Dreams, and Radio-Canada for the program Code Max. In the entertainment world, he has contributed to several major projects for Cirque du Soleil, and provided expertise to such artists as KISS. His specialty is taking the ideas of producers and artists from around the world and making them feasible.

 

Representative work presented during the Pépinières: 

 

Sleeping Beauty Dreams – 2019 

Motion capture in live art 

Sleeping Beauty Dreams, produced by the Magic Reality Group, is a contemporary art and dance experience that uses pioneering technology to explore the age-old fable of Sleeping Beauty. Deploying four video projectors and 500 LED panels, the performance reveals what Princess Aurora dreamed about while sleeping for 100 years, which is viewed by spectators for the first time. Through a revolutionary fusion of visual arts, contemporary dance, light, real-time avatar technology and electronic dance music by boldface names, the performance unveils her passions, fears and sinful desires.

Technology at the service of classical ballet 

Sleeping Beauty Dreams uses motion capture technology to convey its vision of the protagonist’s dreams. The technology, which captures movements by sensors on the performer’s body, allows a 3D avatar to be controlled in real time. By means of these sensors and a tracking system (which locates the sensors in real time), a system of real-time interactivity is achieved. The dancer can thus control the 3D visuals as well as the sound through her movements. This choice of technologies perfectly suits the production’s narrative framework and aesthetics, while elucidating the director’s intent. 

The sensors attached to the costume are intentionally left visible, which allows the audience to understand the origin and dynamics of the interactivity. (The sensors can be completely hidden.) The 3D modelling allows textural variations in the image of the character to be made directly. The possibilities are infinite.