David R. Glowacki, PhD, MA

Danceroom Spectroscopy Collectively generating music from movement

This stuff is topical• Recent Cover of Physics World

• The Physics of Crowds

This talk• A little bit about me and my background• A brief introduction to the science

• The physics that generated the ideas for the project…

• What’s a Fourier Transform (FT)?• The danceroom Spectroscopy idea

• The wider cultural context• Horizons, Applications, and Experiments

• Where we’re at right now

So what do I do?• I’m a research scientist at Bristol University• Presently working on the frontier where

chemistry meets theoretical physics• I use the mathematical tools of quantum &

classical mechanics to understand what molecules do

• We know how to exactly solve the QM equations of motion, but it’s impossible to do

• Most of my research involves massively parallel computers

• A lot of what I do concerns how to make more accurate approximations to solving the full QM equations

My background

• During my PhD, I did experiments:• Get computers to talk to instruments• Laser spectroscopy• Optics• Instrument Design

http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/HIRAC/

Before my PhD…• Before my PhD, I did my MA in religion and

Cultural Theory at the University of Manchester:

• Koine Greek• Democracy and Power• Transparency• Surveillance and the Panopticon

• Things I still think about:• Different epistemology between the

social sciences and the natural sciences• Is it possible to unify the vocabulary in

each field?D. R. Glowacki, “All things to all people: unraveling the structure of the apostolic Panopticon,” Journal of Cultural and Religious Theory, acceptedD. R. Glowacki, “To the Reader: the structure of power in biblical translation, from Tyndale to the NRSV,” Journal of Literature and Theology, 2008, 22(2), p 210

Quantum Mechanics is about waves

• QM is the study of wave mechanics

• In classical physics, we can think of things as point particles; in QM, things behave as waves

• These effects become important as one approaches the nano-scale

• very very tiny…

e-

Zero Point Energy keeps things vibrating• Classically, motion can stop at

absolute zero• Quantum mechanically, zero

point energy keeps everything vibrating all the time with a characteristic frequency

• ZPE is intimately tied to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle

• You cant get cooler than Quantum Mechanics

vs.

The classical

The quantum

Non-locality: everything is coupled• Classical paths can be isolated• Quantum non-locality means that each path is

coupled to every other path

State A

State B

The Fourier Transform & wave analysis• The FT has revolutionized science

in the last 50 years• Allows determination of individual

waves that make up a chaotic signal

• Used extensively for wave analysis• Laser Physics• Electronic engineering• Quantum mechanics• Musical technology• Digital Signal Processing

The Danceroom Spectroscopy Idea• Arose from:

• Conversations with electronica artist Lee J Malcom• Thinking about what happens in a typical laser excitation experiment

• FT Wave analysis in QM• Would it be possible to do the same with movement?

Danceroom Spectroscopy Idea

FT FT

Feedback to Crowd

How might we accomplish it?

FFT Music Software

3d time-of-flight imaginghttp://canesta.com/products-and-technology

Imagining applications and experiments• Effectively, we would be crowd sourcing a “vibe” for the artist

• The crowd would be another input channel• Do pump-probe experiments

• Watch excitation in one area feed through into other areas• Feed the “vibe” from last night to the group from tonight• Couple it to visuals for an even more immersive feedback experience• All sorts of interesting development opportunities

• Machine Learning• Artificial Intelligence• Introduce randomness• Combine with directional speakers

Cultural Context• Danceroom Spectroscopy is a

celebration and recognition of surveillance

• Music is increasingly atomized, but this project relies on the coupled, collective motion of an ensemble of individuals, reversing the Panoptic principle

• Coherence, order, (synchronization?) arise from apparent collective chaos

• Allows us to quantitatively ‘map’ interpersonal coupling

I believe we need, if anything, more CCTV cameras and more people on the DNA database, rather than fewer

Phillip Davies, Tory MP, 6 July 2010Westminster Hall Debates

Where the project stands now• Proposal has been submitted to the EPSRC• A number of interested collaborators

• Pervasive Media Studio• Qu Junktions• Arnolfini• UoB Centre for Public Engagement• Lee J Malcom

• We should know something in September• Ideas, Feedback, Collaboration, help with generating frequencies?

• www.davidglowacki.wordpress.com

Acknowledgements• Philippa Bayley (UoB Centre for Public Engagement)• Tijl de Bie (UoB, Engineering Mathematics)• Dave Cliff (UoB, Computer Science)• Mike Ashfold (UoB, Laser Group) • Laser Group Members• Inition Ltd. (London, 3d imaging specialists) • Clare Reddington (PVM)• Y’all