Anson Smith is an actor / dancer / performer with the Carpetbag Brigade Physical Theater, based in San Francisco (the Carpetbag Brigade is in Europe on tour this summer). A collaborative artist in various genres, he creates minimalist performance work with Leslie Castellano's Rumblepeg Dance Theater, and writes and draws.

Technical Bio: Web designer and programmer (familiar with scripting languages: some PHP, javascript, C, etc). No particular experience with making things or interactive technology.

Project: Story / Movement / Technology

From a technological angle, one theme at this year’s Half Machine festival is the ’’tracking” of human movement and other information, using it to create interactive environments. “Prince Dunwaithe’s Revolving Head,” a short story I wrote, seems like it might well be relevant to this theme.

Several variations on the project:
1. Simplest version.
I read the story aloud.

2. Interactive version.
The story must be read aloud by audience to make performer(s) move. Performers given a set of simple movement scores and a system for switching between them.

3. Interactive technological version.
The story must be read aloud to make performer(s) move, and the movement triggers some simple, relevant AV stimuli. (ideas include projection of the story text, illustrations, manipulated images of the reader of the story, background music).

Technical needs:
Simple version: a reading light, a quiet area or amplification.

Interactive technological version: lighted area for performers, projector, video camera, amp for music, interaction software / hardware.