I am an Artist, but the art form I developed 15 years ago, which I call SandStory, is ideal for digital events. It consists of images created in sand on a light table and using an overhead camera, they are projected on a screen for the audience to enjoy. As you can imagine, the already digitized images could just as easily be streamed to the internet. It is Digital Art for a Virtual World.
Most of my hundreds of performances have been done live, but it is interesting in today’s culture of Social Distancing under the Corona Virus, Virtual meetings, and Virtual events have become a necessity. Fortunately, I have been creating and streaming Virtual creations Digitally for years. My Studio has been set up for Filming, Streaming, Video Conferencing, and Digital Events since about 2013.
Some of my most notable streaming events include the largest audiences I have ever performed for. The biggest virtual event without contest was the Sony Playstation’s reintroduction of their most popular video game “Gods of War.” I performed my SandStory creation live, in the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown LA, but the digital feed tally, had the audience counter directly over the stage, clocking in at somewhere over 54 Million online viewers.
Not as large an audience, but still pretty packed, was about 25,000 high school students, in the Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I performed for the wildly enthusiastic students live. At the same time, the entire performance was being digitally broadcast to 87 countries worldwide. The unique element in this performance was that more than 37 language groups were represented in the digital broadcast, but this virtual entertainment requires no translation. Everybody ‘got it.’
Ted Talks have been a regular events using SandStory, but the one in Christ Church, New Zealand, wanted to present a local singer while I created a custom SandStory from my studio in the US. The biggest challenge there was a 13-second delay for the virtual feed to arrive before the young woman could start singing. We pulled it off in a splendid way! The audience of 5,000 viewers, got a Digital treat with the Virtual SandStory and live singer for an online performance from the other side of the globe.
Event Planning and a Virtual Culture for Digital Events
My artwork morphs or changes, so for years, I have been talking to audiences around the world about change. It is an essential part of life. But with the CoVID 19 Pandemic, we are face to face with multiple daily changes. In the process of reinventing what I do, I have begun some lively presentations on Facebook Live, Google Hangouts, InstagramTV, Zoom, and numerous others.
Just recently, I have been leading a daily Video Chat called Art & Hope, as entertainment for creatives confined to their homes or apartments. On Tuesday nights, I lead a round table discussion about the impact the pandemic is having in the lives of their businesses. I am also working on a New Normal way of having digital Fund Raisers for Non-Profit and Charitable Organizations using Go Fund Me and other online donation sites.
Yes, my live events have, for the time being, shut down, but there is no digital moss growing on my virtual stone in Digital events.
