Inspired by the National Comedy Theater’s goals of expanding its audience, the project consists of a sound-and-light installation designed to be installed on the esplanade of the Solís Theater.
Through interactive elements, the production seeks to extend part of the theatrical experience beyond the theater and create a space for interaction where visitors become active participants.
Expanded Theater
The project takes as its starting point one of the goals promoted by the current administration of the Comedia Nacional: to expand the theater’s reach and bring it to new audiences.
Based on that premise, Reinoso created an installation that invites viewers to interact with the work through movements, approaches, and mechanical actions performed by the viewers themselves.
The proposal explores the idea that the artistic experience can begin before entering a theater and be collectively shaped through participation.
A collection of metaphors
The project’s name encapsulates the conceptual framework that gave rise to the work. Reinoso conceives of the theater as a kind of“music box”that can expand beyond its physical boundaries through light, sound, and interaction.
Building on that idea, he develops a series of metaphors that link mechanism, movement, and collective experience.
The work consists of two cylindrical structures facing each other, creating an immersive space for participants.
Each one features light tubes with different lighting patterns and a pulley system operated by a crank.
Both structures are connected to one another, fostering interaction among people and reinforcing one of the project’s central concepts: the need to connect with others in order to create a shared experience.
As the author explained, the pulley system also serves as a reference to theatrical stage machinery, establishing a symbolic link with the mechanisms that make the production possible.
The design calls for the structures to be installed on the plaza in front of the Solís Theater, with a spatial layout that facilitates both interaction among participants and the technical operation of the system.
To this end, a structure was developed based on circular trusses, accessible platforms, and a lighting system designed to operate during long hours of public use.
Electronic Arts
The installation features ultrasonic, infrared, and rotation sensors connected to Arduino systems that track participants' actions in real time.
The data generated by these sensors is processed using TouchDesigner, a platform used to create interactive experiences, which translates the data into variable light patterns. Each structure responds to user interaction, but both also exchange information, enabling them to generate joint responses when there is simultaneous activity.
The proposal also incorporates light tubes with programmable LED strips, microphones that pick up sounds produced by audience participation, and amplification systems that integrate the auditory and visual dimensions of the experience.
The initiative also includes a nighttime performance-based activation, in which an operator manipulates the light responses in real time based on data generated by audience interaction, expanding the installation’s expressive possibilities.
Presented at Re|creación 26, *Artilugio de Metáforas* brings together design, technology, and artistic creation to rethink the role of the viewer, transforming them into an active participant in the cultural experience.