Voice Following Dress
What if a dress could reflect and enhance a vocalist’s performance?
In this video, Cary Ann Rosko performs a stunning vocal improvisation. Her gown includes 76 groups of embedded lights, each diffused via fiber optics. As Rosko’s song begins, the lights mimic her tone and dynamic: Cool blues increase in intensity as she crescendos, then recede as she hits higher notes.
During the brief interlude between vocalizations, the twinkling lights mirror the musical accompaniment. The dress itself appears to breathe in time with the vocalist’s performance.
In the third movement of the piece, the light sequences increase in complexity and speed. Gentle ebbs and flows gives way to trickles, then single lights chasing others in curved motions. As the song closes, the lights near Rosko’s face also illuminate, remaining static even as the lights in the skirt race downwards. The piece culminates with a brightening and ebbing of lighting as the blues twinkle in muted radiance.
The lighting has added a new dramatic element to the vocal performance. A designer chose the most appropriate colors (in this case, blues and occasionally purples), then programmed each glimmer, twinkle, and movement sequence into the lighting software. The software can accommodate numerous other colors, patterns, and movement sequences, all of which can accentuate a vocalist’s performance.
