Sal Moreno – SAIC CLASS OF 2021 GRADUATE WEBSITE

Graduates

Sal Moreno

Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Art and Technology Studies

smoren4@saic.edu

salmorenoj.myportfolio.com

Sal Moreno is an interdisciplinary artist and performer who engages with computation, video, sound, and performance. He generates work that speculates how the modes of expression within various traditions and cultures are shifting in the presence of rapidly advancing technologies, such as VR, AR, sound synthesis, and motion capture tools. Sal spent his early undergraduate years involved in competitive percussion ensembles in circuits such as Winter Guard International and Drum Corps International. He has participated in live performances at the New Blood XIV Performance Festival. He has also shown work as part of a United Nations conference in NYC and has participated virtually in collaboration with artists from the UK and Brazil, which resulted in works reaching international audiences.
Sal earned his BA from UC San Diego in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts and is pursuing his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Art and Technology Studies.

Sal Moreno - Ethereal Encounter

Ethereal Encounter

Still from performance.

Sal Moreno - Dreaming Sound

Dreaming Sound

Still from performance.

Sal Moreno - A Space of Our Own

A Space of Our Own

Still from performance.

Sal Moreno - Free-Drumming

Free-Drumming

Still from Drumstick in Context, performance lecture.

Sal Moreno - Cosmic Escape

Cosmic Escape, Augmented reality world,. Photo by James Potter

Painting by Gabrielle Dalsan.

A Space of Our Own, 2020, Video, 3:19 mins.

This is a short documentation of a virtual reality performance piece. This was performed over a 2-hour duration, and used screens to provide a portal window into the virtual environment the performance was taking place in.
The movements explore interaction with characters only seen in the virtual space. Over the course of the performance, the performer learns and integrates these digital movements into his own library to become manifested in this physical reality. This method allows the movements to become intuitive in nature and serve to represent the merge of extended reality technologies and the mechanics of the human body.

Dreaming Sound, 2020, Video, 3:11 mins.

This is a performance using a motion-capture suit. The suit is programmed to generate and manipulate sounds based on the orientation of the performer’s body. The movement was inspired by dream recollection, motivated by thoughts and feelings coming up within those dreams, and serves as a translation from the contents of the subconscious mind to the physical body. The visuals reinforce the dream-like aspect of the performance and represent the increasing construction of extended reality. The merging of physical and virtual reality is apparent in the relationship between the body, sound, and visuals.

Ethereal Encounter, 2020, Video, 7:46 mins.

This is a performance using a motion-capture suit. The suit is programmed to generate and manipulate visuals based on the orientation of the performer’s body. The live-generated projection creates a feedback loop between the movements and the visual being produced. This connection, however, is inherently ambiguous. Throughout this performance, it becomes unclear whether the performer influences the visual or the visual influences the performer. In this way, the connection formed between these two elements becomes intertwined and merges physical and virtual reality into one cohesive experience.

I am an interdisciplinary artist and performer working with new media, sound, and extended reality technologies. My familiarity with topics including audio synthesis, micro-controllers, circuitry, film-making, music production, and computer science fuels the works that I develop.

My practice focuses on engaging with the performative body in various extended reality (XR) spaces (virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality). My works are about the way that different aspects of the body can be utilized, modified, and extended to engage with our evolving relationship with technology. Motion-capture has become a core anchor that weaves together elements of performance, sound, and computer-generated visuals. By integrating motion-capture into live performance, I am able to play and interact with visuals and sounds generated by the body in real-time, creating an exchange that further bridges the physical and the digital realms.

My research engages with ceremony, ritual, and dance to integrate my work with the larger narrative of the development and impact of musical expression and technology across different cultures. This interest is primarily motivated by my extensive experience as a percussionist in a marching band. Through this activity of the marching arts, I am drawn to the ritualistic, ceremonious, and competitive nature of numerous bodies coming together to contribute to one form, which continues to drive my projects. I consider these tools, spaces, and experiences to be vital in my search for clarity in the ever-growing interconnectedness of the world.