APARTMENT 49

Herman Stolpe – Ben Araujo – Delyth Field

"Apartment 49" is a multi-media music-theatre piece

utilizing live electronics, projections using 3D models/
recorded footage, an actor, and a prepared piano.

Plot Summary: The core of "Apartment 49" is the story of Gregor Simpson who
wakes up in an unfamiliar apartment. He begins to receive mysterious phone calls
and explores the apartment for answers. But he hasn't got much time. As Gregor's
memory returns his world starts to crumble. Flashbacks and hallucinations make the
border between dream and reality dissolve and the resulting abyss threatens to
swallow him whole.

Visuals: Based on the story the projections will take the form of three "states of
mind". The first is the bland, uncanny reality of Apartment 49. The second is the
dark, mysterious and eerie atmosphere of the flashbacks. The third is the wild,
intense and frightening dream-world of the hallucinations. The hallucinations will
have four distinct sections each being inspired by a particular visual artist. These are:
Alex Grey, Anton Vill, Zdzisław Beksinski and Ryoji Ikeda. ( see separate email for
mood-boards and explanations)
The different sections will be created through 3D modeling programs like Blender,
real-life footage and AI generated videos.

Sound: There will be two components to the sound world of "Apartment 49". The
first is live electronics which will provide everything from ambiance and soundscapes
to sound effects and diegetic music. The second component is the prepared piano,
which will have similar functions but which will provide a contrast to the live
electronics.
Visual Aesthetics

In the performance studio, there are three projection screens that could be utilised.
This opera is a chamber opera, involving small number of people, so the performance studio
is an ideal space, especially with the upgraded sound audio systems.

Projection screen
(art/images and blender rendered footages
accompanying the performance)

There will be a person switching the screen visuals for each scene, similar with electronics.
There will be cues in the music score so that the person in charge will trigger the event on a
MIDI device or computer to output the electronic music or Max MSP audio patch.
(These roles will be students)

In a conventional opera, the background/environment settings are fixed (painting, curtains

etc) but in this opera, it utilises the screens which enable a versatile environment and
motion. When dealing with a narrative involving trains, a video footage of London Tube in
motion could be used behind the performer in the opera standing on the stage.
(Picture below as an example of a video shot by myself)
 The opera has three ‘states’.
Reality – Flashback – Hallucination
Reality – In the reality state, the visuals will be drawn to footages from London, emphasising the
reality we live in. In this part of the opera, the visuals could look like these:
T

Flashback– In the flashback state, there is a lot more movement in the visuals, with flashes and
visual effects to illustrate the transition and emphasise the difference in the state. It will also
involve images from previous scenes or in relation to the narrative.
Examples of visual effects here would be similar to Ryoji Ikeda, and alva noto etc.
Hallucination – in this state, Blender (3D modelling software) rendered video footages will
appear mainly. The 3d models and the footage will be created by our friends who
speciailises in 3d modelling.
An example like this:
https://youtu.be/6KTFnNAGC7g?si=-gXe9rur3Ma7hlXR

By using an illusory fictional space with Blender, it supports the aesthetics of the narrative even
further. Also, it is easy to move around the space with Blender generated rooms.
Hallucinations:

In the hallucination stage, the imagery will be drawn from the works of three particular
visual artists, namely Alex Grey, Anton Vill, and Zdzis aw Beksi ski. What all three of
these artists have in common is the surrealist, dream-like quality of their works,
therefore they would pair well with the hallucinations the main character in "Apartment
49" has, due to them giving a feeling of otherworldliness.

What follow are 3 moodboards for each artist, each containing 12 examples of their
works, along with information about each artist.
Alex Grey:
An American visual artist who is best known for his paintings, m any of which are influenced
by psychedelia, as well as his experiences with taking LSD.
Anton Vill:

A visual artist from Estonia; mostly well known for his highly detailed drawings using
ballpoint pen, ink, and pencil. One can see in his work a sense of the surreal, full of
haunting and paradoxical imagery. M a n y of the characters in his drawings are either
ch opp e d u p , decom p osed/ rot t en, or highl y distorted.
Zdzisław Beksiński:

A Polish visual artist who was best known for his paintings, which contained macabre,
dark, surrealist imagery, often depicting otherworldly figures and spaces. Beksiński
s howed a keen interest in fantasy, erotica, and sadomasochism , m a n y elements o f which
can be seen in his art. Beksiński has said about his creative process: "I wish to paint in such
a manner as if I were photographing dreams."

Zdzisław Beksinski