VISUALS

Live visuals, VJing and projection for clubs, festivals, events and installations.

I've been making and performing live visuals since the 1990s. The technology has changed considerably since then, but the basic attraction hasn't: taking images, animation, rhythm and light and turning them into something that belongs to that particular moment.

These days much of the system is custom built, including my own VJ software, control systems and a growing archive of original material spanning several decades.

EXPLORE VISUALS

THE WORK

Live performanceImages mixed and manipulated in real time.
Original materialAnimation, graphics, archive footage and generated imagery.
Projection & mappingStages, buildings, scenery and unusual surfaces.
Custom systemsSoftware and controls built around the way I perform.

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

Core software: Custom C++ / openFrameworks VJ software
Visual output: Spout and NDI
Lighting / pixel output: Art-Net
Control: MIDI, OSC and WebSockets
Hardware: MIDI controllers and custom control hardware

THE PROGRESSION

1980s
Coding visual experimentsEarly graphics, animation and visual experiments programmed on the ZX Spectrum.
1990s
Early live visualsCommodore Amigas, genlocks, vision mixers and layered video systems used for live performance.
2000s
PC-based visuals and broadcast workA move to PC-based visual systems, alongside commissioned work for Addictive TV and Mixmasters on ITV.
2010s
Browser-based custom VJ softwareStarted building my own browser-based VJ software, creating tools around the way I wanted to perform.
NOW
Networked visual systemsCustom visual software, physical controllers, projection, LED systems and robots connected as parts of a single live system.

VISUALS IN ACTION

CORE FEATURES

Multi-layer visuals

Video, animation and generated layers can be mixed, masked, blended and manipulated live.

Audio reactive

Audio analysis can drive visual parameters, movement and effects.

Sequencing

A beat-based sequencer can programme changes while leaving room for improvisation.

Live control

MIDI controllers and networked controls provide hands-on access during a performance.

Flexible output

Visuals can feed projection, mapping systems, LEDs and other parts of an Overscan setup.

Custom content

New material works alongside an archive stretching back to the early days of Overscan.

CUSTOM SOFTWARE / LIVE CONTROL

THE SYSTEM

The current live visual system has evolved from many years of performing and experimenting.

Source code from an Overscan visual system

Rather than relying entirely on commercial VJ software, I have built my own software so that the system can work the way I want it to work.

It combines live video layers, animation, effects, sequencing, audio response and external control in a system designed for improvisation.

The software is another part of the creative work rather than simply a tool used to produce it.

Overscan custom VJ software interface with layers, sequencing and control panels

CUSTOM VJ SOFTWARE IN DEVELOPMENT

A CONTINUING PROCESS

FROM ANALOGUE CHAOS TO CUSTOM CODE

In the 1990s, live visuals involved Amigas, genlocks, vision mixers, tape, cameras and whatever else could be persuaded to produce an interesting image.

By the 2000s the setup had become increasingly PC-based, alongside broadcast work and commissioned pieces. In the 2010s I began writing my own browser-based VJ software because existing tools never quite matched the way I wanted to perform.

That eventually grew into the networked visual system I use now, linking custom software, controllers, projection, LEDs and robots.

The old material hasn’t disappeared. Archive footage and graphics can sit alongside newly coded effects, 3D scenes and contemporary material.

OLDER MATERIAL / CONTINUING USE