Ongoing inquiry goes into the interaction between stage and audiences. Stage performances are conventionally designed to present images in one way, namely from stage to audience. Audiences are fixed and basically see the same stage scenery and action. Given this convention, how do we realize an interactive relationship between stage and audience? 

The concept of our new performances is to make the stage more interactive (i.e. the stage could be composed to include audiences) so that audiences can have a more individualized experience. Consequently, we realized an 
“illusory interactive” performance using Saccade-based Display.

When a flickering light array moves at a fast enough speed, we can perceive 2D images through retinal afterimages as in following figure left (ISM Inc. Fantazein). Conversely, if light sources are fixed on a vertical line and the flashing pattern is changed quickly during a horizontal saccade eye movement, 2D images can be perceived  as in the figure right. Saccade-based Display makes afterimage by viewer's eye movement. 

What's "Illusory Interactive" ?
 In most interactive installations or performances, interactivity occurs through obvious physical action of viewer with some kind of sensor device. However, in our situation, we are exploring a kind of interactivity that occurs through non-obvious, unconscious physical action of the viewer and no sensor device. We call this interactivity as "illusory interactive".

 On performing art stages, audiences make eye movements at various times triggered by performer’s body actions and stage lights. When we use the Saccade-based Display on the stage, audiences can perceive different images according to their eye movements, even if performers move in the same way. Additionally, the shape of perceived images are different according to their own eye movements. Thus, their actions make the scene more interactive, and the display makes the stage an original experience for them.

We performed the interactive stages using four large LED arrays (1.8m in height). They are located behind the performers as in following figure left. Using four columns with flashing LEDs, we can see a 2D pattern when our eyeball moves at a fast enough speed across the LEDs as in the figure right. These patterns seem to hang in mid-air. We designed stage sets, images, sounds and choreography to effectively induce audiences' eye movements. The LED arrays function not only as illumination, but as a visual display, which can present different 2D images for each audience. 

Please see the VIDEOs !
Performance Only (4Mbyte)
Performance and Introduction (24Mbyte)