CultureHub Broadcaster

Designed in collaboration with creative coders at NYU/ITP over the past five years, the broadcaster began as an idea to explore digital performance as its own medium, one that did not try to replicate what works in a physical theater. What new possibilities do mediated spaces have? How can we create live feedback between online and offline spaces? How can the input of online audiences affect performers on stage? How could an online venue create a sense of co-presence, or the feeling of sharing an experience in virtual space?

*“Liveness shifts as things move online, it becomes more abstract, less palpable. Our theory is that by creating moments of co-presence, we can help restore some of the excitement. CultureHub develops tools that allow performers and online audiences to interact in real time, even though they aren’t in the same space.”

—* Billy Clark **CultureHub Artistic Director

The broadcaster is open-source, low latency, and integrates with p5.js.

These technical features give artists control over how their work is presented, and open new creative possibilities for digital performance.

The broadcaster uses WebRTC, which allows for hyper low latent streaming, reducing the traditional lag of Zoom to milliseconds. This allows for immediacy between online and offline spaces; performers can engage with audiences online without the telltale awkwardness that digital lag normally introduces.

The platform integrates with p5.js, an accessible programming language frequently used by artists and creative coders. The broadcaster’s admin panel includes a built-in code editor and preview panel enabling p5.js sketches to sit in a transparent layer over the broadcast. During performances, the presenter can toggle interactions on and off within the browser.

Audience Interface

Onboarding

If audiences are arriving at the broadcaster for the first time, they see a screen that asks them to pick a color and select their name before they enter the lobby.

Lobby

The lobby can be customized for each show with a different landing page.

In kathy wu’s lecture/performance Into Uncertain Weathers, online audiences were randomly assigned differently shaped cursor icons, representing different kinds of weather. The artist wrote instructions for the audience to perform as they waited.

In Paul Pinto’s Mano a Mano, the lobby showed a live feed of a backstage camera, which each online audience’s icon partially revealed to give small glimpses of Paul behind the scenes before the show started.

Lobby from Into Uncertain Weathers, kathy wu

Lobby from Into Uncertain Weathers, kathy wu

Lobby from Mano a Mano, Paul Pinto

Lobby from Mano a Mano, Paul Pinto

Reactions \ Emotes

The audience is represented as a row of circles on the bottom edge of the window. By default, this is turned on, but can be toggled off through the bottom left menu.

The audience member’s own circle is highlighted in yellow. Pressing the react keys through the menu or number keys activates four different reactions.

Audience reactions during Footnotes, by Theodora Skipitares

Audience reactions during Footnotes, by Theodora Skipitares

Applause by online and in-person audiences during Mano a Mano, by Paul Pinto.

Applause by online and in-person audiences during Mano a Mano, by Paul Pinto.

Camera switching

Audiences can choose between four different camera feeds. In previous shows, we have used this feature to allow audiences access to different camera angles of the same live feed, or to switch between cameras in different locations.

4 Channel Switcher Sketch Test .gif

Chat

The chat panel is hidden by default, and can be opened and closed throughout the show.

Presenters can use the chat to help troubleshoot, or ask for specific input during parts of the show.