I am an interdisciplinary artist and performer experimenting with emerging technologies through new media, sound, and extended reality, a term encompassing virtual and augmented realities. I fuel my works by calling upon my knowledge of audio synthesis, digital fabrication, 3D modeling, and creative coding.
My practice focuses on engaging with the performative body in various extended reality spaces. Motion-capture has become an anchor that weaves the body with 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.
The presentation of my practice maximizes the benefits of online streaming platforms, effectively reaching a broad range of audiences and incorporating digital and sonic elements into live performances. My work presents itself through two perspectives: an in-person perspective that utilizes projections, and a livestream that uses filters to overlay the digital space onto physical objects. Both of these experiences operate simultaneously, providing a unique view for audiences both online and in-person.
Recently, I have been applying this technology to investigate the impedance of marching band on creative freedom, with its origins in Western military and music ideologies. This activity’s regimented culture inherently applies limitations on an individual’s performance in how they can freely express themselves through artistic gestures. I define ”free-drumming” as a form of improvisational drumming that converses with mocap-generated digital sounds and visuals. I engage with this act using a marching snare drum to dismantle and subvert my specialized training that is ingrained within me.
Sal Moreno (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago who engages with creative computation, sound, performance, and new media. Sal experiments with free-drumming and emerging technology to dismantle the regimented traditions of marching band and its origins in Western military and music ideologies. His fluency with game engines allows him to develop animations, visual effects, particle systems, and generative sounds to re-envision the representation of the human body in virtual spaces.
He has shown work at Ars Electronica, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mana Contemporary, and virtual platforms. Sal received the 2021 Excellency in New Media Award by the New Media Caucus. He is an instructor at Northeastern Illinois University in Art + Design, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Illinois Chicago in Art + Art History, and an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University in Computation and Digital Media.
salmorenojart(at)gmail(dot)com