Testing Immersive Recording

On this day after the conference yesterday, each of us feels relaxed, as this milestone of mutual exchange between two continents has been successfully completed. We began further project planning, for the time after our return to the UK. Important is to keep the momentum going. Our group had so far worked very well together, we complemented each other quite well, and achieved remarkable output: simultaneously in the two regions (Yorkshire, Gujarat) several poems were written, paintints were produced, and technology was used to bridge the two locations. I had produced GPS tracks of all our activities which will be placed on Google Maps / Earth after our return to the UK, and I had documented our project with photographs and video recordings. These materials will be used by our Leeds Met students to produce documentary material for publicising the project output.

Now is the opportunity to pursue an activity which is unique to this project and pushes into a new dimension: to use immersive recording for the purpose of capturing an individual experience. I put my head-worn camera on, use the in-ear microphones, and drive again to the Vadtal temple complex. I do not get any more stares than usual - in this rural community there are rarely any Westerners seen. So my somewhat "technological" appearance does not seem to appear any stranger than the mere fact that I as a visitor from Europe are here in this region.


I record at the Garden of Knowledge and at the Vadtal Temple complex. Then, back in Vallabh Vidyanagar there is a Youth Festival, with competitions of universities in folk dancing. A colorful procession moves through the town, with the various university teams performing dances and music. A great opportunity for my immersive experience: I capture simultaneously with three devices: head-worn camera, in-ear microphone for surround head-related sound, and a hand-held HD video camera for a conventional documentation.