Mind-Loops – Audio-reactive Visuals in Blender
KoLab Days Workshop Series: electronic feelings
As part of the Next Level Festival and inspired by the theme: Under the motto “Electronic Feelings”, this four-part workshop series makes the invisible processes between humans and machines tangible. We follow a path of artistic transformation: Abstract data becomes soundscapes, sounds become tangible 3D forms, and in the end, everything merges into an audiovisual, collaborative performance. Discover with us how a signal becomes a shared artistic statement.
Participation is possible in any workshop, even without attending the others! However, all workshops can also be attended consecutively.
As part of the KoLab Days at Dortmunder U, we create audio-reactive, loopable animations in Blender. We combine the results from the Sound Design and VR Sculpting workshops and breathe audio-reactive life into them. We manipulate sound data and experiment with how it harmonizes with animation, materials, and light. We ensure that our animation is loopable and can be repeated infinitely in an algorithm-friendly way. Afterwards, we’ll hunt for the optimal render settings balancing efficiency and quality – and get the most out of our renders in post-production. The workshop offers a lot of potential but doesn’t require advanced Blender knowledge. A basic understanding of navigation is helpful. Participation is also possible independently of the other workshops.
Timo Sodenkamp is a freelance 3D artist and game designer with a background in film and animation. He studied Film & Sound at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts and wrote his bachelor’s thesis on narrative design of cutscenes in games.
Since 2018, he has completed numerous projects for clients as a commercial filmmaker, focusing on 3D animation since 2019, and additionally in game design since 2022. His work includes projection mappings such as the “Extraschicht 2023” at Zeche Westerholdt (Gelsenkirchen), VFX for feature films like “Das Märchen der Zauberflöte” (ZDF), as well as 3D animations for industry and advertising, including an intro for the German adaptation of the Disney+ series “Only Murders in the Building”.
Since 2021, he has been working as a 3D artist and game designer at storylab kiU at FH Dortmund, where he works on interactive art installations and media productions. Additionally, he has been involved as a workshop leader at uzwei in Dortmunder U, teaching young people the basics of game design.