Come be judged
A corridor formed by two 9×16 rear-projection screens. Motion sensors track each visitor through it. A herd of oversized digital sheep in barrister wigs turns to face them and hands down a verdict nobody earned — applause, mockery, awe, catcalls, a flat dismissive "yuck." The judgments are randomized and unfair, which is exactly how judgment works everywhere else. Audio arrives by headphone, so each person's verdict stays their own.
It's a piece about herd mentality, built to work at two scales: how social judgment shapes an individual's sense of self, and what happens when that mechanism, compounded, shapes a culture.
Don't care what others think of you? You sure? What does it feel like when someone sums you up in one sound — a flippant grunt, or maybe applause? The piece is designed to build awareness of how social judgment shapes us, while being funny enough that people walk in willingly.
"…simultaneously hilarious and anxiety-inducing — a beautiful mix of immersive theater, physical computing, generative animation, and interactive installation."
— Craig Spaeth, Artsy / Puzzmo
Juror citation, Future of NYC Design Awards 2026
PROCESS
The herd's performances were built through a directed generative pipeline, not a generative one. Source frames were generated in Gemini, then physically painted, stamped, and hand-manipulated in Photoshop until the expressions were right — the frames were authored, not accepted. For reactions that needed specific comedic timing, I shot video of my own face as performance reference and drove the models from it. Generative tools produced the volume of distinct character reactions the piece required; the timing, the expressions, and the performance came from direction.
TECHNICAL
TouchDesigner — real-time sensor input processing + playback triggering
Motion tracking / presence detection sensors
Randomized sensor-triggered playback logic
Multi-channel rear projection — Two 9'×16' screens
Pre-rendered video with embedded audio
Headphone-delivered audio — individual visitor channel
Generative AI pipeline — Kling, Veo, Glif, Gemini
Motion tracking / presence detection sensors
Randomized sensor-triggered playback logic
Multi-channel rear projection — Two 9'×16' screens
Pre-rendered video with embedded audio
Headphone-delivered audio — individual visitor channel
Generative AI pipeline — Kling, Veo, Glif, Gemini
RESPONSE
Documented through walkthrough footage and written visitor comment cards. Reactions ranged widely: visitors reported feeling seen, exposed, uncomfortable, amused, and self-conscious. Not all of them were positive, which is the point — the range of documented response is the evidence the piece works as designed.
WHAT IT DEMONSTRATES
One installation, every capability experiential brand work requires: concept through execution on an immersive physical experience, real-time interactive system design and integration, large-scale projection and multi-channel media, motion-tracked audience response, audio design, spatial storytelling, generative AI inside a working production pipeline, and an emotional outcome visitors carry out of the room with them.
CREDIT
Suzanne Heintz - Creative Director, AI Video Generation, Tech Dir: Interactive
William "Iggy" Ingoglia - Tech Dir: Lighting & Installation