Software isn't always the most glamorous product to launch, but on Tuesday night Microsoft added some color to the debut of its latest design tools with user-generated imagery and a video DJ. As a follow up to the official introduction of Expression Studio 4 at Internet Week, the tech giant hit the Lower East Side with some 600 designers and developers to show off its artsy side.
As a way to engage creative professionals and give them an opportunity to play with the new technology, producers from BMF Media lined the room of the Angel Orensanz Foundation with computer stations, inviting them to fashion digital animations with a suite of Web-based tools. These creations were then streamed to a video DJ from Fake Love, who layered the images over live footage of the event and posted these to two central video screens. The result was a bright and energetic mix of colorful graphics that contrasted the ornate architectural details of the former synagogue.
Branded projections decorated the rest of the space, flashing on an assortment of surfaces, including a cloud of 400 white balloons above the bar. DJs Mia Moretti and Jesse Marco spun tunes from illuminated booths. A performance from electronic violinist Caitlin Moe added to the downtown vibe.
