Stellar Corpus

Live motion capture immersive performance experiment with the CAVE2

Sarah Jane Pell in creative development with David G. Barnes, Richard Move, and Daniel Waghorn.

In Stellar Corpus 2018, I wore a motion capture suit and performed seven improvised and co-choreographed works in altered gravity environments across Melbourne, Australia. These performances were informed by my suborbital and aerobatic training, as well as my experience in climbing and underwater performance—each discipline a preparation for spaceflight. My body played with the sensation of zero gravity in motion, while the accelerometers embedded in the suit attempted—futilely—to locate a terrestrial point of equilibrium. The act of hacking this system, of disrupting expectations, became integral to both the experiment and the creative process.

Choreographer Dr. Richard Move curated selections of this motion data, which were then transposed into Unity, transforming my physical traces into ethereal avatars of light. These forms were projected into an 80-billion-pixel digital cosmos inside the Monash CAVE2 environment—each movement a celestial echo, each figure a luminous constellation in a universe of its own. The project culminated in a mixed presentation of pre-recorded sequences and the world's first live transmission of my motion-captured traces into this immersive space. The resulting work was a cosmic ballet of seven muses. View creative development clips of Stellar Corpus 03:00 on Vimeo.

Stellar Corpus, 2018. Creative Developemnt. Performer/Director: Sarah Jane Pell. Producer: David G Barnes. Choreographer: Richard Move. CAVE2 Coding: Daniel Waghorn. Production: Daniel Waghorn, Andreas Hamacher & John Pollard. Score: 'Stellar Maris' by MOBI Gratis. Co-produced by Monash Immersive Visualisation Platform [MIVP] and supported by Monash Art Design and Architecture [MADA].

This is a conceptual and technological feat. It is a World First use of the CAVE2 for Live Mixed Reality Performance Experience, and a conceptual immersion into new space and spaciality. The audience experiences these bodies of light particles amongst the stars of the galaxy space CAVE2. Sarah Jane Pell enters performing in Mo-Cap Suit, alongside 6 pre-recorded avatar dances by Pell, exploring levity and gravity in choreography.The piece is accompanied by the universally acclaimed uplifting musical score 'Stellar Maris' produced by the artist MOBI and edited in consultation with choreographer Richard Move. The result inspires a transcendental Overview Effect.

This work is significant because the installation disrupts traditional interpretations of human spaceflight training and live-mixed reality performance though affective visualisation and uniquely employs the CAVE2 technology as a live-interactive system. Seven sparkling avatars made entirely of light and generated by the artist’ movement appear both human and divine. They move through the cosmos in a playground of unusual gravity and levity. The dance of the celestial 'muses' evokes deep awe and reverence: a strong feeling of respect or amazement brought on by something that is beautiful or sacred. We are invited to celebrate and marvel at the wonder of our own existence. The celestial avatars surround the live-performer action in motion-capture streaming and interacting with the audience - represented as human forms made entirely of golden stars: thus starkly contrasted against a dark star-filled cosmos. Views of the CAVE2 Camera Stellar Corpus - Birds-eye Camera 01:40 .

This work is part of the Performing Astronautics project assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Moon Bound (2025) Lunar South Pole

Stellar Corpus, 2025

In 1 cm³ volume 80-pg Book titled Moon Bound

Part of the Moon Gallery Foundation collection within LifeShip Pyramid onboard the Astrolab FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) rover, scheduled to be deployed at the Nobile Region of the lunar south pole before 2026.

Pell prepared a reinterpretation of Stellar Corpus 2018 by Pell, Move, Barnes & Waghorn for micro printing in black ink on white paper as a full-page single image in the 1 cm³ volume 80-pg Book by the Moon Gallery Foundation titled Moon Bound that includes 38 artists|scientists|researchers reflecting on the theme: How does the Moon see Earth?

The Stellar Corpus 2025 image reveals four figures, luminous and intertwined, circling one another in space. Their interactions shift between competition and cooperation, survival and ascent. One figure, elongated and elevated, appears to leap into the void—its movement seemingly guided and uplifted by the collective energy of the others. It is a meditation on the dual forces that shape us: ambition and interdependence, struggle and support. This still is derived from a transient and ephemeral source, yet in its capture, it becomes something more—an eternal constellation. The individual gestures are lost, yet the resonance of interaction remains. It is a record of movement, light, and intent, an energy transmission that persists across time and space. Now, printed in ink on a page, this trace embarks on a journey beyond Earth. As it is carried to the Moon, it will be exposed to radiation, regolith, and extreme temperature fluctuations. And yet, it endures—an offering for future reflection, a poetic-technical and philosophical point of departure for whoever may come to read it. Who will turn its pages? How will they hold it in their hands? Will they remember the sensation of paper, the smell of ink? Will they recognize the human impulse that led us to reach beyond our world, to dance among the stars? In this work, as in the great cosmic narrative, the themes are timeless, the quest is eternal, and the figures—like all who strive toward the unknown—are luminous.

Follow The Moon Gallery Foundation https://moongallery.eu/moon-bound-book/ mission amd associated events, publications and discussions.

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