My approach for the projection design for The Hundred Windows focused on creating an immersive, sensory-rich experience that parallels the emotional arc of the music while reinforcing the symbolic sensory experiences embodied by each song. All animations are live-mixed during the performance using a VJ software, allowing me to respond in real time to the sound and energy of each piece, resulting in an ephemeral, one-of-a-kind performance every time.
Each animation was hand-crafted using watercolor and collage techniques, then manipulated with custom gear to introduce digital “glitching” as the concert progresses. Umwelts—visualized as animated, collaged circles—symbolize every being’s unique sensory bubble, fluctuating and occasionally intersecting to reflect the layered complexity of perception. Visual elements accumulate and intensify throughout the concert, layering over time to create organic, visual complexity. The motif of the window functions as a central metaphor, less a literal object and more a conceptual frame in the visuals for each song. Through masking, layers, and frame-within-a-frame techniques, the audience is invited to peer out their own “windows” and into others’ imagined worlds. Between songs, visuals dissolve into a soft “fog,” offering a breath, a return to self before the next sensory encounter.
📻 Hear Annika Bentley discuss the show on WAYO 104.3 FM's "Mouth Sounds."
📺 Watch Christine Banna and conductor Brian White chat about the show — and preview its animation — on FOX Rochester.
📖 Read CITY Magazine's article in which arts reporter Patrick Hosken calls this "a bold concert with a staggering scope."
CREDITS:
Performance by Mount Hope World Singers and Logan Barrett
Projection Design/Animation by Christine A Banna
Asst. Projection Designers/Interns: Bathschèba Duronvil and Katelyn Parkn
Mount Hope World Singers
Creative Director Annika Bentley
Musical Director & Conductor Brian White
Sound design by Logan Barrett
Produced by Annika Bentley & Kathleen Fraser
Performed at the Academy of Medicine, Rochester, NY - June 2025
Performance at Rochester Institute of Technology Glassbox Theatre - September 2025
Performed at Fringe Festival, JCC, Rochester, NY - September 2025
Documentation of performance courtesy of
Special Thanks: Bathschèba Duronvil, Katelyn Park, Matt Arnold, Jon Knight, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, ROCO Upstairs, RIT School of Film & Animation