"Life is short, and we are just tiny sparks in the universe. Joy and sorrow, separation and reunion are essential parts of life, like the changing of the seasons. So just soar high, shine, and enjoy every moment of life."

Life is _____ is an interactive experience that allows people to collectively create spectacular "sparks" and accompanying music using body movements. The work symbolizes one's cycle of life as a firework, with ever increasing crescendo to the sky, shining, producing textures of sound, and eventually fading away. Each person appears in the scene as a shadow surrounded by sparks. Touching the sparks sets them off, resulting in a unique fireworks display that symbolizes the individuality and energy of each person. The more people that participate, the richer the experience becomes. Signifying the intersection of individual lives in society, the work allows many people to experience the co-creation of beautiful music and textural visuals, bringing everyone together to enjoy their unified artwork.

This work was developed using Unity 3D with C# and Microsoft Kinect 2. We composed the music and did the sound design with Logic Pro X and used Wwise for audio implementation.

The project has been exhibited at World Maker Faire New York 2018.