CGI Tai Chi

[GeneChing]

Follow the link for the vid. It's one of those rare cases when I wish a web vid was longer.

A Tai Chi Master’s Movements Rendered As Computer-Generated Sculpture
(http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671003/a-tai-chi-masters-movements-rendered-as-computer-generated-sculpture#1)
Martial art becomes fine art with a bit of digital abstraction.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/slideshow-large/slideshow/2012/10/1671003-slide-fr-twine-hi-res-885.jpg
The Chinese martial art of t’ai chi ch’uan, or tai chi, as it’s been shortened in the West, can be translated in a few ways, including "supreme ultimate fist" and "great extremes boxing." Matt Pyke, founder of the digital art group Universal Everything, saw the martial art as something a bit different: the inspiration for a series of abstract video sculptures.

To create his five "impossible sculptures," currently on view at the Framed Gallery in Tokyo, Pyke did a motion-capture session with a tai chi master, turning his movements into data. "We then 'dressed’ this data with a series of physical costumes," the artist explains, resulting in a series of works that look nothing alike, though they were all based on the very same motions. One of the sculptures turns the tai chi master into a Transformer-esque mass of blocks, another shows him as a series of wispy lines, and yet another as a sort of protozoan blob.

"The costumes were inspired by a combination of modern urban architecture and LED lighting," Pyke told me. "This feeling of living architecture gave a grand sense of scale to the bodies." But at the same time, the sculptures’ source material gives audiences a way to connect back to them. "By using body movements," Pyke continued, "you can sense the human spirit within these abstract forms, bringing warmth, empathy, and life to [them]."

Each of the five sculptures was given its own unique soundtrack--an ambient accompaniment tailored to the visual style of the piece. But the sounds were also designed to serve as layers of a single, more complex piece, which is how they’ll be experienced by visitors to the exhibition in Tokyo.

All in all, it’s a novel way to look at the timeless practice of tai chi. Now when does Zumba get the video art treatment?

[GeneChing]

Posting this here because, well, this turned up in a search of Zumba.

Now when does Zumba get the video art treatment?


Tai chi v Zumba: Do you have to work up a sweat to get fit? (https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45799473)
By Mike Duffy
BBC Science Unit/ Trust Me I'm a Doctor
3 hours ago

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GETTY IMAGES

The health benefits of exercise are constantly drummed into us.

But many of us simply don't fancy working up a sweat - or aren't able to.

So is there a way we can get the benefits without the huffing and puffing?

Tai chi may offer one solution.

It originated as a form of self-defence, but over hundreds of years, it's been refined into a series of slow and graceful movements which are supposed to help both mind and body.

But can something so slow and graceful really give you the benefits of a more vigorous workout?

Tai chi v Zumba

To find out, the Trust Me I'm a Doctor team worked with exercise scientists from the University of Birmingham.

A small group of volunteers, aged between 65 and 75, none of whom did regular exercise, were assigned to either 12 weeks of regular sessions of Zumba Gold - a class specially tailored for people in later life - with the rest doing regular tai chi.

At the beginning, middle and end of the 12 weeks, the volunteers had their blood pressure checked and the flexibility of their blood vessels measured using ultrasound - part of exercise's power to improve your health lies in its ability to improve both of these.

The more flexible your blood vessels, the healthier they are.

Scientists also measured the volunteers' blood for levels of antioxidants and other raised levels of chemical markers of stress and inflammation - which may sound bad, but they're actually a healthy response to exercise and lie behind many of its benefits.

As might be expected, the Zumba Gold group were all fitter after the 12 weeks. Their blood vessels were more elastic and their blood pressure had dropped, while their blood results showed improvements too.

More surprisingly, the results from the tai chi group showed similar benefits, with improvements in blood biomarkers results, blood pressure and vessel flexibility.

'Any exercise is good'

So how could tai chi be doing this?

The answer may be deceptively simple. Tai chi may look slow and graceful, but it's not as gentle as it seems.

Dr Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten, a senior lecturer in biological psychology and part of the research team, said: "We have found that doing a session of tai chi leads to similar increases in heart rate as moderate intensity exercise.

"So even though it might not feel as difficult as when you are doing faster movements, your heart is working hard.

"This will have benefits to the health of your blood vessels and make them more elastic."

And she said it showed people shouldn't be put off if they didn't feel like they were up to more strenuous forms of exercise.

"We have shown a tai chi programme which includes slow movements can have many health benefits, and the participants in our study enjoyed the programme.

"It is really important to emphasise that any amount and any kind of exercise is good for your health and wellbeing."

Trust Me I'm a Doctor continues on Wednesday 10 October on BBC 2 at 20:00 BST and is available on iPlayer afterwards.

I'm imagining a Tai Chi vs. Zumba NHB cage match. :p