The evolution of Lacunae with Soma Lumia

Creating New Spaces: Interviews with artists redefining spaces through technology

In this podcast, you will learn how Lacunae, an interactive installation by Tasmanian artist collective Soma Lumia, has evolved through multiple iterations. Lacunae is an interactive installation that enables people to dance with others in different locations through projected silhouettes and sound.

In this conversation, Darryl Rogers and Troy Merritt from Soma Lumia share the journey of Lacunae. The project was born during COVID-19 to rethink how technology shapes human connection. It was originally designed for the Mona Foma festival as events began to re-open after the COVID-19 lockdowns. Since then, it has evolved, layering live and recorded interactions—where dancers move not just across space, but across time. Lacunae has become an ongoing experiment for Soma Lumia.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• The iterative process behind Lacunae and why each version is a new creative experiment.

• The role of collaboration in how Soma Lumia works.

• The transition from Kinect sensors to webcams and how this offered different creative possibilities.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction and acknowledgements

(00:01:32) Meet the artists: Darryl and Troy

(00:02:56) Exploring the concept of Lacunae

(00:04:01) Development and evolution of Lacunae

(00:09:12) Audience interaction and feedback

(00:10:33) Technical challenges and solutions

(00:18:11) Collaborative process and team dynamics

(00:21:24) Reflections and advice for artists

(00:25:59) Conclusion and final thoughts

About Soma Lumia

Soma Lumia is a tech-art collective based in Launceston, Tasmania, founded in 2015. Their work explores the boundary between physical and digital, movement and technology, real and virtual. The collective has presented projects at Illuminate Adelaide, Botanica, Beaker Street, the South Australia Museum, the University of Houston, and Mona Foma.

Their practice is deeply rooted in experimentation and collaboration, bringing in new voices—technologists, dancers, musicians, and designers—to expand each project’s scope. Lacunae is a prime example of how their work evolves over time, rather than existing as a single fixed installation. The core members are Darryl Rogers, James Riggall, and Troy Merritt.

• Darryl Rogers is a media artist working with video, installation, and immersive platforms to explore perception and spatial transformation.

• Troy Merritt is a creative technologist with over two decades of experience in media systems, interactivity, and augmented environments.

• James Riggall is an entrepreneur and educator working at the intersection of immersive technology, storytelling, and digital experience design.

Links from the podcast:

• Learn more about Lacunae on Soma Lumia’s website
• Learn more about Mona Foma
• Follow Soma Lumia on Instagram