A Comparative Projection Mapping Experiment Based on Laban’s Movement Principle: Effects of Congruent and Contrastive Mapping on Emotional Arousal

Abstract

Projection mapping, with its strong visual impact and high immersion, enhances the audience’s perception of performing arts and increases emotional engagement. In the context of interdisciplinary innovation, the key issue occurs in artistic creation is on how dance art leverages its technological advantages as to enhance physical expression and stimulate emotional arousal. In particular, there is a lack of pairing principles between movement creation and projected visual colour that support the effective construction of vision and body in artistic creation. Counterintuitively, Laban “Effort” provides an analyzable approach to the expression of emotions through movement analysis. In visual perception, colour also provides a visual channel for the arousal of emotions, serving as a cross-modal mapping medium for emotional arousal in movement and vision. Based on this, this paper, using Laban “Effort” movement analysis, proposes a principle for pairing choreographic movements with colour from projection mapping whereby developed two mapping strategies: the congruent and contrastive versions. By pairing movement qualities with colour either congruently (same-direction pairing) or contrastively (opposite-direction pairing), the test evaluates the effects of the mapping on emotional arousal. This paper employed quantitative research methods and SPSS to analyse questionnaire responses. Also, 40 participants viewed two versions of the same artwork (movement, music, saturation value lock, only the direction of the hue distribution was different). Congruent mapping elicited significantly higher emotional arousal than contrastive mapping, proving that matching movement “Effort” with visual projections effectively heightens the perception of bodily expression. Hence, this provides practical suggestions, mapping principles, and insights for choreographic practice and stage visual design regarding the consistency of movement and visuals in projection mapping performances.