Diver Dave is a collaborative live coding performance by Kiri and Kaidi, plunging audiences into a layered underwater world where ambient marine soundscapes blend with pixelated nostalgia and evolving abstraction. Drawing inspiration from SpongeBob SquarePants, Dave the Diver, and the tranquil repetition of deep-sea exploration, the work drifts between playful cartoon aesthetics and meditative immersion. As retro game textures dissolve into fluid, wave-like forms, we explore the tension between the artificial and the organic, the deep sea and the digital. This piece invites you to descend with us—through color, sound, and rhythm—and reemerge with new sensations of space, depth, and breath.

Collaborative Reflection

Kiri was in charge of audio, and I focused on visuals. We came up with the concept together and had lots of discussions both before and during the preparation process, so our understanding of the project was always very aligned.

We discovered a shared interest in the marine theme and developed it further based on our experiences with digital tools and the cartoons we love. Kiri knows Dave the Diver inside out, and I really admire the way she integrated sound samples from both games and cartoons. She truly captured the essence of that goofy, playful aesthetic, which made the whole creation process feel light and enjoyable.

Before the performance, we talked through key transition points where the narrative would shift, and Kiri would cue me when she felt ready to move to the next part. As the audio performer, she took the lead on timing and pacing, which gave the performance a strong sense of rhythm and flow. This dynamic worked really well for us—we trusted each other’s instincts and stayed in sync even without needing to speak during the performance.

Technical Documentation

• MIDI

I’d always wanted to try using MIDI, so I prepared most of my sketches in advance with MIDI mapping in mind. I made sure variables could be easily controlled through MIDI, which gave me more flexibility during the performance. At the same time, I kept three sketches open for live coding so I could respond to the music or vibe in the moment. Once I got the hang of mapping variables to MIDI controls, things started to click and became much more intuitive.

• p5-live Local

Downloading and running p5-live locally turned out to be more complicated than I expected—this was my first time installing something in that way. It took some trial and error, but eventually I got it working, and it opened up a lot of possibilities for real-time visuals.

• Flashing Background

My ocean creature was built from simple geometric shapes to make it easier to control and map. At first, it looked a bit rough and flat. But with Viola’s suggestion, I added a background brightness variable and mapped it dynamically, which led to a flashing effect. It turned out to work really well for the club/underground vibe of the space—it gave the whole visual a much more immersive and energetic feel.

Process & Experience

• Process

We started by choosing a theme we were both genuinely interested in and began envisioning the audio and visuals together. From the beginning, we aimed for cohesion, but since the performance was 10 minutes long, we also wanted enough variation to keep it engaging. That led us to imagine different “stages” or chapters, each with its own distinct mood and features, while still tying back to the central idea.

In response to the course title Integrated Approaches, and also to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, we decided to explore some unfamiliar tools. This exploration took up a lot of time, but it was definitely worth it. The process of experimenting with new systems—especially within the culture of live coding—became part of the creative experience itself and helped shape the experimental nature of our final piece.

• Experience

The vibe at Exit was amazing. We really enjoyed watching everyone’s performances—and felt happy about our own too. It was one of those nights that felt truly special and memorable, and it reminded us why we love doing this kind of work.

Credits & References

• Instructor - violaaaaa 💙

• Dave the Diver https://store.steampowered.com/app/1868140/_DAVE_THE_DIVER/

• Sponge Bob https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants

• Little Mermaids https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(1989_film)

• Jiapei and Angy - a lot of help on Midi 💙

• Sophia and Catherine - Video documentation  💙