Archive for May, 2006
Micro.Spheres by Julius Popp takes place in a room, containing around 16 autonomously acting robots, which visitors are allowed to enter and experience. The robots act according to a dogmatic command that drives them to perpetually place themselves in the spatial centre of their immediate environment.
What results is a chain reaction which seems highly complex but can be easily explained as it is simply a result of each robot having an effect on its neighbour, all the way to the borders of the room. This process necessarily has to affect all elements of the system. The system remains active as long as the visitors continue to move. When the visitor remains still the system is able to find a new stable pattern. When there is more than one visitor within the system, the complexity of the shapes and processes increases. Micro.spheres reflects on the complex interrelations that exist between ‘living’ bodies and their environment. In particular, it addresses the changing social structures of our present day and age.
I’m also pleased to hear from Julius that his Bitfall project I posted a couple of weeks ago is also close to completion
May 8th, 2006
Currently showing until 2nd july at Le Tri Postal in Lille, SKATE* is a unique event about skateboard culture and its history. Graphic design, photography, video, architecture and music will be gathered together around skateboard, both a sport and a urban way of life.
On the ground floor, on a surface area of 1500 square meters, The Side Effect of Urethane collective and DSP present ‘ Interstices ‘; this installation reflects a vision of public urban space, allowing for encounters between skateboarders and visitors. In this installation, the city is seen as a landscape. It explores the idea of Skateboarding as a kind of line drawing in urban space; exploring the paths traversed by skaters from point to point, surface to surface, the creation of complex patterns and gestures over the surface of the urban canvas.
“Like the living urban environment, we have used La Tri Postale spaces, cracks and crevices, design faults and features, and placed objects that represent on one hand a pre-determined, top down and designed environment, fit for purpose, but on the other hand allows flexibility and chance activities to take place within them. This seemingly casual composition reflects the beauty of skateboarding, something that is not governed purely by reason, but uses the space as a guide as to what is achievable; personal interpretation of how to utilise the space enables invention. The style and flow expressed within this area is purely personal, and no two movements will be identical, there is never perfection, purely a personal journey.”
May 5th, 2006
ART+COM are a group of Artists I’ve been meaning to write about for a long time. Based in Berlin they produce commercial interactive installations, as well as work for Galleries and Exhibitions. Here are a few of their projects; a complete list of their works can be found on their website
The Science of Aliens
For the ‘Science of Aliens’ Exhibition at the British Science Museum , ART+COM created an interactive room where visitors can get in touch directly with aliens. The creatures living on the planets ,“Aurelia“ and “Blue Moon“, move dynamically through virtual landscapes. They are generated in real time. Visitors interact with the two worlds via a touchsensitive surface of 2 meters width and 7.5 meters length. They can not only watch the aliens but also influence the creatures’ behaviour and actions.
Video
Vattenfall media facade
100 m² of the facade as well as the interior of the Vattenfall building were transformed into a partially visual, partially real garden with projections. In the building, the visitors saw unusually dressed actors with circular skirts who moved across the room at intervals. They formed the starting point of the media production. Virtually growing tendrils spread from their skirts across the entire floor and blossomed colourfully in the end.
Video
floating.numbers
“10 + 5 = God. The power of signs” – the title of the special exhibition in the Jewish Museum which commissioned ART+COM to produce the “floating.numbers” project.
The central element in this exhibition is a 9-metre long interactive table with a mass of numbers flowing in a continuum on its surface. Individual digits appear randomly at the surface of this stream of numbers and, once touched by a visitor, surrender their secret in text, pictures, films and animation. The significance of the numbers materialises from the various perspectives of science, religion, art or one’s outlook on everyday life
May 4th, 2006
LEMUR is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists developing robotic musical instruments. Founded in 2000 by musician and engineer Eric Singer . Here are a couple of their instruments and I recommend checking out the videos on their site of them all in action.
!rBot
!rBot is a mollusk-like structure made of leather, aluminum and steel. A mechanical system of cams and levers powered by two motors opens and closes !rBot’s shell. As the shell opens, a platform holding a shaking percussive rattle protrudes from the robot’s interior, receding again as the shell closes.
TibetBot
A robotically controlled percussive musical instrument that creates both atonal rhythms as well as tonal droning soundscapes. The instrument is based on the tones produced by three Tibetan singing bowls struck by six robotic arms, two per bowl.
GuitarBot
GuitarBot, is an electrified slide guitar that is versatile, responsive, capable of fast and slow playing, easy to control, with high-quality sound, modular and portable. Its purpose is to extend, not simply duplicate, the capabilities of a human guitarist.
via make
May 3rd, 2006
“ Bion ” is an interactive installation that explores the relationship between humans and artificial life. “Bion” makes reference to an individual element of primordial biological energy identified as orgone by the scientist Wilhelm Reich. The installation is composed of hundreds of mass-produced, 3-dimensional glowing and chirping sculptural forms. Each bion, measuring approximately 4×3×2 ½ inches is an synthetic “life-form” fitted with an audio speaker, blue lights (LED’s), and multiple sensors. The bions are suspended by fine gage wire connected to panels that are attached to the ceiling. When installed the panels form clusters of bions arranged at different elevations. Each bion has the ability to communicate with the others and with viewers that enter the space.
video
When a viewer approaches the installation space she will witness a dynamic array of blips of sound and blue light emanating in cloud like patterns from all parts of the room. She notices that the source of the light and sound come from hundreds of small organic shaped forms called bions . The bions are communicating, unaware of the approaching visitor. She enters the room. One of the bions is alerted to the presence of a stranger and quickly communicates the information to the swarm of bions . One by one, in rapid succession, bions signal other bions of the stranger and in a wave like pattern become silent. The bions eventually become accustomed to her presence and begin to respond to her as if she was part of their ecosystem. They become attracted to her and glow more intensely when she nears. Eventually, she is incorporated into the dynamic array she once witnessed.via wmmna
May 2nd, 2006
In an article published in the cyber journal Technoetic Arts; Professor Stephen Gage of the Interactive Architecture Workshop and Will Thorne (UCL) describe a hypothetical fleet of small robots they call “edge monkeys.” Their function would be to patrol building facades, regulating energy usage and indoor conditions. Basic duties include closing unattended windows, checking thermostats, and adjusting blinds. But the machines would also “gesture meaningfully to internal occupants” when building users “are clearly wasting energy.” They are described as “intrinsically delightful and funny.”
via Architectural Record
May 1st, 2006
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