Looking Out.: Ayo, Sept. 16

Electricity comes from other planets

Creators: Fred Deakin, Nat Hunter, Marek Bereza, James Bulley for Joue Le Jeu(Play Along) exhibition.
Link:: Electricity
Fields: HCI, Interactive Art, Technology, Audio-Visual Installation
Description: Electricity Comes From Other Planets consists of eight large "planets" that react to people's movement within the space, generating both music and projected animations
Technology: Generative Programming, Kinect Sensors, Projection Mapping

Thoughts:

• "Wow! Just wow! Thank you!" This was a comment from one of the participants that interacted with the installation. Herein lies the value of the piece, the almost magical quality to transport the participant (no longer just a viewer, but an active particpant btw) into a childlike state of wonder, exploration and excitement. It is an ingenius method to combine the playfulness of the human body with the music generation/discovery process.
• Also, it is a good representation of Heather Kelly's concept of "playable experiences". In this regime, the purpose of games is redefined to not only be concerned about what people traditonally consider 'fun', but instead the pupose becomes "[to] systematically shape participation, using innate human motivation to guide actions".

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Propinquity

Creators: Lynn Hughes, Bart Simon, Jane Tingley, The Modern Nomads (Anouk Wipprecht, Marius Kintel, Severin Smith).
Link:: Video,Github
Fields: Haptics, Tangible Interfaces, HCI, Interactive Installation, Game-Body Interface
Description: Propinquity is a full-body game that is a hybrid between fighting and dancing games. Two players wear proximity sensors on different body parts and as they move to the music, different sensors patches on their bodies light up to indicate when they are active. The players attempt to get as close as possible to active patches on the other player’s body to score points. The longer s(he) can stay “in the sweet spot” (but without actually touching), the higher the resulting score.
Technology: Proximity Sensors, XBee sensor, 3-axis Accelerometer, RGB LEDs, Vibration Motors

Thoughts:

• In today's modern era inundated with screens of all sizes from mobile phones to large billboard displays, it is refreshing to see a display that shifts focus to a human body rather than a screen. This symbiosis between the natural human form and technology helps create an intensely social and physical experience. The underlying idea and message to be conveyed is simple: even though technology exists all around us, it need not be mundane and boring. The project succeeds in driving its message across - also it looks really cool! Any takers to building an MTI version?