Just in the wake of our interactive installation ( Serious Fun) project we went to see two interactive works of art displayed at MIC Toi Rerehiko on nearby K-Road. The works were 'Other than Human' by The Visualisation Unit and 'Open Limit' by Marcia Lyons. We were also lucky enough to have one of 'Other than Human's' creators to talk us through various aspects of the project and to answer most of our questions.
My initial reaction to Other than Human was it was beautiful and quite obviously responsive to one's movement within the space, it also impressed me that it seemed to respond to a large number of people with the same ease as it responded to one. It was constantly moving and has an variable audio component that really emphasized the change in movement the work was sensing. Another thing that I really liked was the slight variation on a conventional screen, there were we discovered three layers of hanging net that the installation was projected onto, this gave a much more fluid appearance to the piece and really lifted it up from a 2d projection.
The basic design of the pieces' interaction was a particle system that seemed to gather where presence is detected, there were a large number of square particles in yellow, pink and blue that were in constant motion and only present on the screen when there was a participant for them to track, there was also the possibility of random events and to throw the particles from the screen as well as audio that identified participation.
To visit the Visualisation Unit's website and see a demonstration click here
By speaking to Sebastian Hamilton we found that the visualisation was created using the Program Processing which we did a short course on recently and it was really good to see that it could be used so effectively on such a large and professional project. They also used infrared sensors to track the movement of a participant and their distance from the sensors.
'Other than Human's ' meaning to me was unclear but I certainly thought it was engaging and it gave me joy to watch others playing with the installation or trying so hard to work it out. I think the point of installation is that there is no right or wrong with it, it will give something different to each participant and there is little risk of someone feeling alienated or confused by the piece as is common with traditional still art, in other words I find this extremely accessible compared to other art forms.The installation was quite beautiful and very engaging as it was so easy to see that the project was responding to you. I like installation art a lot as it forces the viewer to become an active participant in the work and encourages them to engage on some level, whether they are simply playing and enjoying or standing back watching and trying to uncover the meaning intended by the artist.
The installation 'Open Limit' offered by the entrance, coats emblasoned on the back with a symbol that would have been recognisable to the multiple webcams in the room, when the symbol was recognised the swirling blues and quiet ambient noise in the gallery would change to areas of movement and areas of orange colour as well as the noise escalating. Unfortunately however it was very hard to make the installation work which risked being quite baffling for viewers as they might think that there is something happening that only they are missing out on and discourage them from trying to engage with this and other works.
Retrieving the above video link however I found that Lyons is infact broadcasting from the exhibit via the webcams in the room, this adds another level of accessibility to the art, although you may not be able to visit and experience first hand you can still see how the installation works and enjoy online. Also having seen the installation working well, it is a lot more enjoyable.
The installation reacts rather violently when a participant is recognise, it seems to zap the viewer; showing the the background swirling around like a storm and the the amount of movement and noise escalating drastically. The presence of the contrasting orange is a nice touch as it appears where the participant is perceived which shows the participant that they are the cause for the changes in the piece and makes them feel much more involved and important, with their role as the central decision maker in the artwork. This to me is the greatest success, getting non-art people engaged and enjoying art.
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