built purely for testing purposes with short letter animations.
one of the walls of the installation will most likely look like this, though some videos will change.
another wall of the installion will focus on text, such as this example.
The Pace
The Pace is an interactive poetry and video installation. Most digital poetry exists only on the computer, bound by the screen and limited by the input available via mouse and keyboard. This results in a body at rest; the movements of the user are minimal as they bend and flex arm and fingers. However, this is a piece that resists rest, exploiting the motion of walking (pacing) to release the energy created by intense thought-processes and emotional preoccupation. The Pace moves toward a more haptic poetry, one in which the full body of the user must be engaged in order to move forward the video and text, expressing the thought/emotion process. Perception of meaning will rely not only on the flicker of the eye, but also the stimulation of muscle and nerve throughout the body.
The Pace is a room-sized installation, made of a floor and four walls. The walls become the screen, receiving projections of video and text, while the floor is the keyboard; I am still working within the limits of a traditional computer set-up, but pushing those boundaries into somewhat unfamiliar forms. The floor will be constructed from pieces of aluminum flashing separated by thin strips of padding and each piece is wired to act as a specific letter on the keyboard. When the user takes a step, the padding is depressed so that the top piece of metal touches the bottom, the circuit is completed, and the message of which key has been pressed is sent to the computer via USB. A program and interface built using Macromedia Flash receives the key-press input and outputs video and/or text and/or sound, displayed on one of the four wall projections or played via speakers.
Click an image to proceed to prototype shockwave files (flash player 7 or better required)
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built purely for testing purposes with short letter animations. |
one of the walls of the installation will most likely look like this, though some videos will change. |
another wall of the installion will focus on text, such as this example. |
A photo album of the physical prototype is also available here.
Video documentation of sound/MaxMSP test is here.
Detailed progress information can be found on my physical computing course reports here and here.
Documentation of exhibition of The Pace at Squeaky Wheel, Buffalo, NY (January 19 - February 23, 2007) coming soon!