One Hundred and Eight – by Nils Volker

In this installation Nils Volker creates a wall of inflating and deflating plastic bags. The large grid of common place white trash bags inflates and deflates depending on the viewer’s detectable motion relative to it. The bags are controlled collectively by two large cooling fans and individually by their own micro-controller. I was drawn to the materiality and texture of this installation. I think it succeeds in poetically animating a surface. Additionally, I really enjoy the sound element that the inflating and deflating trash bags create.

However, I feel that the project, as currently represented, seems like a test of material rather than a fully formed installation. It would be interesting to this technology activated by its surroundings through performance or environment or both.

Urban Sonar- Kate Hartman

Kate Hartman’s projects generally make a playful commentary on how we interact with our environment. She often makes appendages to the body that are something between, clothing, toy electronic and sculpture. Although this project involves no actual appendages, it never the less visualizes a space that can be described as kind of appendage, our personal bubble. She collected data on her heart rate and the shape and size of her personal bubble. The results are displayed in the above visualization. (note: the image about is a still from the visualization, the actual  program can be seen on http://www.urbansonar.com/visualizer.php). The circle in the center changes color depending on her heart rate as the green shape morphs depending on the dynamics of the space around.

I liked how this concept layers so much personality and narrative onto a simple performance and visualization.

Pixelman- by Daniel Knorr programmed by Friedric Weiss

I was lead to this project through the work of Friedric Weiss. I was curious what other work he had been involved with because, I saw his work with Chunky Move. While involved with Chunky Move, he created interactive video projections that were then used in dance pieces. In the  piece above, he aided the artist Daniel Knorr, in creating an interactive LED screen. Sensors detect the movement and presence of figures in a hall way and the LED screen reflects the presence of each figure with a simple orange stick figure. I like the way this installation takes dynamic data and simplifies it into a flat image.