Sustained Coincidence  – Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

A set of incandescent light bulbs light up in relation to the visitors in a gallery. The positions of the participants are recorded and the information is used to make sure that the visitor’s shadows from the light bulbs are always overlapping, no matter the visitor’s position in the room. This interesting piece allows viewers to modify their behavior in response to a simple consequence. I like this piece because it forces the user’s interaction with the piece and with other people also viewing the piece.

Time Travelers – Toby Schachman

As the user goes closer and farther from the piece, the user travels back and forth in time. Initially a still image, the user’s silhouette changes the image in time. I like the idea of creating a kind of time machine, using technology to explore and control concepts of time. However, I think the concept could be pushed much farther than just an exploration of time. The images Schachman uses (a sunset, decaying strawberries, jellyfish, atomic bomb) are too stereotypical, generalized, and kitschy, making the piece much less interesting than it could have been. Schachman has a whole word of problems and issues he could engage with, and he chose a sunset?

Auto Rosary – Chris Eckert

A pretty self-explanatory piece; a user engages the machine, which then proceeds to pray the rosary for you, so that you don’t have to do it yourself. I think its a simple yet poignant piece that explores some of the very basic rituals of the Catholic religion. Meant to be a very personal and devotional activity, the rosary is undermined as it becomes automated by a machine. But is this machine any more automated than an actual person repeating the same prayers over and over again?