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I was thinking about interactive art and I couldn’t really remember ever coming into contact with an interactive artwork in a public space. The idea of an artwork affecting the space in which it is placed, like in the “Hand from Above” piece, seems very interesting. In that case, even though nothing is physically occupying the space in which the people are standing, it still causes people within that space to react. And then I remembered that I had seen something with a very similar effect before: the interactive projection games found on the floors of malls! Just like in the art work, these games cause people to react differently to a space where nothing is really any different. It’s still just a floor, but because of the projection it becomes an interactive space.

Something else that I remembered was an animation titled “Attraction” that I came across recently. It was commissioned by a French organization in order to spread a “anti-smoking” message. Apparently the film is meant to be viewed in an internet browser, and hooks up to the user’s webcam in order to involve the viewer in the action. Not having tried it for myself, I don’t know how “interactive” it really is, but the concept of actually having an impact on an animation is really exciting to me. Some “interactive” elements seem gimmicky, whereas focusing too much on user input seems to focus more on the user than the artist in some cases. An animation where the viewer has an effect, but does not completely control the work, seems like it could be really cool.

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The thought of interactive animation made me think about video games. A very basic definition of a video game seems to be an animation that you control, where the decisions you make result in what you see on the screen. This game is called “Fotonica.” It is extremely simple, only using one button, however it is very enjoyable. It has a kind of relaxing mood to it that made me want to simply move along and go with the flow. One level is actually never-ending, and I found that level to be the most enjoyable. This game isn’t about winning, or even getting to the finish line necessarily, but I found this lack of a challenging goal made this game enjoyable and quite different from games I’m used to playing.

Drift Grid  <-Click Link to View

Drift Grid interested me because it was described as a responsive piece that reacts to the audience’s presence without depicting it. I feel like multiple pieces have explored the idea of reflecting a viewer’s image or shadow (like Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Eye Contact and Daniel Rozin’s multiple Mirror pieces), but this one attempts to accommodate to a viewer’s face, instead of replicate it. The piece, separated into four columns of drifting blobs, freezes the upward movement of any column (and the blobs in that column) when a face is detected in front of it. This allows not only for viewers to control the piece, but also for them to get a better look at it, to stop it, to maintain it.

(MediaArtTube)

Action Paintings <- click to view

I was initially really excited to explore Jeremy Rotsztain’s various “Action Paintings” when I saw the still image of one. Upon watching “Revving Motors, Spinning Wheels,” I concluded that I thought that the still image I originally saw was more pleasing than watching the video. I would occasionally pause the video just to take a look at what was on screen for that moment (and typically appreciated that more than just watching the thing play out).  I feel as though the secret to the process is revealed by watching the movie, as at certain points the color and motion generated where very noticeably representational to the cars from the original movie footage. At some points I could just tell, “hey that’s the video of a car put through some filter.” This is also noticeable in  with the explosions and debris in “Monochromatic Bursts of Color.” I also feel as thought the motion that is made with the paint is over-emphasized, and eventually loses its significance. I will say that the color schemes in each piece are satisfying and that the still images generated Rotsztain’s video editing are quite successful on their own.

(Found under “Creative Applications”)

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