I’m watching you

Have you ever heard of ‘Very Nervous System’ by David Rokeby?  This brilliant Canadian artist was one of the first people to design a reactive system that can track your movements. He handcrafted this whole interactive installation so humans can have a direct relationship between body, sound, space and technology.

For this installation, Rokeby wired up a space the size of a dance floor. A video camera is used so that the computer can observe the physical gestures happening in front of it. These gestures are then translated into music, in real-time. The viewer can communicate to the computer through the use of video cameras, image processors, computers, synthesizers and a sound system. Movements are read, interpreted, and turned into many layers of sound. The 13 years that Rokeby spent working on this exceptional installation pay off when he wins the Petro Canada Award in Media Arts in 1988 and the Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction in 1991.

One of the 3 16 x 16 pixel hand-built cameras in 

Very Nervous System at the Venice Biennale in 1986

What is very interesting about this piece is the notion of interface. It is invisible and it occupies a large volume of space, whereas most interfaces are definite. Thus, the purpose is initially unclear, but it quickly evolves as one explores and experiences. When the spectators clue in that the mechanism is responding to their unique movements, they communicate to the computer in many different ways – by their different actions.

Participants in interaction with the Very Nervous System (1986-1990)

Many people, including me, are not musicians. If I play an instrument, nothing worth hearing comes out. Rokeby gave these people a chance to create their own music, by being their own instrument. The purpose of this piece of art is so that instead of the body following the music, the music is guided by the movements of the body- something we’ve never seen before! Each instrument is an action. Everyone has a unique experience, based on the way they move. This interactive installation basically watches you and it makes something out of you. The music created is music that you want to listen to.

David Rokeby in Very Nervous System in the street in Potsdam in 1993

Not So Big After All…

         There was a time when the only way you could communicate with loved ones far away was by sending them letters. As time went on, different forms of communication were developed, such as Morse code, telephones, instant messaging, and something called Skype. Skype makes it possible to call anyone around the world for free as long as there is an Internet connection. Hundreds of millions of people use Skype to do all sorts of things together, such as holding a meeting or celebrating a birthday. I believe that Skype is one of the best methods of connecting one space to another physical space through interaction, but have you ever wondered where it all started?   

         About 30 years ago in Los Angeles, pedestrians walking past the same old window of the Broadway Department Store noticed that instead of the same reflection they gaze at everyday, was another’s. A stranger that was nowhere near them was looking right back with the same confused look on their face. Not long after, they realized that they were on two different sides of the country- the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and the Broadway Department Store in Century City in LA. These life-sized images of people could speak back and interact with strangers as if they were there right next to them. In the course of 3 consecutive evenings while this installation lasted, boys started picking up girls, new friendships were blooming and individuals that have not seen their loved ones in many years now had the chance to set up a time and meet each other on the street. This installation piece created by new media artists Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz called ‘Hole in Space’ was the first telematic installation working with NASA.

         This is personally my favorite telematic installation piece because I can relate to it. Having the opportunity to talk to your friends and family across the globe and especially being able to see and interact with them as if they were right in front of you is an amazing opportunity. I can only imagine what those people felt on the street, mingling with loved ones they haven’t seen in years. My family is all over the globe, and I use Skype very often to contact them. We wouldn’t have this if it weren’t for this spectacular piece of art that started it all.

         I think artists should continue with installations like this one. It is a great way to learn about other cultures and see what is happening at that exact same time in a place on the other side of the world. If I was walking home from school and I passed by Dundas Square and there were life sized images of people from a small village in Spain, I would most definitely stop and look. The art of this illusion can make a large world feel so small.