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
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