Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a project by Carla Capeto
with the collaboration of
Ben Faga and Alejandro Garza
interactivos? 08 Mexico City
Contents:
Brief description of the project
Details of the installation: concepts and setup
Imagenes: Skecht and pictures
links to video and projects diary.
Brief description:
Usually we think that there are things that define us as human, that we possess characteristics that
are unique to us and define us as such. "Sensitive Water proposes to construct a distancing between
the human and what we see as its main features. The way chosen to accomplish this is laughter its
most natural form, namely tickles.
The project was developed during Interactivos? Mexico, where it was developed an interactive
installation that consists mainly of creating an illusion that water is life and can react to touch. The
user is free to play with water and depending on the intensity of contact, the fluid produced in a
more or less intense laughter, varying both the intensity of light animations.
Details of the Project:
Concept:
One of the objectives of this project is to propose a different perpective and aproach of something
inamimated by giving it the capacity of reacting to touch as if it was, somehow, a human. In order to
achive an effect like this, the option is the water, because the of the physical sensations that
provokes as well as psychological. Between water and human beings there is a fairly close
relationship due the importance that the first is for the life of any living being. Throughout the time
it has gained potential for symbolic value beyond survival or basic needs such as hydrate or cool,
frequently also related with religious metaphores.
The other important conceptual component of the project are tickled, simple nervous reactions that
happen when something or someone touches certain parts of our body. However, they are also a
mechanism to strengthen family and social ties. Despite being a physical stimulus, a duality which
has established a bridge between the physical and psychological / emotional. Another curious aspect
related with laughter and tickles are the recently discoveries of scientist that show that animals (like
dogs and mouses) also laugh and have tickles and that is not something only human.
Shortly, with this project the interest is focus on creating an ilusion of an artificial life instead of
trying to give life to some of machine of mechanical devices is to give life to some natural element,
at the same time to break with some conventions of what belongs to human or not.
How does it works:
By entering into the space that corresponds to the installation, the visitor faces a container of water
like an aquarium in a dark light environment. The container of water is on top of a structure whose
base of the support for the aquarium is hollow to make possible the camera tracking and the
animation's projections from bellow. The structure that holds the aquarium contains some technical
support in its internal speakers and a camera. The camera will make the water motion capture.
Depending on the intensity of motion would be heard if it identifies a laugh (previously recorded)
stronger or weaker. Accompanying laughter can display some serious forms of light and (or) color,
as if identifying a sensitive point. That would also need to use projection image from above, thereby
allowing the same set of reflections in the water.
1 A mirror that can reflect the screening of the animation from below the aquarium. This action
arose from the need to have a projection of nearly 1,40m distance, so that the projection could
coincide with the base of the aquarium.
2 Projector. With an inclination of 45º so that you can match the tilt of the mirror.
3 Digital camera (for the installation was used an Unibrain Firei). also placed at the bottom of the
installation so that only capture the movement of water.
4 Computer using Openframeworks and MAXMSP as software.
5 Speakers.
Pictures from the project:
Video can be watched at:
http://vimeo.com/1936803?pg=embed&sec=1936803
All the information (included video and photos) can be found at:
http://sensitivewater.wordpress.com/