Experiences with everyday things that we wear and are surrounded by will be transformed as they connect and relate with new media, intelligence, and information flows. Designing systems of ‘smart’ products, interiors, and clothing is not only about fitting the technology into the artifact, it is also about the way we relate to, understand, and express these new properties of everyday objects. Both computational and communicative processes are ‘invisible’ to us, and so a critical question to emerging technologies is how their presence can be expressed and articulated through design. This is a question of how we will relate to and understand the computational power that will surround us.
This installation has two perpsectives… From the outside, it resembles a large wall mirror, but instead of the expected reflection of themselves, visitors see a wire frame figure with human proportions. Using artificial intelligence, this mirror image uses a video camera to track visitors’ movements and imitate them.
From the reverse perspective of the installation, a second observer may look through a window to see the first gesticulating in front of the mirror, and superimposed upon this figure, computer generated tracings of particles resembling pixel clusters.
The installation will instigate curiosity on a personal level, as well as acting as a catalyst for social interaction. While pedestrians consciously or unintentionally interact with the Kinetic Shadows, bystanders can observe the unfolding situations from a safe distance and enjoy the interplay between the crowd and the artificial sky of Kinetic Shadows.
