PUBLIC DISPLAY - INTRODUCTORY NOTES ABOUT RAG-TAG VIDEO AND MOVIE SITES
Geska and Robert introduced the GUILD FOR REALITY GENERATORS AND INTEGRATORS (gRig), a group of European artistic and cultural operators gathered around a mutual purpose; to research and create meaningful situations in hybrid (or mixed) reality, where digital media and physical materials, objects and spaces are increasingly intertwined. Generating inspiring and playful situations in this reality requires skills from a variety of artistic technological and scientific disciplines. Grig is one of the main "parents" of the Rag-tag workshop.
"Men That Fall"
They also showed some of their responsive video installations, starting with "Men That Fall" - a visual and responsive piece dealing with free falling masculinity, the repelling forces of bodies, integrity and frailty, presence and stiffness, somewhat inspired by Susan Faludi's book Stiffed. As a physical installation it has been featured in a shopping mall, presented at galleries and other venues as well as being sold as a video sculpture.
"Men that fall" displays looped videos of 10 different men. It is a study in movement - on the screen as well as in front of the screen. Partly film, partly dance and installation. Take one step towards the screen. And then one more. Glances are exchanged, coming too close to the screen will have an effect on the on-screen character. The man looks at the viewer and then, when the line is crossed - falls down.
Robert's custom-built VOS (video-on-surface) player has been used to accomplish high-resolution video seamlessly shifting from one clip to another. The VOS Player is a full scale editor and player that allows for the display of simultaneous video streams and real-time switching between different clips. The 'behaviour' of the movie is controlled through a specialized scripting language - using metaphors for creating constructs of several layers of video played side-by-side and seamlessly stitched together into larger video frames. The VOS Player with its scripting language also has a large array of functions for mapping virtual movements of the camera in panning, scrolling, tilting and tracking.
The installation runs off a PC with Windows XP, a screen of some kind, an Arduino-microcontroller with programming board for serial interface and an ultrasonic or infrared range sensor.
"Women That Turn"
"Women That Turn" works in a similar, yet different way compared to "Men That Fall". A woman stands with her back turned towards me. When I leave, she turns around. Or is the woman on the screen turned around by me? Seen... and the back stares back at you... accentuating it with a twitch. Too close... and you get caught! Women that turn presents women as objects tied down to a set of fantasies about how a woman should present herself. She distances herself from the viewer who is coming too close and she reacts on being the canvas for the controlling male glance. As a physical installation, "Women that turn" has been presented at galleries and other venues. The installation displays looped videos of 10 different women. A precise study in the shift between twitches and movement; an illustration of women that sense the glance and reacts with small movement of discomfort.
"Kids On The Slide"
"Kids On The Slide" is a film installation for three screens. A vehicle for small tales of kids that "come out and play". The children don't want to be caught "at it" and slide away (or are they swept away?), never to be nailed to the point of view of the spectator (Mom? Dad? Someone?).
In the project "Cinesense", Geska and Robert are collaborating with professor Karin Becker, in a three-year project exploring urban artwork in two relationships, first interacting with the place of display and second in interaction with its public.
Images from different public installations as well as gallery shows can be viewed in the SITES section of Performing Pictures.
