October 11, 2006
nonetheless l'm still here
a stop motion telematic performance
nonetheless l'm still here, by Nurit Bar-shai, is an online performance in which participants control telematically a simple scene consisting of a curtain flowing in space. The work consists of an installation in the real world, the people who participate, and the website which bridges the two, providing both a live video feed and an interface for users to interact remotely with the scene. Every time a user clicks the curtain moves in small steps. Each change is recorded as a snapshot, creating not only an archive of the work but a collective, creative result: a stop motion animation sequence.
The curtain which this work features is akin to a marionette, and is controlled by a system of small motors. It moves in steps according to users clicks. These mechanical motions only change the scene slightly, but over time, they combine to move the curtain in a way which conveys the natural sway of real fabric. In this manner, the work examines the tension between the organic and the inorganic, as well as the controllable and the spontaneous.
My goal in this project is to examine how real time, telematic performance, in which objects are controlled collaboratively, can be used to explore the poetics of the common and everyday. While the interaction described here is simple -- a user clicks and a small physical change occurs -- in presenting this simple metaphor of a curtain, filtered through multiple screens, the work suggests a compelling image for people to project on.
Posted by jo at October 11, 2006 08:16 AM
