Rockefeller New Media Foundation Proposal

Abstract

The proposed installation will consist of a set pseudo- living objects, each capable of interacting with both each other and the viewer. These objects will be identical and consist of both sensors and speakers enclosed in a ball-like form with a wire umbilical cord to a central controlling computer. The objects will communicate with an ever evolving language that is diverted from the sounds the surrounding objects make and the sounds of the gallery itself. The objects will be able to be "taught" by people directly interacting with them. This will create a "language" that will build from day to day, with a continually changing set of phonemes and sounds diverted from the real world. Each object will develop a personality that will determine how it deals with both input and interaction. Factors that will influence the development of the personality include time of day / routine, type and frequency of interactions, and the personality of the surrounding objects.