AIMS
[a] AEQUILIBRIUM is an immersive environment where you can experience the equilibrium between the aquatic life of the venitian lagoon and external human influences. The installation is for everyone who walks through Pescheria.
[b] The biological cycle of the lagoon is affected by fishing (intensive or illegal), industrial fisheries, pollution, boats traffic and global warming. AEQUILIBRIUM gives information about these topics in the history of the Lagoon and make a prediction for the future based on the visitors’ behavior in the installation.
[c] AEQUILIBRIUM is located inside the little Rialto fish market (Pescheria) during afternoon and evening.
EXPERIENCE
[a] A projection inside Pescheria continually simulates an aquatic environment. As you enter the system and the fishes react to your presence modifying what is projected on the floor around you. According to your behavior the images around your feet become darker up to disappear and the fishes will run away scared of your presence. In this way you instantly perceive the impact of your actions and understand how to behave properly without damaging the system.
Around the projection area there are eight columns. The columns are divided in pairs and dedicated to four specific topics: fishing, pollution, global warming and disturbances. In each pairs the first column displays the historical data while the second displays a prediction according to the visitors’ behavior.
Number of visitors –> fishing –> affects the number of fishes in the Lagoon
Position of visitors (small or big groups) –> warming –> water starts to boil
Movements of visitors –> pollution –> the area around the visitor becomes darker
Noises –> disturbances (boat traffic, building sites) –> water starts to tremble
[b] We want to create a unique, mesmerising experience. The installation should be beatiful and fragile at the same time. A bit dark and a bit pulsing. Of course it is also a game but wheter you choose to play with it or to explore it in a more seroius way you should immediatly feel and see the weight of your actions.
Watch these videos to get a better idea:
> UVA Volume at Victoria and Albert Museum
> ART+COM 1
> ART+COM 2
IMPLEMENTATION
[a] The main purpose for the implementation is to preserve the flavour of the Pescheria. The installation need to exactly fit the Pescheria environment and need to be invisible during the morning and not to disturb the everyday market activity.
INPUTS:
- Microphones (to check noise)
- Webcams (to check position and movements, since we don’t want to modify the location with sensitive carpets)
- Photocells (to check number of visitors)
OUTPUTS:
- Projector (for the floor environment)
- LED walls (for columns data display)
- Loudspeakers (for general sound environment)
[b] For the real installation we need the previously listed items plus a computer and one or more wiring or arduino boards to control the photocells inputs and the LED walls outputs. Probably more than one projector will be necessary to cover the full Pescheria floor.
[c] For the prototype we are thinking to create a smaller sensitive carpets to simulate the Pescheria floor and a single LED wall to simulate one column. We will need a microphone, a projector, loudspeakers, LED wall (can be simulated with a second projector), wiring board (if we use LED wall).
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
We are now working on graphics and fishes simulation algorithm. For the moment the main unresolved issues are:
- how to get smarter fishes (control position, movements prediction, collisions)
- how to build a sensitive carpets (which technology to use and how to proceed)