The cosmos in the basin | progress3
Idea:
This project is an interactive fountain. It has two separate water streams controlled by the movements of left and right hands, respectively. Light, projecting on the water, and musics will evolve according to different hand movements as well. Audiences in this piece of work are not only participants but also observers. They contribute to the changes of the cosmos in the basin, but they also reflect on the changes they make. The theme of the project lies in the traditional philosophy of Taoism: Yin and Yang. While interacting with the fountain, people may reflect on our relationships with nature: How should our relationship with nature be? Are we part of nature or isolated from it?
Interaction with water:
I'm working on projecting real time images on water, and real time sound effect according to different states of hand movement. The video below shows a sample effect of images and sounds.
After some tests, I think the easiest method to make my audiovisual part in real time is to separate it to different sections. The background music will be always played in loop. But the visual and some sound effect will change according to the position of your two hands:
If no hand movement or two hands are very high, show state3;
if two hands are very low, show state1;
if two hand is in similar height, yin and yang is in balance state, show state2;
if one hand is much higher than the other, it will show state4 or state5;
if users change their hand movement very quickly, show state6;
Each state will have 3 seconds transition between each other, so the effect will look like state 7-9.
I decide to put rock in the basin, and project video on top of the rock. Some Tests:
Stage setting design:
my two sensors will be hanged on ceiling; two spotlight will be hanged on ceiling; projector will be mounted on ceiling; wire will be mounted on wall and go from the top of ceiling to the bottom tank. Users will control the water right above two water strings, and two spotlight will be right on top of water strings too.
Underneath the tank, there will be my laptop, speakers, arduino and other breadboards and wires.
