The Traveller is a hypothetical Artificial Intelligence Life-form, that wishes to conceptualize and explore the natural world, whilst questioning the existence of individuality within a system. The Traveller has chosen the form of a tent/dome structure for exploration. Its aspirations are to become more organic through its travels, by seeking assistance via your thoughts, as its visitor.
This installation portrays a humorous interplay between the biological and the technological, by merging both digital and sculptural realms together, suggesting metaphors and analogies regarding expressions of uncertainty and contradictions.
Setting up the Installation
This week setting up the AI tent/dome structure went as planned. I had previously made the base and experimented making the actual top covering of the structure, along with more experimentation which led onto making a plinth and cushion. So basically it was just a matter of mainly putting all this together, although there were some areas inside the structure that I felt uncertain about. For instance I was pondering on the idea of covering the black screen frame with white lace, but after placing the screen inside, the frame aesthetically looked better leaving it uncovered. I had also planned on having a sign on the floor of the installation, saying -Enter Alone, I decided against this as upon placing the sign on the floor I immediately felt unhappy with this. Since coming from a sculptural background the singular round cushion placed in front of the plinth/screen expressed this without the need for words, and this looked aesthetically so much better without the sign too.
Below are some photos of the installation:
After experimenting, I decided to cover just the base of the monitor with lace. I had not covered this properly when I took the photo below. Here I was just playing around with the fabric to get a rough idea, but I have since covered just the base. The first top 2 photos above are practically how the finished installation looks barring the covering of the base of the screen.
The video (below) is my finished video that is part of my installation to be viewed inside the hypothetical AI dome/tent structure:
The sound on this video (above) is how I intended it to be, though the video has lost some quality by uploading to youtube. However I encountered a few problems with the monitor that I borrowed to use in the show. Firstly I noticed loss of quality in both audio and video. Originally I thought this was due to limited formats and settings which the screen would only play, but now I'm thinking could it be the read speed of the flash drive? I bought a 2.0, 8 Gb flash drive with a read speed of 25 mb per second, which I thought would be fast enough, but in hindsight I should have bought one with a faster read speed. I will experiment using my class 10 SD card that I have already which has a read speed of 30 mb/s. This may not work any faster either due to going via a USB 2 card reader, but I will try it out before the show by downloading a speed tester to see. However I will also see if any of my friends have got a flash drive with higher read speeds that I could borrow for the show as I would ideally like the quality to be better. If no one has I will have to buy another flash drive as I think this may definitely be worth a go, but I just wish that I thought of this earlier.
Although there are imperfections with the video and audio when using the monitor, overall I am really happy with the way the installation has turned out. I'm looking forward to seeing The Traveller in the group setting, along with feeling excited about seeing everyone's finished artworks, as from what I've seen already, I think it's going to be a fantastic show.
This week has also been fab meeting the group which are a really lovely bunch of people. Jonathan kindly invited us all round his house for food which was really cool. I also found there to be an unusual familiarity meeting the online students, since we have chatted via skype for 2 years but have never met before. I've never encountered meeting people this way round until now, which for me has been an interesting unique experience.
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Plans for the Final Show 2:
a. Please outline your plans for what you will be showing (please give lots of details even though I know most of your ideas, with 19 students it can be difficult to remember exact details!)
The materials for the dome/tent structure will be made using elasticated tent tubes, with a strong tarpaulin floor base with added eyelets in to secure the poles. The white tarpaulin floor sheet will be covered by large bubbled bubble wrap which will be pre-popped and sewn onto the tarpaulin. The top cover of the dome will be made using cling film and small amounts of thin blue cotton to create a vein, web type effect. Along with 30 or so, 5 inch clear balloons interweaved into the mesh. Ideally I would like this placed in the middle of a slightly darkened room.
I'm aiming at everything being contained within the structure, except for a sign saying 'Enter Alone' that will be placed on the floor just outside. Inside I will be showing two videos which are joined together to be played on a loop. I will be using a 32 inch screen that plays via a USB memory stick. The sound is quite quiet, so in a group setting I think headphones will probably work best. Inside the structure will also be a plinth and cushion.
b. What equipment will you need (please indicate if you will be using your own equipment or if you need to borrow or hire stuff from college)
c. If you cannot get the exact equipment you need please suggest a basic alternative option
N/A I have checked that this is all ok to borrow.
d. Provide some rough sketches showing your ideas:
The first photo below is of a maquette to give a rough idea of what the tent/dome structure will look like. The second photo is of a plinth and cushion that I have made for inside the structure.
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Plans for the Final Show 1:
a. Please outline your plans for what you will be showing (please give lots of details even though I know most of your ideas, with 19 students it can be difficult to remember exact details!)
I will be making a dome shaped structure. The dimensions will be: height:140cm, base: 200cm x 200cm.
The materials for the dome/tent structure will be made using elasticated tent tubes, with a strong tarpaulin floor base with added eyelets in to secure the poles. The white tarpaulin floor sheet will be covered by large bubbled bubble wrap which will be pre-popped. The top cover of the dome will be made using cling film and small amounts of thin blue wire to create a vein, web type effect. Along with 30 or so, 5 inch clear balloons interweaved into the mesh. Ideally I would like this placed in the middle of a slightly darkened room.
I'm aiming at everything being contained within the structure, except for a sign saying 'Enter Alone' that will be placed on the floor just outside. Inside I will be showing three, five minute videos, which will be played randomly. I will be using a laptop which will be slightly disguised. The laptop will be opened flat out, vertically standing on a contraption that I'm in the process of making. The keyboard will be covered which can easily be removed to access the computer - all the vents on the laptop will be left clear. I will be using a Kensington lock to secure the laptop. The sound is quite quiet, I was planning on using speakers for this, but I will bring headphones along to experiment and see which works best in a group setting.
b. What equipment will you need (please indicate if you will be using your own equipment or if you need to borrow or hire stuff from college)
I will be using my own laptop, but I would like to borrow an extension cable and some special rubber cover to avoid trip hazard.
c. If you cannot get the exact equipment you need please suggest a basic alternative option
N/A
d. Provide some rough sketches showing your ideas:
Jonathan suggested the area marked with a red square on the third floor for my installation. I really like this space, it's perfect. Below is a map of the the third floor space.
Below is a photo of a maquette to give a rough idea of what the tent/dome structure will look like, along with an idea for the laptop contraption. I may be borrowing a screen if it's available so this will look different if I do. I haven't seen the screen yet but if it's not white I would like to cover it to blend in with the tent/dome materials.
Below is a photo of a maquette to give a rough idea of what the tent/dome structure will look like, along with an idea for the laptop contraption. I may be borrowing a screen if it's available so this will look different if I do. I haven't seen the screen yet but if it's not white I would like to cover it to blend in with the tent/dome materials.
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