glowing gratitude ||
This idea was born from an assignment given to five different groups: All with the task of finding a 'solution' to a 'problem,' based off an individual group topic. I was drawn to the assemblage of folks who thought 'Interacting with Our Environment' was worthwhile. What followed was a series of project ideas ranging from awareness posters to motion sensored garbage receptacles. Each were approached with acknowledgement of the 'problem' of personal responsibility: Less in the context of finger pointing and more in the idea of the golden rule. Road blocks ensued, ideas had been used before and I couldn't seem to shake the notion that maybe my 'problem,' had become the problem. Indeed. The words personal responsibility felt stuffy and pretentious. 'Personally responsible' had a more singular, less assuming effect, I thought. In fixing this specific linguistic issue, I thought of the power of words and the use of them in my environment. What was it that I was putting 'out there' in terms of action and speech. What was the tone I was emitting? 'What the Bleep Do We Know' introduced Masaru Emoto's belief that words can change the shape of water. Plant afficionados claim that speaking to your leafy friends will improve their overall appearance and growth. My mom thought it was an important philosophy to teach her children that if you had nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. I think there's merit to these ideas or principles. A lot of merit actually.
A word changing the shape of something...What does that kind of power look like?...Is there a way to see the shape of a word?...Soundwaves...Energy...The 1st law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created or destroyed.I wanted to know if I could take the recorded sound of the words 'thank you' and see a visual representation of it come to life in lights after it was triggered by a motion sensor.
I initially chose the words 'thank you' for I feel it's a significant phrase in our vocabulary. The expression has a nice 'warm' emission. I considered this a sound, sound.
In terms of the visual representation, I saw them (the words 'thank you') in an in-between space. Reminding me of the holographic Princess Leia pleading for Obi-Wan's help, that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Where did she go? Where did she come from? What does the space look like that she was in before her final destination? I want to go there.
With this in-between space, I also thought of time. Or moments, rather. The words thank you recognize gestures or subtle nuances. My initial 'problem' was morphing into details: In that regardless of size, they mattered. The observation of said moments, is equally significant.
The idea or vision of a conversation between two or more people have been a constant on this project. Within this construct, it was an ideal way to not only show a nuanced interactive element between the pillars but with the audience interacting with the piece. The visual story is displayed in two modes: A & B. Unfortunately, what you are seeing in the clip above is only mode B which is activated by the motion sensor. (Fortunately, there is a full length HD quality recording which lies in Professor Park's possession!) Mode A is visual free flowing 'thank yous' among 3 pillars. A natural flow of conversation that might occur between 3 separate entities. Each brightly glowing and dimming in a non-uniform pattern. Once the motion sensor is notified, the lights are programmed to mode B and a more formal visual sequence ensues. One light pillar 'speaks' then the next, then the third. All three then culminating into a bright pulsing unison pattern.
-This is just the tip of the iceberg, in my opinion. In the next few weeks, I'll be posting more details on this blog regarding the materials, parts and programming. Holy Toledo the programming! Without Professor Park's insatiable quest for the 'how' coupled with the patience of a non-mortal, this project wouldn't have seen the light of day. A billion thank yous wouldn't suffice. Chris and Drew...gratitude...let's take this piece to the next level.
What next? Streamlining. Sound. Continued nuance strengthening. Etc.
Check back periodically for more details!
