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Description of the author: "This interactive intervention is exploring the intersection between new technolo- gies, urban space, active participation and alien memory. The Schouwburgplein is transformed by the projection of inter- active portraits on the façade of the Pathé Cinema building. Over one thousand portraits, taken on the streets of Rotter- dam, Madrid, Mexico and Montreal will be shown, using robotically controlled projec- tors located around the square. However, the portraits will only appear inside the projected shadows of passers-by, whose silhouettes will measure between 2 to 22 metres high, depending on how far people are from the light sources placed on the floor of the square. When no one is walking past, the portraits cannot be seen, since the light sources on the floor completely wash them off with strong light. As soon as someone walks on the square, the shadow is projected and the portraits are revealed within it. A camera-based tracking system will monitor the |
location of the shadows in real time, and when the shadows match all the portraits in a given scene, the control computer will issue an automatic command to change the scene to the next set of portraits. This way the people on the square will be invited to embody different representa- tional narratives. Up to 80 people can take part at any given time, controlling 1,200 square metres of projections and creating a collective experience that nonetheless allows discreet individual participation. The shadow interface is a direct reference to Samuel van Hoogstraten's engraving "The Shadow Dance" which appears in his "In- leiding tot de Hogeschool der Schilder- kunst". This engraving, made in Rotterdam in 1675, shows a minute source of light placed at ground level and the shadows of actors taking on demonic, angelic charac- teristics depending on their size. Body Movies will transform the building into a vehicle to narrow the distance between people and urban representation." |
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