Parag Kumar Mital

Come checkout the Waterman’s Art Centre from the 6th of December until the 21st of January for an immersive and interactive visual experience entitled “Responsive Ecologies” developed in collaboration with artists captincaptin. We will also be giving a talk on the 10th of December from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. during CINE: 3D Imaging in Art at the Watermans Center.

Responsive Ecologies is part of a wider ongoing collaboration between artists captincaptin, the ZSL London Zoo and Musion Academy. Collectively they have been exploring innovative means of public engagement, to generate an awareness and understanding of nature and the effects of climate change. All of the contained footage has come from filming sessions within the Zoological Society; this coincidentally has raised some interesting questions on the spectacle of captivity, a issue which we have tried to reflect upon in the construction and presentation of this installation. The nature of interaction within Responsive Ecologies means that a visitor to the space cannot simply view the installation but must become a part of its environment. When attempting to perceive the content within the space the visitor reshapes the installation. Everybody has a degree of impact whether directed or incidental, and when interacting as a group it is interesting to see how collective behaviour can develop and incite the outcome of the work.

The installation will encompass participants in 360 degrees with a small door opening. Some pictures of a mock setup using 2 projectors:

And a short video:

Responsive Ecologies Test from pkmital on Vimeo.

Using overhead motion capture and 4 channels of video projection, users are invited to interact in an immersive cinematic environment. The video above shows a demo proof-of-concept for the upcoming installation in Waterman’s Art Centre, London, UK, where artists captincaptin and Parag K Mital have been collaborating to install their piece, “Responsive Ecologies” for their residency the next two months. The work occurs as part of a larger on-going collaboration with ZSL London Zoo and the Musion Academy.

Earlier I posted a video showing how the motion detection works:

Overhead Blob Detection from pkmital on Vimeo.

Using OpenCV with openFrameworks to do blob detection for an upcoming installation entitled “Responsive Ecologies” at the Waterman’s Art Centre in London, UK in collaboration with artists captincaptin.

Full exhibition text follows:

As part of a system of numerous dynamic connections and networks, we are reactive and deterministic to a complex system of cause and effect. The consequence of our actions upon our selves, the society we live in and the broader natural world is conditioned by how we perceive our involvement. The awareness of how we have impacted on a situation is often realised and processed subconsciously, the extent and scope of these actions can be far beyond our knowledge, our consideration, and importantly beyond our sensory perception. With this in mind, how can we associate our actions, many of which may be overlooked as customary, with for instance, the honey bee depopulation syndrome or the declining numbers of Siberian Tigers?

The expanding distance between our lives and the natural world has created a detachment in which we begin to lose the emotion of responsibility. The exhibition references this human-nature dislocation, creating a dynamic environment which can be effeced and controlled by the audience. It aims to symbolise an embodiment of ecology, exploring the relations of organisms, and their interactions with the environment.

Responsive Ecologies is part of an ongoing collaboration with ZSL London Zoo and Musion Academy. Collectively we have been exploring innovative means of public engagement, to generate an awareness and understanding of nature and the effects of climate change. All of the contained footage has come from filming sessions within the Zoological Society; this coincidentally has raised some interesting questions on the spectacle of captivity, a issue which we have tried to reflect upon in the construction and presentation of this installation. The nature of interaction within Responsive Ecologies means that a visitor to the space can not simply view the installation but must become a part of its environment. When attempting to perceive the content within the space the visitor reshapes the installation. Everybody has a degree of impact whether directed or incidental, and when interacting as a group it is interesting to see how collective behaviour can develop and incite the outcome of the work.

Gareth Goodison and Jonathan Munro have been working collaboratively as captincaptin since 2007, creating installations and sculptures, which interact and respond to public presence, to question the role of audience participation in the display and creation of contemporary art. They have presented their work at various new media events including Future Everything Festival, Abandon Normal Devices, Leeds Expo, and the V&A. Parag K Mital is a computational visual artist and PhD student at Goldsmiths Computing Dept. investigating questions of liminality, perception, and attention in mixed reality environments.

The exhibition continues outside the theatre, presenting more outcomes of this collaboration, including the work by artists Madi Boyd and Kira Zhigalina. Special thanks to ZSL London Zoo and Musion Academy.

http://www.watermans.org.uk/exhibitions/exhibitions/future-exhibitions/responsive-ecologies.aspx