I looked after the hardware on this interactive installation for Airside. A kind of Lemon Jelly-ish chillout room, it is a reactive, animated onscreen magic forest inside a huge wooden crate, with typically quirky characters, music and sound effects triggered by visitors as they walk around inside.
Move up and down, and the octopii follow you
These guys follow you along their little branch
Airside’s promo films:
Building the prototype in Airside's basement
Testing the IR sensors overhead
The installation uses basic infra-red sensors to trigger sound and visuals: as people ‘step into the light’ (indicated by visuals projected on to the floor), the musical score evolves, various effects and loops come in and out, and onscreen animals start to sing and dance about. I wired everything up using basic MIDI triggering and built the basic software engine in Max/MSP alongside Guy Moorhouse (Flash programming) and Kwok Fung Lam (animation), with character design and direction from the rest of the Airside crew. The music and sound effects were composed by Fred Deakin (one half of a band called Lemon Jelly and big boss man at Airside).
The main view from the Walker Gallery
Little peep holes let you see what's going on inside
The main view as you enter
These chaps jump out of the ground near where you stand
These guys run away from wherever you stand
Setting up the projection screen
Using mirrors to squeeze a longer projector throw into a smaller space
Fitting the projection screen
Wiring up the ceiling sensors on top
Insyde was commissioned as part of the 2006 Liverpool Biennial and was on exhibit at the Walker Gallery from September 2006 until February 2007.
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