varvara's "hyperreal" zone


 
- Projects in progress
- SONIMA
- Shopping in 1 Minute
- Augmented Photography
- My name is 192.168.159.16
- Experiment Arctic
- Dolls in Motion
- Introducing Mobile Media into Social Work with at-risk Children
- ECHOES

SONIMA - is a sonic organic sculpture that lives in symbiosis with a tree. The sculpture produces sounds based on wind and/or human interaction with it. Although Sonima looks like an animal, it produces human-like sounds, like sneezing and croaking.
The main materials used: latex, wool, sound circuits, and conductive thread.

My aim is to re-think nature and the urban environment around us. To be more specific, I am creating a new form of symbiosis. My inspiration comes from nature and its regulatory systems of co-existence and interaction that is known as symbiosis. For me the beauty of symbiosis within biology is processes where two organisms act as one yet still exist as separate species, such as a host and a graft. Thus, SONIMA acts as a graft and uses a tree as a host.
More about process of development>>




Shopping in 1 Minute - is an artgame that is playfully criticizing the increasing desire of society for consumption. Our inspiration for creating the artgame came from the craziness of people during the sales period: long lines in front of supermarkets, stone-age-style behavior, lots of useless products, etc.

Thus, we are inviting audience to train for the next sales period. A player has to scan as many products as possible during a minute. As a reward each player will receive a ticket with bonus points according to his score.

The project was developed in collaboration with Mar Canet Sola

Another aspect of the project was the selection of media, our aim was to replace a computer screen and integrate various devices for making the installation more rich. Thus, we came up with arcade-like screen that we built on our own. In the box are a LED-display, 7sigment LEDs, Arduino, light and an imagine (many thanx to Sabina Dallu!) of special light-sensitive paper.




Augmented Photography - when it is spoken about interactive or augmented photography then immediately one has in mind the representation of photos in digital format (on computer or phone screen, projection, etc) that are manipulated through software or any other code. Yes, the interactive pictures can react on our touch, voice, weather, or whatever. But those interactive photos are still just pixels.

My artwork – Augmented Photography – is not about pixels. It is about re-thinking printed photography. Current artwork is more than a framed picture – it has its behavior and it is able to react on observers.

I am adding liveliness to a doll on the picture through eye movements. If none is looking at the picture the doll’s eyes are closed. Only time-to-time, she is waking up and asking for attention. When the photograph is approached, the doll on the picture opens her eyes and starts to blink to a viewer or just stare on him/her for a while. Hence, the artwork has different behaviors that could be explored by observing the picture for a while.

More about process of development>>




My name is 192.168.159.16 - is a metaphorical visualization of nowadays-human beings.  In my point of view we are not bounded to one body anymore. We are extended through networks to infinity. The location does not matter, what matters is connection. Thus, at this point I totally agree with Mitchell “disconnection would be amputation. I link therefore, I am.” We are becoming gradually fully equipped and totally dependent on technology cyberorgs.

The installation consists of 4 dolls in each a speaker inside, 4 relays, arduino, a computer, and a modem. We are using Processing, TTS (text to speech), and Arduino. The independent and at the same time isolated network is created. IP addresses are continuously renewed and sent to a random doll. Thus only one doll is speaking at a time (4 speakers are controlled by 4 relays through arduino).

Project developed in collaboration with Mar Canet Sola.

Exhibited at Fantasmarama group exhibition in Linz, Austria (September 09)

23rd Stuttgarter Filmwinter 20.-30.01.2010 (Stuttgart, Germany)

received a jury prize for media art installation at 23rd Stuttgarter Filmwinter!






Experiment Arctic - is a new media art installation, which talks about global warming and its consequences. The current artwork differs from the other works of this field by it temporality. A piece of ice that placed on the special table is let to melt in order to visualize the real situation that is happening in Arctic Sea. The water from melting ice controls videos that are projected on the top of ice and table. Visuals are about global warming, shrinking ice in the North Pole, and correspond to different water levels. Thus, the work aims to shake our consciousness and experiment with a new and temporal medium like ice.
The swinging hairdryers are another part of installation. The dryers are used as a metaphor for our consumption-oriented society. During the installation the hairdryers are constantly on, and thus, making the ice to melt faster. However, in the room is the red button. If it is constantly pressed, the hairdryers are off. It means by taking a really physically act one can contribute to slowing down the melting process.

In collaboration with Andrej Boleslavsky, Kanno So, and Mar Canet Sola
Supported by Asia-Europe Foundation

“Experiment Arctic” was exhibited at Cellsbutton#3 (01.-08.08.09) in Yogiyakarta, at The Royal Interface Cultures Masquerade Ball during Ars Electronica (03.-08.09.09) in Linz, Austria.



Dolls in Motion - the work is about getting dolls into motion. Just choose a song and dolls will dance for you!

The doll is moved by servo motor that is controlled through Arduino and Processing. A software written in Processing is analysing sound and send commands to move to Arduino. 3 buttons are actually computer mouse hack. It means that to each mouse click corresponds a song.



“Magic Forest”(in German „Zauberwald“) is a mobile pervasive game developed in the framework of master thesis (“Introducing Mobile Media into Social Work with at-risk Children”). The game was just one part of the introducing project. After the “Magic Forest” children were encouraged to come up with their own game concept and later supported to realize it technically.
Concerning technical part, it was used Moles for Kids and MiniMolesRS software, and mobile phones.
When it comes to structural part, the children were playing in four groups, they had to find several locations, complete the tasks, work as a team and at the end find the treasure. So the game was story based, instructions and the story were presented as audio files, and images from different maps provided.
According to the fact that “Magic Forest” is based on social organization goals regarding the at-risk children, the game was played in the forest in order to prevent extra destruction and achieve better concentration. Moreover, play in teams improved collaboration, and pervasive mobile game had a positive effect on self-esteem and physical activity. And even more, I believe through the game youth got augmented experience in the forest.
In the end I would like to add that such mobile exploration and observation could be used a method regarding the social work with the children.

The presentation concerning the topic can be found here





ECHOES - A Crazy Multiplayer Pervasive Game.

Game-play: a crazy guy, who escaped from a mental hospital, has to run across the streets of the city, searching, retrieving and recognizing sounds in a race that will take him either to his freedom, or back to the mental institution.
The doctors need to follow the fugitive’s track based on the pictures they receive and trap him before he finds his common sense and thus, becomes cured.

Technology: two Sony Vaio UX180P Micro-PCs (UMPCs) which run the Windows Vista and provide built-in camera support were used. A compact flash RFID reader interface card was attached to each UMPC.
After reading a RFID card a crazy guy is able to take a picture. The picture is automatically uploaded to Flickr and sent to the doctors.

The paper concerning the ECHOES game can be found here.