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Mirror_SPACE
Mirror_SPACE, 2004/05 Interactive Installation (long version) by Brigitta Zics from cognitiveloop on Vimeo.
Mirror_SPACE is an interactive installation that was developed from 2004 to 2005 by Brigitta Zics, a German artist whose expertise is in experiential, computational art. With the help of musician Jörg Lindenmaier and graphics programmers Jerome Thoma and Matthias Weber, the artist was able to create an interactive, real-time-scanning space that offers its users a unique experience, rich in senses.
What generated this project was “CApsule” that collected and analyzed data and the facial properties of the users, Mirror_SPACE Visualisation, Mirror_SPACE Sound Environment, and an external tracking software called “augenblick 1.o.” When people enter the space in which the project is installed, mirrored images of the participants are transformed, according to physical properties of the individual and different data pertaining to the world. The reflection of people within the environment in which the project is taking place are changed into visual representations that resemble microbes that then float around, interacting with one another. Colors and forms are generated by analysis on the person’s inner and outer states.
The project is an interesting installation for people to engage in and observe. As an architecture student, I was intrigued by the project because it encompasses various senses and is central to human experience and space. I believe that the installation, through sensational interactions, awakens and enables people to view themselves in a different, unique way and further realize that they are part of a bigger world. However, application of the project seems challenging. Perhaps psychological experiments and educational events could be some options. With the advancement of technology and the growth of social media, subjects such as personal and social identities have become much more complex. Installations like these could continue to be used to allow for discussions and reflections on one’s identity and place in the world.
On a side note, although I understand the purpose of the project and its possible mental impact on the users, I was confused as to how individual participants would recognize themselves in the crowd of these “mirror images” or representations of people. If the purpose of this installation is to have people to experience, feel, and understand themselves and their beings through a mirror image reflective of their inner states, it should be easier for the users to follow their image that floats around in the screen, so that more intimate connections can be made. Nonetheless, Mirror_SPACE is a comprehensive work that deserves merit for its power to provoke human senses through the use of computational art.
More information on the project can be found on the official website.