Ralph-LookingOutwards-03
“Rewind” by Pauline Saglio is a series of digital clocks whose interface reacts to a certain manner of physical interaction. For example, when a gear is turn, it would start to unwind and the drawings on the clock would come to life while telling the time. I find this piece enjoyable to watch and well-crafted because it breaks the mold of the simple Campbell formula. The work does not react just to touch, but to a specific action, like turning a gear, and it seems to react in a plausible way to the physical input. What really surprised me was that the little elements in the clock were hand-drawn, rather than computationally generated. This quality sets the clocks apart from any old arduino-rigged digital clock, and becomes something quite personal. The only thing I wish to see would be just more of these clocks that react to different input, or one all-encompassing clock that can react to all of the different inputs and let those inputs interact in complicated ways.
The kinograph is a rig consisting of a digital camera, arduino, raspberry pi, and a bunch of 3D printed parts which work together to digitize films. This is a project that is utilitarian, but highly beneficial to the preservation of the arts. I can appreciate that this is just as important as the arts themselves. I know for a fact that many classics and landmark films have regrettably been lost and/or destroyed in fires. It is distressing for me to think how parts of our culture have been permanently lost, like losing something that has sentimental value to my history. The kinograph does not completely democratize film digitization (the cost of $3200 is nothing to sneeze at), but it is a huge improvement from the standard hundreds of thousands of dollars. It provides a much better alternative for private collectors and film studios, and it is a significant step forwards towards a complete democratization of the process, possibly saving thousands of pieces of our cultural history as well as preparing them for mass distribution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFXJa_1_bHg
“Missing” is an installation produced by The xx. Because it’s the brainchild of an extremely famous band, it seems to have a lot of ambition and professional polish. The form of the space and its function are both very well-crafted. As for the form, the way the lightbulbs, speakers, and wires are all arranged makes it look like the set of a high-budget music video, and the fact that it functions as an installation piece that reacts to its audience puts it streets ahead of other music video sets. What really surprised me was the resourcefulness of the creators. The piece was completed from scratch in the span of six weeks with relatively modest means. I would love to actually visit this site, since the piece can only be appreciated through direct presence and sound. I would also enjoy seeing the piece re-appropriated as a music video set, or otherwise interacting with something other than just random people walking through.