Windows is a (mostly) cozy view of two windows whose blinds open and close based on your blinks. Outside, you can see the birds flying by.
A couple things prompted this idea: a desire explore Processing’s API in conjunction with FaceOSC, a play on the word “mask” as the object that covers a face and “mask” as the image processing tool, and a take on that cheesy saying “eyes are the windows to the soul”. I set out to create something minimalistic and cozy like all those pleasant app store games, but as I worked through implementation details I discovered an interesting tension between the demands that the software makes of the viewer and its desire to be cozy. I decided to emphasize this inconsistency by introducing sudden and uncomfortable changes when the viewer can no longer be detected by the camera. I didn’t plan for an involved concept behind this work, but perhaps there’s a reading in there about how we perceive our digital infrastructure and how we can become desensitized (or shall I say blinded ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) to the odd demands it may make of us.
Besides the conceptual reading, I’m pleased at how satisfying the interaction with the blinds is. You can see the gaps between the blinds as they fall down, and the cord to the side rises and falls opposite the movement of the blinds. For this reason, my performance is mostly just me having fun blinking at the program when it works and bobbing my head at the camera when it doesn’t.