Here are some ideas Shannon Bain and I have been throwing around for our final project. We hope to complete several of them with a common thread (perhaps all involving a concrete platform/pedestal)
locker worm
an x-y plane of buzzing motors inside a row of lockers with two locks as the controls – like a big noisy Etch-a-Sketch.
sound governor
speaker with microphone suspended above. microphone lowers to increase ambient sound level. display strives to maintain a constant decibel level in the room.
comfort zone
BMW seat strapped to a cement base with hydraulic pumps. When the ambient termperature hits room temperature, the pumps go crazy.
fascist factory
immersive environment which presents a viewer with video and audio material. The installation tries to effect changes in the affect of the subject. Using an AI learning algorithm (hill climbing, a*, neural net, or maybe even minimax) to measure subject’s responsiveness to the tactics used.
rock show
lights and explosions and a red mop of hair representing Tawny Kitane.
cellular automata locker
evolving mobile cellular automata. dual worm system. worms create buzz in locker door.
big dumb accelerometer
a big cute and dumb barebones “thing” that somehow evokes empathy based on its appearance. Inside it is a cheap home-made accelerometer (4 hall-effect sensors around a magnet with a little bit of play). Also has a voice chip, some IR proximity sensors, and a source of amplification (either via radio, or a just a built-in speaker). The big dumb accelerometer is taken to the top of a building (preferably Bobst library) and thrown off the edge. Just before it crashes on the ground, it cries out, “But wait!…”