On 29th December 2001 we took the animation machine to the PESC New Gallery on Jamaica Street in Bristol. I will start with some of the animation sequences that were created. For each I have shown the sequence twice and then shown how it was created. The latter is speeded up to 300% as this shows the process well.
Circle of Cups
Spinning
Cup Run Away
Not So Fast
Switch and Squat
The venue we managed to secure was on in Stokes Croft around a mile from the centre of Bristol. It had large windows which meant that using a video projector was going to be a challenge. I have used video projectors in the day before and as long as you do not want a very large image is works well. Partly to reduce the light and partly to stop people seeing in to make them inquisitive we hung blackout over the bottom 6 foot of the windows.
We decided that it was a good idea to have the event between Christmas and new year because I have found it to be a time when not a lot is happening but there are still people around. We only had a week to promote the event but as it was a work in progress we did not want a lot of people to cone, we were aiming for 10-15. It was publicised using Facebook with the following description:
Anistallation – An interactive installation using animation and photography
Come along to a private viewing of a work in progress at PRSC New Gallery Jamaica Street of an interactive installation using user created animation and photography.
We deliberately left the description quite vague as experimentation was a big part of what we wanted people to be interested in and we did not want to give people any preconceptions as to what the event was going to involve.
The housing had been completed by Jon and everything was assembled. The idea was to make it look like a large camera to give people the idea that there picture was going to be taken. The animation machine consisted of a single unit with the camera in the front and the projector at the back. This was to give the idea of it being a single unit (machine) that automatically created the animations.
One thing that became apparent very quickly was that the spectators were enjoying the installation almost as much as the participants, sometimes more. As an installation it had to be engaging for those not directly creating the animation sequences. Those watching also acted as entrenchment for those participating. The enjoyment of the spectators was particularly apparent when the sequences were played back, this really invigorated people and there were lots of big smiles and laughs. People were sometimes reluctant to try to create animations until they had seen people doing it. Also some people much preferred to take part where several people were engaging at once. I think this was partly because people were self conscious. A good example of this was the spinning animation. A lot of people got involved in this as it was very simple, more and more people started engaging and eventually almost everybody was involved.
Using Roger Caillois framework I noted the following:
There was defiantly a lot of velocity based play. The spinning animation is a good example of this and several people found moving fast between frames to position themselves enjoyable. As engaging with the exhibit almost always involved movement it was interesting to see many people enjoying this for there own sake. In a way trying to stand still for long periods is also a velocity experience. This may of been to hold a pose and wait for the camera to take a picture or stand still while others move around you.
Due to the nature of the exhibit chance is a big part of the experience as you don’t know quite when the camera will take a picture. It is not until the sequence is played that you know exactly how well your ideas will work. When groups of people engage at once this becomes even more so. Not having the shutter release sound also added to this.
It was interesting to watch the relationship between velocity, chance and skill. The more velocity based activities such as spinning relied more on chance and the more precise ones such as the circle of cups required a lot of skill. The skill included judging when the shutter would fire and judging the amount of movement needed to create the sequence you wanted.
Simulation was a big part of the more intricate sequences such as Circle of Cups. It was almost possible to put velocity at one end and simulation at the other of a continent. Some of the sequence were random and velocity based and some trying to simulate things that happen and sometimes things that do not.
We did not implement the shutter release noise and this meant that people tried to work out exactly when the picture was being taken which for some was enjoyable but some people found it a little frustrating. For more velocity based activities such as moving slowly this did not matter.
When people were trying to be more precise such as moving an object and wanting it to look like it was moving on its own this was more crucial. The Circle of Cups sequence is a good example of this.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how long we should record the sequences for and the frame-rate we would use when compiling the video file. One thing a few people observed was that 3 minutes seemed like a long time when doing the same thing (e.g. spinning) so I am glad I kept the duration to a minimum. To get good looking movement a frame rate of at least 5 frames per second is required and that requires 60 pictures to create a sequence of 8 seconds. Playing the video 3 times seemed to work well as it enabled people to see what they had created without missing anything. I think we got the balance right, although people commented on the duration no one abandoned creating a sequence half way.
We played different types of music during the event and it seemed to have an effect. When ambient movement was played people tended to be more graceful and faster music created more hectic reactions. We also found that props worked well. Some enjoyed animation just biased on moving there body but when props were provided, such as cups, people tended to engage in more skill based play. The cups were particularly successful.
If I was to do the exhibit again I think I would make it easier for people to know when the shutter would fire. I like the element of randomness you get when you do not know when the shutter fires but even if you know you can still ignore it. If we did it again I would of had a series of bleeps similar to that of a countdown when a camera is on a self timer and I think this would work well. I would also have more props as some of the most fun sequences involved cups and I would like to encourage more of this.
