Collaborative Street Projections
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Imagine you’re walking along the street in the city and you see someone ‘spray painting’ a car or building. An legitimate response would be “Criminal”, “Derro Kids” or even, “Vagabond youth causing wanton destruction”. But how about if it was virtual?
A relatively new outlet for artists to vent their creative talent (and non-damagingly on property) is street projections. This requires –you guessed it- projector, some digital interface (usually a laptop, tablet PC or palmtop) and a power source. Include in there eager crowds of onlookers wanting to give their ‘2 cents’ worth of contribution and you have a recipe for an exciting night. Jerrem , being the instigator of this new tangent, acquired the necessary equipment and we hit the streets of Mt Lawley one balmy autumn night. Prospect of imminent downpour from the burgeoning cumulonimbus east and west kept us on our toes; ready to dash for cover to save few thousand dollars worth of camera/ projection equipment.
The artist canvas is the table pc software designed for drawing. You use a stylus like a brush and choose from a virtual paint board. You can mix, smear, splodge, dab or any other highly technical paint action. You can project pretty much on anything but obviously white flat surfaces work best. Curious passes by are encouraged to paint what they like; in a hope to encourage expression of that particular individual (within reason obviously). The hope for this is to foster interaction between strangers, creating a sense of community; grandiosely in the end, to a better society.
What lies ahead in street projecting you may ask?
With the advent of Wii remote (Bluetooth infrared sensor enabled camera/ controller), you are able to, whilst using it as either a camera sensor, or controller, ‘virtually’ control the street projection. Now a whole box of goodies has come into the equation. Infrared enabled devices like pens, mock-spray cans, ‘IR bouncy balls’ and paint rollers etc… You could spray paint a car, or buildings legally, ‘tag it up’ and not have any trace of it after the projector is silenced. Jerrem is fast developing this new interface, with sometimes the help and sometimes hindrance of me. But all in all, it’s for creative freedom and fuller expression for us and for passersby.
