Collaborators 參與者:
Creative Directors: Xiaoniu Su-Chu Hsu, Jinyao Lin
Technology Designers: Jinyao Lin, Meng-Chieh Yu
Website Designers: Carven Chen, Xiaoniu Su-Chu Hsu
Multimedia Designers: Ying-Chung Chen, Jiun-Shian Lin, Shih-Chang Lin
Plastic Designers: Keng-Hau Chang, Geng-Hwa Chang
Art Type 作品形式:
Interactive artwork based on a wireless sensor network; also includes video projection, sculpture, and interactive internet web site.
Short abstract 作品簡述:
“One Million Heartbeats” is an interactive artwork using ZigBee wireless network sensors. It depicts struggle, and many people interpret it as commentary on political or social events. We show twin fetuses struggling in the “world” of the mother’s womb. We will collect one million heartbeats from participants – the behavior of participants will determine the characteristics of the babies and the experience of the mother. Participant comments become part of the piece. This artwork explores collective social behavior.
Artist’s statement作品論述:
“One Million Heartbeats” is an interactive artwork that derives its characteristics from the combined social behavior of participants. The work is based around an image of two twin fetuses, struggling in the “world” of the mother’s womb. As different participants interact with the artwork, the participants determine the characteristics of the fetuses and the experience of the mother.
This artwork explores collective social behavior. The experience of the artwork is determined not by individual actions, but by the collective actions of viewers – thus becoming itself a metaphor for global and social interaction.
Participants are represented by ZigBee wireless sensor. The artwork consists of three phases.
Phase 1: The participants use wireless devices to control images of sperm fertilizing ova. Multiple participants drive sperm simultaneously – choosing the gender, blood type, and Chinese astrological birth year of the participant.
Phase 2: The participants “donate” heartbeats using a biological sensor that measures pulse. The participants also shake a milk bottle. The heartbeats are applied to a collective counter, which also tabulates the cumulative characteristics selected in Phase 1. The birth mother is represented as a video display affixed to a chair – as heartbeats are donated and milk bottles shaken, the fetuses become animated and the mother demonstrates distress. The fetus images struggle and fight.
Phase 3: The participants have an opportunity to interpret the artwork (many do so very creatively, interpreting the twins’ struggle as a metaphor for IE vs. Firefox, van Gogh vs. Gaugin, the US vs. Afganistan, or the recent political struggle within Taiwan). Participant comments themselves become part of the artwork. After collecting one million heartbeats, the blog and artwork announce the birth of the babies and their characteristics.
For more information please see http://millionheartbeats.org
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