Site-specific Media

Spectra: A Color Light Orchestra

At 9:20 pm on Thursday, May 15 2008, a group of students gathered on the Carleton College Bald Spot to put on an improvisatory sound and light performance. Their instruments? Laptops. Using a Power Point program that contained seven slides, each with a different color and tone, they used their computers to create a soundscape that softly drifted away from the group. The music produced was atonal and calming, while the solid-colored slides of the power point presentation turned the performers’ faces different colors as they switched notes. The overall feel was one of community and reflection.

This piece started with an assignment to think critically about laptops, and to discover a new and compelling way to use them. Spectra: A Color Light Orchestra was an attempt to challenge the purposes and uses of laptops, as well as an attempt to bring a community together to create an instantaneous, improvised performance. The simplicity of the PowerPoint file, as well as the ubiquitous nature of Microsoft, meant that everyone, regardless of their operating system, computer age, or laptop choice, could participate in the project and enjoy themselves.

We chose to perform our piece on the Bald Spot because of its centrality. We created Spectra to encompass as many people as wanted to participate, and the large open space emphasized this and allowed us to be seen from many points on campus. While the specific location was not essential—we could have performed the piece at night in many other public spaces—the social presence and physical “space” of the laptops themselves were essential. Also, because of the ephemeral nature of an improvised performance, even with documentation the exact piece will never be performed again. New people may take the idea and implement it again and again, but the social community and the music and light patterns produced will always be slightly different.

With all that in mind, Spectra is easily implemented, thanks to a few easy steps. Download the PowerPoint file here, assemble a group with laptops at night, perform the piece, and enjoy!  Visit spectra2008.blogspot.com for more details.

An Invitation to watch "the most effective traffic safety motion picture," inside a car [Wain Yee]

My site-specific media exhibit is to project “the most effective traffic safety motion picture *” inside a car. The car is parked on the pedestrian area outside of a building. Signs and instructions are written on the outside of the car, inviting curious viewers to sit in the driver’s seat and watch the video which is projected on the passenger side window. The video being shown is an excerpt from a drivers education film in Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films (2003). The passenger sidedoor is locked and the passenger side window is covered by a white sheet to limit only one participant at a time to enter the car. The projector is placed at the back of the car behind the driver’s seat. The audio of the film is played by the computer which is also positioned behind the viewer. The video is set to loop playback, and the whole exhibit is not monitored by any individuals to encourage voluntary participation.

This exhibition attempts to challenge the idea of how to best experience the reality of the film world. Nowadays with popular high-definition video and surrounding sound technology, viewers are only concerned with excellent picture and sound quality (for example, accurate color or solid and clean sound), in order to feel more immersed in the film world that they wish to experience. However, no matter how high-tech the playback devices become, audiences are always comfortably placed in front of a white screen or a monitor. There is no actual physical connection established to bridge the film world and the real world.

This site specific video projection is an attempt to blend the film world with reality. Watching this traffic safety film inside of a car, in contrast to a drivers education classroom, the audience immediately associates itself with the content of the films. By positioning viewers in the driver's seat, a strong sense of responsibility is given to the viewers as they watch the accidents and death happen in the film. The victims in the film can be viewed as video doubles of the real-life passengers.  It is as if the viewers are watching the tragic consequences when they drive recklessly. The audio of the film, that comes from behind the viewers, can also serve as a conversation from the passengers in the back seat to remind viewers to drive safely.

In order to intensify the viewing experience, I purposefully project the video on the passenger side window, rather than on the windshield. Unlike the forward view that we all are accustomed to when we get inside of a car, the viewers are forced to turn their heads to the right side to watch the video. However, this obstructed view of the accident on film also functions ironically as a distraction as if we were driving in reality. I also limit only one participant at a time to view the video to create a forced and isolated viewing environment, which I believe will give the viewers more room for reflection of the film's content. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A notebook is left inside the for viewers to leave feedback and thoughts. Here are some comments from anonymous participants:

“This movie shocked me into believing the power of new media!”
“I think this is a great display – and watching the video does make me feel like I’m talking to the passenger instead of looking ahead like I should. This is really something different – mix of real and unreal; like an authentic captivating exhibit. Kudos.”
“In a creepy way – it was really good!"
“Good concept.”
“This is such an intense way to perceive this film – all my senses are heightened. My pulse is racing. The hazard lights are a nice touch – it reminds me I’m in a car.”
“These images are really graphic.”
“This is way intense.”

*Reference:
Option To Live. Richard Wayman. Highway Safety Films. 1979.