Project name: Blink
Type: Software | Urban Intervention
Artist: Marleen Andela
Coorporation partners: IBBT Ghent, IBBT-SMIT University of Brussels, Mmlab University of Ghent
Researchers : Prof. dr. Olga van Oost & Pieterjan De Potter
Year: 2012

In december 2011 the BLINK project proposal was granted with an Art&D-project grant of the IBBT (in Ghent, Belgium). This is a yearly program of project grants for artists (individuals or collectives) for projects that include ICT research (and collaboration with researchers) as a core element. This years theme was “Augmented Cities” For realisation of the project I will work with Pieterjan De Potter from MMlab of the University of Ghent and Prof. Dr. Olga van Oost from IBBT-SMIT of the University of Brussels. The project will start in january 2012 and it will end in december 2012.

1) SHORT DESCRIPTION

Blink is an interactive concept inspired by Chatroulette. Digital domain and public space are played off against one another to reveal social codes. The concept is as follows: Several computers are located in a public space. Together the computers form a network. Each computer displays a random web-cam image deriving from one of the computers within the network. When users blink their eyes, the display switches to another random web-cam image within the network.

The BLINK concept will be translated to an intervention in public space, (in form of an installation) and later on perhaps to an app for a tablet-computer or smart-phone. The final form of implementation depends on the results of social research and the technical capabilities.

2) ARTISTIC MOTIVATION

2.1) Artistic Goal

With the ‘BLINK’ project, I want to create an artistic experiment. It is about social relations in physical public space and digital public space. By staging an unusual interaction between those two, I want to create a new perspective. The aim is to let users perceive the influence that technology has on their behavior. Because this aspect of influence usually remains hidden in daily life. I want to achieve this by:

• User interface > By letting the interface respond to eye-blinking
  This way the users do not have entire control over what happens. Because eye-blinking can happen both conscious and unconsciously. Therefore the user experience will partially exist of a sense of control [which is key for an interface] but also of a sense of endurance. It is alright if this causes a little awkwardness: When someone is getting the feeling of being forced into something, one becomes more aware of the actual implications. So this sense of endurance might cause more alertness and awareness among the users.
  
  

• Scale >  By retaining a small-scaled network and situate it in a public space
  This will provoke a confrontation amongst users towards their attitude regarding the two different forms of public realm:  As a user of BLINK it is legitimate to make contact with a complete stranger. But what if there was a probability you would meet the person in real life?

2.2 ) State of the Art

To place the BLINK idea in a context, I will tell something about what motivates me to do things the way I do them. I am fascinated by coherence, patterns and processes. As an artist, I started as a sculptor, but I have gradually developed myself more and more towards media art. Meanwhile I make interactive installations and I work a lot with open-source software. Therefore, my fascinations [for coherence, patterns and processes] more and more transferred into a fascination for social processes.  



A flock of starlings is a good illustration of what fascinates me. I think that we are just like the starlings. In our society there are a hole bunch of tendencies and processes that occur simultaneously. There are rules and habits and we are continuously influenced by all kinds of things. Most of it we don’t even notice. Nevertheless , without being aware of it, we form a whole.
To look at myself and others in a new way, I frequently work with ICT and new media. I find these interesting tools to work with, because they play a very prominent role in our lives.

2.3) Where dit the BLINK idea came from?

The idea for BLINK derived from the Matchmaker 1.0 project. This was a cooperation between me and Eva van der Velden. The project was intended to investigate communication via heartbeat. The Matchmaker 1.0 selects a ‘match’ by comparing the participants’ heartbeats to each other. When two or more participants are in the same cadence, a line is displayed between them. When designing this system we wondered whether participants would be willing to reveal themselves. In practice people did not object. On the contrary, people didn’t mind at all.  By participating in the installation people became more open and dared to have a chat with strangers they didn’t knew. In this case, the medium between the people caused people to be more open to each other. The medium functioned as a mask. So paradoxically,  a certain distance can result in more openness. This is the starting point of the BLINK concept.
This phenomenon can also bee seen in the use of multimedia. The overcoming of distances, is intrinsically creating a new distance. Take social media for example: We are influenced by those in the same way: The distance causes more openness. We share more with more people. But do we really connect? And does it make us more social?

Another extreme example for this  this phenomenon is Chatroulete. The BLINK concept has some clear similarities with it. It’s bizarre to see what people are capable of  when you give them a web-cam and you let them communicate with a stranger on the other side of the world. It seems like all shame disappears. Hence, Chatroulette is a platform for the most common and basic scenes imaginable. In Chatroulette, the other really remains ‘another’. He is degraded to a screen far away, someone you do not have to worry about. To which you can say and do anything because it doesn’t matter.
Where Chatroulette stops, I want to take another step ahead. I want to get closer to the users’ skin by the use of bio-feedback [eye-blinking] and by changing the scale.

3) THE RESEARCH

3.1) Summary artistic motivation:

The emphasis of the BLINK project lies in creating a user-interface that fits the user so close to the skin that it makes him think. This interface is used to create an urban intervention in which public space and digital domain are played off against one another.

3.2) Innovation Challenge:

The biggest challenge in this project is to create an urban intervention that influences the environment in a positive way by causing more awareness and stimulate social contact between people.

3.3 ) The trajectory:

First, a pilot version of the software must be developed. This will happen at the Multimedia Lab from the University of Ghent, under supervision of Pieterjan De Potter. After a first version with a very basic interface is developed, we can submit the installation to some test persons, by organizing an intervention in public space. Together with Prof. Dr. Olga van Oost of IBBT SMIT of the University of Brussels, I will do participative studies and observations. This approximately will happen somewhere around September 2012. The results of the research are going to be published and in the future they might be incorporated in a second R&D cycle.

Oogtv Telecast ( Dutch only )
In this broadcast of the local telivision station Oogtv there is interview with Marleen Andela about the cross over presentation about art & technology at the CBK Groningen. In this group show there are two works on display that are made by Marleen: the FlowApp and SerendipityApp. the item starts after 9.00 minutes. (in Dutch only, no subtitles available)

Oogtv Uitzending
In deze aflevering van de locale televisiezender Oogtv is er een interview te zien met Marleen Andela. Het gaat over de cross over presentatie over kunst & technologie in het CBK Groningen. In deze groeps-expositie zijn twee werken te zien van Marleen: FlowApp en SerendipityApp. Het item begint na 9.00 minuten.

Matchmaker 1.0 @ Piksel Festival

November 17,  2011 – Januari 8 , 2012
Gallery 3,14 -  Bergen  (Norway)

From  November 17 to November 20,  2011,  the Piksel festival will take place in Bergen (Norway).  Piksel is an annual event for artists and developers working with free and open source software, hardware and art. Part workshop, part festival, it involves participants from more than a dozen countries exchanging ideas, coding, presenting art and software projects, doing workshops, performances and discussions on the aesthetics and politics of free and open source software.

Artists Eva van der Velden and Marleen Andela will participate with their interactive installation Matchmaker 1.0. The installation will be shown at Gallery 3,14. This is the main Piksel show and it will be on untill the 8th of january.

The Matchmaker 1.0 consists of a circle of seven panels equipped with infrared sensors. There is a visualization in the middle of the circle. The participants’ heart rate is measured when they place their finger on the sensor. The computer compares the heart rate rhythms. When the heart rates are in sync this is visualized using a line. The longer one or more hearts are in the same cadence, the clearer the line between them becomes.

www.piksel.no

Title: FlowApp[beta]
Type: Computer application
Year: 2010-2011
Artists: Marleen Andela
Made with: Processing

Title: SerendipityApp 0.1
Type: Computer Application
Year: 2011
Artist: Marleen Andela
Made with: Processing

The SerendipityApp is made out of 15 processes which are functioning independently from one another. The processes are constantly repeated and draw lines on the screen. These loops are of track, resulting in Spirograph-like drawings. Most of the loops emerged by accident. They are the result of mistakes in trigonometry, recursion, or other kind of mistakes in the programming-language. They arose in the period Marleen just started programming (and actually did not not have any clue of what she was doing). They are all precursors of the FlowApp

The loops respond to two parameters: horizontal position of the mouse on the screen and the vertical position. The total screen-resulution of the app is 1280 by 768 pixels. This results in 1280*768=983040 different configurations. Also each process has its own check box with which the process can be enlarged, wich increases the possibilities for each individual moment up to 983040*15^2 = 32212254720. Within endless amount possibilities lies a new chance for serendipity.

More…

Definition of serendipity (Wikipedia)
Definition of spirograph (Wikipedia)

Since 2010 Marleen Andela keeps a diary of failed computer programs. De computers-programs do operate, but they don’t do what Marleen wants them to do. At the CBK Marleen Andela will exhibit a new work based on one of this failed computer-programs, called SerendipityApp.

Marleen Andela also will be showing a new version of FlowApp. Flow is a concept for a space in which fantasy and reality merge into one. Such a space could also be called a hyper space.

Title: Matchmaker 1.0
Type: Interactive installation
Year: 2011
Artists: Eva van der Velden & Marleen Andela
Made with: Processing & Arduino

The Matchmaker 1.0 select’s a “Match” by comparing your heartbeat to those of other participants. Here’s how it works:
Your heart rate is measured when you place your finger on the sensor. The computer compares the heart rhythms to those of the other participants. When the heart rhythms are in sync this is visualized using a line.

Matchmaker step by step

Matchmaker version 1.0.2
Location: WEP Foundation, Groningen, Netherlands
Pictures: Eva van der Velden, Rutger Prins

The Installation The Matchmaker 1.0 consists of a circle of seven panels equipped with infrared sensors. There is a visualization in the middle of the circle.

Instructions Take place at one of the panels and place your index finger on the sensor. In front of you, a representation of your heart beat will be shown.

The computer compares your heart rate with that of the other participants.

If both rhythms continue to be in sync, the line gets clearer. Eventually there will be a match. Then the line turns red. Matches are really rare.

Comments

“Funny. finally after 33 year a match! Thanks”
-
Kees & Jeanette

“Wow, fascinating! I had a match with myself”
-
Anonymous

“I was “Matched” with my own partner, really nice! Exciting too!”
-
Anonymous

Previous Versions

Matchmaker version 1.0.1

Matchmaker version 1.0.2

Findings from previous versions

The Matchmaker was intended as a social experiment. Participation makes one aware of its own internal biology. When designing this system we wondered whether participants would be willing to reveal themselves. In practice people did not object. However, some people were concerned whether the heart beats would be recorded.

Nearly all the spectators wanted to try our system. People watched until there was a vacant space. Most visitors understood without an explanation how to participate. The appreciation of the experience increased when additional explanations were given.

Our expectations were that the new system might shed a new light on social relations. But it appears that people mostly become more aware of themselves. Participants generally became mesmerized by the display and their own part in it. When a participant had no connection with any other participant they generally became disappointed.

Participants didnd’s make much eye contact, but they did started to talk to each other. In general, the lines that appear where short and dynamic, and seemed mainly to be generated by chance. It was difficult to draw any conclusions on what is displayed. What the matches mean and whether they have anything to do with love is so difficult to answer.

Changelogs

Version 1.0.2:

- In version 1.0.1, the indicating lines bounced allong witch the pulses of the participants. This was causing some confusion. The lines now derive from a static point in front of the heart rate monitor.

- Some people were arguing that version the results of version 1.0.1 were too vague. We tried to create more clarity about the matches by adding a new algorithm: Lines will now turn red when two ore more people’s hearts are particularly long in the same cadence, indicating a match.

Special thanks

The Matchmaker 1.0 sofware is based on code sample’s from:
Meng Li
&
Charles Martin

More…

About the technics:

Principles of Pulse Oximetry Technology

Exhibitions & festivals date’s:

Sept 23, 2011: Matchmaker 1.0 @ Discovery Festival
Juli 17, 2011: Matchmaker 1.0 @ “Stichting WEP”
June 4, 2011: Matchmaker 1.0 @ Nacht van Kunst en Wetenschap

The Matchmaker 1.0 is an idea of Eva van der Velden and Marleen Andela | 2011

Matchmaker 1.0 @ Discovery Festival

Septemer 23, 2011 Nemo Museum,  Amsterdam From 9.00 pm till 04.00 am

On Friday Septemer 23, the Discovery Festival will take place at the Nemo Museum in Amsterdam. Artists Eva van der Velden and Marleen Andela will participate with their interactive installation Matchmaker 1.0:

The Matchmaker 1.0 consists of a circle of seven panels equipped with infrared sensors. There is a visualization in the middle of the circle. The participants’ heart rate is measured when they place their finger on the sensor. The computer compares the heart rate rhythms. When the heart rates are in sync this is visualized using a line. The longer one or more hearts are in the same cadence, the clearer the line between them becomes.

More info about the matchmaker can be found here

Match your heartbeat @ “Stichting WEP”

On Sunday, July 17, the second edition of the Open Studios Groningen will take place. Artists Eva van der Velden and Marleen Andela will present  their interactive installation ‘Matchmaker 1.0″. The installation is exhibited at the WEP Foundation, one of the five participating artists’ initiatives from Groningen. The Matchmaker is an interactive artwork that exists out of heart rate monitors and a projection on the floor. When participants put their finger on the sensor, their heart rate gets measured. The computer compares the beats together. When hearts make the same movement simultaneously, that is made visible through a line. The longer one or more hearts are in the same cadence, the clearer the line gets visible.

Visiting address:
WEP Foundation
Van Leeuwenhoek 44 Straat
JJ 9727 – Groningen (Netherlands)