Collect-O-Scope @ V&A Museum

Inspiration

On the one hand, we are entangled in the vortex of monitoring from the internet, the social media and being monitored without knowing it. On the other hand, all the materials – the data we shared online now are changing ourselves.

Creative Point

This project is a digital reinterpretation of the kaleidoscope, based on critical design. It serves as a metaphor for our relationship with social media platforms and critiques how these platforms can reinforce two-sided surveillance systems, ultimately twisting and alienating us from reality.

Research

Research about eyes

After sorting through most of our research references, I created a map to visually represent our interests. Based on the content ratio below and our voting, we concluded that users and corporations are attempting to piece together a complete image of a person using fragmented information from the digital world. However, there are no longer any digital doubts or shadows - users are fully immersed in a virtual world under constant surveillance. Therefore, we explored ways to explain this complex and dynamic hypersystem, where humans are observing others through social network services while machines are also observing them.

Research

Research about gazing

Based on critical design thinking and our research, we have concluded that the border between the digital and the real world is blurring. We are part of a two-sided surveillance system, such as social media, where data and our identities are twisted and entwined. As a result, the data is no longer original, and we are no longer our authentic selves.

Concept 1: Gazing and blurring the border between the digital and the real world

We dismissed this plan for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrated its topic in an ambiguous way, lacked audience interaction, and provided a less immersive experience. Secondly, we all agreed that visualizing and aestheticizing invisibility and unawareness to users should not be our goal. Instead, we needed to ask "why". Finally, it was not feasible to build a mechanical arm for this robot to cut cables within a limited time.

A box that strengthens the embodied experiences, an installation that people touch real objects with a VR vision.

A robot playing a bonsai cutting VR game while cutting its cable instead in the real world and lead to suicide.

Concept 2: Endless surveillance loop

Another problem was the limitation of space and equipment. Creating a multi-layered scene was difficult to achieve unless all the cameras were lined up. Because the angles changed from one camera to another in the loop, it was necessary to install enough facilities in a large space to compensate for the loss of participants' horizon. However, this would require a long time for installation and adjustment.

This installation provided us with an extra “mechanic perspective” to looping gaze at each other and provokes the question of how we identify each other and cognize the surveillance screens, social media platforms.

It had a very obvious mistake about its format. We wanted to construct a circle as a metaphor of network, social media, which is decentralized in our original understanding. But according to the research, it was not accurate to simplify them to a loop or a circle which may even mislead the audiences.

Concept 3: Gazing within surveillance fragment

As the research of kaleidoscope showed below, the experience of kaleidoscope is very intimate, secret, and individualized, just like the experience of social media. (Cain, 2019) So we more firmly believe that it is an appropriate metaphor.

Final concept: Gazing within convergence and alienation

The kaleidoscope-shaped installation will capture audiences' attention. When they stand in front of it and look inside, they will see a charming scene of their backs, which is captured by the camera behind them.

Workflow Analysis& Iteration V1

Moreover, we moved the back camera inside of the kaleidoscope, and add memories to the kaleidoscope. Gazing at this mesmerizing world, the viewer gives up a part of their image, which is now forever tangled up and dissimilated in fractals of data.

Working with Max Msp

The first reference of kaleidoscope effect can satisfy the essential requirement in Max Msp, but the effect itself was not clear enough to figure out human face. I suggested another broken mirror effect as our basic format. However, other group members preferred to maintain the kaleidoscope format, so we discarded this program.

Working with P5. js

One of my team members and I separately worked on the last two functions. He tried using a specific software to send our screen content to YouTube Live, and I attempted to automatically create a GIF from a screen recording using P5. However, we soon realized that these functions were against our original intention, which was to create a personal, private, and individualized experience similar to that of social media. As a result, we decided to cancel these two functions.

Working with Isodora & Iteration V2

Finally, I chose Isadora as our project development application because it is more video-editing-oriented. By combining Isadora with Arduino and a potentiometer, we collected the data from the physical knob and transferred it to Isadora to control the outlook of the kaleidoscope scene. However, we wanted to emphasize the participant's decreased feeling of passivity when under surveillance, so we gave them control over the scene.

Initially, I planned to create a larger hexagon by reshaping the buffer videos and placing them outside of the real-time image for the saved image to emerge into the visitor's vision. However, this would distract the users. To gather the user's focus on one point, our tutor suggested interweaving the saved portraits with real-time video from time to time. The length of the timer will depend on our testing and reflection from the school exhibition.

Installation Design

Space design: Our initial idea was to allow the audience to see their backs, so figuring out how to hide the camera in the space was a significant challenge. We brainstormed several plans, including using a poster or fabric, and building a box. Ultimately, we put the webcam inside the kaleidoscope. One of our members also designed a model that placed the screen at the end of the kaleidoscope, reducing its size. However, the screen's shape might have detracted from the overall appearance.

Prototype & Mockup

One-layer Model

We assembled a one-layer model using puzzle pieces and wood glue. To create a reflective surface, we attached transparent mirror paper to both sides of the model. However, the wood surface was not smooth enough to be fully covered by the mirror paper, resulting in a less than satisfactory reflection effect.

Pre-exhibition & Iteration V3

After 1.5h pre-exhition, I could have a clear idea about how long to get refresh the buttfer randomly.

Final Construction & Iteration V4

When the kaleidoscope program is restarted, the previous cached videos are lost, causing the previous audience to lose the effects of being surveilled and twisted by the kaleidoscope. To ensure a good initial experience for the audience, I added two pre-recorded videos and interspersed them with the videos captured in real-time.

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