II Light Behaviors
A group of insect-like moving text characters are assigned to follow individuals walking in front of the tracking camera over the main circular entrance space of the Siemens Headquarters. These characters are programmed to behave like the flocking movement of flying insects. When the computer detects that the tracked person is standing still, the flying characters come together to a point at which time they form a short phrase. This is followed by a text quote projected onto the screen. The quotes come from personals, news phrases and financial stock language that use or refer to literal or metaphorical expressions of transitional space.

The background image is a still frame from a video of a flashlight beam at night. Insect-like moving characters fly around this flashlight beam, attracted by its light but also following people in the large entrance space. The characters go in and out of focus as they decide to either come together if there is a person standing still, or else to disappear if the program calculates that there is no one actually present

The concept for this work came out of studying the language of personals. Biological communication takes place through sensorial communication but also through behaviorial models such as movement. How does one use language to attract? The key question seems to be: how does one translate into language what will attract the type of person one desires?


Technical details
Camera tracking custom software tracks in a two dimensional space at a resolution of 320 pixels by 240. The software looks for changes in the tonal resolution and has been programmed using filtering algorithms to recognize the presence of viewers by differentiating between human movement and random noise. The movement of the characters is created through a simulation of flocking behavior. Each character's movement is determined in relation to its own flying path but also in relation to the other moving characters in its group.

III Wheel of Fortune
The projected image covers a large wall in front of elevators and hallway with traffic to the next building. The image consists of "keywords" of personality descriptions. As the camera senses people's movement in the area in front of the elevator, the image is activated to spin so that different phrases come into focus. The computer is programmed to respond to the speed of movement, location and number of individuals in the space, allowing the audience to consciously interact with the camera's sensing device and spin this wheel of information.

Technical details
1 MAC G4, analog-digital video convertor, security video camera, stand, cables, amplified sound, and projector.