PHYSIS

The world changes so fast that communication between nature and us it has been distant. Physis invite users to restore the connection through a new form of space-time sculpture. By interacting with rocks, sound and visual art is generated in order to increase our perception and to be able to bond again with our  environment and, at the same time, with each other.

Physis is an interactive installation designed for a festival, inspired by the symbolism and the space design of a zen garden in order to recover traditional techniques and to propose a metaphorical way of sculpting through a special connection with nature.

By interacting with certain materials, audiovisual content is created in real time, unlike traditional arts, it turns out to be a mutable form of sculpting that depends on the interaction of the users, turning out to be a collective experience.

The installation consists of a concentric composition of stones around a circle of sand, above the stones are three rocks that when touched generates visuals projected on the sand and sounds that can be heard through headphones.

The interaction is made through a Touch board connected with a laptop via arduino. Each rock has conductive ink that allows to send a message OSC from the Touch Board to Resolume in order to activate the corresponding sounds and visuals.

There is an ambient music that constantly plays and depending on the interaction of the users, sounds and visuals are added generating a mutable collective experience. The experience can be heard through headphones and the visuals are mapped to the circle of sand via Resolume. The fast pace of life that we lead has disconnected us from nature and between each other for that reason.

Physis arises from a need to reestablish the connection through the use of technology. The aim of Physis is to invite people to live an experience through the senses in order to restablish the connection between nature and people that during this pandemic has been affected.

The project was possible thanks to the collaboration between the artists Ana Mar López, Raisa Pimentel, Marta Minguell, Ana de la Mora, Azzura Stilo and the audio-voice perfomer JSFNBRRX. We met during the Master of Audiovisual Innovation and Interactive Environments of BAU, Universitary Center of Design in Barcelona, Spain.

The installation has been exhibited in Lux Terra at the International Digital Creativity Festival, MUTEK Spain 2020, Poblenou Urban District 2020, Intropias Festival.