PROXIMITIES
We are nodes within a complex global network. We are a conglomerate of agents who personify waves of adjustments and misalignments, harmony and chaos. Proximities is an interactive audiovisual installation based on emotional patterns identified during the time of confinement. The collective memory of a moment of universal crisis is translated into a sensory experience, which in turn is updated with the participation of each visitor. Behind any conjuncture, the proximities are trace alone, organizing fluctuations cyclical of the system we inhabit. The environment symbolic of the installation is an invitation to observe and inhabit them.
In Proximities we focus on representing a specific aspect within the universal chaos: the emotional evolution of confined subjects in a state of alarm. We wonder if the release of a global crisis that left us isolated for months could create an unprecedented space for emotional aspects – often subjugated by the values linked to productivity that governed our daily routines. We also wonder if relationships could be traced between the ways of moving through this emotional flow by unknown subjects, without physical connection and inhabitants of different cultures, economies and societies.
To address this problem and making use of the tools available during the isolation period, we work with data collection and analysis. To make a sensitive approach using data collection and analysis as a tool, we created an interactive website (www.theproximitymovement.com). Through this platform, we offered users the possibility to express themselves freely and anonymously. Using a simple interface, each participant entered basic information (country of residence and day of confinement), and their emotional state of mind. At the end, he/she was able to view his input in conjunction with the latest interactions made by other subjects. In this instance, each user could make a composition, dragging and organizing the entries freely and drawing on them. The visualization of the universal emotional disorder allowed us to begin to draw closeness between the processes commented on by each user.
After analyzing the information collected, we located and defined four emotional patterns. On that basis, we consider the objective of translating these emotions into a contributory audiovisual experience. To define visual and sound parameters corresponding to each emotion, we studied how certain frequencies, colors or behaviors could be linked to the feeling we try to recreate. At the same time, to transfer the visuals to physical space, we decided to project them onto a sphere, representing the planet and the concept of the cycle, fundamental in our conceptual development.
The installation consists of a room dark in whose exact center is located a three-dimensional sphere 1.5 meters in diameter. On the sphere a composition of four generative graphs abstract, visible at 360º around the itself.
In sync with the display graphic, a composition is played generative sound emitted through a quadraphonic sound system. Upon entering, the visitor meets four stations each equipped with a tablet that presents an interface simplified interactive. They are are located around the object
central, providing different points of sight. The interfaces are a trackpad
touch screen. Moving your finger across the surface of the tablet, the visitor can alter audiovisual parameters of the installation.
The visuals and sounds represent each emotion synesthetically,
transmitting the specific sensation of that emotional pattern in abstract soundscapes and visuals. Interacting from the different stations, the visitor will be able to experience each emotion in a more intimate way, perceiving them all the time in conjunction with the rest.
