Altered Perception

 

MAT200C Winter 2003 Installation Proposal
Julian Herring
 

Concept

 

Who/When/Where?

 

Implementation Details

 

Why?

The "who" of this project is, on the one hand, the audience, and on the other, the companies and people who make the project happen with money and other donations. The project could be supported by one or more different sources. Disney could be interested in this concept as it is rather "imagineer"-esque. Bringing a proposal to Disney would be a first step.

Since the technology required to generate the graphics, sound, and interactivity will be very advanced, it makes sense for the companies who make hardware that could be used on the project to use the project as a beta test environment and to use it as an advertising tool. Using the project as a technology beta test could obviously make it more technically difficult because the hardware would not be completely tested, but it would drastically reduce costs. In addition, groups in support of animal rights and nature preservation could be interested in the project to bring focus to their cause. Other funding could come from organizations interested in funding media arts.

The audience for this installation will be the general public. Disneyland would be one out of many potential venues for the installation. The venue could be an all-ages museum, or a children's museum, where children could learn about different animals and the different ways that animals see and hear. If the project is funded by the technology companies, the installation could be presented at the technology trade-shows. And finally, nature preservation groups could use it at their own events. Different audiences in these various venues would certainly have different biases and reactions, but I believe the basic ideas that will be presented will be very compelling and memorable, and make people think far beyond the context of the venue that the installation is presented in.

The installation could easily be an ongoing project that will develop over time as the designers develop new ideas for it. Although these new ideas may exceed technological capabilities, they can be implemented in time as technology evolves. The installation would push those technologies to the limit and allow us to see how far our imagination can take us.