Animism proposal version 2
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The document describes an initial concept for an instrument that uses animism. It would harness the spirits within raw natural materials and allow the user to attempt to influence their performance through mysterious interactions. However, the materials' responses through an analog meter and kinetic expressions would not be directly controlled by the user, who must interpret the spirits' feedback. The purpose is for the materials to serve as both an interface expressing poetic motions and an output of the instrument in different ways depending on the user's and spirits' moods.
Animism proposal version 2
- 1. A MOTIONAL INSTRUMENT FOR EMOTIONAL ELEMENTS
- 2. Animism encompasses religious beliefs that there is no separation between the spiritual and physical (or material) worlds, and souls or spirits exist, not only in humans, but also in all other animals, plants, rocks, or other entities of the natural environment.
- 3. People have long been fascinated by the idea of controlling the spirits in nature. In the future technology makes this even easier.
- 5. How and why your system uses animism The idea of animism manifests itself in the idea that these raw materials contain spirits of the natural world. Because they contain spirits they can be harnessed in a (non-musical) instrument and used for our own entertainment and performance (like circus animals).
- 6. But because they are spirits they are fickle and temperamental, this instrument could not be controlled in a traditional way. The performance of the materials would be dependent upon the whims of the spirits, which you can attempt to influence by interacting with a raw material in various (& mysterious) ways.
- 7. How is the animism expressed, what is the purpose of the animism? Though we never know exactly what the spirits want from us, we can get a sense of the spirit’s judgement of our actions through the analog meter. This helps us gauge the effectiveness of our actions as feedback. The raw materials would also perform (move or splash or light up) in different ways depending on the mood.
- 8. Why will people think that your project is alive, how does animism influence the interaction? The output from the system (readings from the meter and the kinetic expressions) are not directly responsive to the user in a one- to-one fashion. The user must interpret the spirits responses to the user’s actions, and adapt their own interaction in an attempt to influence the performance of the spirits.
- 9. Other sub-elements I’m interested in: Kinetic/gesture based interfaces In a future where gestures and kinetics are the new interfaces for complex devices, how will I know what gestures do what? When does it become a sort of rain dance where we are just coming up with mythologies to understand the effectiveness of our actions?
- 10. Other sub-elements I’m interested in: Embodied Interaction What are the affordances of animate raw materials as both an interface for and an expression of poetic motions? Can future interactive interfaces be made of physical 3D space/objects instead of simulated 3D environments on a screen?
- 12. Other sub-elements I’m interested in: Instruments A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument.
- 13. Other sub-elements I’m interested in: Instruments A motional instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making poetic motion. In principle, any object that produces motion can serve as a motional instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a motional instrument.