White Square (2002), an interactive installation by Hanna
Haaslahti
ARTISTIC CONCEPT interactive shadows
White Square is just a blank plane, a square of light until
someone steps in it. Suddenly, he finds himself in the middle
of a living shadowland where interactive shadows projected
at his feet make contact with other shadows in the square.
People can play together with collaborative visual structures
created by shadows grabbing and holding on to each other.
The world of shadows reflects the positions and movements
of people in the square.
The key element of the installation is a human shadow, which
is transformed into an interactive medium. The installation
illuminates the network of connections between people sharing
the same limited space. White Square tries to break the control
and command relationship between people and technology into
a more intuitive and physical one. It is a public playground
which aims to stimulate a new awareness of ourselves as physical
beings. White Square can also be seen as an architectural
media space, which invites people to express themselves, bringing
along the whole body as a tool of interaction.
Hanna Haaslahti is a media artist working and living in Helsinki.
She graduated from Medialab at University of Arts and Design
Helsinki in 2001. Her thesis resulted in an interactive dance
installation. During 1992-1994 she studied set design in Art
Academy of Verona in Italy and spent the academic year of
1996-97 in the Department of Arts & Technology in the
School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Currently, she is
a board member of Finnish society for new media, m-cult.
Her artworks are interactive installations where the human
physique plays an important role. Usually, the entire body
interacts with the installation, which responds to the presence
and movements of person/s in various ways. She explores physical
relationships between people and technology by developing
interfaces based on human gesture and presence. She also works
as a scriptwriter and a director for dance films, collaborating
with various Finnish choreographers.
www.fantomatico.org/artworks
www.f2fmedia.net
www.m-cult.org
CREDITS
Interactive scenario and visualisation:
Hanna Haaslahti
Engineering, software development and
interaction advisor:
Yves Bernard (iMAL)
CONTACT
Hanna Haaslahti
hanna@fantomatico.org
www.fantomatico.org/artworks
mobile +358 50 3310531
Yves Bernard
yb@imal.org
www.imal.org/WhiteSquare
mobile +32 478 275510
EXHIBITION HISTORY
16.09.-16.12.2002 SYMPTOMANIA - Finnish contemporary art,
Kunsthalle Lophem (Brugge)
16.01.-16.03.2003 White Square, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary
Art (Helsinki)
15.03.-15.04.2003 AIM IV:Interference Patterns, Armory Northwest
(Pasadena)
01.07.-20.07.2003 Pas vue, pas pris, Hôtel de l´Industrie
(Paris)
DESCRIPTION OF FEATURES
How the installation functions:
A white immobile square (minimum size 4 m X 3 m) is projected
on the floor in a dark space. When an exhibition visitor enters
the square, a shadow appears and starts to follow him. Shadows
multiply and circle around his feet as he walks in the square.
Basic interactive features of the installation:
Shadows respond to a participant’s speed, direction
and position with programmed inertia, adding fluidity and
softness to their movements. When a shadow reaches an edge
of the screen, it starts to break and pixelate as to mark
the boundaries of its existence. When a participant spreads
his arms, shadows become transparent as to avoid touching
him.
If a participant stays long enough in the installation, he
is exposed to new modes of interaction:
Shadows are fused into one, which begins to fly around its
owner. By spreading his arms, a participant can control his
distance to the circling shadow.
Collaborative features:
When two participants stand close to each other, their shadows
connect and create a bridge between the participants. As they
move, the bridge stretches in order to maintain their connection.
When participants move far apart, the connecting shadow splits
into two.
Two participants drawn away from each other can be reconnected
by one
shadow reaching out to the other. The reunited shadow then
sticks to the feet of a participant until he shakes it off
by a quick movement.
White Square was designed and created by media artist Hanna
Haaslahti.
www.fantomatico.org/artworks
The engineering and programming work was done by Yves Bernard
from iMAL, Brussels. www.imal.org/WhiteSquare
The work was made possible by the financial support of:
Kunsthalle Lophem, www.kunsthallelophem.be
AVEK - the Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture, www.kopiosto.fi/avek
Frame - Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, www.frame-fund.fi
Arts Council of Finland, www.taiteenkeskustoimikunta.fi/english
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