Kalma
A courtyard senses your presence and responds to your actions


when: august 2009
with: Gabriele Rivoli, Enrico Ausiello
where: Iuav University of Venice, IxDLab2
what: interactive installation in Corte Tagiapiera, Venice
why: to establishe a relationship between place and its visitors


elevator pitch
Kalma is an installation that establishes a relationship between the place and its visitors. The court is alive and its breath is nervous for the intrusion of a visitor. The breath is visualized through the light projection onto the pavement and the sound of it is syncronized with the projection. The visitor, intrigued by the place, discovers it slowly and trought his or her movement around the court, can illuminate it. The visitor’s mood merges with the mood of the place. The user can calm the place and make contact with it.
mission and mood
The purpose of the installation is to discover a little ancient courtyard. Find a little space far from the city’s confusion to dip yourself in a unique experience. The emotional tone changes during the interaction and it can vary from person to person. The visitors of the sottoportego will be caught from strong curiosity that turns in disorientation and stupor. As soon as the user understands how to interact with the place, he gets more calm so does the place. So the final sensation is of a full satisfaction.
technology
• Two photocells detect the speed of the visitor entry
• Photocells send an input to Arduino board
• The board is connected to servo motor where is attacked a tube for the breath sound (the speed of the servo motor variates according to the speed of the visitor).
• The pc, connected to the projector, projects the light of the breath onto the pavement
• Camera sends information about the movements within the courtyard to the computer
• The computer detects the position of people within the shot

more information: www.interaction-venice.com