Local Group Collective: Proteus
Title:
- Proteus
Artist(s) and People Involved:
Exhibiting Artist(s):
Symposium:
Creation Year:
- 2018
Medium:
- Touchscreen
Size:
- 30-foot
Art Event Affiliation:
- Concordia University
Artist Statement:
Commissioned by Concordia University as the inaugural piece for the newly built Visualization Studio, Proteus is an interactive public art piece which creates a sense of wonder and immersion through interactions with a dynamic particle system. A 30-foot touchscreen array becomes the interface between two worlds, as you comes face to face with a mysterious creature. Proteus is imbued with a sense of ‘aliveness’ through fluid and impulsive motion which reacts to your touch and movement. The system is aware of your presence and follows you through space, enticing you to play. Complete with a responsive, generative sound design and an interactive color system, you are met with a sense of dark wonder as you are invited to approach the unknown.
Proteus was designed to feel alive and for its actions to reflect its own agency and intentions—rather than it simply being an interactive particle simulation. Artworks such as Proteus provide a moment of first-contact for the general public to encounter a digital system that is capable of sensing, reacting, and provoking empathy; thereby engaging with questions of non-human sentience in a meaningful and memorable experience.
