Erin | MOMA Talk to Me Artists plus LAYAR app

Talk to Me exhibition

El Sajjadah (prayer rug)
electroluminescent sheet.
27 5/8" x 47 1/4"

Though I have little direct connection to Muslim ritual, prayer rugs have long held a fascination with me as beautiful objects in form, function, and symbolism. They also hold a particular delicacy of well crafted textiles. This particular gesture of El Sajjadah resonates with me as a dear friend of mine who was a practicing Muslim a one time in his life once remarked to me, that for him the direction for Mecca became a part of him; the way home was clear no matter where he was. This manifestion of a physical object that knows the way home seems rather beautiful.


Tree Listening at Royal Botanic Gardens
Alex Metcalf
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/talktome/objects/146217/

This device allows people to listen to the inner workings of a tree. What I respond to most is the analog nature of the gesture and the poetic implications. By listening to the tree, do we feel more connected? Is it more alien or less?


Broken White Dinnerware
Simon Hejidens
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/talktome/objects/145468/
The dinnerware in this series ages visibly as they are used and become more used and in a sense more complete through their function. This particular work has concepts of wabi sabi and is a gentle reminder that artwork is not complete until it is experienced.

Analog digital clock
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/talktome/objects/146229/
Marten Baas's Analog Digital Clock is a gesture rather than a sensor. I find this interesting to perceive as a example of a skeuomorphic phemonon. Mac's use of torn paper edges in it's calendar design is an everyday example.

extra (not on MOMA site) 

Alyce Santoro
http://www.sonicfabric.com/about.html

I was reminded of this work as I considered weaving process that allowed the shuttle of a loom to complete the circuit of something to tell the snatch of a story (or implied story). (I'll get into the mythology and history of this later perhaps). Alyce Santoro created this material of old cassette tapes that can be performed with a ____ while wearing it and rubbing them with tape head gloves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la8GSebZuog&feature=BFa&list=PLF487A1EA6AEC31C8
skip to 3 minutes to hear it.

Layar

http://www.layar.com/

MOMA NYC augmented reality exhibition (uninvited)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9T2LVM7ynM&feature=relmfu

advertisement on use
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08

"biggar" augmented reality sculpture using Layer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bJJuphti-E

Feed M.T. Anderson

Augmented Reality Science Ficition

The discussion surrounding about the use of Happytime mood reader and the augmented reality software reminded me of this  young adult novel by Laurie Anderson _Feed_ about a culture that hardwires themselves with augmented reality tech and the disjunct between the haves and the have-nots and the value of people who do not follow expected patterns of consumerism (hint: they are perceived to have little value). This is not an exceptional piece of writing, but the concepts are interesting.