The extraordinary world of Monitor-Head
Kumert, Tatiana. 2020.
Proyecto Visual III Final Project, for the Bachelor’s degree in Multimedial Arts, National University of Arts, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The extraordinary world of Monitor-Head is a performative installation that works under the concept of “the world as a project”. This made-up city where tiny digital monsters live is run-by a character whose head is a monitor.
What's the theory behind it?
This installation and performance investigates ways of working in a three dimensional space, movement and the relationship of said space with the body, under the concept of tiny digital monsters living in a made-up world that the viewer can access to… if they want to.
The extraordinary world of Monitor-Head starts by having the performer with a monitor standing in the middle of the room, looking confused about something that the viewer cannot yet see. Once Monitor-Head sees the person standing by the door, they invite them in and shows them a city made with carton cubes where nothing happens. The performer presents the space and tries to make it work, but it’s all in vain.
It’s at that moment that they look to the side and see a computer with a big red button. They analyze it for a little bit before touching said button and making the city come to life. Little digital monsters are projected in the different buildings and a sound pattern starts playing in the background. Happy, the character lays with the monsters on the ground, but before that they urge the viewer to take a closer look and move around the space too.
This performance serves as an introduction, inviting the viewer to be part of that world too, and not to simply watch it from afar.
While the viewer looks around and takes in the space, the performer simply stays on the floor, letting the tiny monsters run through their screen. After all, that’s their world and they’re comfortable in it. As time passes by, the beings change their locations and start disappearing until there’s none left. As they leave, the music becomes more and more simple.
Once all the monsters are gone, Monitor-Head wakes up. If the viewers are still there, they look at them like “Why are you still here?” and signals them to go. This is the “default” ending. However, the performance can also end beforehand; the viewer can go early or, if they make Monitor-Head angry by touching the read button, the performer can throw them out of the installation. In that case, the character touches the red button one more time to reactivate the sequence and resumes napping.
When the viewers are gone the values are restarted and the performance starts again.
Which technologies were implemented?
PureData was used to program the button that activated the video-mapping and decided which sound pattern was going to play. Abbleton live provided the digital instruments for this installation.
The video-mapping in The extraordinary world of Monitor-Head was done using Resolume Arena 6, while the content was drawn in Photoshop and animated in Sony Vegas.