Computer programming with Adobe After Effects by Tasos Tsiaboulas for the Kalei(en)doscope installation 2016.
In Art, the Silly and the Profound reside side-by-side. Yesterday, I spent half of the day joyously playing with an app that maps your face and then integrates it in a very realistic way into short movie trailers. At intervals, I became a knockoff Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra and then a Superwoman. The app created the illusion that I was the protagonist of those films. I happily shared these clips with family members and made ones for each of them as well.
But apart from the fun, there was a more critical element showcased by this technology: it linked fantasy with reality. Instead of imagining myself being a hero, a villain, an empress etc., I actually saw it. The images were delightful and powerful—so powerful in fact that a minor argument erupted within my family about my choice of clips for each one. We all have our own vision of ourselves. And that vision may not be readily understood even to those closest to us.
So what profound point was I reminded of from this silliness? It is one thing to observe and admire an artwork while simultaneously sensing the duality between the creator and the viewer. It is another thing to become aware that there is no distinction between the two. The creator and the viewer are one. This is the magic of the genre of art that is called Interactive. It makes express this co-creation. With the help of technology, you can immerse yourself in the artwork, you can even determine how it will evolve. This creates a feeling of personal expansion. This is how art evolves. From traditional forms where the heightening of emotions is produced by standing before a great canvas, or following the lines of a sculpture, to having the artwork itself responding back to the viewer. Artists create this magic with our hands, our voices, our movements, and even our phones.
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