Assignment 1 (20%)

Name: Viinothini a/p Venkatasal Rao 

ID: 1102701746

Subject: Interaction studies

Interactive Art

'The wooden mirror' by Daniel Rozin Research on the artwork Interactive artist daniel rozin works in a very particular artistic milieu, making mirrors from unreflective surfaces. one of his creations, 'the wooden mirror' is a testament to his skill in this area. the mirror uses 830 square pieces of wood which are hooked up to an equal number of small motors which move the wooden blocks according to a built in camera. the camera picks up movement in light and somehow transfers the signal to the wood. the result is an eerie representation of reality depicted in tiny wooden pixels. since building 'the wooden mirror' rozin has experimented with a number of other materials. Daniel Rozin Biography Daniel Rozin is an artist, educator and developer, working in the area of interactive digital art. As an interactive artist Rozin creates installations and sculptures that have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. Even though computers are often used in Rozin's work, they are seldom visible. As an educator, Rozin is Associate Art Professor at ITP, Tisch School Of The Arts, NYU where he teaches such classes as: "The World- Pixel by Pixel", "Project Development Studio" and "Toy Design Workshop". As developer, Rozin owns Smoothware Design, a software company that creates tools for the interactive art and multimedia authoring community. Born in Jerusalem and trained as an industrial designer Rozin lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited widely with solo exhibitions in the US and internationally and featured in publications such as The New York Times, Wired, ID, Spectrum and Leonardo. His work has earned him numerous awards including Prix Ars Electronica, ID Design Review and the Chrysler Design Award. Content  Daniel Rozin’s “Wooden Mirror” is as much a stunning feat of engineering as it is a wonderful example of art and identity. “Wooden Mirror” is made of over 800 tiny wooden panels, each connected to a motor. A computer then takes the image input it receives from a web cam nestled in the middle of the mirror and activates the motors, changing the reflection of the light on those tiles and creating an image. “Wooden Mirror” is also part of larger collection of similar mirrors Rozin has created, including one made of trash. Since it functions as a mirror, “Wooden Mirror” serves as a perfect example of identity, not just in the images but also with the way the viewer interacts with it. Unlike a conventional mirror, this piece is intriguing to the audience as they try to figure out how it works and interact with it differently then they would a normal mirror. It’s so similar, yet different enough, that the viewer feels inclined to explore more their own identity as they interact with the wooden mirror.  Year(s) Created: 1999 Media Type: Interactive Installation Created by Wooden Tiles Dimensions: W 67” x H 80” x D 10” (170cm , 203cm, 25cm). 830 square pieces of wood, 830 servo motors, control electronics, video camera, computer, wood frame. Artist Statement Built in 1999, this is the first mechanical mirror I built. This piece explores the line between digital and physical, using a warm and natural material such as wood to portray the abstract notion of digital pixels. Reflective questions & Answers 1)What attracted you to this piece of interactive art in the first place? (4%) Answer- It creates a situation whereby we see ourselves exactly as we see others, very realistically, with all the attractive and  less attractive details. This situation is significant because it totally contradicts how we see ourselves in our own eyes. Until about a hundred years ago people saw themselves reflected in puddles of water or metal receptacles like pots and pans, and the reflected image was usually unclear and imprecise. For most people the possibility of seeing themselves accurately in a mirror has only existed for a relatively short space of time.It also have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. 2) How did you feel when you first saw this interactive art? (4%) Answer- Daniel Rozin's "The Wooden Mirror" is just an amazingly beautiful and fascinating piece of art and engineering.This is fascinating! Daniel Rozin has created a mirror out of wood that uses a built-in camera to tell individual wood pieces which way to turn to reflect light and ultimately recreate the image of the person/thing standing in front of it.It also have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. 3)What element/s made this interactive art successful in engaging you? (4%) Answer-  I were mesmerize by this engaging work.The element/s made this interactive are successful in engaging me is  the mirror uses 830 square pieces of wood which are hooked up to an equal number of small motors which move the wooden blocks according to a built in camera. the camera picks up movement in light and somehow transfers the signal to the wood. the result is an eerie representation of reality depicted in tiny wooden pixels. since building 'the wooden mirror' rozin has experimented with a number of other materials. And also the wooden mirror explores the line between analog and digital. The essence  of the piece is the notion of inflicting digital order on a material that is as organic as it gets,wood. A viewer that is engaged in a playful dialog with an art piece spends more time with it and pays more attention to the details of the piece. 4)What was the ‘wow’ factor for you? (4%) Answer- The surprised glint in my eyes when they realize what they do in front of the installation will be reflected in the mirror.  And also the combination of the wood and also the mirror is a good idea.And also how to stand in front of a mirror  and the image is reflected in it naturally.The combination of a wood and a mirror is a best thing i have even seen. It was  amazing artwork.The concept done by daniel rozin are totally amazing.The Wooden Mirror is a stunning piece of work  and visually is quite striking. In the area of materialized pixels, Daniel Rozin creates a series of awesome mechanical mirrors.Wooden Mirror by Daniel Rozin drew my attention. The mirror made of small pieces of wood reflecting the image of audience by gradient of color was interesting.  5)If there is one thing that you want to add to this interactive artwork, what would it be? (4%) Answer-  Use different subtleties in the pieces that are perhaps not obvious in first look but reveal themselves upon further investigation.May be by changing the number of pixels to make the quality more higher.