nomadix – interaction on the move!


' Hyperwerk Hyperwerk

The touring exhibition nomadix: interaction on the move! was created in 2005 at Institute HyperWerk HGK FHNW, and premiered at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis.

The most striking features of nomadix are its form of projection and its software. The projection system consists of a video beamer mounted on an adjustable tripod head; it projects its images into an inflated, conical sack made of balloon silk set up in front of the lens. The beamer projects its image into this cloth sack, whereby the image then appears as a rear-projection picture on the front side of the “cone.”

nomadix consists of several of these systems, referred to as cones. Such a cone can be one-and-a-half to seven meters long. When several cones are arrayed together, the result is a new level of expression: the cones can converse with one another; they can form a space round about the installation visitors, surrounding or separating them; and when the cones are in the mood, they can even join together and dance the can-can. The invention of the cones represents the creation of a new means of expression: the moving moving-picture. In recent months, we've been putting the cone into action in a wide variety of ways and settings in an attempt to explore its potential.

We were given the assignment of developing a mobile exhibition system; this is our approach to a solution. This exhibition, which has been touring France, Tunisia and Switzerland over the last year, showcases 20 interaction-related degree projects by HyperWerk students. The guidelines were clearly stipulated: the entire system could not to weigh more than 300 kilograms; set-up/dismantling should be quick and easy; and it was to be suitable for use in exhibition spaces ranging from 70 to 250 square meters. Needless to say, our agenda also included a wish for the system to function as a sort of roving ambassador exemplifying HyperWerk’s innovativeness and media competence.

The creation of vvvv, an ultra-high-performance virtual programming environment developed by MESO and free for non-commercial use, has made available a user-friendly media management system that makes it possible to play video clips and three-dimensional scenes on any number of cones. The adjustment of the robotic components in the tripod heads, the overall choreography and synchronization of motion and imagery, as well as the linkup of the individual cones with one another were also accomplished with vvvv.

We’ve already tested a wide variety of ways to use our cones, only to come to the conclusion that we’ve barely scratched the surface and that there's still a lot of potential left to explore. One interesting question, for example, is what a language of movement and interaction for the cones might look like. How would it interrelate with the projected content? Students enrolled in this institution’s interdisciplinary and project-oriented BA program conceive, design, test and market tools and processes for implementation under post-industrial circumstances.
http://hyperwerk.ch
Translated from German by Mel Greenwald

As a mobile image projection system, this project was set up at several venues of the
Ars Electronica Festival 2006.

Participants: Alain Simon, Andreas Golinki, André Freiermuth, Andreas Krach, Angelika Overath, Anna Ackermann, Barbara Luem, Beat Räber, Besim Neziri, Catherine Walthard, Christian Reimann, Christian Schumacher, Christian Zuleger, Christina Hagmann, Christof Bütler, Corinne Petitjean, Cristoffel Gehring, Dana Wojciechowski, Daniel Hug, Dionys Borter, Dominik Seitz, Doris Traubenzucker, Elena Mores, Fabian Schweizer, Jan Voellmy, Jinglei Zhang, Joreg, Julie Labhardt, Karin Wichert, Lars Henning, Luca Vicente, Lucas Gross, Lukas Meyer, Marc Tamschick, Marco C. Deppeler, Marco Jann, Markus Abt, Marlon Schaffner, Martin Fleck, Martin Schaffner, Martin Sommer, Mathis Meyer, Matthias Gommel, Matthias Pfäffli, Matthias Stich, Max Spielmann, Mischa Schaub, Moritz Salathé, Nadja Tarnutzer, Nathalie Laissue, Nelly Riggenbach, Nicole Boillat, Paolo Donnicola, Peter Whinyates, Raoul Flaminzeanu, Rasso Auberger, Regine Halter, Renato Soldenhoff, Roman Borer, Sabine Fischer, Samuel Ruckstuhl, Sandra Schafroth, Sebastian Oschatz, Simon Hänggi, Tammo Trantow, Thomas Martin, Tian Lutz.
Nomadix 2, Participants: Markus Abt, Jan Dusek, Leander Herzog; Coach: David Dessens aka Sanch