Scott Snibbe

On October 24, 2007, Scott Snibbe gave a presentation entitled “Body, Space, and Cinema.” Many of the projects discussed here can be seen at http://www.snibbe.com/

Snibbe is known for his interactive art, which strives to teach people “body first.” Many of his pieces revolve around how a group of people interacts, and how that interaction can change with feedback.

For example, one of his first pieces called “Boundary Functions” creates lines on a custom floor of personal space. The piece is only activated when two or more people are on the floor at the same time. As they move around the floor lines are drawn between them. The area that is outline is the users’ personal space.

Scott noticed that it changed people’s behavior. For example, when people see a line, they want to step on it. He also found that people around the world interacted with the piece differently. In Japan people would get very close to each other. In New York, people walked on the floor and stood still.

Scott started his art in software. He wanted to create programs that followed the rules of nature, but were unlike anything seen in nature. For example, he created software that created a gravitational attraction to points on the screen or as Scott said, “draw with stars.”

He also created a piece of software that used the mouse to lay down trails of ants. The program also had a pheromone section. When the pheromone is removed, the ants scatter.

I was impressed how he was able to use his art to illustrate complex concepts. For example, he created a screensaver called “Emptiness is Form that when from a field of points that slowly resolves itself into Buddha. He also created an interactive piece that illustrates the puzzle of the duck in the bottle, which asked the question where does the inside of the bottle end and the space outside the bottle begin?

A program called “Motion Sketch” has the user create abstract shapes, but more importantly, the program records the movements the user does with the created shapes and plays it back repeatedly.

Using feedback is a common theme in Snibbe’s art especially pieces simple called the “Screen Series.” The basic setup is a person’s shadow projected on a large screen creating an interactive experience.

In “Compliant” and “Shy” the user’s shadow causes a square of white-light to move around the screen and in some cases leave the screen entirely.

In “Concentration” the light of screen is concentrated in a halo around only one person in a group of shadow. The light can be transferred by touching another person or “stolen” by reaching deeply into the person’s shadow. This level of interactivity causes behavior in people that normally wouldn’t be so extroverted.

In “Deep Walls,” the movements of multiple users are recorded and played back in a sixteen square grid. This creates an interaction with people who are no longer present. The idea is expanded in a piece called “Cause and Effect” where the shadow of the user displaces the recorded shadows of other users.

The user is then added to the background display. The shadows that the user was interacting with are not recreated. As Snibbe writes on his website “‘Cause and Effect’ “is a common translation for the Buddhist term Karma, which dictates that all human experiences, however minute, are the result of their own prior actions.” This is another example of his art illustrating a complex topic.

Over all I found the talk very interesting. I’m glad I was able to see artwork I wouldn’t normally be exposed to. Also, I think it’s important to be exposed to creative individuals who have found their calling in the field. It is comforting and hopeful to see that since I haven’t found my place in the field yet.