The Hiking Theory
The Hiking Theory re-imagines a collective view of global ecology by transforming the museum into a real-time, color based weather system. Weather data is taken from specific locations where natural habitats are in danger of both climate change and urban development. Our project contains three elements which create metaphors for our relationship to climate: live weather data is visualized as color on glass surfaces as a background influence on other elements in the installation, a subtle system of motion activated soundscapes are installed along a virtual hike outside of the museum, and a disco ball inside the museum provides a concert of everything that is happening outside in light and color.
We chose these metaphors to highlight how we perceive our relationship to interior and exterior space, and to our personal lives as they relate to global ecological issues. Despite our best intentions, issues of climate can sometimes be overshadowed by the stressors of modern life. In the playful relationship between the disco ball (inside) and user generated soundscapes (outside) we hope to show that our relationship to ecological systems is direct and not isolated to a news story. When the user generated sounds inside the museum space are played through the disco ball we create the potential for visitors to recognize their direct connection to actions in the outside world.
VISUALIZE THE WEATHER DATA:
To translate real world weather data of biodiversity hotspots* into electrochromic panels, screens or projections, we are using small, low cost interfaces powered by Arduino and Processing 3. The Processing IDE can communicate with the Arduino IDE through serial communication. This way, we can send data from the Arduino to the Processing IDE and also from the Processing IDE to the Arduino.
We use open source programming to translate the data collected into signals the electrochromic glass panels can read, causing them to change color according to real world weather patterns. When there is no voltage applied to electrochromic glass, the liquid crystals are randomly oriented, scattering incident light and preventing transmission. However, when a voltage is applied, the liquid crystals align, allowing light to transmit through the glass. See installation options on the board.
COLLABORATIVE SOUNDSCAPE:
A network of speakers is installed in the walking areas surrounding the museum. When a visitor activates a speaker’s sensor, they generate a cue to play a tone that we have recorded while hiking. Sound recordings taken from our personal hiking excursions are triggered by movement to create real time, visitor generated performances that change based on how the space is navigated. The activated soundscapes call back to the experience of hiking, allowing for unexpected and subtle combinations of sound with care not to detract from existing conversations at the site. When visitors create a set duration of harmonies outside of the museum space, a short selection of their work will play from a disco ball inside the museum space.
Team work with: Marianna Williams
