The omnipresent effect inside the capsule is achieved by a human-scale digital screen placed frontally and its reflections on the surrounding mirrored metal surfaces. The coated panels gently deform like ripples of water, further reinforcing the immersive effect.
Proteus 3.5, Contemplating in the Cloud by Maria Smigielska and CompMonks. Photograph by Maria Smigielska.
Project description by Maria Smigielska and Compmonks
Architects and researchers Maria Smigielska and Compmonks created an immersive installation ‚Proteus 3.5, Contemplating in the Cloud‘, permanently exhibited at the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw. It is a mixed media, interactive and generative installation that allows the visitors to interact with a large-scale digitized ferromaterial image through their brain activities.
A Brain-Computer Interface device measures the neural activity of the visitors and adapts the resolution of ferromaterial accordingly, facilitating a more intense human-material interaction. A visual experience is strengthened through the image reflections and refractions inside an immersive, room-scale chamber, which altogether blends the visitor with the light and their visual reflections.
Proteus 3.5, Contemplating in the Cloud by Maria Smigielska and CompMonks. Photograph by Maria Smigielska.
Ferromaterial
The project draws on the complex behaviour of the ferrofluid material. Through the invisible force of magnetic fields, its shape is constantly changing from dots to meandering stripes and coagulated regions. Just like the Greek god Proteus, it is capable of assuming many forms and become the unifying material aspect of the series of interactive and generative artworks.
The behaviour of the material is hard to control or simulate by nature and, as such, is taken as a value of diversity and exploration in the process of ephemeral and non-repeatable pattern generation. Visual exposure to such a dynamic white and black graphic pattern is used as an apparatus to emulate a constant search for signification by visual human intelligence. Displaying the material at such scale was made possible by digitizing the material with its surrogate of reaction diffusion-algorithm.
Proteus 3.5, Contemplating in the Cloud by Maria Smigielska and CompMonks. Photograph by Maria Smigielska.
Portal
Proteus takes the form of a 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 m architectural chamber. It has been designed in reference to the architecture of small and primitive chapels, purposed for contemplation and spiritual introspection detached from the physical world. Like a box cut out from a cathedral, Proteus presents black sectional simplicity from the outside and a shimmering immersive interior.
Stepping inside, visitors are immersed in the surrounding animated and organic image. The omnipresent effect is obtained with a frontally positioned human-scale digital screen and its reflections on the surrounding mirror-like metal surfaces. Cladded panels are smoothly deformed as water ripples, which additionally strengthens the immersive effect.
Proteus 3.5, Contemplating in the Cloud by Maria Smigielska and CompMonks. Photograph by Maria Smigielska.
Proteus as a series
Proteus 3.5 is yet another iteration in a series of mixed media interactive installations which started in 2018 and modulates matter with both human and machine intelligence. The project has been a part of artistic research at the Creative Robotics, University of Arts and Design in Linz, artistic residency “Intelligent Museum” at ZKM Karlsruhe in 2021, residency at Kontejner in Zagreb (EMAP/EMARE) Croatia 2023 and individual developments in between. It has been presented during 6 international exhibitions in Europe, including Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Trondheim Biennale for Arts and Technology or ZKM Karlsruhe.
Each installation is differently composed as generative and interactive from 3 core elements: a visual interaction with matter (specifically a ferrofluid compound), tensions between analogue and digital, and relations between human and machine bits of intelligence. Proteus has iteratively evolved with newly proposed forms of material ferrofluid displays (discrete or continuous) and modes of magnetic fields generation (grid of static magnets mechanically displaced or electromagnets) or a completely digitized ferrofluid surrogate of reaction-diffusion algorithm as a large space rear projection onto a room-scale oval oculus. Most importantly though, it has explored novel modes of interaction, based on both immediate behavioural responses and physiological ones.
