The Griffin’s are a busy family that work all day in the tech-industry, and come home in the evenings to relax and enjoy each other’s company. The garden they have, designed by Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, offers them a reclusive space to sit back, relax, and enjoy the quiet atmosphere as they reflect on their day. The space acts as a place for them to escape from the world around them and enjoy their home, each other, and the world around them.
With this in mind, we are proposing an installation that will blend seamlessly into the natural environment of the garden that is interesting and dynamic, yet mindful to the peacefulness and routine of the space. We will take advantage of the water surfaces in the garden, such as near the entrance to the garden / next to the patio, and projecting fish onto them to animate the ponds and bring them to life. For each person that is occupying the space, a fish will be created to populate the surface and reflect the surrounding environment: whether there is a large outdoor party and a colony of fish in the pond, or simply Sam and Dale sitting by the water after a long day’s work and watching their two projections interact. A collective count of the number of people who have entered the space is recorded and manifested through the creation of flowers that will increase in count as the night progresses.
The system will take advantage of the “skeleton tracking” capable through a Kinect to sense how many people are inhabiting the outdoor space. The data is then sent into Touchdesigner, where the respective fish will be created and then projected. The number of bodies sensed is counted and is used to create a growing garden of floating flowers on the water’s surface as well, reflecting the activity throughout the night. Simple, tasteful, and realistic, the installation compliments the natural environment of the garden and lifestyle of Sam and Dale.
