human interface: a lovely inviting pillow on a prayer rug. a glockenspiel and hammer. a mask with lights surrounding the faceplate. knowledge. imagination. patience.

computer interface: twelve quickrete heads suspended in a box with lights in each eye. a computer screen. a dongle. a buttswitch. an analog synthesizer. (engineers. pProgrammers. friends.)

inspiration: sandy. samantha. the ACTLab community.

description:

approach. the rug. the pillow. kneeling.
a small table with a xylophone. hidden by a mask. human.
weight. a few lights twinkle on the mask. human.
an invitation.
pick up the mask. human. on the head. revelation the xylophone.
a note.
response.
the masks wake up and say hello. computer.
another note.
the masks respond. computer. language?
the mask, few lights surrounding eyes, twinkle for those observing. human.
a dialog commences. what is said?
sometimes the masks seems to repeat a pattern at a certain series of notes.
human. computer. random, yet not.
if silent enough, the masks queries with a few hesitant lights.
after a set time, they too fall mute.
not hidden by the row of masks, instead by the monitor, the notes being played.
the responses
a close inspection reveals only certain notes (and whole ones at that) solicit response, although sharps and flats are understood
a metalanguage?
knowledge from watching does not reveal the program, only hints, guesses.

stuff:

• prayer rug
• pillow
• small table
• cloth to cover small table
• glockenspiel with hammer
• welders helmet with diodes and umbilical to dongle
• buttswitch hidden under pillow and umbilical to dongle
• twelve quickreet heads
• shadowbox
• dongle
• mandrake-running computer ('funniest penguin i've ever seen')
• pBen's analog synthesizer using fft which I still don't quite understand, but it's cool
• pattern responses, many of which i keyed in
• music by k&d: a mother

documentation: process . compilation . final test run (movie) . entirety

lots of thanks for the way technical stuff provided by: pBen, winky, tonee, aarn
  (I'm still amazed)

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cara@actlab.us