For Spatial Media we were asked to find a temporary interactive exhibit that was created for an event and critique it. I had a tough time finding examples of temporary exhibits, but eventually I came across “8 ties” for Hermès. It was created for an event in Milan and has now traveled to a few other locations. I haven’t seen this installation in person, but I found some videos online.
The theme of the collection is very digital, referencing many aspects of computer culture and data. The ties’ patterns use iconography like the power button and the recycle symbol, as well as binary among others. The site is much nicer than that video above:
The visuals, drawn from the patterns of the tie collection, are stunning. They are the highlight of the main attraction – the large video wall which I can only assume was a projection. What’s unclear is whether or not the visuals respond to the user. When you watch the video, you can’t really tell if the graphics are moving on their own or as a reaction to the user waving around kinect-style. The audience, who appear to be professionals in the fashion industry, don’t appear to understand either.
I definitely recommend the website. It’s visually very attractive and has some awesome glitchy audio and video. But from the videos online, it looks like the translation to a large screen exhibit may have fallen a bit flat. I think user interaction could have been made much stronger, for example, showing some sparks or something where the user’s hand is detected, or a more clear correlation between movement of the user and movement of the graphics.
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