Concept
by Per Nilsson, interaction adventurer
Mass urbanization, explosive population increase, higher violent crime rates, and increased availability of online services are all factors that are leading more and more people into feelings of alienation and behaviours of isolation. We are losing to history the customs to say hello to people in the street, and asking a neighbor for a lacking cake ingredient. Many are afraid, or too shy, to make contact with strangers. This writer believes that fear to be a serious impediment to the development of both a healthy personality and a healthy society.
Speaking from personal experience, I believe that encounters with people outside of your everyday social sphere will do anything from broadening your general knowledge, to enrichening your day and making you a more humble person. An educated and unprejudiced population is the foundation of a stable society. The hope is that this installation will work as an icebreaker between people who have not met before, and be a catalyst for a new aquaintance, or even for a friendship.
At the same time, implicit in this installation is the question: are we growing dependent on technology even to make friends?
What is it?
Samba Meeting consists of two electronically augmented maracas. By shaking the maracas in particular gestures, different percussive sounds are triggered.
For the technologically inclined:
the maracas contain accelerometer sensors, and I use an Arduino board coupled with PD on the software side.
Coming soon
Images, video footage from installation at Implement!, Malmö