floating playground
Campo da Giuoco di Galleggiante

proposal for building interactive playgrounds

Floating Playground is a onsite installation of a series of large scale inflatable optical illusion objects that invite users to play with each other and their environment. The installation will be composed of 3 parts spread throughout the site of the festival and which will transform it into a big interactive playground. These parts are The Swing, The Joystick and Uppers/Downers, all built out of inflatable structures each dressed up with different visual patterns.

Swing

The Swing is a suspended swing whose forward and backward motion animate static optical illusions on the converging walls of the space. As the user moves back and fourth, he will experience special disorienting optical illusions created by the specific design printed on the inflatable screen surrounding him. If the space is large enough, The Swing could be made with 2 opposing swings each facing opposite walls. More swing details and images.

Uppers/Downers

The Uppers/Downers are suspended, illuminated inflatables that will float up and down on the dance floor inviting festival-goers to dance or have a private moment inside them. The inflatable structures will be illuminated from the inside, creating a glowing effect for the audience watching them from below as they float up in the air. Each firefly will also have it's own pattern printed on it and will create optical effects as it swings in the air. Users will be able to bring the fireflies up or down by using a pulley system accessible from the dance floor. Once lowered, each firefly can be entered and would fit 2 people at a time. When the dance floor gets too crowded, the firefly can be lifted back up into the air. More firefly details and images.

Joystick

Joystick is an enclosed triangular inflatable space with multiple patterns and dynamic visuals projected on all sides and controlled by a giant joystick outside that space. Using the physical Joystick, users outside the space will control the movement of the person standing inside the space through manipulating the visual animations being projected.
The Joystick users will see a live video of the person(s) inside the inflatable space moving in response to their joystick adjustments, thus creating a playful interaction between the different participants. More joystick details and images.

The Floating Playground: Overview

The three parts of Floating Playground can be installed at different locations on the site of the festival; they will require minimal technological supervision and will create a playful and magical mood for the event. Throughout the night, the inflatables themselves tend to get a life of their own, moving and changing shapes slowly as more or less people play with them. The inflatables will be created specifically for the event and their sizes will be adjusted according to the space available and the physical properties of the site. More overview details and images.

Reference Links:

Optical Illusion Imagery: movement illusion and 3D-2D illusion.

Inflatable structures: AKAirways

Group Members:

Mouna Andraos, Rebecca Bray, Chris Kucinski, Kati London, Chetan Mangat, Joo Youn Paek, Chris Paretti, Tikva Morowati, Britta Riley, Leah Wechsler

The group is composed of students and alumni of the Interactive Telecommunictaions graduate Program of New York Univesity (ITP), a living eco-system where art meets technology and dedicated to exploring and expanding the ability of real people using media to connect to one another and influence the world around them.

For more information, contact Kati London.

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