On Saturday, May 10, members of the public will have the chance to play with three dynamic, interactive art installations as part of the Ontario College of Art & Design’s participation in Science Rendezvous, a new daylong festival celebrating cutting-edge science and technology research in the Greater Toronto Area.
“We’re setting up multimedia art installations that people will literally be able to play with,” said Paula Gardner, a principal researcher at OCAD’s Mobile Experience Lab. “It’s a chance for the public to experience first-hand our research into public surveillance and privacy issues and people’s comfort with mobile technology in a way that’s fun and engaging.”
Three installations — all part of a larger research project named “Portage” — will be located on Queen Street West and John Street:
Soap Box, a repurposed newspaper box displaying an electronic newspaper that allows people to manipulate its content by uploading their own photos or headlines (via text messaging) using their mobile phones (Location: Pages Books & Magazines, 256 Queen Street West).
Sound Sculpture, a three-piece sound installation (with instruments such as cowbells on drum petals and an xylophone) played manually, by singing into a mobile phone or by downloading drum-machine software (Location: corner of Stephanie and John streets, south of Grange Park)
Cycle Erasure, a hybrid virtual-mechanical bicycle in a shop window that can be operated with vigorous, on-screen arm or hand movements. Participants are eventually informed that their image has been captured and are given the opportunity to download it to their mobile device, or erase it from the system (Location: Urbane Cyclist, 180 John Street).
OCAD’s participation in Science Rendezvous will run concurrently with its 93rd annual Graduate Exhibition, “Evolving DNA” (for more information on the Graduate Exhibition, visit www.ocad.ca).
For more details about Science Rendezvous, visit http://www.sciencerendezvous.ca/.