GMU:Designing Utopias: Theory and Practice/Jan Munske

trigger to selfdiscovery

have you ever walked down the street and heard a bell, only to be followed by a thought-provoking question?

this is the concept behind this interactive art piece designed to challenge people to reflect on their identity and existence. you search within. you search within, what is there? who am i? what is this life energy in me? what is this consciousness in me?

how it works: through an audio mp3 player, a adrulino plays questions. these questions come out of an speaker. everytime a person walks past this machine, the hypersonic sensor gets triggered. the questions on the mp3 player are played randomly. the machine is designed to be placed in open spaces, mounted to a wall or a lamp post. timing is crucial, so the system uses two modules to optimize when the questions are asked: the first module plays the sound of a bell, and the second module asks itself questions.

playing question component first listeners

to get a different perspective on this work i took a small speaker and went outside. with this speaker i stood next to people and played my question manually. on the street, in the bakery, next to the police and on the train tracks (…). i saw the reactions; the confusion, the ignoring and the curiosity (…). this experience also brought a new dimension to the art piece, as it shifted from just a machine asking questions to a human embodiment of those questions. it created a more personal and intimate experience for both myself and the people I interacted with. the field work showed that timing and placement of questions is crucial to capture people's attention. using two modules was found to be most effective for the machine.

to get direct feedback and observe people’s reactions from near, was also helpful in refining my approach of how the machine will work. the audience's engagement with the work is can be addressed. ideas for interaction are adding a feedback system that allows individuals to respond to the questions posed by the machine.

overall, the field work brought the machine's concept to life and allowed me to see its potential impact in a more realistic way.

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questions:

…

wer bin ich?

kommen alle fragen vom friedhof?

ist alles schon da?

wo bin ich wenn ich lache?

was ist dieses bewusstsein in mir?

sollte ich mir glauben?

wann wache ich auf?

bin ich meine gefühle?

was ist diese lebensenergie in mir?

kann ich das wahrgenommende wahrnehmen?

ist mein ziel so weit entfernt?

habe ich alles ausser mich selbst?

war ich jemals wach?

habe ich alles ausser mich selbst?

ist mein leben sein eigenes ziel?

sollte ich nach ihnen schauen?

ist wissen meine bürde?

warum ist alles so still wenn ich schlafe?

…

the concept of a machine like this in public space, raises questions about the boundaries in public spaces and the role of technology in our daily lives. playing these questions confronts the person, walking past the machine. in an unexpected manner. the machine is designed to challenge people's beliefs and perceptions of the world and themselves. It seeks to provoke thought and discussion about the most fundamental questions of our existence, encouraging people to engage in a journey of self-discovery and exploration. the machine's purpose is not to provide answers, but rather to initiate a process of self-reflection in the individual.

The machine is used as a tool to that asks itself these fundamental questions.

further exploration and experimentation with the machine is needed. to push the boundaries of what is possible and provoke thought and discussion about our relationship with ourselves and the world around us.

… peace? awareness? happiness? satisfaction? englightment? nature? nirvana? tao? zen? …