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POOL
-verb = combine, amalgamate, blend, join forces, league, merge, put together, share
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus -)
“People are no longer primarily in opposition, nor can they be said to be interacting, rather they are participating in this pool of common meaning which is capable of constant development and change. “
David Bohm
Dive In
The Pool is an environment of giant concentric circles created from interactive circular pads. By entering the pool, you enter a world where play and movement can create a cascading effect of swirling light and color. The pool is a playful, energetic, interactive and totally immersive environment. While in the pool, you can use your movement to create your own swirling light path. You can also use your movement to create light paths that join with other light paths (and allow additive color) or you can use your movement to collide with other paths (removing color and light entirely.)
Like a giant game of “light” ping pong , the pool will have users running and jumping, adding, bouncing and colliding their lights. Imagine the beautiful light and color of Mark Lottor’s Cubatron, except you are on the inside, making it happen.
Many of the pool components are being created with parts from
What is it?
The Pads
The Pool is composed of 100 pads. Each pad is entirely wireless. There is no need for power or communication wiring because the pads are solar powered and use a small wireless network to communicate. I recently completed a large art commission where I filled handmade molded plastic forms with RBG lights, sensors, and my own custom Arduino boards with wireless Zigbee control.
Having tested and seen this system in real time use, I know it works (and looks great!).
The Pool is composed of roughly 100 pads. Spaced in concentric rings, the pool will span approximately 120 feet x 120 feet.
What Does It Do?
Basic Interaction
Based on how you are standing on the pad (with your weight more in the clockwise or in the counter-clockwise direction) the pad will then send a message to its neighbors in your direction to begin to glow white. Like a game of “pong”, you will be able to push a stream of light away from you by leaning in a direction.
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Once your light path has travelled the full circle, the light will jump to your neighboring circles.
In this way, by keeping your weight in one direction, eventually you will fill the entire Pool with light. Once full, the light will wrap back on itself in a new color creating a whirlpool effect.
If another user steps on a pad, and places their weight in the same direction as your path, the paths will mix by adding color.
Each additional person leaning in this same direction will add additional colors. Collision
If another user steps on a pad with their weight in the opposite direction of your light path, your paths will collide, and colors will be removed.
This addition and subtraction will allow users to mix colors in a kaleidoscopic interplay.
Each Pad will glow brightly in an RGB color specified through interaction. These colors will fade gracefully together creating a soft kaleidoscope of light. The more people that participate, the more dynamic and complex that kaleidoscope will become. Various colors will dash around the rings, colliding and cancelling with opposing streams, or joining and building with complementary streams. Depending on the number of people involved and the individual decisions each person makes, the light pattern created will be one of an infinite number of possibilities. To further clarify the intended aesthetic of The Pool, it may be useful to compare it to a previous Burning Man funded piece: Mark Lottor's "Big Round Cubatron" ( or BRC ). The BRC uses an array of controllable LEDs to produce fast-moving, intricate patterns of changing color. These programs are created ahead of time and loaded onto a handful of microcontrollers that instruct the LEDs to change colors according to the intended pattern. Light patterns created by The Pool will be similar to the BRC's in pace and intricacy, but rather than being static, pre-programmed light effects, the patterns created by individuals interacting with The Pool will be organically generated patterns constrained only by a simple set of rules within the electronics of the Pads.
Technical Aspects
In the last few years, I have created several large interactive sculptures using the same tools and technology described in The Pool. In fact, I recently completed a giant series of interactive robotic moths that use molded plastic bodies with RGB lights and wireless sensors. The Pool would utilize many of these same components.
I currently have a working (existing) studio, as well as the staff and infrastructure equipment needed to complete a project of this scale.
What Else Can it Do?
Musical Chairs on the Playa
Just because we can… (and really, really want to).. we would like to use the pool on Thursday and Friday night, for a 100 person game of musical chairs. We would also like to podcast this event . An alternate software program contained in the Pads will allow for these periodic games on the playa. A group of 100 people will gather; each person on a Pad. Each Pad will gently flicker with blue light. When the music is played, everyone must move from their Pad to another Pad. When the music stops, one person will be left standing on a deep red Pad. That person is out of the game. Play will continue this way until one person is left standing on the last remaining blue Pad. Given the 120’ x 120’ scale, this will result in some frantic running, and hopefully hysterical giggles. To make this event possible, I have included an additional/optional budget item below for the sound system necessary to create the “music” needed.
LEAVE NO TRACE!
(and day to day cleanup)
The Team
A willing, committed and realistic team is one of the most important parts of “leave no trace”. Our primary install, cleanup, and “maintenance” team over the 10 days we would like to be at Burning Man will consists of myself (Jen Lewin), Bill Goodrich, Emily Tuteur, and Kimbal Musk (4 people).
I have worked with all of these people for several years. They have all been to Burning Man and have helped me setup the light harps there (in 2005 and 2007).
The Pool is low impact. It will require no external wiring, power supplies, generators, nor trenching. We will stake down each pad with rebar (so they are secure). We will sweep the area on clean up (for all trash and debris). We will check in on the Pool daily, and clean the area from trash. One of the problems with solar panels on the Playa is that they need to be dusted daily. I ran the laser harps off of solar last year and learned this quickly. Given this, we will be cleaning every mid day/morning.
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The Pool is being created with parts from
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