CO OPERATIVE IMMOBILITY - THE SUSTAINABLY IMMOBILE LIFESTYLE (ELECTROSMOG FESTIVAL PROJECT)

"The ElectroSmog Festival is a critique of the worldwide explosion of mobility, and an exploration of the new forms of connectedness with us offered to us by network and communication technologies." -www.electrosmogfestival.net/

For our submission we make the comment that the Sustainably Immobile Lifestyle is dependant upon human co operation and sharing as much as the new connections we now have available to us.

PRIMARY

HOW & WHY?

We chose to use boxes, or walled cubes, to represent a stationary environment indicative of an apartment or other confined, contempory living space. Each participant would be confined in their box, becoming dependant on effort sharing and digital networks to interact and survive. We wanted to see how people behave when faced with this problem.

We realised that if we (the participants) used kinetic generators, connected to a light in a different persons box, instead of using the generators to power electronic communication devices, then the light would serve as a visual representation of the co operation and interactions going on between cubes. Thus, providing a metaphorical insight into how we sustain one another in a sustainably immobile lifestyle.

MAKING ELECTRICITY
Apparently, the equasion below describes Farady's Law of Induction (i cant read it but have been told that this is how the magic happens);

Basically, when you rapidly change the polarity of a coil of copper wire you create an electric charge. This, is the fundamental principle driving all sorts of electricity generators. The energy input, in the case of a handheld kinetic generator, is from human movement -not from splitting atoms, burning oil or diverting bodies of water.

Instructions for how to make a simple kinetic generator;

We went out to buy magnets, insulated copper wire, LED's etc, so that we could create our own kinetic generators for particpants to make charge with during the intallation. While we were shopping we found kinetic torches on sale for $6 each, which quartered the price of making these items -Plus they came ready made for us to hack;

BUILDING & MODIFICATIONS
We realised quickly that our two week time schedule and limited budget would make it very tricky and relatively expensive to create multiple, safe electricity generator/storage/regulator systems (to power a laptop or iphone).

We chose to use the gererators and LED's from our $6 torches; extending the wire that leads to the LED so that the handheld generator and LED's could be placed inside separate boxes. We wanted participants inside the boxes to be responsible for generating charge for someone else's box, giving them discretion over how much or little effort they want to invest.
Later in the project we decided to reintroduce an on/off switch to the generator devices, giving greater control over how/when the electricity was used -Would the simultaneous dependance upon and power over another, unseen person incite co operation or nonparticipation? How long would participants allow themselves to be immobile and physically confined? Are humans capable of the contributing if they, themselves, are not benefiting?

We made the frames for our boxes out of some old wood I found which was destined for the fire. On examining this fortunate coincidence we became more aware that reusing materials which have been discarded is fundamental to creating a more sustainable lifestyle, so we decided to minimise our usage of new/purchased items for the rest of the project as much as possible.

We cut, glued and nailed the wooden frames together then realised we needed to choose an appropriate material to make our walls out of - Something to help us convey the meaning of our project and make it interesting to viewer and participant alike...

Discarded newspaper provided an appropriately opaque wall so that; the person in the box could not see out and interact with the outside world directly, the cube would glow when the LED was switched on, it was free and reused. Also, newspaper is loaded with connotations of communication and distribution of information, which lends well to our overall theme.

LIGHT?
Given our decision to use light in portraying our concept, we felt it would give the installation/performance more visual impact to do be done in the dark preceded by a period with the lights on, where audience and participants are able to investigate what is being used and gain an impression of of the connectedness of the individual spaces;



OUTCOME