[dorkbotatl-announce] thurs 4/12 @ 7 pm: dorkbot art and technology forum

[Jason Freeman]

The Atlanta chapter of Dorkbot, the international forum on art and  
technology dedicated to “people doing strange things with  
electricity,” will have its next meeting this Thursday, April 12, at  
7 pm in the Couch Building (room 207) at Georgia Tech.

Full details and directions are available at:

http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotatl/

This month’s meeting features presentations about two of the  
installations at the recent Listening Machines concert which were  
developed by students and faculty in the Digital Media program at  
Georgia Tech.

Aimee Rydarowski: Grillwork

Grillwork is a kinetic relief sculpture that functions as a  
mechatronic art object as well as an abstract interactive information  
visualization and ambient display. It uses the motion of 100 CPU fans  
on a reactive surface to depict an abstracted representation of the  
acoustic environment that surrounds it. The function of the object  
varies depending on the behavior of people sharing its acoustic  
space; they may choose to be an active participant or passive  
observer. Collaborators include Ayoka Chenzira and Ozge Samanci.

Ali Mazalek and the Xperimental Media Group: Flora Electronica

"Flora Electronica” is an electronic/computational garden that acts  
as a real-time media performance space. The inhabitants of the  
artificial garden are reactive plants equipped with sensors and  
actuators, allowing them to respond to the visitors who pass through  
the space. Clustered into three groups, the plants respond through  
light, sound and movement, influencing the overall emotional tone of  
the space. The garden invites interaction on the part of the  
visitors, who can entice the plants into enacting captivating robo- 
media performances. Through video and data capture, the garden also  
maintains a web presence. Remote visitors can influence the garden  
from afar in order to stage and broadcast video performances online.

As always, dorkbot, which is sponsored by the Georgia Tech Music  
Department, is free and open to the public.