Feelin’ Blue?

HM of Open Source Biennale

+ HONOURABLE MENTION

Open Source Biennale

[15792]

Feelin’ Blue?

Team

Name: Nathan Karlsen

Instagram: @nathankarlsen  linkedin.com/in/nathan-karlsen-b550a81a2

Nationality: American

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The Venice Biennale has often been criticized for being self-indulgent – focusing on flashy final products that are isolated within the world of the Biennale. What if, instead of creating a final product, an installation adapted and became more informed over time? Instead of focusing solely on the author’s intent, what would happen if the installation reflected your feelings? “Feelin’ Blue?” imagines a digital interface and physical space for individual and collective reflection, using visual displays and the phones tethered to us daily to create an open dialogue about our current and future context. LED message boards act as social thermometers, measuring happiness across five timeframes tied to five corresponding boards – right now, this week, this month, this year, and with our future. A designed app acts as a mediator between visitors and the installation, where individuals submit their satisfaction against each time marker, to which the running average is then relayed to each messageboard. Vibrant colors illuminate icons on each display, measuring the average happiness level, ranging from blue [highly satisfied] to pink [extremely dissatisfied]. Together, all five boards create an inhabitable gradient of color, an aura that signifies our current happiness within our individual and collective worlds.

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Jury Comments

– [Hamidreza Khademi] Innovative use of technology to create an interactive, emotion-based installation. Technically feasible with LED boards and app integration. The main challenge is creating a reliable system that accurately reflects and displays visitor inputs.

– [Olli Andrew] Nothing new, lacking innovation or creativity