1. Dreamwork - Siggraph95
Chain Reaction
Date:August and september 1995
Participation:
Creation of images for the project.
Dimensions:
500x375 pixels
Concept:
An Interactive Collaborative Internet Art Experience
ChainReaction is a worldwide collaborative art project that involves digital image manipulation and networked integration of visual communication and the visual environment. Participants from around the world can collaborate with ISEA95 attendees to create a nonlinear progression of digital images. The project utilizes the World Wide Web and network technologies to enable the participants the ability to collaboratively build a structure of images that reflect the multiplicity of the experience.
Project Creators and Coordinator
ChainReaction was coordinated by Professor Bonnie Mitchell at Syracuse University. Syracuse University students Melody dos Santos, Drew Farris, Joshua Jones, Heather Elliott, Wayne Fidler and Scott Mager worked round the clock developing the interface, the collaboration engine, the starter images, the CD version and anything else that needed to be done.
Process
The projectís foundation is based on a complex interface developed for the World Wide Web which includes numerous starter images and interactive methods for inputting information. Participants can download images from the World Wide Web site, manipulate then, and then upload then back to the ftp site. The images are then connected back to the Chain via the Collaboration Engine and displayed as a link to the image from which it began. The process of connecting the images and generating the html code are all preformed through a series of Perl and C scripts which collectively we call the Collaboration Engine. These scripts automate the html development, the image resizing, and the file format conversions as the new images arrive. Shortly after linking the image, the new contribution becomes available for viewing and manipulation on the WWW. Any image can be manipulated by more than one person, thus creating extra links in the chain. As the chain progresses, the images continue to branch off and create a more diverse selection of images to manipulate.
ISEA95 Participants
The ISEA participants in the project have access to a digital camera and graphic software which enables them to include their visual environment into their expressive reactions to other participantís images.
World Wide Participants
Participants from numerous countries are joining with ISEA95 attendees in manipulating images and communicating via digital video on the net. Hardware, software and networking capabilities vary from location to location therefore involvement in the project ranges from ftping manipulated images to networked video performances which are merged into the manipulated images and documented on the WWW site.
Communication and Interaction
The ChainReaction participants can communicate via the WWW, email, ftp, and digital video conferencing. The ChainReaction Project includes html forms and Perl scripts which enable processing of information and automation of the html development. The site utilizes the new Netscape extentions to the html tags, sensitive maps and other visual navigation devices enabling the viewer/participant to navigate the site and explore the visual complexity of the nonlinear image progression.
Visual Presentation
The images generated from the ChainReaction project are displayed on the walls surrounding the interactive exhibit area. The number of images submitted are visually represented via the image counter which is driven by the Collaboration Engine. The image counter tracks the number of images contributed, constantly updating to reflect the current total.
Images:
1. Dreamwork - Siggraph95
2. Structure map of the image and its offsprings
3. Women are from Venus? - ISEA95
4. Fold - ISEA95