Adaptation
---- Interactive Video Iinstallation on Adaptation Meng Li / Allistar Peters / Rendall Koski

Artist statement:
Human intervention with the implementation of technology, science and the need to have a dominate human species, along with the eradication and tailoring of nature¡¯s children - plants and animals, sometimes lead to unpredictable and seemingly negative results, causing more disdain to mankind¡¯s lifestyle if not survival.
Most species adapt only for their survival. Humans adapt not simply for survival, but also for social acceptance, wealth and prosperity. Humankind wants other species to adapt or fit into his ever-changing model of the world, or must get out of our way. They must die!
But what happens if they don¡¯t die? Or what will happen if we are forced to adapt to exist in their world?
To address this question we decided to create an interactive behavior experiment on how humans react to the (dramatic) intrusion of other species deemed unsuitable to coexist in our habitat. For this we choose the cockroach.
Fact: Cockroaches are real survivors. They have been around for around 300 million years and can be found all over the world, either with humans or in a natural environment. Over 5,000 species have been identified. Cockroaches are very adaptive... (Source: newsroom.co.nz 21 July 1999 from a press release by the Y2K Readiness Commission)

Interaction scenarios:
A pile of gloves will be presented at the entrance. To be relatively comfortable to interact with the roaches, you are required to wear a pair of glove. The initial state shows only one cockroach, black, crawling, attempting participants to smack on it. After being hit, it's populating to 5 cockroaches, and the mother cockroach turns red. Being hit again will make it grow to a giant one. Hitting it will cause wings to grow out of its shell, so it will fly.
Participants' reaction and behavior to the unexpected and uncontrollable cockroach populating, enlarging, morphing will be recorded and analyzed to provoke more thoughts on human adaptation. We use technology to make it interactive, however, the best story may be that we don¡¯t ¡°interact¡±¡ªwhich is to kill/smack it ¨C with the cockroaches. We coexist.

video (experience and interaction):

Technical statement:
Close proximity infra-red tracking:  we will use infra-red camera tracking to determine the location of the hand, and filtered sound to indicate smacking the wall. The infra-red camera can track the hand position by tracking the infra-red emitter attached on the gloves. The sound of smacking the wall will be picked up by the microphone to determine if the hand is hitting onto the wall or not.??
Projection: We will use two projectors to throw the video onto a corner with the extension of two pieces of wall.  
Space: enclosed.
List of equipment:
Projectors: Two short throw 4K projectors. to illustrate the details of the roaches¡¯ behavior. Hanging from the ceiling, 2 meters above ground. Projecting to a corner with two walls.
Lighting:? The only light is from the projection. As more and more cockroaches being generated, the room is becoming darker and darker. When the white background is fully covered by too many cockroaches, the whole room will become too dark to breath.
Audio: 4 Channel Speakers?
A computer
Time for installation: 4 hours.

video: (technique / space)