Raphael Zollinger
Ignoratio Elenchi: A News Feed
A dynamic installation consisting of four 6\" LCD screens that switch the video displayed from that of actual events in the current war when no one is detected in front of a screen to commercial news reports of the same event when someone is detected.
http://www.rzollinger.wordpress.com
Ignoratio Elenchi is an interactive physical video content driver. The installation creates a space in which the viewer is faced with having meaningful information, via video footage of the war, hidden from them. Through proximity sensors mounted on each screen to find when a user is in front of any one of five 6" lcd screens, the video displayed changes from actual first hand video footage and accounts of events in Iraq to different commercial news reports of the same events, when someone is detected. As the person moves between the screens, the video keeps changing from actual to filtered information, thus creating a sense of frustration and effort for the viewer to navigate between the screens to gain access to the desired media. Each console is self contained and can be rearranged, work as an individual kiosk, or as a group in any number. This technology is easily adaptable to any screen, monitor or TV size through video input. Ignoratio Elenchi is a subtle form of propaganda commonly used in popular media to change the subject or divert the argument. It is the logical fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but which proves or supports a different proposition. My installation attempts to illustrate that a message does not have to be untrue to qualify as propaganda. The message in modern propaganda is often not blatantly untrue, but will generally contain partisan bias and fail to present a complete and balanced consideration of the issue.
Ignoratio Elenchi: A News Feed, is commenting on the distortion and flattening of reported events from afar, especially those concerning the war in Iraq, and trying to bring it home as a visceral experience for the participant. How a person accesses and consumes pertinent information and what effort someone has to go in oder to access unbiased information is discussed through the user experience in the installation. Thus, I am attempting to show the vast distance between \"fast food\" commercial news media and relatively objective accounts of the same events.
The method of propaganda is essential to the word\'s meaning as well. A message does not have to be untrue to qualify as propaganda. The message in modern propaganda is often not blatantly untrue. But even if the message conveys only \"true\" information, it will generally contain partisan bias and fail to present a complete and balanced consideration of the issue. Another common characteristic of propaganda is volume (in the sense of a large amount). For example, a propagandist may seek to influence opinion by attempting to get a message heard in as many places as possible, and as often as possible. The intention of this approach is to a) reinforce an idea through repetition, and b) exclude or \"drown out\" any alternative ideas. Aristotle believed that an ignoratio elenchi is a mistake made by a questioner while attempting to refute a respondent\'s argument. He called it an ignorance of what makes for a refutation. For Aristotle, then, ignoratio elenchi amounts to ignorance of logic. In fact, Aristotle goes so far as to say that all logical fallacies can be reduced to what he calls ignoratio elenchi.
This is then put forth to the viewer or participant.
anyone.
A person walks up to one of 4 hanging small 6\" lcd screens and notices that the video changes as they approach. They then walk or turn to look at the next screen and the same happens. They are left with an ability to only view mundane commercial newscasts, even though they have seen from afar other footage of more graphic events, displayed briefly, but unable to be viewed closely. If a person stands still exactly at the intersection of the switching point, the screen can be viewed in a red monochromatic scale.
Four hanging LCD screens create a space for the viewer to enter. Each screen has video input from Jitter, an amplifier and speakers, as well as an IR sensor. As the viewer approaches a screen the input from the sensor is sent to an Arduino micro-controller, which inn turn sends out the corresponding values to Jitter based upon how close the viewer has come to the screen. Three predefined thresholds set in the Arduino are sent to Jitter, which in turn switches the video based upon someone standing in front of that lcd.
I was faced again with the difficulty of simplification - getting rid of superfluous hardware and creating a close to seamless user experience.
I had the prototype of the system running with java based video tracking from a camera mounted above the installation and all information sent wireless via zig bee radio to each screen, but the problem was handling large groups of people at once. The video tracking, using \"blob detection\" could not distinguish fast enough between you or I. The result is far simpler and dynamic. Each screen became its own self contained unit using a proximity sensor and Arduino, thus allowing for multiple confirmations, more or less screens and and infinite number of people to interact with.
Ignoratio Elenchi: A News Feed, is commenting on the distortion and flattening of reported events from afar, especially those concerning the war in Iraq, and trying to bring it home as a visceral experience for the participant. How a person accesses and consumes pertinent information and what effort someone has to go in oder to access unbiased information is discussed through the user experience in the installation. Thus, I am attempting to show the vast distance between \"fast food\" commercial news media and relatively objective accounts of the same events.
The method of propaganda is essential to the word\'s meaning as well. A message does not have to be untrue to qualify as propaganda. The message in modern propaganda is often not blatantly untrue. But even if the message conveys only \"true\" information, it will generally contain partisan bias and fail to present a complete and balanced consideration of the issue. Another common characteristic of propaganda is volume (in the sense of a large amount). For example, a propagandist may seek to influence opinion by attempting to get a message heard in as many places as possible, and as often as possible. The intention of this approach is to a) reinforce an idea through repetition, and b) exclude or \"drown out\" any alternative ideas. Aristotle believed that an ignoratio elenchi is a mistake made by a questioner while attempting to refute a respondent\'s argument. He called it an ignorance of what makes for a refutation. For Aristotle, then, ignoratio elenchi amounts to ignorance of logic. In fact, Aristotle goes so far as to say that all logical fallacies can be reduced to what he calls ignoratio elenchi.
This is then put forth to the viewer or participant.
anyone.
A person walks up to one of 4 hanging small 6\" lcd screens and notices that the video changes as they approach. They then walk or turn to look at the next screen and the same happens. They are left with an ability to only view mundane commercial newscasts, even though they have seen from afar other footage of more graphic events, displayed briefly, but unable to be viewed closely. If a person stands still exactly at the intersection of the switching point, the screen can be viewed in a red monochromatic scale.
Four hanging LCD screens create a space for the viewer to enter. Each screen has video input from Jitter, an amplifier and speakers, as well as an IR sensor. As the viewer approaches a screen the input from the sensor is sent to an Arduino micro-controller, which inn turn sends out the corresponding values to Jitter based upon how close the viewer has come to the screen. Three predefined thresholds set in the Arduino are sent to Jitter, which in turn switches the video based upon someone standing in front of that lcd.
I was faced again with the difficulty of simplification - getting rid of superfluous hardware and creating a close to seamless user experience.
I had the prototype of the system running with java based video tracking from a camera mounted above the installation and all information sent wireless via zig bee radio to each screen, but the problem was handling large groups of people at once. The video tracking, using \"blob detection\" could not distinguish fast enough between you or I. The result is far simpler and dynamic. Each screen became its own self contained unit using a proximity sensor and Arduino, thus allowing for multiple confirmations, more or less screens and and infinite number of people to interact with.