A collaboration between Manuela Donoso, Yin Liu, and Crys Moore, <br /><br /> Interactive Fish Tank is an experiential sculpture that allows the participant to physically play with virtual life by interacting with water. Swimming about on the surface, animated fish respond to the movements of the audience, curiously following the touch of a finger on the water. Lurking off in the peripheral, a predator swims in and out of the tank \"eating\" whatever fish my get in its way. A sort of game is developed, where the user can help the small fish evade/entice the mysterious big fish by dragging their finger across the surface of the water.

User Scenario
The piece is set up in an open space with dim lighting. A large stand alone sculpture, the user would be able approach the piece from four sides.

Implementation
The fish tank is a shallow water proof plexiglass box that sits atop a pedestal. Much like an infinity pool, the tank contains water flush to the rim of the tank. A webcam hidden in the pedestal runs camera tracking to a laptop which also is running a Processing sketch put out to a projector (also hidden in the pedestal). The Plexiglass tank is completely transparent, allowing the camera to capture the movement of the user's hand as well as allowing the projection to reach the surface of the water in the tank.