Virtial Windows

A whimsical interactive mixed media installation exploring the relationship between indoor and outdoor space, blending both the physical and digital realms. Virtual Windows celebrates the panoramic city views found on the top floor of the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center’s (CAC) UnMuseum by hacking the local cityscape with curious line-drawn animations.

These animations are triggered by found experiential objects spread throughout the gallery space, with the hope of encouraging self discovery. Driven by the notion that so few people, especially children, have access to the perspective found on the top floor of the Zaha Hadid-designed Contemporary Arts Center, the decision was made to frame the gallery views to honor the public access to the space and its location.

These augmented reality animations are accomplished through deconstructed LCD panels and assorted interactive sensors running on embedded Arduinos. The Aduinos send commands to mini-PCs connected to the cannibalized LCD panels. The raw electronics were then bonded to transparent acrylic panels and framed with anodized black aluminum extrusions. The panel assemblies were held in the window frames using friction alone, as to not damage the building itself.

The assorted trigger objects in the space not only aimed to surprise but also aligned the viewer’s line of sight for the augmented experience. This then turned an obscure fun task, like taking a selfie, into a surprising altered experience. Animations included Boom Box Buildings, Water Tower Rockets, Monsters!, and Worms.

Animations were created in collaboration with NYC-based concept artist JJ Ariosa.