interactive experience

In this project we are exploring a new medium for portraiture. Our challenge is the same as that of any portraiture artist, be it photography or film, namely to show the subject's persona; to present the artist's point of view; and to create a moment of intimacy with the viewer. To extend and emphasize this equilibrium we are adding both an interactive dimension and dynamics to a still photograph that is triggered by the viewer's presence and behaviors. A good portrait is about aesthetics, composition, and light. It is about emotions, memories, and knowledge. While film is like a full story, a still photograph is like a poem. This project aspires to stretch the limits of interactive photographic portraiture without compromising its basic strengths and characteristics.



moving portraits1 (With Pattie Maes) exhibited in the media lab 2003.
In this project we are exploring a new medium for portraiture. Our challenge is the same as that of any portraiture artist, be it photography or film, namely to show the subject's persona; to present the artist's point of view; and to create a moment of intimacy with the viewer. To extend and emphasize this equilibrium we are adding both an interactive dimension and dynamics to a still photograph that is triggered by the viewer's presence and behaviors. A good portrait is about aesthetics, composition, and light. It is about emotions, memories, and knowledge. While film is like a full story, a still photograph is like a poem. This project aspires to stretch the limits of interactive photographic portraiture without compromising its basic strengths and characteristics.
Click and hold to see interaction	Click and hold to see interaction	Click and hold to see interaction

3 of the professors in the media lab had their picture taken. All portraits start with a state of not paying attention to the viewer. The moment someone is looking at the portrait long enough they "sense" it and give their attention back to the viewer. The Portraits were hanged in the hallway of the lab and with real picture frames they looked like a picture on the wall. Using proximity sensors the portraits know when someone is watching them. October 2003