“Remedios Terrarium”
An installation exhibit in Concordia University Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery
March 17 - April 4, 2008.

Remedios’ Terrarium is about the circulation and transubstantiation of matter in a built space. An installation-event springing from the Topological Media Lab’s recent work on responsive environments will form the basis of the installation based on an alchemical homology between the Gallery and the activity of the street and corridors outside. The artists will create a site-specific installation with projections onto fibrous material or screens that respond to the %lfloatmovement of visitors inside the space, as well as the movement of passers-by outside. Visitors will be given the opportunity to engage with movement artists in the responsive built-space over the course of the installation.

We propose to exhibit a room-scale installation-event springing from the Topological Media Lab’s recent work on responsive environments. We would like to create a small responsive space based on an alchemical homology between the Gallery itself as an protected chamber and the activity of the street and corridors outside.

We propose to create a site-specific installation with projections onto fibrous material or screens that respond to the movement of visitors inside the space, and perhaps also to the movement of passersby nearby. We’ve done a study that worked in the corridor outside the Gallery, last year, and have a series of installations from the Hexagram Blackbox to draw on. We use a combination of media: fibrous textile, scrim or screens, responsive projected video, responsive sound, sensor-laden textiles, theatrical lighting, and kinetic sculpture.

Events and Exhibit

We will have one opening vernissage and one closing event. A small number of movement artists will engage visitors in the responsive built space. In the typical setting, the responsive environment will evolve and respond quietly with no intervention needed by staff.