Sitting in a Box

The Project The project began with Seamus' original concept of 'Co-operative Immobility' where participants are confined in individual boxes with electronic devices as their only communication method which were powered by means of kinetic generator. The twist here is that each person is responsible for the power supplied not to their own box but that of someone else.

When placed in a public space and run for a continuous period of time (i.e. a day, week etc.) would communicate ideas relevant to the Electrosmog Festival such as reliance on power to allow us to be mobile and to communicate when otherwise isolated from the world around us. It would raise questions about who controls and holds the 'power' and make one consider their own levels of input and output.

The project overall seems feasible but when taking it in terms of a two week deadline to complete and present, we were forced to scale it down a few notches. So the concept remained and even though researched showed it was possible to build kinetic generators which can power laptops and charge iPods / cellphones, we decided instead to build smaller generators with magnets and coils of magnetic wire to power a light bulb. The light bulb simply serves as a representation of power and an easy way to immediately see who had power and who didn't.

The set up would be similar where each person supplies power to one other person's light bulb and the objective becomes to work cooperatively to send a pattern of flashes around the circuit.

"A series of boxes in a dark room light up. Each box contains a small kinetic generator to supply the power to the light bulb in one other box. The subjects inside the boxes are immobile and isolated, their only connection to the outside world is through these lights. Without the light, they are cut off and powerless. Each figure is responsible for another as they work as a co-dependent unit to send a pattern of light flashes around the circuit. It takes only one person to stop and break the pattern and the system breaks down. This project explores the relationship of cooperation and the sustainable immobile lifestyle. It highlights the issues around our reliance on electricity to communicate when we are physically isolated, made possible by the use of electronic devices. In a system of co-dependence, one is forced to consider their own levels of usage and input."

As the idea developed, we were once again back at boxes, this time simple cubes covered in opaque rice paper which, when the bulb inside was lit, an indistinguishable silhouette of a figure inside would be visible. Taken to a dark and isolated location would once again communicate ideas around reliance on power to be visible and able to communicate and with lack of such power is almost to not exist when one is in physical isolation from the world around them.

Construction
The original plan was to build our own generators from scratch with help from a handy step by step video but sourcing the correct objects began to prove difficult and costly. After trekking as far as Albany and back to New Market, we managed to get 8 kinetic torches at $6 a pop and decided the best option was to modify these.

In the work shop, we sawed off one end of the torch so we were able to extend the wires to the LED so the light can be switched on from however long we made the extension wire. We were concerned whether the charge would still be able to carry through the extended wire but it seemed to do this with no problems.

So with the prototype completed, we will do this to the other 7 torches and also try find some way to re-house both ends of the wires to ensure the soldering doesn't get pulled out.

We will also begin construction of the boxes which we have decided will be 1m cubed for both practical (construction, materials, transport etc.) issues but also they will light up more successfully and to constrain movement within the box to emphasize this idea of immobility.

All the while, with every decision we make, we stop to consider the implications of each decision and how it impacts upon and relates to our concept and our overall aim. We are now also contemplating ideal locations in which we can set it up, ideally somewhere dark and isolated so it fits in with the idea of being away from the security of power, that we are solely relying on the power we are generating ourselves as well as emphasizing the visual effect of the boxes lighting up.

So currently, concept and construction is all on track and the aim is to get it constructed so we can do a test run and be ready in time for the festival which commences in just three days on March 18th...