WATERING HOLE       

A Field Study







Watering Hole I (iter. 1, Pooling), 2017

mixed media with projection

60 sec., loop

24 x 24 x 48 in (61 x 61 x 122 cm)

unique work


TYPE

๐ŸŒ“ Mixed reality sculpture

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Print


ROLE

๐ŸŽจ Artist


SERIES

Field Studies

Tale on Textile


LOCATION

๐Ÿ“ MIT Media Lab


DATE

๐Ÿ“† Fall 2017


SERVICES

๐ŸŽ“ AR / XR Design Theory

  • ๐Ÿ‘€ Creative Research

๐Ÿ”ฎ Conceptual Development

  • โš—๏ธ Experimental R&D

๐Ÿ–ฑ๏ธ 3D Modeling

๐Ÿ“ Shop Drawings

  • ๐Ÿ”จ Woodcraft / Upholstery
  • ๐ŸŽŽ Sculpt / Mold / Casting

๐Ÿ’ป Systems Design & Spec.

๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Server Assembly & Setup

๐ŸŽฅ Content Production

๐Ÿš€ Motion Graphics

๐Ÿฆบ Installation

โœจProjection Mapping

๐ŸŽž๏ธ Video Documentation

๐Ÿ’ฌTalks


FUNDING

This project was been made possible in part by funding from the Council for the Arts at MIT.


SPECIAL THANKS

Tobias Putrih & Seth Avecilla

ABOUT


Watering Hole is the first sculpture in the Field Studies that draws parallels between the older dilemma of allowing children to swim in various bodies of water and the current dilemma of allowing children join various social media platforms.




ITERATIONS

Different projected content can bring new meaning to the same physical sculpture. Notable explorations of content are notated as numbered iterations (abbreviated iter.) on physical works.


(iter. 1, Pooling), 2017

60 sec., loop

Watering Hole's debut iteration immerses the swimmers in an oil-slicked pool of toxic sludge meant to represent the corrosive culture found on and industrialized by social media.


(iter. 2, Filter), 2017

15 sec., loop

A simple but elegant iteration addressing the poignant issue of filtering water, video, and reality. Video content consists simply of a the hypnotizing light distortions of an indoor pool, reduced in resolution for a pixelated vaporwave aesthetic.


(iter. 3, Ego Trip), 2017

3 min., loop

Leaning further into the 1960's aesthetic of the sculpture and broader Field Studies series, the iteration Ego Trip increases the dynamism of the pool content by reimagining the pool as a hyperactive psychedelic show โ€“ a reference the to psychedelic escapism present during the early onset of video media. The content was produced using tradition methods, which calls for a solution of colored water and alcohol, suspended in oil, and rhythmically compressed between two pieces of concave clock glass.


(iter. 4, Change Weight), 2021

2 min., loop

In this iteration, the swimmers are immersed in a bath of their own selfies. Delicately curated images of their faces stretch and distort with the unceasing upward bloom of an unseen source. Content generated by combining video clips of people and water-oil blooms using AI neural net processing.



Made-to-order

Contact for availability and pricing.

PRINTS


Watering Hole I (iter. 1, Pooling), 2018

Print

30 x 18 x 0.5 in. (76 x 46 x 1.3 cm) *


Made-to-order

Contact for availability and pricing.


* Available in other sizes on request