The Creators Project in Brazil interested in my Wassily Kandinsky project. They would like to know more details about the exhibiton. Therefore, We made a little interview with Fergs Heinzelmann.
Here are my answers to Fergs Heinzelmann's questions.
- What's "Wassily Kandinsky" about?
Wassily Kandinsky is one of the most creative artists of the 20th century. In addition, he is one of the very rare artists in the history, who has developed theories for art and become a source of inspiration for today’s artists. This is an interactive exhibition which adapts the sincere sentences of the artist reflected in the name of his works like “inner necessity”, “emotional perception”; his paintings with representative characteristics which are free of color and form; the form and perception that he added to his abstract style, his attitude toward the art of painting which he dealt with theoretically in an experimental way. We can call the description of colors via moods, the experiential links between the sound and the tone, the expression of the world through forms and colors, and the interaction of the theories with the spectators “Wassily Kandinsky”.
- How were the Kandinsky paintings converted to video? Have you used images from the actual paintings, or just forms and colors that remind his work?
In this exhibition, I dealt with the experimental works of Kandinsky from 1914 to 1944, which were about forms and colors. Kandinsky has 133 works belonging to this period. By displaying these 133 works in triple groups on a single screen, I moved them via intertwining them with a gravity function. The motion of each of the piled works with different gravity functions enabled the formation of my video.
- What software and techniques were used to animate and construct the video?
I used the extended Pure Data program with open-source library in this work. Pure Data is a programming language which enables us to establish new systems by writing the code blocks into small boxes and then merging these boxes. As I said before, I used the gravity function in order to fuse the works. To be more precise, this spring mass system works with a harmonic oscillation. While you are handling with spring mass, you have some variables which are related to the mass and oscillation motion. As you can change the constancy of the mass, you can change the oscillatory force at real time and control it from the Pure Data at real time. For the interaction, I established a motion perception and pursuit system. The pursuit system changes the size and gravitation of the mass (of each painting) and controls the intertwining motion. To make the long story short, the change of the image on the screen is done through the pursuit of the motion via camera.
- You said that it is supposed to be an interactive installation. How will this interactive part work? When the people in the place of installation, this could be an exhibition hall, come closer to or walk away from the screen or move right and left or just with the gestures of theese people, the layers are activated with different reactions. The pursuit system which pursues the spectator makes this work interactive. Calculating algorithmic parameters are internal to this process in all of the changes that occur within the installation place or the exhibition hall and perceived by the cameras. Motion changes the algorithm calculations and activates the work of Wassily Kandinsky. Furthermore, the audio design samples that I created in advance are processed in Pure Data. The algorithm calculations which enable me to make changes on the vision are also effective on audio track.
- Do you know how, when and where is it going to be exhibited?
When an idea pops up in my mind, first of all, I study on how I will put that idea into action. Then I try to realize this idea in my mini studio, STUDIOBRN. Since I live in Turkey, in case of an invitation, this exhibition can be held in İstanbul or Ankara. On the other hand, I don’t think that I will refuse an invitation from abroad. In short, there is no reason for this exhibition not to be held as long as there is an invitation from an exhibition and the time and the conditions are convenient.
Check out the link to read Portuguese version.
