Abstract (Long paper)

Keywords: Media polyphony, Canadian hybrid culture, identity, generative art installation, facial expression recognition, media ecology, emergence, complexity.

In this paper we discuss the Order of Passions, generative media installation that visualizes dynamism, disturbance and unity within the diverse set of human facial expressions that together create a collective and emergent polyphonic portrait of Canada. We discuss critical compositional, technical and meaning making strategies for the creation of this generative artwork. The discussion is positioned from the perspective of artist-creators dealing with computational media as a medium for both, creative production and presentation of the artwork. We describe the tools and processes that were used and developed to support the creation of the project.

• Dr. Aleksandra Dulic is Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCT) and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Kelowna, Canada. She is artist-scholar with research foci in cross-cultural media.
• David Kadish is a MFA student at the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCT) under the supervision of Dr. Aleksandra Dulic. He completed an MASc with the CCT and the Advanced Control and Intelligent Systems (ACIS) Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada. . His research focuses on the intersections of technology, environment, and society.
• Dr. Homayoun Najjaran is Director, ACIS Laboratory and Associate Professor, School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada
  His research focuses on the analysis and design of advanced control systems in a variety of applications.
• Kenneth Newby is Associate Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, Canada. He is a media artist, composer, performer, educator, interaction designer, and audio producer whose creative practice explores the use of computational media art.

Full text (PDF) p. 591-598