[ISEA2018] Paper: Clarissa Ribeiro, Herbert Rocha, Daniel Valente, Stavros Didakis & Candice Ribeiro — Be Sicklecell Be a Hero (xenofantasies in transparent scenarios)

Abstract

Keywords: Augmented Reality, Race, Xenophobia, African American, Sickle Cell anemia, morphogenetic design strategies, parametric modeling, Grasshopper, Hélio Oiticica, Neoconcretism, Parangolé, Marginália, non-object.

This paper presents and discusses the poetics and concepts woven in the conception of the interactive media art and science installation ‘Entrancer: Be Sicklecell Be a Hero’ (2018) inviting for a reflection concerning issues of race in science research mainly related to the sickle cell anemia. The work invites for the experience of a possible dance with a virtual moving model of a sickle-cell in AR (Augmented Reality) – mutated from the 3D model of a normal blood cell using morphogenetic algorithmic strategies. The experience is conducted by the rhythm of a Brazilian samba (live recording) distorted and combined with sonified fragments of sickle-cell image’s textures under the microscope (imported as raw data to Adobe Audition). The samba
metamorphoses into its distorted version resembles the mutant sickle-cell that changes shape due to a chemical alteration that can be a strategy against malaria – and not a genetic condition of black men and women. At the same time the installation is a tribute to emblematic works of
Hélio Oiticica, bringing together in a conceptual combination or convergence the ‘Parangolé’ and the stencil ‘Be an Outlaw Be a Hero’ from the series ‘Marginalia’, proposing a piece that is a ‘cross-over’ of both referred works, that has adaptive qualities concerning the most diverse exhibition conditions and spaces, and that is itself a mutant work in relation to the body and the environment.

  • Clarissa Ribeiro, media artist and researcher, chair of the LASER talks Fortaleza, PhD, MArch, B.Arch, Former Fulbright Scholar, Director of the Lab for Innovation and Prototyping (LIP), coordinates the CrossLab research group at the University of Fortaleza in Brazil. As an independent artist, she has been producing and exhibiting experimental interactive installations exploring cross scale perspectives in media arts and science, working in collaboration with other artists, research groups and art collectives in her home country, Brazil, and abroad.    clarissaribeiro.com
  • Stavros Didakis (PhD) is a researcher, and academic, creating interactions, systems and installations, challenging preconceptions and speculations on possible technological futures with practices that merge various disciplines, such as computational media, Internet of Things, interface design, as well as sonic, visual, and interactive art. At present Stavros is an Associate Professor and programme leader in Digital Media Design at the University of Plymouth (UK), and a Visiting Lecturer in Peking University. Stavros has won grants and awards in creative technologies, he has exhibited his interactive works in international exhibitions and biennale, and he has also made numerous publications in conferences, journals, and books.     soniconlab.com
  • Herbert Rocha, Industrial Designer, MSc, works at LAPIN UNIFOR developing innovative products and strategies. He has been collaborating with Clarissa Ribeiro for over a year in projects involving Augmented Reality and 3D modeling and animation. Daniel Valente, PhD, works at LAPIN UNIFOR developing innovative products and strategies. He was awarded prizes as the Sony Ericsson Content Awards in 2009, best article in the 11th  Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames 2012, 2nd place). He has been collaborating with Clarissa Ribeiro for over a year in projects involving Augmented Reality and online application design.
  • Candice Ribeiro, Dentist, specialist in Dental Public Health (DPH) and Orthodontics. She has been collaborating with Clarissa Ribeiro in projects exploring public health related issues.

Full text p. 130-137