[ISEA2008] Paper: Sophie Lavaud – Active Matrix: a serious game to play with Kandinsky’s world

Abstract

The presentation will consist in making the demo of one of our project entitled Active Matrix, realized with the scientist Yves Demazeau, head of the scientific laboratory LEIBNIZ – IMAG at the University Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, working in the field of Multi-Agent Systems ). The key design objective behind this project is to make paintings come “alive”, to change paintings into complex dynamic environments with which we can communicate in a ludic way.

The project is based on Kandinsky’s theoretical and practical work. In particular, on his idea of making theatre “different” in conceiving “scenic paintings”. The prototype allows the spectator an active and play immersion into the poetic, cosmic and symbolic world of the painting Jaune-Rouge-Bleu.

It consists of setting Kandinsky’s painting into virtual data space, by making a computing simulation that makes the painting alive. Every elements of the painting is listed, the rules of composition and spatial organization are analysed, the global and local tensions are located to computerize the artistic model and its interpretation. The painting, then, becomes a complex dynamic system where the elements interact with each others and with their environment. The spectator’s interfaced human body interacting with the scenography by moving the coloured shapes (also called virtual actors), by moving a virtual camera that carries his eyes and points of view into the scene and by embodying the virtual actors, organize his perception, trying to find a balance between his or her mental state of mind and the equilibrium state of the spatial composition given by Kandinsky. Finally, the immersive trip into the living painting provides the spectator a new reading of the painting, by playing with and manipulating the shapes of the ludic world.

You can try playing with the application following the link:  yves.gufflet.free.fr/Kandinsky/Kandinsky.html

  • Sophie Lavaud-Forest, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France

Full text (PDF) p.  297-298