Lightbox will make you jump, jump
Family-friendly installations show where tech becomes art and where art meets play
As soon as you enter this year’s instalment of digiPlaySpace at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, it is time to begin hopping. Hopscotch is one of this year’s original commissions, and it is much more than the kids’ game quickly drawn with chalk on the ground.
This one winds the length of the space, with every hop, skip and jump triggering a Theremin sound.
Its dual paths start off with traditional instructions, but eventually has you doing more than just jumping along.
“It requires two people at all times and there are interactions where the music will play differently if you are collaborating with the other player,” said Heather Kelly, the artist behind it.
“There are always tons of children, they love it. They understand the basic concept, and it starts very much like a traditional hopscotch, but then walks you through all these elements that are slightly different as it gets more intricate.”
Digitally interactive hopscotch is perfect example of the type of exhibits at digiPlaySpace, the annual kidfriendly TIFF exhibition showcasing cutting-edge tech used in playful ways as visitors touch, feel and play their way through installations.
This year’s theme is Mixed Reality, and curator Matt Nish-Lapidus says the goal is to introduce and demystify these emerging digital tools and combine them with art.
“Culturally, a lot of the technology that is coming out can feel scary, or invasive or impenetrable, and I really wanted to put a show together that would help kids — and everyone — see how these technologies can also be creative and expressive and open up new possibilities for types of interactions and games and fun and personal expression,” he added.
There are 21 exhibits from 12 countries, with augmented reality, video games, AI and machine learning all at work, although you might be hard pressed to see the tech as the creators are generally more focused on fun and delight.
A perfect example is Gene Kogan’s Style Transfer Mirrors. These digital windows (sure to be selfie magnets) use AI and machine learning to instantly render people in front of them in the style of a famous painting, such as Hokusai’s famous Japanese masterpiece, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Elsewhere, Sound Controlled Intergalactic Teddybearis an endless-runner video game where the player must record words or sounds to make a character jump and duck. Connecting! Train Blocks has a projected landscape where players can move physical blocks and create new tracks and alter the landscape as a result.
Dance with FlARmingos is another eye-catcher, which uses augmented reality to turn people who walk in front of it into flamboyant pink birds. It enthralled Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s artistic director, who used his phone to record himself and his bird-likeness and described it as “just mesmerizing.”
Asked where these kinds of exhibits fit in the world of film, Bailey said that “film is now everything. Film is anything that has to do with moving images, interactive technology, augmented reality, all of these things are part of the world of film these days, and we want to use digiPlaySpace to give people hands on access to that technology.
“It’s not frightening, it’s not intimidating and we want people to have fun with it.” DigiPlaySpace runs at the TIFF Bell Lightbox from Feb. 17 to April 22. Admission costs $11 on weekdays and $13 on weekends and holidays.