The Cascade
The Cascade is a series of interconnected, interactive tableaus that send the action from one screen to the next in a continuous cycle. Webcams enable the audience to add themselves to this ever-changing digital aquarium. The Cascade offers a calming, mesmerising experience and can be run alongside, or incorporated into, a Microworld.
Go with the flow
Not all interaction needs to be crash, bang, wallop! Sometimes a slower engagement can be a nice contrast. By providing beanbags and soft furniture in a cinematic setting, your audience will park themselves down, relax, and go with the flow as they immerse themselves in the small, subtle changes. Psychologists call these sorts of effects “soft fascinations”, like the shifting shape of clouds, or the fluttering of leaves on a tree, or a flickering candle. Being in nature has been shown to have a strong positive effect on human health and wellbeing. This effect is repeated even if the action is digital, i.e. not real nature. Which is an extraordinary discovery. Not only are our shows artistic, entertaining and informative they are also good for your health!
Cascade Creatures
The Cascade has a watery feel and is populated by many sea and pond-life creatures. Some real, some imagined. The black and white starfish form a pair which dance with each other across the room, the black starfish seeks dark spaces, the white starfish seeks light spaces. When happy they withdraw their legs into a ball and sleep. Hector is also inspired by watery creatures—seaslugs. Hector’s body mix of mollusc and human was imaged by the son of a friend of ours when he was 6 years old. There are also lots of other smaller creatures including sea snails, water boatmen, guppies, sunstars, radiolarians and finger fish. It’s worth providing a spotters guide to all the life forms. Kids loving trying to discover them all.
Cascade Effects
There are gentle swarms of coloured elements within The Cascade which give the whole piece a constant graphical flux. At some points this looks organic and at others more geometric, with the feedback adding continual change. The Cascade also has a soft ambient soundscape accompanied by occasional creature noises.
Feedback
Each piece in The Cascade has a webcam which looks at another piece, creating a low level feedback situation. Imagery is echoed around the space in a fluid way. Sudden changes in one screen spread around the room. This feels very much like the way ripples spread in nature, and is relaxing to watch. The webcams enable audience members to add themselves into the mix. By closing in on a webcam, they can spread their face huge across the screen, which then spreads to the other screens perturbing the creatures. People can have active subversive fun in this way.
The Cascade could be perfect for a small gallery space.
Hire The Cascade as a stand-alone exhibit or incorporate it into your Microworld exhibition.