2001
Robotic drawing arm, button, and continuous computer paper.
This piece was made
as a response to a proliferation of "interactive" art pieces,
where the actual audience participation involved nothing more than
pushing buttons to start a series of events.
Flood reverses that interaction, asking the audience to press
the button, temporarily stopping the machine, and helping to stem the
flow of scribbled-on paper. The action of pressing the button is reminiscent
of the story of the Dutch Boy sticking his finger in the dike to stop
the flood: of some value, but ultimately futile.
I have also made
a web version based on the same idea: Push the Button
Flood is
very simple, technically. It is run by a Basic Stamp generating pseudo-random
numbers and controlling two motors. The paper is fed by parts of
an old printer. Pressing
the button stops all the motors, rendering the machine temporarily
lifeless and silent.
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