This project proposal outlines an interactive art installation that will compare theoretical homeostatic systems to human behavior in social groups. The installation will project an abstract environment containing elements that try to stay together as a community. Passing people will disrupt the community's organization, potentially destroying elements and testing the community's ability to maintain stability. By responding to human presence, the installation explores potential aesthetic and sociopolitical connections between cybernetic models of homeostasis and real human groups. The interactive piece will use computer programming, projection mapping, and sensors to track motion in public spaces.

1. Project Proposal
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Diego Gómez
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Data Flesh Class
UCLA Design | Media Arts 259
Professor Victoria Vesna
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2. Concept
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The main aspect and goal of this project, it is to make a reflection around complex systems,
specifically on the concept of Homeostasis from the perspective and curiousness of the arts
and design about the realm of science. For this purpose the core factor will be the comparison
of actual social behavior (specially in crowded urban spaces) and Homeostatic systems,
condition taken for the sake of this project, from a Cybernetic understanding.
Comparing abstract representations of theoretical models with human acts on every day
conditions, must not be seen here as a mere formal exercise, even though, form will be a
relevant element on the way to grasp any connection between the compared systems (virtual
and living ones). However, the core aim for this project is going a little bit further. Digital and
abstract representation versus real human events will be the initial points to find potential
aesthetic and sociopolitical relations between theoretical homeostatic systems from the
Cybernetic arena versus groups of living individuals in modern societies. This later associations
(if there is any) are probably not easy to find, however they constitute the main reason of why
this project will be executed. From this perspective, the project is an art piece, but also platform
for social behavior experimentation, thus individual “captured” by the piece are also subject and
objects of the piece.

3. Description
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The project (so far untitled) will be a public/urban intervention which will take form as interactive
installation. An abstract system, which for a better understanding I will call the digitally
constructed environment will be projected on a wall or similar structure in a public space. This
environment will consist of a group of elements (whose behavior allows them to try to remain
always together as a community), two areas of death (one on the right border of the projection
and other on its left border), and finally an area of stability just on the center of the projection.
The piece will detect the presence of people passing in front of the projection constituting thus
an external force. This new entity will have a direct effect on the location of the community of
elements, dragging them as randomly as people is passing by, to one of the extremes of the
projection and eventually, producing the destruction of any element reaching the areas of death.
A sound response resembling a fictional creatureʼs scream of pain will take place at anytime an
element of the community is lost.
The community of elements will be programmed first, to stay on the area of stability and
second, to resist the external force which will be trying to move them away from that area. Also,
after a given number of lost elements, the community will have the capacity to produce new
ones to try to return to its ideal number of members. However the community will not be able to
create multiple elements at once, and a given period of time will be necessary for a new
creation. This later factors make possible the permanence of the community in time, but also
give room for a theoretical but potential absolute disappearance.
Technically the piece will use motion tracking through a camera located in a strategic point in
front of the projection. Possibly the best way to achieve this would be using blob detection. The
digitally constructed environment will be programmed using Processing. Also a video projector a
sound system and a computer would be needed to make the project. Important too it is the

4. presence of a video camera which would be documenting the entire process. There are
secondary elements that have to be consider, as electricity resources (the piece would take
place in public spaces) and structures, cabinets or cases to put together every technical
element forming the piece.
A possibility to be considered is that the piece could be projected in more than one place,
making it to interact not only with walking people but also with other kinds of elements in motion
(e.g. automobiles). Thus, video documentation would be extremely important for the project as
a resource to show in a post event context, the comparison acts and its possible interpretations.
Initial sketch