UPSTREAM
UPSTREAM
An Interactive Installation on Collective Mobility and Crowd Dynamics
Installation interactive sur la mobilité collective et les dynamiques de foule
An Interactive Installation on Collective Mobility and Crowd Dynamics
Installation interactive sur la mobilité collective et les dynamiques de foule
Upstream is an urban outdoor interactive installation. Set up in Paris, for the “Nuit Blanche”, in 2005, on the city square of Paris (France) and for a second edition, in 2006, in Bucharest (Romania).
Upstream explores collective and individual mobility : how individuals carve out their own trajectories within the collective movement of the crowd.The work functions as an interactive game in which participants engage with a large-scale vertical projection by stepping on colored rectangles mapped onto the ground surface.
The vertical screen displays footage of crowds in motion. At the start of each session, figures within the crowd are concealed by colored rectangles, which are simultaneously projected onto the ground plane. When a participant steps on a rectangle, it disappears from both surfaces, revealing the previously hidden figure on the vertical screen while triggering a corresponding sound. Each group of participants thus generates a unique audiovisual composition.
The soundtrack was created in collaboration with sound designer Bruno Guiganti.
Upstream is an urban outdoor interactive installation. Set up in Paris, for the “Nuit Blanche”, in 2005, on the city square of Paris (France) and for a second edition, in 2006, in Bucharest (Romania).
Upstream explores collective and individual mobility : how individuals carve out their own trajectories within the collective movement of the crowd.The work functions as an interactive game in which participants engage with a large-scale vertical projection by stepping on colored rectangles mapped onto the ground surface.
The vertical screen displays footage of crowds in motion. At the start of each session, figures within the crowd are concealed by colored rectangles, which are simultaneously projected onto the ground plane. When a participant steps on a rectangle, it disappears from both surfaces, revealing the previously hidden figure on the vertical screen while triggering a corresponding sound. Each group of participants thus generates a unique audiovisual composition.
The soundtrack was created in collaboration with sound designer Bruno Guiganti.
Upstream in Paris, Nuit Blanche 2005
Upstream in Paris, Nuit Blanche 2005
Upstream in Paris, Nuit Blanche 2005
The installation drew over 15,000 participants during Nuit Blanche.
The installation drew over 15,000 participants during Nuit Blanche.
The device
The device
The device
The installation requires no wearable technology, allowing participants complete freedom of movement. As they run, walk, or jump across the rectangles, participants unconsciously mirror the rhythm of the projected crowds, creating an spontaneous, emergent choreography. Absorbed in the act of play, participants remain unaware of their own gestures. The work operates at the intersection of individual agency and collective behavior, making visible the tension between personal action and group dynamics."
Key improvements: eliminated repetitive phrasing, used art world terminology ("participants" rather than "players," "work" rather than "device"), tightened the technical description, and elevated the conceptual framing in the final sentences.
The installation requires no wearable technology, allowing participants complete freedom of movement. As they run, walk, or jump across the rectangles, participants unconsciously mirror the rhythm of the projected crowds, creating an spontaneous, emergent choreography. Absorbed in the act of play, participants remain unaware of their own gestures. The work operates at the intersection of individual agency and collective behavior, making visible the tension between personal action and group dynamics."
Key improvements: eliminated repetitive phrasing, used art world terminology ("participants" rather than "players," "work" rather than "device"), tightened the technical description, and elevated the conceptual framing in the final sentences.
Upstream in Bucharest
Upstream in Bucharest
Upstream in Bucharest
Upstream was reconfigured for the Francophonie Summit with a new soundtrack composed of French language interjections.
Upstream was reconfigured for the Francophonie Summit with a new soundtrack composed of French language interjections.
CONTACT
WEBSITE BY ANTONIN FARRUGIA
WEBSITE BY ANTONIN FARRUGIA