"When I grow up, I want to be a forester
Run through the moss on high heels
That’s what I’ll do, throwing out boomerang
Waiting for it to come back to me"
When I grow up
Fever Ray
Shadowplant was born under the human being ambition of being what we are not able to be, always following the very desired uncanny.
Shadowplant is a series of interactive magic tricks. The trick consists in becoming part of the Nature: flower as extensions that grow, move or even die depending of the interaction of the user. Branches growing from our arms, in where the birds lye and then run away if the branches-user shakes them.
Since the beginning of human existence, we have always felt attracted by the enigmatic and amusing history of shadows. Deep, opaque, almost transparent, big, deformed, shadows have accompanied us through the time, through the emotions,the rational or the irrational, the magic and frightening stories.
The user stays in between the projector and the wall/screen, so its own shadow is being projected in thewall.With the Wii remote control as the device which communicates the users movement with the laptop and so with the specific standalone created for that, the user will generate a plant shadow, that overlaps with its own shadow, creating the illusion of being shadow-human-plants. This was born as an interactive installation, but has turned into a software that makes possible to create shadow interaction without the need of physical stencils to create the shadows.
I believe all, creative actions and life, involve magical moments. Magicians’ magic surprises the audience We create techniques that make possible what is usually thought to be impossible.
Digital data allows the creator/designer to control data and due to manipulate and change the real data, transforming the reality. It is not always as simple and as effective, but at least gives the chance to trick the user, the spectator. The interest of this resides in the analysis of the data (video, pictures, realtime images, sound,user´s position...) and create a metaphorical memory: change the concept of space and time, to propose itself as proxy for becoming part of the Nature.
Digital world and language challenge our perception of the external and the internal. Even if we can explain what is behind this magic trick, even when we are conscious that we are being cheated, we still believe in magic. We still believe in what can still surprise us. That´s why we still believe in magic.