Animating an object; phantom movement.

Animate Project by P. A. Duquette & Z. Bacchus

This installation is comprised of a loose pile of autumn leaves, visible within a dimly lit area (in this case a corner space in an elevator lobby). Visitors are free to investigate the installation and can both touch and smell the familiar earthy materials. Some visitors are given flash-lights and encouraged to search the area. As these searching beams of light fall upon various areas of the installation, leaves appear to tremble, slip, change position – there appears to be a form moving beneath the cover of the leaf-pile. Participants/observers interpret this movement in association with biological kinetics (the way a living creature moves) and perceive patterns, shapes, and mobility accordingly. In this way, a few DC motors are transformed into living creatures whose forms and identities are interpreted variably among visitors.

Further details as well as project process notes can be found here.