In a generation defined by social media and instant gratification, Creators Hellicar & Lewis are experimenting with how platforms like Twitter can power artistic experiences. Their newest digital installation, The Hello Cube, which debuted at the Tate Modern in London this weekend, is a project that explores the connection between direct physicality and online presence, using physical movement and Twitter commands to trigger a series of projected animations within an angular, sculptural cube.Hellicar & Lewis pitched The Hello Cube as a direct response to Yayoi Kusama's The Passing Winter, part of the Tate Collectives' Infinite Kusama weekend challenge to create an original piece inspired by the retrospective of the Japanese artist’s work. The end result is perhaps the world's first "Twitterable Object," according to Joel Gethin Lewis
In order to interact with the piece, users tweeted at The Hello Cube to generate their own unique work. The Hello Cube responded to a series of scenes, colors, and actions, and sent users an image of the animation their tweet created. One example tweet reads "@thehellocube Hello! Cells, Bigger, Red. BYE!"A camera located inside of the cube filmed the animations, which were then projected onto a screen surrounded by mirrors. Numerous holes were positioned throughout the cube to allow users to stick their arms and hands through the structure, emphasizing the anonymity associated with social media.“We get excited by not being able to predict what will come out of it,” Gethin Lewis said about project. “You can essentially interact with the cube from anywhere in the world.” Reminiscent of some of their other work, The Hello Cube acts to incorporate the audience, regardless of physical location. “We don’t create narratives, we create systems,” Gethin Lewis explains. “When people interact with them, they create their own narrative.”Infinite Kasuma is a collaboration between Tate Collectives, REcreative, and the Louis Vuitton Arts Project.[via Creative Review]@packyouralex
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