YOU CAN BE THE MASTER OF YOUR BOAT,

BUT YOU ARE NOT THE MASTER OF THE WHOLE BLUE SEA

2005|Custom hardware, custom software, sound, video.

"You can be..." is an installation consisting of a folk song, machine and video projection.

The title of the installation is a quote from a folk song from island Krk in Croatia. All the folk songs there are from ancient times before Christianity, and also musically have little to do with European western tradition on one hand, and occidental, Balkan tradition on the other hand.

By using mechanization, wind dynamics, computer programming and live animation in a poetic way, the installation is literary materializing the meaning of the last verse of the song. It is retelling the ancient wisdom by creating a mechanical metaphor.

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Song

MARICE DJEVOJKO

Marice, djevojko, Marice,

djevojko, Marice djevojko,

ti si dobra roda.

Ti ne peri robu,

ti ne peri robu, ti ne peri robu

kraj mojega broda.

Ako si gospodar,

ako si

gospodar, ako si gospodar

od svojega broda,

ma nisi gospodar,

ma nisi gospodar, ma nisi gospodar

od sinjega mora.

MARICE MAIDEN

Marice, maiden, Marice,

maiden, Marice maiden,

you're of good kin.

Don't wash your wares,

don't wash your wares, don't wash your wares

beside my boat.

You can be the master

You can be

the master, you can be the master

of your boat,

but you are not the master,

but you are not the master, but you are not the master

of the whole blue sea.

ALGORITHM:

GO WHERE YOU ARE!

KEEP MOVING!

The ball is being scanned by webcam, which is connected to computer.

The computer calculates the position of the ball, according to which it controls 4 fans to stear the ball by blowing the wind.

The present position of the ball is also defined as target position of the ball – where it has to go.

Since the algorithm is composed of two contradicting commands, and the whole system of controlling the ball by blowing wind is not very precise, the ball doesn't stay still, but rather keeps moving in an intricate and unpredictable way.

All the programming is done in Max/Msp – Jitter programming environment.

PROJECTION – live animation:

Projection consists of 2 elements:

1. Live animation of tracing the movement of the ball. Thickness of the line changes according to the speed of the ball.

2. Randomized text of the last verse of the folk song, triggered by the movement of the ball.

Every time new words appear on the projection, one can hear a very low percussive sound.