Idea: An interactive storytelling installation inspired by a scene from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the astronaut Dave shut down the AI HAL 9000 that controls the spacecraft. " In the film, HAL's central core is depicted as a crawlspace full of brightly lit computer modules mounted in arrays from which they can be inserted or removed." In the scene, Dave was removing the modules to terminate the HAL, as each module was being pulled out the AI started to deteriorate. Its voice was getting slower and deeper and it was begging Dave to stop as it was dying. And it finally sang a song "Daisy", which was the first ever song sung by a computer in human history.
We decided to recreate the scene and tell a story of our own version of HAL - "MAL"(Musically programmed ALgorithmic computer), as a way of showing respect to one of the greatest movies.
Our storytelling emulates the scene where HAL slowly loses its functionality and deteriorates as each module is being pulled out. While fully functional, the AI generates a whole "symphony of sound"(inspiration), with each module controlling one track of sound. Some tracks have a computer-generated voice talking to the user, some tracks play ambient, analog sounds that are harmonic with one another. When the user to pull out the module, the track decreases in its audibility either by decreasing amplitude or changing frequency. Once a module is pulled out, it cannot be placed back in, because the story is in a linear format emulating the movie scene, the direction is to have all the modules pulled out and the sound MAL makes become less and less rich, and turns complete silent at the end. The LED inside the "eye" (red camera) gradually dims as the sound complexity decreases, indicating the change in its vitality.
System Diagram:
System diagram
We will generate 5-10 tracks of sound designed to map to each module/panels, inserted as arrays into an upright cubic panel. There will be a red LED next to the modules as the 'eye', a speaker or headphones that play sound. Behind each module, there is a distance/depth/slider sensor that controls the individual soundtrack, as well as Neopixels indicating the functionality of that module (activated or deactivated), connected to Arduino all inside the back of the cube.
Fabrication materials:
5-10 clear acrylic panels as modules
1 large piece of clear acrylic laser-cut and constructed into the cube (~50 inches per side)
Some sort of diffuser for lights
Priority list:
Sound design - in p5, generate 5-10 different analog sound(inspiration)/ computer generated voice being played together that sound rich and futuristic. (sound of machine)
Pick sensors, in Arduino program the sensors and Neopixels
Connect sensors and Neopixels and p5 with serial communication.
Prototype with simple objects/materials, user test
Scale the project - how many panels/Neopixels will be used based on the numbers of soundtracks created.
Based on the storytelling aspect, some sort of mechanical technique that prevents the panels from being reinserted into the slots after being pulled out. (automated or manual?)
Fabrication of the physical panel - measure size, laser cutting, installation of cube and Neopixels.