Animalia Chordata comes from the Latin nomenclature for human beings. Six video-projected people representing a range of typologies – from the Wall Street businessman to the precocious little girl – are “trapped” inside glass volumes of varying shapes (including a sinuous Cognac bottle and a chemistry beaker), much like insects are captured in jars. The projection through two panes of glass transforms the traditional two-dimensional video into three-dimensional holographic images. One projector concurrently plays six different videos, meticulously stitched together as a single composite video, on a ten-minute loop. In their natural state, the projected people stand, sit, waver and lean. But when they feel “threatened” by a viewer approaching the work, they react in a defensive manner.

Animalia Chordata is an interactive video sculpture. As a response to the pervasive capture culture we now live in where we document our entire lives digitally I created a digital collection of my actual friends. Think of it as a physical version of a social network. My friends are captured on video and kept as video sculptures but react when they sense your presence.

The piece uses rear video projection, custom software, a kinect sensor, glass and glass treatment. I filmed my friends over time and edited the footage which is projected entirely from one projector.

24"x 18"x 38" Weight is about 15-20 Pounds depending on the stand. The piece must be installed with a false wall where the projector is hidden behind.