Uirapuru

© ©Bild: Jason Sachs

Eduardo Kac

Uirapuru ,
Co-workers & Funding
Co-Worker: Michael Mackenzie
http://www.ekac.org/uirapuru.html
Mnemosyne
Last updated:
Documents
  • Der "Uirapuru" für ICC-Besucher
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Description
Uirapuru (1996/99), by Eduardo Kac, was shown from October 15 to November 28, 1999, at the InterCommunication Center (ICC), Tokyo. A flying fish hovers above a forest in the gallery, responding to local as well as Web-based commands. Audio and video from its point of view are streamed on the Web. Local and remote participants interact with the avatar of the flying fish in a virtual world. When this happens the flying fish sings in the gallery. "Pingbirds" (robotic birds) sing Amazonian bird songs in the gallery in response to the rhythm of Internet traffic. Pingbirds monitor the rhythm of the Internet by sending ping commands to a server in the Amazon. This work unites telepresence, multi-user virtual reality, and networking into a single realm of experience.

http://www.ekac.org/uirapuru.html
Keywords
  • aesthetics
    • acoustic
    • interactive
  • genres
    • installations
      • interactive installations
  • subjects
    • Nature and Environment
      • animals
    • Technology and Innovation
      • telepresence
Technology & Material
Interface
The flying telerobotic fish can be controlled both through a local interface and the Web

My version of the legend reinvents Uirapuru's dual status as a real animal and a mythical creature through an experience that is at once local and remote, virtual and physical. The flying telerobotic fish is a blimp that can be controlled both through a local interface and through the Web. The local interface is a fish-shaped object that can be handled and moved freely in space. When participants control it, Uirapuru moves accordingly in the gallery. Sensors in the gallery track the movement of the telerobotic fish in three-dimensions and send data to the VRML server. As a result, Uirapuru's avatar moves in the virtual space according to the movement of the telerobotic fish in the gallery. Video from the point of view of the telerobotic fish is seen in the gallery and is streamed live on the web.
Exhibitions & Events
ICC Biennale 1999
Bibliography
5 publications