Mindaugas Gapševičius
Installation, participatory event, 2022
Sometimes humans design headgear or coats for their pets to make them look like humans. Sometimes humans attach prosthetic limbs to their disabled pets to help them experience their umwelt. Sometimes humans try to understand their pets by looking into their eyes or watching their movements. Interfaces for Boris and Mindaugas provides interfaces for the boxer dog Boris and his host, so that the host experiences how the dog behaves, and the dog experiences the behaviour of his host.
The installation consists of human and dog-sized objects, six interfaces and four 3D tutorials. If the interfaces are connected as intended, a bond is established between the dog and its host. To communicate, heart rate or brain activity is measured, interpreted and converted into an electrical signal which is then sent between the two actors. WIFI is used to exchange data, indicating active or passive modes of the actors. To connect the dog and human interfaces, the You and I, You and Me app must be used.
While the objects themselves have a distinct aesthetic form, the participatory event invites the audience to try out the interfaces themselves and experience the states of the dog and/or its host.
Thanks to all collaborators of the work: Boris, Maria Safronova Wahlström, Brigita Kasperaitė, Mantas Talmantas, Jurgis Paškevičius, Mindaugas Miselis, and Kamilė Krasauskaitė.
3D tutorials
Tutorial #1. Heart interface for Boris
Tutorial #2. Brain and leg interfaces for Boris
Tutorial #3. Heart interface for Mindaugas
Tutorial #4. Brain and hand interfaces for Mindaugas
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