2000
| The earliest version of eden used a single channel projection system and mouse for user interaction. The world iconography and user interface were presented on screen (image right). The work was written using Macromedia's Director software along with custom plug-ins. |
2000
September eden premiered at the Casula Powerhouse in Sydney, Australia as part of the Cybercultures: New Life exhibition. The image shows the projected screen with illuminated mouse pad foreground left. The exhibition ran from September 30 – November 12, 2000. |
2001A new version of eden was commissioned for the Melbourne International Film Festival (21 –29 July 2001) as part of the Sideshow exhibition. This new version featured networked worlds, an improved evolutionary algorithm, multiple screen projection, plus custom soundscapes for each evening that the work was shown. The images below show the work as exhibited at Cherry Bar, Melbourne in 2001. |
Above:
early computer visualisation of the networked installation version.
| Motion sensors were embedded in the space to detect the movement of people, creating a reactive relationship between the real and virtual environments. People's movement within the space affected the creatures' empathy towards each other. Also, the biomass 'feeds' off people's movement within the space (an empty room corresponds to a barren environment). Over time, creatures adapt according to the behaviour of people in the space. The creatures learn to make interesting and changing sounds in order to keep people in the installation space, hence to increase their food supply. |
Two translucent projection screens were created to form an 'X' shape resulting in muli-layered images that appear to float through space and onto the surrounding walls. A four channel sound system was used to create a unique and constantly changing multidimensional sonic landscape – the sonification of the creatures communicating to each other in the world. A fog machine attenuates the three-dimensional spatial properties of the projections. |
Above: computer visualisation of the networked installation version showing sensors, screens and projectors.
2001 September| A technical paper on eden is presented at the Sixth European conference on Artificial Life (ECAL), Prague, Czech Republic, September 10-14, 2001. |
| Technical papers on eden can be downloaded from this page. |
| eden wins an honorary mention at the Vida/Life 4.0 art and a-life competition in Madrid, Spain. |
2002
– 2003| The single channel version of eden continues to tour around regional galleries in Australia as part of the Cybercultures touring exhibition. |
2004eden is exhibited as part of a 10 year retrospective on the work of Jon McCormack at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne. The SenseSurround exhibition, curated by Alessio Cavallaro ran from October 7 – November 7 2004. The monograph Impossible Nature is published by ACMI to coincide with the exhibition. It includes extensive documentation of eden and other works by the artist on DVD. |
2005Work begins on a rewrite (in C++) of eden to take advantage of advances in graphics and sound technology. This new version features video image capture rather than infrared sensors for greater expression in user interaction. eden exhibition at Daejeon Museum of Art, Korea, as part of Digital Paradise (20.10.2005 – 20.04.2006) |
Above: Daejeon Museum of Art, Korea, with Eden featuring in the Digital Paradise banner.
2006July
July 2006: A new version of eden premieres at emoção art.ficial 3.0 (Artificial Emotion, Media Art Biennial), São Paulo, Brazil. This new version uses a computer vision system for interaction. |
Above: Review of Emoçäo art.ficial 3.0 in Brazilian national newspaper features Eden.
2006September
eden wins the 2006 John Lansdown prize for interactive digital art. Sponsored by the European association for computer graphics. |
Above: Eden at Spacio Cultural El Tanque, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 2007
2007
– 2009eden exhibitions continue in Europe and Asia. In 2009 the software is updated for modern hardware and now runs on a single computer (Mac mini) with external audio hardware. |
Above: Eden features in the 2009 Asian Art Biennial, Viewpoints & Viewing Points, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan, 24 October 2009 – 28 February 2010.
eden
main page images
and sounds eden
history technical
details Jon
McCormack main page
