Projects SI 28/The-Calm-Machine
The Calm Machine
Idea
Both of us have been thinking about belonging, the meaning of home and ways to counteract anxiety in the context of living in a big city surrounded by many people. We have different approaches on how to deal with these feelings. In our machine, we are bringing them together, but in two different parts: the "inner", and the "outer".
For the event, we wanted to make a cozy corner in the space of UBIK to rest and relax. Sibyl worked on an interactive light and sound installation, that invites the audience to be more aware of their senses and surroundings. Lea's walking algorithm printed on postcards then takes the visitors on a walk, to further connect with the immediate space around them. A narrative text guides them through the whole machine, trying to invoke a feeling of calmness and belonging as well as reflective thoughts on the experience of the whole event.
Description
The Calm Machine is a quiet and cozy island in the buzzing and bustling of this event. Hidden away from the other stations, it provides privacy and a moment of peace. Come in, sit down, touch, listen and observe. We then invite you to go for a psychogeographic walk. Walking is a form of reading. Through the act of walking, you interpret and rewrite the city. You are a gear in the mechanics of the Calm Machine—by interacting, you make it come to life! Connect with your senses and surroundings, and perhaps generate a new sensation.
Process
We collected ideas for the event on our own, and after sharing our thoughts in class meetings and discovering our common interests, we teamed up to work together. Sibyl was reading Walking as Research Practice (2022) and Lea was reading Walking and Mapping: Artists as Cartographers (Karen O’Rourke, 2013) at that time. We exchanged thoughts on these books as well as on our feelings regarding the city of Rotterdam and the upcoming event, where our projects would be displayed. Sibyl feels most safe at home and in enclosed spaces, while Lea uses walking as a method to calm down from crowded events. After talking with Marloes, we decided to split our machine into an "inner" and an "outer" part.
Sibyl: The Inner Part
My inner journey moves from insecurity to security.
This transformation takes time — time to adapt, to live in this place, and to slowly accept and become familiar with my new environment.
Why sound?
Each object carries a personal meaning for me.
Sound becomes the way I translate these meanings outward — a language that allows my emotions to be heard rather than explained.
Why lighting?
Lighting shapes the atmosphere.
It creates a sense of coziness, like an emotional wave that softens the surroundings and mirrors my inner state.
Audio's Contents:
Yarn—Self-Reflection
Soothing piano music + Car sounds + Sounds of Rotterdam
Steamer—Family
News broadcasts + Mom's voice + Food I ask Mom for
Plants—Life: Seeking Outside
Rustling leaves + Rain sounds + Wind sounds
Friends—Emotional Support
Phone ringtone + Friend's voice
I make a Teller for explanation these for audios.
The Process of Installation:
This flowchart was drawn by Anna from Interaction Studio to help me understand the operational process of the entire installation.
Touching:
I used Touch Board to connect four things, including Yarn, Steamer, Plants and Friends.
Lighting:
I use TouchDesigner to connect the touch board. By touching objects, sounds are generated, which then trigger light signals to control the flickering frequency of the lamp.
Lea: The Outer Part
I went to several iterations of the walking protocol: It is based on Wilfried Hou Je Bek's walking algorithms. My first machine coming out of this idea is the Psychogeographic Walking Machine, which outputs a poem. It can be found in the Writing Machine Directory. I wrote several other walking protocols, for example based on vision, smell or hearing. I considered offering all these different options to the audience—then they could compare how they experience the city while focusing on different senses. In the end, I decided to make just one protocol. I am very curious how different people perceive the same (urban) space, and one protocol for all makes a comparison possible.
To actually be able to see the results, I had to think of a way to safe them. I wanted people be able to take their outputs home, so I discarded the idea of a letterbox "void" to drop the cards into. In the end, I set up a scanner. Steve gave me a book scanner of his to use, but its software only runs on MacOs and Windows. Instead, I used a small flatbed document scanner from the XML. I set up a raspberry pie, so I don't have to use my laptop during the event. The evening before the event, Michael helped me write a python script to scan on pressing enter, and a bash script to start the python script. Since I did not want to bring a display, I had to run it blindly on the day of the exhibition. I was very surprised to see it working on the first try!
#!/bin/bash
cd /home/xpub/walking
python3 scanning.py
import os
while True:
input("press enter to scan")
# first scan a page
# scanning = "scanimage --resolution 300 -o walking.png"
scanning = "scanimage --resolution 300 -o walking-$(date +%H%M%S).png"
print("scanning")
os.system(scanning)
# os.system("echo $(date +%H%M%S).png")
I also worked on different instructions for the walking itself, but quickly settled on five right turns—thereby walking out of the door and once around the block. This is the shortest possible path without going backwards, thus it takes little time and is accessible to many people. First, I tried to draw the diagrams with Graphvis, but I couldn't control them in detail and switched over to Inkscape.
A big part of the process for me had been writing: I started with the narration to welcome the visitors into our machine. I felt it was necessary to provide a form of guidance, as we essentially were presenting two very different installations physically very close to each other. Our goal was to spread calmness and offer a moment for reflection to the audience, so this is what we tried to reflect in the narration.
For the output, I wrote a framework for a short story (not a poem), that I tested multiple times. It is hard to always make it fit semantically and grammatically. I talked to Thjis about good story writing and gentle narration. Barbara's note "how to write a story softly" really stuck with me. My aim was to fit all the different pieces of writing (the welcome note, the instructions and questions from the protocol, and the output story) into one cohesive experience.
Final Protocol
Narration for the audience
Welcome to the Calm Machine. Please sit down, relax for a moment. You have moved through the hall and made it here. This a space to ground yourself—without rushing, without judging. Reflect on the things you have observed. What sensations did you experience on your way? Did something feel strangely familiar? Did you notice something that sparked inspiration in you? What did your hands want to touch? Listen to your body, your thoughts and your surroundings.
The Inner Machine Please take a 'key', open it and have a seat. You have entered the inner part of the machine, where you can touch, listen, and heighten your sensory perception. Feel the most tender and intimate part of the machine.
The Outer Machine You have been here for a while now. Did you gather some fresh energy? If you feel like it, we would like to take you on a walk and thereby make you write a story. Breathe in some fresh air and feel the Rotterdam autumn winds on your face. Grab a pen and one of the walking cards. Just follow the instructions to start your journey! When you are done, please come back here to scan your results.
Reflection
Sibyl
First, the space was pretty dark, so it was hard for people to read the exhibition notes, and it was a bit risky in terms of safety. Also, because of the location, some visitors thought it was backstage and didn’t realize it was part of the exhibition. But interestingly, some people said that the surprise of discovering it as an exhibition space actually made them feel delighted.
Second, I think I didn’t manage my time very well while preparing the work. I was constantly anxious, knowing that the piece would end up showing a pretty unstable state. But one visitor told me that the way I kept repairing and restarting the machine made it feel like we were actually inside the machine. Coming into the space, we had to “restart” and adapt, and in that way, every visitor became part of the machine. That really put me at ease.
This is also one of the reasons I like making interactive work — because through interacting with the audience, I can constantly get new perspectives and feedback.
Lea
Surprised by how many people did the protocol, despite rainy weather outside.
Lovely feedback: the questions I wrote on the cards are resonating and my intention to make people reflect on their surroundings seems to be working out.
One drawback: There were many visitors and the space for our machine is smaller than I had in mind from the first visit at UBIK. Therefore it was quite crowded and "The Calm Machine" was not very calm at all.
What do keep working on: