Relational Stimulus II
2004
We develop identity based on pre-formulated ideas and beliefs which, as a result of our experiences, we choose (consciously or subconsciously) to accept or reject. This piece is about conditioned learning and procedural memory (defined by Webster as “learning connections between stimuli and responses”), and how we subtly change based on these “decisions.”
Technically speaking, relational stimulus begins when the user selects a set of variables from the control interface. The interface then accesses PHP scripts which utilize the Google search engine to find an image most related to the user’s selected search word. This image is then broken down into pixels using PHP and the resulting data is parsed back into Flash. Flash then “redraws” the image following the guidelines that the user previously set in the interface.
I use the Google search engine here to represent the multitude of information and experience available to us. The piece filters the data, which I see as representative of the methods we use to interpret and make meaning of experience. Through the capturing and recompiling of data, the user is given a glimpse of the nature of the collective processes inherent within a system of collected data. This interaction between sources enables the user to retain ownership of the output created. I see relationships within the outputs with identity and how specific interactions and experiences shape our identity.
The final output may be similar in form at times, but it may change subtly based on what a specific user submits. This reflects the subtle change in identity I spoke of before.
The installation was a wooden box enclosing a computer displaying the interface. The outputs were projected on three screens inside a central cube. Three computers controlled the output; two projected outputs using code produced in Processing, the third large projection was produced through a combination of PHP/Flash.