Keywords
Interactive Installation, Computer Vision, Arduino, ml5.js, p5.js, WebSerial, Surveillance, Privacy, Mirror Reflection, Human-Computer Interaction, Servo Motors, Uncanny Valley, Data Ethics, Digital Culture
Tools
Arduino, ml5.js, p5.js, Adobe Illustrator, Laser cut Procreate
Year
2024
Duration
3 Weeks
Team
Yudi Cao, JC Zhang
Size
80cm x 60cm x 65cm
Project Description
Stop Spying on Me! is an interactive installation that merges physical computing with computer vision to explore contemporary issues of privacy, surveillance, and digital identity. Participants control an octopus inside a bathroom scene, attempting to block a hidden surveillance camera. Using body gestures captured by an external webcam and analyzed through ML5.js and P5.js libraries, participants manipulate servo-powered tentacles via Arduino. Movements are intentionally mirrored and inverted, creating a playful yet challenging interaction that symbolizes the complex reality of digital surveillance.
The project operates on multiple conceptual layers: the physical space symbolizes intimacy and vulnerability, highlighting how pervasive technology invades our private lives; the octopus character embodies adaptability and evokes comfort by avoiding uncanny valley reactions; and the mirrored interactions metaphorically represent virtual reality, illustrating the blurred boundaries between physical and digital worlds. Inspired by historical "freak shows," the installation critiques modern exploitation through digital self-surveillance, questioning our voluntary surrender of privacy for convenience or entertainment.
By involving participants directly within a reflective, mirrored scenario, Stop Spying on Me! invites introspection on how our identities and private moments are increasingly commodified. The installation encourages critical dialogue about the ethical implications of surveillance technologies, urging participants to reconsider their relationship with digital environments and the devices that monitor their lives.
The project operates on multiple conceptual layers: the physical space symbolizes intimacy and vulnerability, highlighting how pervasive technology invades our private lives; the octopus character embodies adaptability and evokes comfort by avoiding uncanny valley reactions; and the mirrored interactions metaphorically represent virtual reality, illustrating the blurred boundaries between physical and digital worlds. Inspired by historical "freak shows," the installation critiques modern exploitation through digital self-surveillance, questioning our voluntary surrender of privacy for convenience or entertainment.
By involving participants directly within a reflective, mirrored scenario, Stop Spying on Me! invites introspection on how our identities and private moments are increasingly commodified. The installation encourages critical dialogue about the ethical implications of surveillance technologies, urging participants to reconsider their relationship with digital environments and the devices that monitor their lives.