Closer

Closer is a playful installation activating the spaces between us. Closer reveals the nature of relational space and the ongoing care that goes into cooperation and being in relation with others.

To activate Closer two people must stand close together, and to explore it they must work together. Closer uses a camera to track the movements of the participants and create a single, shared sphere in the space between them. The sphere grows and shrinks with the participants proximity to each other, and moves as they move. Together, with equal control and equal care, the participants practice embodied cooperation in order to navigate difficulties, accumulate victories, and avoid shared destruction. Closer creates a space where cooperation exists with every embodied gesture and movement, in real time.

You may have played Closer at:

• A MAZE. (South Africa)
• ąяţǥąʍ€$ (Berlin, Germany)
• Incubate Arcade (Netherlands)
• Talk & Play (Berlin, Germany)
• Plan - B(Kharkiv, Ukraine)
• Beta Public (London, England)
• CodeMotion (Berlin, Germany)
• Girls Make Games (Berlin)
• Women Who Code (Berlin)
• PLAY Creative Gaming Festival (Hamburg, Germany)
• 33rd Chaos Communication Congress (Hamburg, Germany)
• A number of other places!

Let me know if you want to play!

You can download Closer here. You will need an apple computer, a Kinect, and an external power source for the Kinect. These instructions can help too!