peter pan's shadow

Margaret Schlenkrich / Dagmar Oertel

Concept | The concept of »space« was regarded from different vantage points to verify its virtual components. From the analysis of digital media and its impact on three dimensional space we developed the installation of »Peter Pan’s shadow.« In this installation the viewer is surpassed by his own shadow. Just like Peter Pan, the viewer's shadow is separated from his body. The shadow precedes the body and appears as likeness of the future, thereby manipulating familiar time structures.

Location | Staircases force the visitor into a certain rhythm of movement that is only interrupted by the landing where the ascendant changes to the next flight of stairs. When he turns on the landing to get to the next set of stairs he can see his shadow already walking down the stairs.

Implementation | The installation uses the Microsoft Kinect camera intended for Xbox computer games. This camera detects spatial depth and allows for the isolation and processing of separate layers of space. By hacking the camera, C # programs can be used to access and control the data. The motion detection can be significantly improved using the NUI Skeleton Tracking of the official SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Kinect.

By hacking the camera, C # programs can be used to access and control the data. The motion detection can be significantly improved using the NUI Skeleton Tracking of the official SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Kinect.