CHWP X.N Don Sinclair, "Database, place and the new media art interface"

Going Home

During the time I was collecting data, places that I traveled repeatedly were much better represented. My daily commuting route was particularly interesting because it produced a large number of data points along specific routes over the course of 15 months. Going Home focuses in on part of my commuting routine. Aside from the nice title, I picked the route home as opposed to the route to York because it provided a more varied set of images. I tend to go to work when it is light but when I go home it could be light, sunset or dark. To produce this work I set up a database query that would return a series of images that were in front of any given position. Doing this repeatedly from a position along my commuting route gave me a large number of data points ordered by position along the route. Whereas Variations/Variantes was a visual piece, Going Home has a sound track based on data. To create the sound track, I used the speed I was traveling when each image was taken to create a number of layered sounds. Each one of the sound layers is an expression of speed over varying time periods. Going Home has two versions: a video and a video installation. The interface to the installation tracks movement in the installation space; the more movement, the slower the work progresses. This creates an inverse relationship between the participant and the space. Passivity causes intensity and activity promotes contemplation of detail.