Nov 16, 2008

OpenFrameworks & Interactive Multimedia: Funky Forest Installation for CineKid

The Funky Forest was created by Emily Gobeille and Theodore Watson for the 2007 CineKid festival in the Netherlands, using OpenFrameworks, an open-source application used for multimedia and multi-touch applications. Take a look at the video and pictures of the children interacting with this technology!

"It “is a wild and crazy ecosystem where you manage the resources to influence the environment around you. Streams of water flowing on the floor can be diverted to make the different parts of the forest grow. If a tree does not receive enough water it withers away but by pressing your body into the forest you create new trees based on your shape and character. As you explore and play you discover that your environment is inhabited by sonic life forms who depend on a thriving ecosystem to survive.”

The trees and creatures in the installation look really beautiful; just abstract enough to make it look like a strange magical forest, but the processes of our real ecosystems are still recognisable. A really wonderful project. And it sure looks like a lot of fun!" -Tanja, from the TakeBigBites blog









2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was a cool video because it looked like a real fairy tale forest. The kids would stand tall and put their hands over their heads it would build a tree. Were the kids touching the wall when they were building the trees? We liked the amazing colors of the water swirl (was it really light?) on the floor. We are grade 4 from Mr. Smith's class in Hannibal, MO - www.smithclass.org.

Lynn Marentette said...

I really liked Funky Forest, too. Wouldn't it be nice if every school had a play-space like this!