Introduction

In this module we made an interactive installation based on a television series. The starting point for our installation was the series ‘Breaking Bad’, created by Vince Gilligan. It tells the story of a chemistry teacher who, in order to be able to pay for his treatment for cancer, starts to run a meth-lab with a former student.
Process

In the series of Breaking Bad, many cultural issues are addressed on different levels. The main topic is however drug producing, dealing and the violent system surrounding the drug world in the USA and Mexico. The values that we focused on however, were more intrinsic values of the main character. He feels isolated, under pressure and that drives him to make rapid (but often rash) decisions. In our installation we focused on feeling under pressure and being on your own. We tried to make the experience very personal. There are several moments of perceived interaction between the “user” and the installation. As we spoke with the participants afterwards, many of them were pleasantly surprised by our ending. This especially goes for externally visiting parties, as they had no idea of what we had been building during the week. We got comments of people saying how they were really sucked into the experience, getting actually competitive in completing the IQ test and so on. A part that really seemed to resonate with people was the continually increasing speed and volume of the ticking clock we simulated. As one participant explained the next day, that ticking clock stayed with him, even in his sleep that night!

Reflection

It is interesting to see how a fully experience, feeling, and emotion based project can turn be made real, without focussing on the marketing or financial aspects. While this will never work as a commercial product, it is interesting to see what new insights and experiences you can trigger when doing a project like this. I am, together with my team, at such a phase in my development, that technology is not longer a restraint or issue. I have the skill,whether doing it myself, learning new tools, or getting the right people involved, to implement any and all technologies I need. We look for the experience that we want to convey, and apply the technology that fits best.

Not having to worry or think about these practical limitations makes your mind open to try new things. Working outside the university, at a specific place and time helped making it an event. All the installations were tuned to each other which gave it an extra depth.