Eos


Selene

Helios

Hyperion
2005
by Briana Hegarty, Oisin Prendiville, John Ryan, Deirdre Williams

Project Description:
Hyperion is an animated generative installation; a triptych of mutually supporting digital environments that also rely on, and react to, sensor-based information received from the real-world environment. In addition to exploring new methods of data visualisation and generative programming techniques, Hyperion is also representative of new global digital biological systems and technologies.

Modelled as individual links in a food chain using a real-world biological marine ecosystem as a behavioural blueprint, the environments of Eos, Selene and Helios form a circuit reflecting the interdependency of such biological systems. Created with Macromedia Flash and utilising sensor and networking technology, each environment relies on the others for sustenance, in addition to reacting to stimuli received from the installation’s real-world physical enviroment.

The first screen, Eos, displays single cell plantlife, diatoms. The second screen, Selene, displays krill, herbivores that feed on diatoms. The third screen, Helios, displays squid, who hunt krill.

The three screens form a digital circuit: diatoms from Eos move into Selene where they are food for krill, these krill pass into Helios to be hunted by squid, when the squid dies it is passed back to Eos as nitrates in the water for the diatoms.

This digital circuit is however, also dependant on the physical environment it is displayed in: in Eos the diatoms photosynthesise depending on light (measured by a light sensor) and carbon dioxide (sounds levels are representative of this) in the real-world environment. We also use proximity sensors in Selene, and Helios and the creatures in these screens get startled if viewers come too close to the screens.

Teleo was used as the interface between proximity sensors, light sensors, and the on-screen creatures.

Click the images to the left to see larger still versions or click the following links to view the live SWF files from the Hyperion website: Helios, Eos, Selene.

Visit the Hyperion website at http://www.hyperionproject.com/