Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Future Slave - Mark Skwarek
Viewers experience the life of a slave in the not so distant future where technology has become the new shackell and master. The “Future Slave” transforms Liverpool into a space slave colony run by amilitary security firm located on an asteroid just outside the inter-planetary ban on slavery. Ironically the work the future slave does  is located and seen on earth. This new form of slavery is made possible thanks to advances in augmented reality technology.  The viewer will be made to visit  different locations in Liverpool and experience the daily life of a future slave, all while being monitored and controlled by technology.
The viewer’s experience starts at Lime Street Station as a “Future Slave”.
The viewer will see Lime street transformed into a futuristic space station. The viewer, now the future slave, will be ordered to follow a group of other slaves to FACT.  There are laser security fences that closed off many of the streets, as well as other security measures.
If the slave touches the wall they would be “fake” shocked. The laser walls act much like a modern day electric dog fence.
This would happen on the smart device because they don’t yet have the bio-sensor.
The shock is linked to the phone’s vibration and sound. If they touched the fence or pass through it the shock effect keeps going off till the viewer/future slave returns to the path.
Viewers would be working from outer space outside the inter planetary  ban on slavery. The future slaves will be forced to build walls and additional security measures similar to the ones they experienced coming into FACT.
AT the FACT Gallery Installation [downstairs]

I will create the mirror where viewers will see themselves as the future slave.  The image will be a sci fi- moonscape and the earth would be visible in the distance. Laser walls will be visible in the background and a flying security robot will be pestering you in the projected image.
[image shown needs revision]
AT the FACT Gallery Installation [upstairs]
[FACT Gallery Installation-upstairs]
Before entering gallery installation the viewer would be forced to wear a brain sensor monitoring device.
I would make a headband with a plastic white box attached to it.
There is  a blinking red light in the middle of the box.
All of this would be sewn over the EKG.
The EKG sensor is mainly concealed with a headband.
A microphone is located on the side of the box which is worn behind the ear.  The box would warn the viewer to work harder. It blinks faster if the person isn’t doing a good job along with an audio warning.
The audio warning tells the worker they are about to be punished.
The punishment will be a fake shock-
It would be light/ audio- I was thinking a strobe light effect. while working the room would be dark with 2 projections of an outer-space panorama [looks liek 2 windows on the slave's work space]- earth will be visible in the distance. When the viewer stopped working mentally hard enough the entire room will light up with a strobe light effect [or if that's too much just change from dark to bright red- stays bright red- along with audio- glitchy].
the future slave would sit at a desk with 2 monitors- one playing a video showing fast instructions on how to perform the given task, there would be a narrator, the video would keep looping. The 2nd monitor would be a work space where the slave had to work or be shocked. They will be give instructions over and over again- if they aren’t working hard enough they will hear a voice in the head ban box warning they they will be punished if they don’t work harder. I would document the slave’s work in the real world the best I could.
[Locations of walls made by future slaves around the earth.  The walls are visible and reactive to the global community]
Anyone around the world who loads the app will be shocked + experiences the work of the space slaves.
The slaves will be working largely in the security/ military industry. Tasks the slave has to perform are creating  security solutions for nation states, corporations, and the private citizens who may buy walls and security measures from the Wall BuildAR Corporation. The slaves may be working in a different country from one day to the next. The slave’s work is made possible thanks to augmented reality and seen in the real world. As the slaves work at different locations across the world their work will be documented onsite and seen via the project feed.



The future slave at work. Slaves will be working remotely from a space slave colony.

Escape
The “Future Slave” was inspired by the painting of “The Hunted Slaves” by Richard Ansdell, 1861.  The original painting must have struck terror and great sorrow in many viewers. It did this  with the most immersive experience technology could provide at the time. I will do the same with present day and future technologies. It would be something that could basically only be done with AR – and highlight its potential danger.
The second half of the project experience would be the viewer leaving FACT and attempting to escape while having their thoughts and position monitored. Viewers [the future slaves] enter the front of FACT through a checkpoint and will be forced to work there.
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Bio-sensing
2 types of bio sensing will be incorporated into the Future Slave.
1st The NeuroSky - EEG Brain sensor will be used as the slaves future shackle. The EEG would monitor how hard the viewer was working mentally. If the user wasn’t working hard enough they would receive an audio visual punishment.  If the future slave received too many punishments their experience will come to an end.
Secondly, as the viewer is exploring Liverpool they may only go in certain areas designated by security barriers and check points similar to the ones they are creating as a future slave. If the viewer moves outside of a boundary they will receive a “shock”** from the buzzer on the mobile device.  They won’t actually be shocked with electricity. Instead it will be simulated by the mobile device’s buzzer and audio for the device speaker.