Augmented Fish Reality: Transpecies communication artwork2004-2005Ken Rinaldo

The Augmented Fish Realityexhibit runs from April 10-18 in Caldwell Hall, Room 300.

Ken Rinaldo

Rinaldo’s art installations integrate organic and electro-mechanical elements. His interactive works demonstrate his belief that “…it is imperative that technological systems acknowledge and model the evolved wisdom of natural living systems so they will fuse, to permit an emergent and interdependent earth.”

Exploring interspecies and transpecies communication

Siamese Fighting fish control the robots with hardware and software

The fish can see outside the water

The fish can choose to approach or move away from humans or each other.

Four Infrared sensors allow the fish to move their bowls backward and forward and turn by swimming in front of a sensor.

Fish exhibit long-term memories

The robots are designed to get the fish within ¼ inch of each other visually

Stones keep the robots bounded in the space.

Fish move away from the stones by swimming to the opposite side of the tank.

Small video cameras under the bowls give human participants a sense of both looking into the interior of the tanks and also feeling as if they are immersed in the tanks.

Peace lilies provide oxygen to the fish and help absorb

waste.