Cognitive Firewall
Nesdon Booth and Kiko Aumond
Falling drops of flaming liquid, form a curtain of fire into which the thoughts of the viewer are printed. On a moving ribbon of burning fuel, shapes, patterns and words will appear, and fall into oblivion, sometimes before they can even be understood. Like watching a flickering fire or rolling surf, this never-still display is sure to mesmerize.
Concept
Our vivid perceptions of the world are actually the collated results of a huge number of relatively independent processors, merged into the seemingly seamless "reality" we experience.
Our consciousness is a highly volatile sub realm of our minds, separated from this massive processing power by an imperfect cognitive firewall, breeched most often by mental illness, dreams, and chemically mediated feedback from our limbic system.
Images, impressions and ideas float through our awareness as fleeting qualia, disappearing almost instantly into our memories. In this analogue of the process, Words spoken, and noises heard are reproduced in a falling curtain of liquid, set a fire by the flames of our emotions.
Description
This idea ocurred to me when I saw the dripping tears from Dan Das Mann's Copper face. The burning liquid fuel, falling under gravity, kept a distinct shape and path, drawing a line through the air as it fell. If it could draw a line, then....
A Proscenium Arch, 3m wide and 2.5 m high, will surround a curtain of flaming falling liquid. An array of computer-controlled valves will create images from the falling droplets to form text and pictures. These images, printed into the curtain, will roll past like a moving ribbon, and be distorted and stretched until they disappear into a basin at the base.
Participants will interact with the Firewall by speaking to it. The computer will listen to what the Participant has to say, determine where they arestanding, and include their words and ideas in the unending fall of images in front of them.
When the Participant expresses passionate ideas, or when the computer detects passion in the voice of the Participant, the computer will adjust the drop size, and cause the images to change. The heat will increase the chaotic disruption of the images, and in some cases, they may even float away in their own rising draft.
Form Factor
A fluid fuel manifold will run along behind the lintle of the proscenium. A sheet metal valance, 30cm high, will hide the manifold and be inscribed with various factoids about the mind in a fanciful sideshow style
The manifold will be supported and fed by a horizontal 1" copper pipe, supported on vertical columns spaced at 3m. A linear array (1cm O.C.) of small (approx 1mm port) electronically actuated valves operating at vaguely 20hz, and releasing approx .02ml of a flammable liquid (naphtha, and ethanol with salt doping) in each cycle.
These cycles will be adjusted in duration (therefore drop size) and interval (therefore spacing) by a CPU to form graphic images as the droplets fall under the force of gravity into metal catch basin below. Each valve will have a short (approx 10cm) curved copper tube nozzle attached to move the valve out of the rising heat.
A pilot tube made of 1/2" cold rolled steel tubing drilled with 1mm holes, 1cm O.C. and fed with propane through an air mixer, will ignite the falling droplets.
Microphones will be placed on each column, and will collect ambient sounds and words spoken by viewers. Comparing the timing of the signal from the mics, the processor will calculate the position of the observer, and send a command to release a fall of droplets in front of them. Words spoken and/or the ideas they connote, will "printed" as text into the falling curtain of liquid, in the exact manner as an inkjet printer, by the timed release of small droplets which will fall as a moving ribbon into the catch basin.
It is our intention to have specific words, entered in a database and connotative of passion, or words spoken which a voice stress analyzer detects to be spoken with passion, result in modifications to the drop cycles, that will cause the images to burn differently, Researvch will be done to detemine what cycles result in what flame patterns. It may be possible to regulate the droplet size so that some words may be made to float in their own convection.
Limitations of cost will prevent us from using our preferred vave systems, so effects may be less than optimal.
Specific sounds, also stored in the database will result in the release of sequences that will form graphic depictions and/or names of the objects the database associates with the sounds, e.g. car engines, flame throwers, bicycles, shuffling feet.
During periods when no sense is made of the input by the processor, a programmed sequence of patterns will fall continuously: the cascading type of the matrix, concentrically spreading ripples, geometric shapes etc.
A layer of river rock in the catch basin will form a riprap to disperse and collect the unburned liquid fuel. A recirculation pump will return fuel to the supply tank, and also be used to pressurize the manifold at approx 5psi. In an urban setting, where the fire hazard is more severe, water can also be used.
Fire Safety
This device would only be run when a trained operator is present, along with an assistant. Any wayward or confused visitor would therefore always be within arms reach of an operator, who could physically prevent them from making contact with the liquid or flames. Two 15lb. CO2 fire extinguishers, and one 5lb. dry chemical extinguisher would be maintained on-site whenever the device was fueled. A back up set of 6 CO2 and 3 dry chem. would be kept as in the event the primaries were discharged. In addition, one gel fire blanket would be provided on site, as well as an emergency stop button on each column to cut all power to the device, and open a pressure bleed on the manifold.
Environmental impact
Device will only be operated, or in fact effective, in low wind conditions. This will minimize contact of the fluids with the playa. Fluids being tested have very high volatility, low reactivity and relatively low toxicity, and so should not be latent in the playa soil downwind should any contact occur. Catch basin will have a tight fitting lid, and be covered, lighted and barricaded when not in use. All material and detritus resulting from the in stallion will be meticulously removed, and any soil areas contaminated will be cleaned and/or removed.