Avatard

Avatard consists of a group of small robotic puppets interacting with a single human . Both are filmed in separate rooms then mixed together in a virtual environment, where the human interactor is represented by one of the puppets. The body movements of the formers as well as their voices are used to control the latter.

This project is inspired by the tradition of mechanical theatre but incorporates the idea of the digital representation of the self, the avatar. It conveys a cynical view of the common representation of artificial social interactions taking place in digitally mediated environments. It undermines the assumptions of control often associated with interactive art. Letting the users under the impression that they have control over a puppet, as if the latter was an avatar, they are left to discover that these animated figures have generative and self-regulated behaviors.

Credits : Simon Laroche, Étienne Grenier, David Lemieux