More about Amalthea, 2011
Amalthea is an attempt to combine an actual experience with a virtual one by enabling an object to connect to the Internet through mobile technology.Quick Response (QR) barcodes are similar to the barcodes we find on most products. They function as a link to factual information; I was interested exploring their potential for story telling.
To begin with, I generated a type of QR code known as a ‘blotcode’ which links to a page on my website when scanned by a barcode reader, available as an App for some mobile phones. I then extruded the 2-dimensional image into a 3-dimensional form using CAD software. The cornucopia shape of Babel 2.0 refers to the wealth of knowledge available on the World Wide Web whilst the cryptic symbols within the filigree refer to the consequences this may have on society.
Objects often have stories attached to them. They can commemorate an event; they are often transformed into family heirlooms and passed on with the stories associated with them. The Babel series also tell stories, but these stories are online, so have the potential to include text, video, image and music. They can be added to over time, creating a repository of memories and information.
So when the viewer scans Amalthea with a barcode reader mobile phone App, it connects to a page on my website telling the story, providing additional information thereby creating a simultaneous actual and virtual experience.
I plan to offer a series of similar pieces where the QR code is generated for a client linking the piece to information specific to that person. So, as heirlooms, the virtual experience could tell the story of the journey of that object through the generations.
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