These installations all recreate the moving image coming from a live video source into an image mosaic from a database of images.

The live camera feed is coming from a ‘webcam’ pointed at the audience, so the installation becomes, in effect, a mirror…. The audience can compose collages based on their own face or body, composing the resultant collage by posing for the camera.

The installation requires a fast PC running windows 2000/XP, with an analogue capture card or webcam. In its simplest form, it can be shown on a monitor with the camera perched on top, but ideally it would be shown larger, on a data projector, with the camera backdrop on another white wall to minimize visual clutter.

Depending on speed of PC, it will display @1280*1024 with a 40*30 mosaic being displayed at around 15FPS (frames per second). This has entailed writing a custom c++ plugin utilising a novel search routine.

Different versions of the installation have also utilised audience interaction via SMS text message, and have used the web to gather the database of images each day the installation is run. This all happens on the same PC with the addition of a mobile phone or web connection.