inFluire

by VjVISUALOOP and WERTO (Serenata).
Reality and fiction
in the contemporary media landscape.
Where does fiction end and reality begins?

Our age is based on a globalized scenario characterized by mass media communication.
Mass media, like a relentless stream, offer images, opinions and events take great influence on our worldview

The reality flows continuously. Like water, it adapts to the shape of its container, while its natural suppleness keeps its volume up.

inFluire

promotes the direct involvement of the public through an Interactive Installation.

Our purpose, through

inFluire

, is to win back control on the imaginative world from mass media and, like a contemporary Robin Hood, give it back to people; with the further purpose of promoting their critical sense by giving them the opportunity for a stimulating reflection.

Through

inFluire

you will see a stream of images taken from television, advertising and Indymedia. This makes the public reflect on how much of the social reality is conditioned by media today.

The installation consists of a tank a few inches deep, equipped with a water pump that controls a closed loop water circulation system.
The water stream is controlled by two taps placed over the tank, the first of hot water and the second of cold water.
Visitors can control the stream through the two handles on the taps.
A video projector, positioned just above the tank, projects movies on the bottom of the tank. As a result, frames of movies will appear distorted by the water that springs from the taps.
The handles of the taps contribute to regulate both the stream of water into the tank and the quantity and typology of videos projected on the tank (the level of transparency "alpha" of two separate video channels).

The Red handle (hot water, reality) controls the flow of the documentary videos:

• - Demonstrations and political protests;
• - Country fairs;
• - Reality of job;
• - City and transports;
• - Family, relationships and affection;
• - Poverty, wealth and opulence;
• - Crime, solidarity and volunteering.

The Blue handle (cold water, fiction) controls the flow of TV videos:

• - Entertainment;
• - Advertising;
• - Political propaganda;
• - Soap opera;
• - Movie trailers;
• - Cartoons.

Both the taps can be managed simultaneously and mixedly.

The true-life videos, which are controlled with the red handle, have warm tones; videos related to fiction, which are controlled with the blue handle, have cold colors.
Movies are filtered through special video filters.

Set-up of the installation:

• - Two common taps are connected to a MIDI controller with two potentiometers.
• - The MIDI controller is connected to a personal computer.
• - The personal computer has inside a special software that can drive two separate video channels each controlled by one of the two taps.
• - The images from the computer are projected directly on the tank full of water.
• - Opening the taps, the water streams into the tank.
• - A closed loop water pump makes the water circulate into the tank.

Résumé of the artists:
VjVISUALOOP is a video-performing project based on aesthetic rules and stylistic elements with the aim of researching bright and vivid colors and highly recognizable abstract shapes.
He makes performances and interactive installations by combining music and visual arts.

Main events and exhibitions:

• - "Micromusic Party @ World Cyber Games" (Monza, Italy 2006);
• - "Where is 107" (Milan, Italy 2007);
• - "Videodrome" (Milan, Italy 2007);
• - "Milano Film Festival" (Milan, Italy 2007);
• - "Portfolio Night" (Milan, Italy 2008);
• - "Videogiocando" (Reggio Emilia, Italy 2008 / 2009);
• - "ADCI Awards Party" (Milan, Italy 2008 / 2009);
• - "Milano Green Art Festival" (Milan, Italy 2009);
• - "Videogames History" (Monza, Italy 2009 / 2010);
• - "Playlist - Playing Games, Music, Art" (Gijón, Spain 2009 / Bruxelles, Belgium 2010);
• - "Bit World" (Milan, Italy 2011);
• - "Neoludica: Italians Do It Better!!" (Venice / Mestre, Italy 2011);
• - "Nam June Paik Summer festival, 21 rooms" (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 2011);
• - "8 Bits per Pixel" (Istanbul, Turkey 2011);
• - "Atopic Machinima Film Festival" (Paris, France 2011);
• - "BYOB" (Milan, Italy 2012);
• - "Toolkit Festival" (Venice, Italy 2012).

WERTO, Federico Castronuovo, 50% of "Serenata", young duo of crossmedia artists.
A graduate from the Conservatory in piano; he teaches and creates videogames, devices, software, graphic design and chiptune events.

He has produced soundtracks for several award-winning short films.
He has opened the concerts of: Ampersand, Publicist, ActionSET, Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti.