Cycle pe Gokarna
An interactive installation where the intent was to build upon the concept of flâneur, the user cycles aimlessly through various representations of Gokarna and develops his/hers own understanding of Gokarna's 'genus loci'.
The town has areas with varying activities, defined by tourism, habitat, economy, religion and notions of sacred and profane . The user navigates through these areas on a bicycle, and uses the features of the bicycle like brakes, bell and paddles to interact.
The town is famous for its Mahabaleshwar (Shiva) temple and related mythology. The core of the town is the brahmin settlement that extends from the temple to the pond (Kothiteertha), perpendicular to the beach line. In the last decade or so It has become a very popular tourist destination. The tourists are not only religious pilgrims but also travellers looking towards the pristine beaches of Gokarna.
The documentation RSP during my time at School of Architecture at CEPT University (2006, guided by Prof. Neelkanth Chhaya) was an introduction to the place.
I went on to do my final design thesis in architecture, where I studied elements of space in the temple town and devised frameworks to preserve those elements and spatial relationships in new constructions - a panchayat, a kitchen and a lodge (guided by Prof. Miki Desai).
My present understanding of the town is still stuck in 2006 -2009 period, the interactive installation is the town frozen in time , the way it is in my memories.
This installation was made during my time at New Media Design at NID (guided by Dr. Jignesh Khakkar). This installation was inspired by Jeffrey Shaw's Legible City, Responsive Environment 1988-91 in which the visitor is able to ride a stationary bicycle through a simulated representation of a city that is constituted by computer-generated three-dimensional letters that form words and sentences along the sides of the streets.
The journey of this project is unique and very close to my heart, done a two premiere institutions in India , I was fortunate to study in and get guided by amazing people.
Contributors
Concept to execution • Abhinav Mishra
Platform:
Arduino + Unity
Other works :
Interactive experience at Auto Expo simulating the new combi brake system in Honda 2 - wheelers
The Story of Light 2015
“Kavak Prakash” is a light-based interactive installation inspired by the phenomenon of bioluminescence of deep sea creatures.