Sarah Hatton:::

Shared Dreaming, 2002, Interactive Telepresence Installation

Shared Dreaming, 2002, Brian Dunlavey, David Jimison, Samantha Olschan, Tiffany Sum, Sarah Hatton, presented at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute

What if one person could control a sleeping person’s dreams? After doing some research into dream psychology, our team discovered that certain synapses in the brain can be altered by noises. We decided to use EEG, motion capture technology, and streaming video to create a live immersive experience where by interacting with a sandbox, one could in fact alter the dream patterns of another. Our project was funded and facilitated by the 2002 interdisciplinary program Telepresence and Telerobotics held at Carnegie Mellon.

Our project took place in two remote locations. Our sleeper, connected to an EEG, was located in an apartment off campus and our interactive installation was set up in a gallery on campus. The gallery held a sandbox with a projected image of a sleeper. Above the sandbox was a camera which captured the motions of any guest who played with the sand and the image of the sleeper.

This captured data was then transformed into MIDI and sent across campus and was played through speakers located in the sleeper’s pillow. The sounds were manipulated to be substantial enough to alter the signal of the EEG. The new EEG data was then sent back to campus and was transferred into the image of the sleeper through various filters and effects. The continuous loop of data maintained a true telepresent experience.

Tools, scripts, software, equipment and ephimera:

EEG, sandbox, sleeping human, custom motion capture technology, original audio and visuals, pillow speakers

Participants move their hands in the sand, their motions are captured on a web cam