Blink.
An interactive journey that moves forward with every blink
Blink is a journey that moves forward with every blink.
Blinking is an act we do without noticing. This piece invites you to notice it. As the interaction moves forward, it brings you back to your body, and the act becomes embodied.
The journey is memory-like, almost hypnagogic. Familiar objects make you unsure whether you experienced it or are dreaming it.
There is longing in it. Through the whole piece you wait, not knowing if the person you've been waiting for will arrive. Then a knock at the door, and breathing behind it. In that moment you have to keep your eyes open, because the door opens only as far as your eyes do, and only then can the person enter.
Once it opens, all you see is a shadow and their shoes.
Making
A webcam reads the face, and a Python script with MediaPipe measures how open the eyes are. That value travels to Unity, where every blink moves the journey one step forward.
The door listens differently. It reads the eyes continuously, so it opens only as far as they stay open. Every threshold was tuned from live readings of a real face.
- Webcamthe viewer's face
- MediaPipe Face MeshPython · OpenCV
- Eye opennesssent to Unity over UDP
- A blinkthe journey moves one step forward
- Eyes held openthe door opens as far as they do
Response
“Using blinking as an interaction input is fascinating because it forces the user to become acutely aware of a subconscious involuntary movement that then has the opportunity to become intentional. It’s interaction that forces the user to become more self-aware while being immersed in a beguiling experience. This would be amazing as an art installation.”
Music: “How to Disappear Completely”, Radiohead
3D models: Sketchfab