Tell Me the Truth, 2009-2010

Tell Me the Truth is an interactive artwork that consists of a rectangular mirror on the wall, about 20 inches high. When approached, the mirror transforms the viewer’s face into the iconic artist, Andy Warhol. This transformed image reflects and mimics the viewer’s movements. When the gestures, faces or behavior of the viewer are out of range with the character, the star takes over and plays his own persona, occasionally reciting a short, typically Warholian sentence like: “That’s great,” and “Wow, that’s amazing.” Because of perspective and sight-lines, the experience is unique to the viewer.

When a person approaches the mirror a video tracking system is activated, gradually turning the mirror transparent and displaying the avatar on a LCD display. The mirror, when illuminated from behind, obscures the viewers image while Warhol’s shines through the material.

You can follow the project’s development here.

Video

Tell Me the Truth, April 2010
Camera : Michael Naimark / Editing : Scott Fitzgerald


Tell Me the Truth raw footage
, April 2010

Tell Me the Truth demonstration 01, October 2009
credits: Stephen Guerin and August Swanson

Images

Credits

Marie Sester, Concept and Direction
Scott Fitzgerald, Project Manager

August Swanson, Darkling Simulations, LLC, System Design and Programming
Stephen Guerin, Redfish Group, Systems Design
Skyler Swanson, Darkling Simulations, LLC, Texturing
Cory Strassburger,
3D Modeler and Texturing
David Pietricola
, Technical Animation / Voice Acting / 3D Modeler and Texturing
Simon Mehalek, Technologist
Maria Mendez, Computer Vision
Christopher Cummings, Design Engineering
Jesse Gilbert, Additional Audio Recording

Special thanks for Motion Capture:
Paul Debevec, Executive Producer, Graphic research, Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California
Andrew Jones, Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California

Special thanks for Facial Tracking Software:
Nick Langdale-Smith, Seeing Machines (faceAPI)

Additional thanks to:
Guy Perry, Actor, Andy Warhol impersonation, Hollywood Agency
Yoav Freund, professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego
Todd Margolis, “Calit2 / CRCA”, Technical Director, Center for Research in Computing and the Art, University of California, San Diego
Bryce Wolkowitz, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
Deger Cengiz

My personal thanks go to:
Sean Elwood, Creative Capital Foundation, Director of Artist Programs
Michael Naimark