So the original idea of using the CCTV was to have a small display at the college - a taster event, and to run buses to my home for those who might like to view the whole installation.
When the venue was changed to the college (NCAD, Dublin) it was logical to reverse the use of the CCTV. Now I would use it to show people all the material remaining in my home, even after bringing so much into the college.
Next task was to make this happen.
Here are some images taken during the exploration process.
To begin with I had 4 x CCTV cameras with box and cables which I had used in a previous piece (BALANCE 2009)
In that piece, each camera was stationery on a two metre pole. Now I wanted all four camera mounted centrally, to be turned by motor of some sort.
Here you see my husband looking anxiously to see is it going to fall down.
Setting up the cameras was relatively simple, and here you see the four views of the room. At this the 'rig' was hanging from a cord and I could turn it manually. I really liked the effect, and heartily hoped that I would able to motorize it effectively.One of the main factors to be considered was the cables dangling from the four cameras. Because of these, it was going to be necessary to have a motor that would turn 360 degrees in one direction, and then reverse to move 360 degrees in the opposite way.
This is the first motor I used. It was from a disco ball, and of its nature only turned in one direction. Working with one of my sons, he came up with the idea of using a 'stopper'. When the motor hit the stopper, it paused for an instant, and when it restarted, it went in the opposite direction.It turned out, it wasn't as simple as we thought, but more about that later.
This picture shows me trying out projection on plastic film (actually they were bags from dry-cleaning.
Again, I liked the effect, and in this case I did manage to reproduce it in the installation.
The next two images show the front and the back of the DVR box into which the cameras and the monitor were plugged.
It wasn't a very expensive box, but it worked fine.
Next task was to somehow make the image from my computer available over the internet so that it could be seen in the college.
Several people suggested solutions, and I got all of them to work after a fashion.
One thing I tried was this video encoder.
It only worked sporadically.
We also got Skype to work somewhat, and also Ustream.
In the end we settled on a direct link from the modem on a fixed IP address as the most stable method.
Then when I went into the college, there was a conflict with their system, so I had to use an independent modem.
Thankfully, the whole set-up worked fine for the examiners.
Then the trouble started. A day or so after the examination, and immediately before the Opening ceremony of the Degree Show, the motor stopped working. We didn't know what the problem was. We had a spare motor, and set that up also. That only lasted two more days.
In the end, I just had to put a notice on it, apologizing, and showing a video we had made when it was working.
The POSTSCRIPT is encouraging. We found out that the motor in fact worked on a random direction. Obviously one of the days, it went twice in the same direction, and burnt out when the stopper prevented it from continuing on its journey.
I had to solve the problem before I exhibited publicly the following November. My son designed a totally different system, with a stepper motor, programmed by an Arduino board. It worked like a dream.
August 2011, I still haven't dismantled it. Makes a great conversation piece in the Front Room.
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