The Feedback Loop

After closely analyzing the handout from class, Edmund and I have come to focus on a second topic for our video installation:

The Feedback Loop.

The simple idea is to make a camera/capturing device recapture its own output, thus creating an endless "loop" of the same signal.  This signal loop can be adjusted with the camera's shutter speed, physical proxmity and white balance, creating loops of different colors, strobes, and depth.

While we did have hands-on experience on how to create simple feedback loops in class, Edmund and I felt that to make a video installation based on the concept of a simple feedback loop would be too generic (as we were certain that most groups would be doing more or less the same thing).

The original feedback loop cycle, in its most simplistic form, is comprised of two components.

The only problem with this simple feedback system is that interactivity is at a minimum, in which the most audiences can do is to alter the settings on the camera or stand between the capture/display devices (to distort the signals).

And thus, herein, was our greatest challenge: the concept of a sound-driven installation was still VERY stuck in our heads.


After a long, constructive discussion, Edmund and I felt that we could try to create an amalgam of the two concepts by slightly tweaking the feedback loop process.

Original/Basic Loop

Revised/Augmented Loop

Not only does the addition of the processor unit open a completely new level of possibilities, the inclusion of a computer also allows greater flexibility and ease of access for audience interactivity.

With this new additional step to the feedback loop, we can now create a sound-driven video feedback loop.