Shadow Life
Shadow Life: Ambiguous Agency through Human-Machine Co-Projection
We present Shadow Life, an interactive shadow-performance installation that stages relational human-machine co-presence.
Encountering an Ambiguous Other
Participants encounter no identifiable subject. Through a responsive robot silhouette embedded in light-field atmospheres and rhythmic cues, participants interact with a shadow agent co-produced by system expression and human interpretation.
Co-Projection
By withholding identity and intent, Shadow Life keeps viewers inferring who the other is and why it acts, oscillating between immersion, detachment, and verification. These negotiations reframe perceived algorithmic aliveness as questions of responsibility, trust, and co-existence.
System and Interaction
The physical installation uses a partitioned hemisphere and dual-layer lighting to bring the participant and robot silhouette into one projected field. The interaction protocol coordinates robot actions, color states, and transitions while leaving the agent's identity unresolved.
