The History of Crossover Art
- NIC2001, Nordic Interactive Conference in Copenhagn

 

Laura Beloff, Lindinger Christopher, and Praxmarer Robert. 2001

Fig.: Singing doll

nu-K-ke is a networked installation, first presented at NIC2001 in Copenhagn.

The interface for the piece is a doll, which can be pierced with a needle.
When the doll is hit with a needle, a networked computer selects a random victim from the registered online-users. The monitor of the victim freezes for a few seconds and the image of "the stabber" from the current exhibition space appears on the screen accompanied by a short sound.
The doll will speak and sing. Every time the doll is pierced, it will sing a fragment of a song for the stabber. It will also speak messages sent by the registered online-victims.The registered victims can also send short messages and communicate with the other victims through a dialog box.

In the voodoo-doll tradition, one punching a needle is projecting many wishes to the doll and remotely hurting someone through it, although unable to observe it physically.

In this installation the doll is connected to the net, pushing a needle through it will cause "a death" on a randomly chosen computer. This will take place, although the one making the act - pushing the needle - will not see the event taking place online, but has to believe in it and make the nu-K-ke sing.

Nu-K-ke is the first collaborative piece between one finish and two austrian brains. Beloff is a finish artist working with concepts and computers. Lindinger and Praxmarer are artistically oriented programmers and computer specialists from Austria. The sounds and music for the piece (also a complete nu-K-ke song is available on a cd) is done by David Hebenstreit, who is a young musician from Vienna. All of them continue enjoying art, life and good food.