Katie Wheeler workinprogress

Planning to put in a 2.5m x 2.5m (hopefullly around this size, literally will work with whatever space going) Installation which will consist of hanging walls made of polythene plastic strips.

To question how advanced an animals skin is in comparison to ours and when the mechanics of the skin therefore suggest that their brains are also far advanced.


ARGUMENT
To create an interactive learning environment and a ritualistic process of learning which would be suitable in the confines of a museum means that the learning experience as a whole is more valuable.
Although I admit that in a lot of cases this form of education is not possible, where I feel it is possible and has a key place, such as in museums and galleries I feel it should be promoted. I will be creating my second museum exhibition which will feature in Camberwell ba illustration 3rd year degree show. The aim being to create an entire experience for the visitor and by doing this I will hope to alter the way that their final understanding of a concept or set of information is absorbed – hopefully making it more memorable to them.

PROCESS
A Cephalopods skin (octopus/squid/cuttlefish/) is a dynamic and complicated piece of machinery. It is able to change colour and in some cases texture within seconds. My aim within the piece will be to create a 'game' for the visitor, to provoke the questioning of how superior the skin of many animals are in comparison with a humans. So, for the cephalopod, the brain works within seconds to camouflage, mimic, or show emotion within the skin by changing its colour or texture. The game would involve the visitor acting as the animal to see if they can change colour as quickly as the animal.

There will be a limited amount of time for the visitor to try to change the colour of the specimen. Using the various colours and patterns and possibly textures of the skins hanging around the room which get attached to the tentacle specimen. The aim being to match up the colour of the specimen with the colour on the screen in front of them.

RESULT
The result of this game will be the questioning of how fast the cephalopods brain and nervous system must work in order to change colour at this speed. The environment will have a few plaques surrounding the game questioning how inadequate the human skin is in comparison with the cephalopod.


HOW IT WORKS
The skin consists of 3 layers which work to change colour and texture within the surface.
THE LOWEST LAYER being the muscles which expand and contract in a certain combination speed and strength to allow the pigment layer to change colour.
THE MIDDLE LAYER is a film of reflective plates. These work to emphasize the colours the muscles are making and emphasize the pigment colours above.
THE TOP LAYER are the pigments, these are the colours you will see on the surface of the skin. When the bottom layer of muscles are flexing in a certain way and in a certain combination the colours and textures will change.