Ten questions with Matthew and Rachel.
So tell me a bit about yourself.
MG: Um I’m a New Zealander, and I’ve recently moved to the UK. Trained engineer, and in my spare time I enjoy tinkering with things, usually around my house or in the shed.. Oh, and I really enjoy meeting people.
RR: Well I’m Northern Irish born, I’ve flown the nest, come all the way over here just to find opportunity.
MG: So we’re both immigrants..
If you were a piece of code- what would you be?
MG: Gosh… (long pause). I hope that I wouldn’t be a recursive piece of code… Here you go- I’d probably be a piece of functional code that takes a lot longer to program than you think it should.
RR: Pause… I don’t know any codes, you are talking to someone who doesn’t even know the language.. Well I’d be like an XY chromosome if that makes sense...
Why Raspberry Pi?
RR: It tastes really nice when it comes out of the oven. No, no, no, Why raspberry pi? It’s an interesting piece of modern technology that can assist how art and technology can inform each other.
MG: Can I just see if I can get this working?
No no Matt it’s interview time.
MG: *typing programming on the computer whilst multitasking* Hmm I am just trying to see if I can get this to work. Oh syntax. *looks up* Um sorry I’m just trying to get something to work, and its not working! Why Raspberry Pi? Well, I wanted to learn about Python and it was an easy accessible platform that was easy to bring over from New Zealand. Well easy sometimes...
And what’s Immortal Bloom?
MG: Immortal Bloom is a project that Rachel has been working on for a while. I found out about it through the Open Source Arts Workshop- why doesn’t she tell you more.
RR: Immortal Bloom is a development project that has observes environmental issues that we face today in modern society, due to climate change and how we pollute our water system.. The jellyfish is a species that is still being investigated, did you know there are loads of species of jellyfish that are still undiscovered?? And it doesn’t have a nerve system, or a brain, but it does have consciousness, I suppose it is a very alien form species.
I wanted to make these issues more accessible for the viewer by creating something that is visually stunning, but there is a deeper meaning to it.
Cool stuff. So where is your favourite place in the world?
MG: Ah I would have to be biased and say New Zealand. Probably camping at the beach.
RR: If it was New Zealand would have to be middle earth.. Haha…. I suppose home is where the heart is, that’s the easy answer. But probably from my travels, I think my favourite place would have to be Carcassonne in the South of France. It was just something out of a fantasy world really. One of my favourite memories...
And if you could choose your last meal?
MG: Is it with anyone particular?
Well no, I was more wondering what food you were wanting. But you can choose a person too if you want.
MG: Last meal. Hm. I’m going to have to go with a rice pie my mum used to make. Haven’t had it in a long time, but I always enjoyed that.
And you Rachel? What would you choose?
RR: Wait I’m on death row? Wow, okay. If I am on death row, I would probably have to go for quite a lavish dish that would involve white wine sauce, chicken, with I don’t know, cranberry chutney, and pork belly all sizzled. How much detail do you want it?
Or I’d have a packet of crisps... I love crisps.
MG: We’d call that chips in New Zealand.
RR: That’s just really exotic Matthew.
What are you doing now? Is that brownie and wine I see?
RR: Oh, well I’m drinking the wine.
MG: And we are catching up to discuss how we are going to do what we’ve proposed.
Matthew, so you are the programmer in this partnership. What artistic talents do you bring to the table?
MG: Well programmer is a broad term. I have done some programming, but I just enjoy making things and learning how to do it. So that’s probably what I bring.
And Rachel, what programming skills do you bring?
RR: You didn’t really answer that question Matthew. I’m not really a programmer. I suppose my skills will be to do with how the construction of the jellyfish comes together.
Do you colour in between the lines? Or scribble?
MG: In between the lines
RR: What? Well I never ever coloured in between the lines. I was too expressive for that. I didn’t want to conform. I needed to express it, and it got out.
MG: Such chalk and cheese...
What about books, what did you last read?
MG: ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins. It’s a book about leadership in business and in life. Read it, it’s good.
RR: Right, it was the Silmarillian in Quenya which is in Elvish.That was the last proper book I read fully, which was a while ago. I can’t make my mind up these days about books that I read. I start one, get bored of that, start another.
What’s your biggest challenge with this project (apart from me asking these cheesy questions)?
MG: Probably finding time to get to it. I’ve booked in quite a lot of travel recently, making the most of living on this side of the world. So many places to explore.
RR: For me I think it’s actually the part of installing the computer itself, and a way of securing it. That will be a trial and error when we have got the model made up. Oh, and making it
weatherproof, so that when I do repeat the prototype it can stand being outside.
Well best of luck Rachel and Matthew. Looking forward to catching up with you soon to hear more about your work.
MG: Sounds good.
RR: Yay!
Tune into the next blog where we find out Matt and Rachel's project plan.