Echo of Motion is a collaborative performance between my body and an autonomous cybernetic system. Part of the ongoing Tourette-O-Tron series, this work serves as a sculptural interpretation of my Tourette’s Syndrome, translating the internal "glitch" of a motor tic into a distributed mechanical event. The system is built on straightforward, analog logic. I wear a custom circuit board on my chest with wires running to my wrists and ankles, where accelerometers are sewn into my clothing. These sensors track the movement of my limbs and send signals wirelessly to a modular installation of wood, 3D-printed parts, and gear motors. There is a specific ritual to the performance. During the opening, I move through the gallery with my flannel shirt buttoned up, keeping the electronics hidden. The machine sits in the space, making small noises and slight movements—an invitation for me to enter. When I step into the installation, I unbutton my shirt to expose the circuitry and perform an approximation of my motor tics. The machine responds in real-time, translating these involuntary gestures into a mechanical symphony of clicks and shifts. I have always been drawn to simple systems over complex AI; the machine isn’t "intelligent," it’s simply reactive. It acts as both an extension of my body and a separate entity that witnesses my tics. When I finish, I button my shirt and return to the crowd, but the work continues. It keeps moving in sporadic, lonesome ways—not as a digital recording, but as a metaphoric echo. It is a remnant of physical identity left behind in the room. While other works in the Tourette-O-Tron series, like Gilbert, take a more assertive role by demanding a tic to satisfy the robot's state, Echo of Motion remains a sympathetic responder. It is a mechanical ghost of the body’s movements, persisting even when the performer is gone.
This work was installed at our MFA thesis show -- the Mirage and the Rainbow at OSU Urban Art Space, Feb.-Mar. 2014.