A conversation with Nadia Thalman by Miralab
Miralab is called the research laboratory of the computer scientist Nadia Thalmann at the University of Geneva. That "Miralab" occurs with the motto "Where Research Means Creativity" and has made a name for himself since its basic in 1989 with original simulations and animations of movements. Great sensation excited about the installation "Virtual Marilyn": Here the visitor could sparkle in the skin of this Hollywood icon.
Nadia Thalman The media sometimes see you as "Madame Frankenstein". Do you really want to create virtual people? Nadia Thalmann: I understand myself as a scientist. We want to understand how man works, and therefore we simulate it, form it. A simulation is always a model, so a reduction of the complexity. What made Leonardo da Vinci differently: he too tries to understand how man is built.
Virtual Marilyn, Miralab They only speak about the physical level here. Nadia Thalmann:: No, we connect three different areas: geometry, physics and behavior. My dream was to create an artificial man who does not look like a robot, but like a beautiful, graceful human being. This is very important to me. I do not like robots. The artificial person must also be asthetically. I understand myself in this relationship as an artist. I liked to breathe my shocks. : …And these artificial people should soon be more than just scientific models? Nadia Thalmann:: Oh yes, you will lead our society, we will play with you and you will help to overwind our loneliness. Medizors will operate with such critical people operations, architects can be their model houses with it. These are all very useful things. Virtual Minister, Miralab of her ideas sound very provocative. What reactions do you experience? Nadia Thalmann: We started with our shocks already at the beginning of the 80s. At that time, people thought we were in a mint. We developed first visions. At that time, that’s not particularly impressive. But we have always believed it and developed our ideas. We are also accepted today. The technology of the 90s is also much further and allow us things that were early unthinkable. That we are much better accepted today, also tackles the development of the entertainment industry. Look, Steven Spielberg has with his movie "Jurassic Parc" proved that animals, in this case dinosaurs, let the computer simulate. That helped us a lot. It is clear that the entertainment industry has a coarse interest in these technologies that they develop by helping. Which attitude do you have to this industry? Nadia Thalmann: I am actually contacted again and again by representatives of this industry. The people of Disney were already with me. I told them many years ago: I do not like cartoons and asked them to experiment with virtual actors instead. The Disney People – Incidentally, were the former students from me – found that totally unrealistic. Today is certainly different, and the Disney films today have a very different realism as a spring. Remember the movie, for example "Toy story". The sindlines of Disney people are quite comprehensible: their chopping, the Marilyn Monroe, still moves unevenly on the screen. Nadia Thalmann: See, at the moment this is a pure query question. In the movie "Titanic" Total 10 minutes were made with the computer. For this ten minutes alone, the producer has spent $ 60 million. This part of the movie was posted image for picture, pixel for pixels. We have no rough resources, and therefore it looks a bit different from us. But I am convinced: One day, artificial actors will be a reality.
The Xian Terra-Cotta Army, Miralab She works at the moment different projects. Including the animation of the Chinese terracotta army, including projects in the field of artificial dresses USF. Which is the most important project for you? Nadia Thalmann: There are no important and less important projects. I always work on several things that are all the same. We try to mix more real and artificial people today today. We liked that real people with virtual plug interact. And instead of writing academic papers. Let’s stop prefailings that are often actual shows. Such a project is "FLASHBACK TO THE FUTURE". Here people are cloned and can live simultaneously in two different worlds: in 1602 and in the future, but in real time. So a kind of computer game? Nadia Thalmann: Personal I do not like computer games. Today’s computer games make us no really new experiences. But you’re right: our shows are a kind of computer game of the future. I became wonderful if you could do new experiences in the future thanks to these institutions, for example a journey into the past companies and worlds you do not know. Here we are only at the beginning. But I am convinced that a tremendous development will happen in this area. They work very interdisciplinary – and are also from their background, with studies in psychology, mathematics and biochemistry. What are you for a person? Nadia Thalmann: I’m just awesome curious. That was always like that. I want to spend my time creatively. I like the visions of literature and visual art and understand me somehow more than artist, because as a scientist.
Nadia Thalman is part of the Cyborg Friction event, the 24. November to 1.December 1999 in Bern takes place, project "Virtual Selves" instal. Further offers: Cyborgs + robot: video program in the grain house, Cyborg World: Exhibitions and Bar, Stelarc Exoskeleton, Cyborg Disco, Symposium "The artificial person", Avventure in Elicottero Prodott: EXP.