Those Who Passed By（to be updated）
— Time-based Photo CollageInteractive multi-screen
Matter.js, ml5.js
Those Who Passed By is an interactive multi-screen installation that builds a group photo over time.
Using body segmentation, the system captures snapshots of passersby as they enter the space. Each person is added to the screen as an isolated body image, gradually accumulating into a dense collage that resembles a growing crowd.
People who arrive later can see those who were there before—and by passing through the space themselves, they become part of this continuously evolving group portrait.
Concept
This project explores how presence, memory, and time can be visualized collectively rather than individually.Instead of capturing a single decisive moment, Those Who Passed By records traces of people who briefly existed within the same space. Each snapshot represents a moment of passing—temporary, anonymous, and incomplete—yet meaningful when accumulated with others.
As these traces continue to arrive and overlap, the image is constantly forming and dissolving. The result is a group portrait that is never fixed, reflecting the transient nature of shared public space.
In this project, photographic images function not as permanent memories, but as traces of presence—appearing, accumulating, and eventually disappearing over time.
Inspiration:
This project is inspired by the fleeting nature of public encounters and the idea that people who pass through the same space at different times are still connected by presence. Although each person appears only briefly, their presence contributes to a larger, evolving image over time. The project explores how passing moments, when accumulated, form a collective memory that exists only temporarily before disappearing again.
Interaction
Characters shown are not part of the actual project.
Body Detection & Capture
- When a human body is detected, the system begins capturing a snapshot every 5 seconds. Only the body is recorded; the background is removed through body segmentation.
Physical Accumulation
- Each snapshot drops from the top of the screen and falls to the ground, gradually piling up with previous images.
- Each falling image is briefly accompanied by a line of text, which disappears after 5 seconds, while the image remains in the space.
Gesture-Based Interaction
- Viewers can interact with the accumulated images using hand gestures:
- Use the index finger to disturb and shift the positions of the images.
- Use thumb and index finger pinching to grab an image and throw it upward. If an image hits the top edge of the canvas, it is removed.
- Through interaction, viewers can intervene in traces of presence, suggesting that presence may be recorded, but can also be altered or erased by human action.
Reset
- When the canvas reaches a certain capacity, the system automatically removes the oldest half of the images.
- This process creates a cycle of accumulation, disappearance, and renewal.