Forbidden Fruit Machine
Interactive installation with Niklas Roy
Berlin / 2015
The Forbidden Fruit Machine is based on a painting called “The Fall of Man” created by Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem in 1592. The painting depicts Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. When Cornelis made his masterpiece, oil paintings were the hi-tech medium of the time. They featured incredible detail and ultra high resolution. Some 400 years later Niklas and me decided to turn Cornelis’ artwork into today’s equivalent top-notch medium, namely, a mechatronic video game.
The most essential add-on to Cornelis’ painting is a joystick with which the spectator can take over the destiny of the forbidden fruit. By moving the apple around on a biblical quest, the player can discover exciting special effects hidden in the picture. Lights give a hint where the effects can be found and a joystick button press triggers them. For example, pressing the button over the cat in Eve’s and Adam’s feet elicits a heart-breaking meow, while letting Eve to eat the apple results in an even more dramatic effect including a thunder storm!
The Forbidden Fruit Machine is based on a painting called “The Fall of Man” created by Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem in 1592. The painting depicts Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. When Cornelis made his masterpiece, oil paintings were the hi-tech medium of the time. They featured incredible detail and ultra high resolution. Some 400 years later Niklas and me decided to turn Cornelis’ artwork into today’s equivalent top-notch medium, namely, a mechatronic video game.
The most essential add-on to Cornelis’ painting is a joystick with which the spectator can take over the destiny of the forbidden fruit. By moving the apple around on a biblical quest, the player can discover exciting special effects hidden in the picture. Lights give a hint where the effects can be found and a joystick button press triggers them. For example, pressing the button over the cat in Eve’s and Adam’s feet elicits a heart-breaking meow, while letting Eve to eat the apple results in an even more dramatic effect including a thunder storm!
