AmbiLife: Leveraging Aesthetics and Calm using Living Organisms in Ambient Displays

We present AmbiLife, an aquarium, interactive art installation and ambient information display. The fish generates abstract forms on the surface below the tank. The slow, organic and weightless motion is reflected in a dynamic pattern that is intimately coupled with movement and information flow. In addition to the aesthetic rendering, it acts as an ambient display and information panel, since it can monitor information sources on the Internet. This functionality allows it to function as a conceptual communications channel with the aquarium, as well as with onlooking people. As an ambient display, subtle variations in the abstract visualization provide information at a glance, which could include outdoor temperature, network traffic or stock prices. It might also be used to store personal messages, such as reminders and notes, in a display system where accessibility and aesthetics have equal priority.