Pondering by Matt Smith, © 2009

Pondering is an extension and evolution of the work Ponderer, which was exhibited at the gardens in 2007. Pondering is a solar powered paddle-wheeler - a boat that searches out the sun and attempts to track ducks and fish through changes in light and shadow. It moves slowly through the weed filled ponds of the gardens, never really certain if it is following a fish or a movement in the reeds and water lilies. It uses an underwater camera to record the view of the bottom of the pond. These images are then used to generate a 3D contour map.

Matt Smith started his career as one of the founders of FirstFloor Electronix (Linz/Wien/München/London/Vancouver), a loose network of media artists, programmers, and technicians in 1995 at the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria. Matt's current artistic practice spans from digital and analog photography over software-based artistic systems to sculptural works within the framework of robotics and computer-aided design and manufacturing. His last internationally touring project was Audiomobile (2003-2006), a collaborative soundscape presented within a car traveling through a city. When not working on his projects, Matt consults as a audiovisual technician for various artists and cultural institutions.

On the pond.

Close up.

Matt made this video with footage of the boat moving around the pond, mixed with footage from the underwater camera.