Office mysterious troubles

In our project, we simulated an old computer interface inspired by CRT monitors and their pixelated screen-like feel. We recreated this texture and chose a classic blue-and-white look typical of monitors from the 1980s and 1990s, aiming for a retro aesthetic. We used the Unica77 Mono typeface for its simple, minimalistic, and monospace design that fits the computer-inspired visual language.

During the performance, we reenact office behaviors such as leafing through papers, signing and stapling them, or drinking coffee, creating an analog counterpart to the digital interface. The interface features a grid layout inspired by early computer systems, with animations that show letters flickering, words being highlighted, or characters falling down. All important actions in the performance influence the interface, emphasizing the randomness and unclear correlations typical of bureaucratic work.

We created nine different animations and playful interactions using AprilTags placed on papers as the main interactive elements. Some tags are active and become part of the scene through interaction, while others are passive such as the ones under the mug, on the stapler, or beneath the light, which trigger actions when they become hidden or visible.

The mug tag shows a logo animation when tracked and a grid layout when covered. The stapler tag changes text alignment when tracking is interrupted, and the light tag switches the grid to dark mode once it becomes trackable.

Each folder contains three papers with unique AprilTags. In the first folder, one highlights the word FOLDER, another adds static to letters, and the third adjusts letter spacing based on paper angle. The second folder follows the same idea, with one highlighting FILE, another adding static to numbers, and the third creating a continuous downward flow of lines.