This installation is a variation on the standard game of Tetris but with an architectural and visual tracking twist.

Players don a white coat if they're not wearing white already and go in front of the game screen and a hidden video camera. The game tracks the movement of the white coat and translates this into movement on screen. Players rotate blocks by speaking into a microphone and drop blocks by tapping a mat in front of them with their foot.

The blocks in the game are texturised with windows and walls that mimic the Architecture and Visual Arts (AVA) building at the University of East London where this exhibit was displayed. Players can build their own AVA building by making lines and rise through the ranks of staff at the AVA building by increasing their score.

The source code has a non-exhibit mode which was used in testing the mechanics of the game that can allow you to try the game out if you are lacking a video capture device connected to your computer. In the installation we used an Osprey capture card for video tracking, a standard microphone for sound and a keyboard hack by Hedley Roberts (a short range version of what was used in the Process project) to deliver a keyboard signal from the pressure mats to the computer running the installation. The font used in the game (quadText) is featured separate from the source code in a demonstration applet here.

Try out the online version of Architectris
Keys: Mouse movement simulates the video input of running left and right, UP cursor key = rotate clockwise, DOWN cursor key = drop block, ENTER = play game or goto title screen
Requires a screen resolution of 1024 by 768 or larger and OpenGl capability