Movies movies movies has been my progress. I have 10 DVDs and watching one a night, logging the scenes I want to use. I realized that this part of my project is vital and that I needed to get my material sooner than later since it takes such a long time to log and digitize that amount of footage. Not that I am using a lot of footage, but I have to go through a lot of footage to find the clips I need.
On another note, its been great wrapping my head back around of what this project is really about, its is about the future and how we see the future. So, by watching all these films from different eras and styles it is having an interesting effect mentally measuring the feasibility of some of these futures. I'm working on mapping out the continuum of utopia (left) and dystopias (right) from these films, and focusing on purely the look of world as opposed to the reality of the film's view of utopia and dystopia (a perfect world that is actually bad eg Aeon Flux). The audio track will come from An Inconvenient Truth, contrasting present reality with future fantasy, literally clashing. I think that sensory experience will be interesting.
Steve is helping me to prototype my projector this weekend... woohoo!
And I finished my technical specs and systems diagram document. The main concern I came across was that the LED requires quite a bit of power so I don't know if a single 1 amp power supply will be enough since i'm also powering the LCD screen.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Project Update
things i have done:
- ordered my parts and received them (LEDs and sensors).
- rented the DVDs that will be the video sources my "futures" come from (I signed up for Green Cine, Netflix AND Blockbuster Total Access!).
- installed Windows and VVVV on my computer to see if I can use that to do the video mixing. haven't really gotten my hands too dirty w/ it. otherwise, I'll have to buy a copy of Max/MSP/Jitter. :(
things need to do:
- rebuild the projector
- get arduino working w/ the IMU 5 degrees of freedom sensor
- log videos
- edit videos
- program video output and interaction w/ sensor using VVVV (hopefully)
- order tent (waiting until i have a place to put it)
- sew panels and harness
yipes that is a lot to do in 5 weeks!!
- ordered my parts and received them (LEDs and sensors).
- rented the DVDs that will be the video sources my "futures" come from (I signed up for Green Cine, Netflix AND Blockbuster Total Access!).
- installed Windows and VVVV on my computer to see if I can use that to do the video mixing. haven't really gotten my hands too dirty w/ it. otherwise, I'll have to buy a copy of Max/MSP/Jitter. :(
things need to do:
- rebuild the projector
- get arduino working w/ the IMU 5 degrees of freedom sensor
- log videos
- edit videos
- program video output and interaction w/ sensor using VVVV (hopefully)
- order tent (waiting until i have a place to put it)
- sew panels and harness
yipes that is a lot to do in 5 weeks!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Joe McKay Art Review
Joe McKay @ vertextlist
Overall I thought that this show was more than I was expecting, because it had a variety of pieces using the cell phone and in ways that were fun and unexpected. It had the sort of feeling of a child making toys out of ordinary objects (not all of them, but that sort of sensibility with the cell phones NOT being used as cell phones or all post modern and being about dead cell phones).
Graveyard was oddly surprising to me, because I have never looked at a cell phone as a tiny plot of land. It was like a miniature, intimate scene with no bodies or graves but I imagined what would be there. Somehow the ones using the screen were more "cellphony" because that is what we always look at on a cell phone. My favorite pieces was (and the most fun) the cell phone keyboard, because who doesn't like playing with a noisemaker? I just really enjoyed the interaction and trying to figure out the mapping patterns. Finally, the most intriguing piece was Sunset Solitaire. It was compelling in a very subtle way because it was not apparent what it was or did initially, and it has a beautiful aesthetic that is simple yet sublime.
Perhaps I liked the show a bit more than the rest of the class because I too have fantasized about "what can you do w/ a cell phone?" There was a creativity exercise I remember doing in elementary school that involved giving us a simple every day object, like a safety pin. Our task was to make a list of all the things you could do with the object. I always kicked ass at that exercise, because I came up longest and most creative list. I almost feel like Joe looked at his pile of phones and let his muse make something out of what most people would consider garbage. ANYWAY, I too have all my old phones, plugs and accessories from ALL of the phones I have ever owned. It's a bit nostalgic like old pairs of glasses and retainers.
Sidenote: Cell phones are very personal and intimate device, so I definitely like his use of a ubiquitous and contextual technology. I can't wait until I upgrade to an iPhone or a slick looking Chocolate because I seriously hate my phone (never before, so this one might go in the trash). I always wondered if someone ever invented a cell phone that could vibrate as well as a top quality vibrator? Pleasure on the go...?
Overall I thought that this show was more than I was expecting, because it had a variety of pieces using the cell phone and in ways that were fun and unexpected. It had the sort of feeling of a child making toys out of ordinary objects (not all of them, but that sort of sensibility with the cell phones NOT being used as cell phones or all post modern and being about dead cell phones).
Graveyard was oddly surprising to me, because I have never looked at a cell phone as a tiny plot of land. It was like a miniature, intimate scene with no bodies or graves but I imagined what would be there. Somehow the ones using the screen were more "cellphony" because that is what we always look at on a cell phone. My favorite pieces was (and the most fun) the cell phone keyboard, because who doesn't like playing with a noisemaker? I just really enjoyed the interaction and trying to figure out the mapping patterns. Finally, the most intriguing piece was Sunset Solitaire. It was compelling in a very subtle way because it was not apparent what it was or did initially, and it has a beautiful aesthetic that is simple yet sublime.
Perhaps I liked the show a bit more than the rest of the class because I too have fantasized about "what can you do w/ a cell phone?" There was a creativity exercise I remember doing in elementary school that involved giving us a simple every day object, like a safety pin. Our task was to make a list of all the things you could do with the object. I always kicked ass at that exercise, because I came up longest and most creative list. I almost feel like Joe looked at his pile of phones and let his muse make something out of what most people would consider garbage. ANYWAY, I too have all my old phones, plugs and accessories from ALL of the phones I have ever owned. It's a bit nostalgic like old pairs of glasses and retainers.
Sidenote: Cell phones are very personal and intimate device, so I definitely like his use of a ubiquitous and contextual technology. I can't wait until I upgrade to an iPhone or a slick looking Chocolate because I seriously hate my phone (never before, so this one might go in the trash). I always wondered if someone ever invented a cell phone that could vibrate as well as a top quality vibrator? Pleasure on the go...?
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Project Proposal: “FutureVision”
Project Abstract:
Users enter a closed, screened space and can interact with a “future projector” to choose and see different global futures, by pointing the device left, right or center. Users will see a continuum of video clips and images from contemporary media and science-fiction films, specifically those that deal with projecting a vision of the future regardless of time or technology (e.g. Metropolis, Waterworld, Mad Max films, Blade Runner, Minority Report). The media content will focus on themes of man vs. nature, utopia vs. dystopia, and the imagined future environment. The concept is that we tend to form our own ideas of the REAL future based on science fiction stories, in this case science fiction films, and synthesize them with current political, cultural, technological and sociological developments. This project allows users to explore those ideas and gain a better understanding of their own behavior and thinking relative to the future of the planet.
Project Goals:
My artistic goals include developing a non-linear narrative using video, still imagery and animation in an interactive format, using the context of dealing with space and users exploring that space in a natural way. My professional and personal goals are to future develop my technical proficiency using physical computing in my work, while developing the conceptual ideas that necessitate the use of interactive media and technology, and learning to use it effectively. My ideas largely deal with mass media, ubiquitous technology, nature and environment, all in the context of human interaction and behavior.
It is my desire that the work is accessible to anyone and everyone who cares about the immediate and distant future. I feel that because there is a heightened awareness of global warming and other environmental issues, people are anxious about their future and children's futures. It is through this piece that I hope they can assuage their fears and more concretely understand their relationship between present actions, and future realities, and are able to visualize them more easily using pop culture references, news and documentary media.
How will you measure the success of your project:
I like to think of what I am creating not unlike Scrooge's journey in time with the aid of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Having a“visions of the future” coupled with “reflections of the present and past” I hope will somehow jar viewers into thinking seriously about their own choices relating to the environment and their own well-being.
Background/Need:
I don't necessarily believe what I am making to be “out of the box” or revelatory in the use of technology other than the fact that the interactive projector conveys a certain degree of simplicity in its attempt to map its interactivity directly to real-life interaction. The direction of the piece is nearly pedantic in its attempt to inspire, influence and change the way people think about themselves and the choices they make. In terms of artists I look to John Maeda in his approach to “simple” systems design and interaction, and to graphic designers like Milton Glaser and Stefan Sagmeister for simplicity in messaging, concept and visual immediacy.
Project Timeline:
WEEKS 1-4: Device Development – improving internal and external components of the interactive projector.
WEEKS 5-7: Interface Development and Content Development– mapping the system to software, and testing the device with the system.
WEEK 8: Content Incorporation and Installation Construction
WEEK 9: Testing and Debugging
Resources List:
HARDWARE: 5 degrees sensor (gyrometer + accelerometer), digital LCD, super bright LED, lenses, cooling fan, wires, device casing, small on/off switch
SOFTWARE: Max/MSP/Jitter, VVVV
INSTALLATION COMPONENTS: 10x10 tent, fabric for the projection screens/walls, power cables, data cables, RCA cables
PEOPLE: Kenzan or Steve (some ID person) to assist with building external casing for the projector, assistance and guidance with programming the interactive components for video compositing and mixing
Users enter a closed, screened space and can interact with a “future projector” to choose and see different global futures, by pointing the device left, right or center. Users will see a continuum of video clips and images from contemporary media and science-fiction films, specifically those that deal with projecting a vision of the future regardless of time or technology (e.g. Metropolis, Waterworld, Mad Max films, Blade Runner, Minority Report). The media content will focus on themes of man vs. nature, utopia vs. dystopia, and the imagined future environment. The concept is that we tend to form our own ideas of the REAL future based on science fiction stories, in this case science fiction films, and synthesize them with current political, cultural, technological and sociological developments. This project allows users to explore those ideas and gain a better understanding of their own behavior and thinking relative to the future of the planet.
Project Goals:
My artistic goals include developing a non-linear narrative using video, still imagery and animation in an interactive format, using the context of dealing with space and users exploring that space in a natural way. My professional and personal goals are to future develop my technical proficiency using physical computing in my work, while developing the conceptual ideas that necessitate the use of interactive media and technology, and learning to use it effectively. My ideas largely deal with mass media, ubiquitous technology, nature and environment, all in the context of human interaction and behavior.
It is my desire that the work is accessible to anyone and everyone who cares about the immediate and distant future. I feel that because there is a heightened awareness of global warming and other environmental issues, people are anxious about their future and children's futures. It is through this piece that I hope they can assuage their fears and more concretely understand their relationship between present actions, and future realities, and are able to visualize them more easily using pop culture references, news and documentary media.
How will you measure the success of your project:
I like to think of what I am creating not unlike Scrooge's journey in time with the aid of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Having a“visions of the future” coupled with “reflections of the present and past” I hope will somehow jar viewers into thinking seriously about their own choices relating to the environment and their own well-being.
Background/Need:
I don't necessarily believe what I am making to be “out of the box” or revelatory in the use of technology other than the fact that the interactive projector conveys a certain degree of simplicity in its attempt to map its interactivity directly to real-life interaction. The direction of the piece is nearly pedantic in its attempt to inspire, influence and change the way people think about themselves and the choices they make. In terms of artists I look to John Maeda in his approach to “simple” systems design and interaction, and to graphic designers like Milton Glaser and Stefan Sagmeister for simplicity in messaging, concept and visual immediacy.
Project Timeline:
WEEKS 1-4: Device Development – improving internal and external components of the interactive projector.
WEEKS 5-7: Interface Development and Content Development– mapping the system to software, and testing the device with the system.
WEEK 8: Content Incorporation and Installation Construction
WEEK 9: Testing and Debugging
Resources List:
HARDWARE: 5 degrees sensor (gyrometer + accelerometer), digital LCD, super bright LED, lenses, cooling fan, wires, device casing, small on/off switch
SOFTWARE: Max/MSP/Jitter, VVVV
INSTALLATION COMPONENTS: 10x10 tent, fabric for the projection screens/walls, power cables, data cables, RCA cables
PEOPLE: Kenzan or Steve (some ID person) to assist with building external casing for the projector, assistance and guidance with programming the interactive components for video compositing and mixing
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
5 beautiful things
When I hear the word "aesthetics", I think beauty. A simplified definition of aesthetics:
I guess I'm not too far off in thinking about 5 ordinary things that I love because they are beautiful, the pure goodness of the design and form. It's hard not to refer to things like my iPod, my couch, my favorite vase etc. since these things a "designed" with a capital D.
1) MTA Subway Map - Ok, so this is technically designed by someone, but it actually is nice looking! I keep one posted on the fridge for easy access (w/ cute magnets) and of course you come across them in every NYC subway station.
2) Macintosh Performa 200 - I have one in our bedroom, just cuz like the way it looks. I don't even use it, except as a bookend.
3) IKEA spoon - It's inexpensive and has clean lines, and the form of the spoon is well balanced. It lives in our kitchen and used for eating spoony type meals. We could have registered for fancier flatware set, but most are damn ugly.
4) POM Tea container - It's the packaging that comes with POM flavored teas, and I liked the container so much we kept it and use the container as a water glass.
5) Xmas Target Gift Card - It's soo cute I couldn't throw it away after it was used up. There is a little button you can press and there are teeny LEDs that blink and light up the tree. It's taped to my work wall along w/ magazine tears, postcards, gallery fliers, sketches and interesting food packaging.
the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty
I guess I'm not too far off in thinking about 5 ordinary things that I love because they are beautiful, the pure goodness of the design and form. It's hard not to refer to things like my iPod, my couch, my favorite vase etc. since these things a "designed" with a capital D.
1) MTA Subway Map - Ok, so this is technically designed by someone, but it actually is nice looking! I keep one posted on the fridge for easy access (w/ cute magnets) and of course you come across them in every NYC subway station.
2) Macintosh Performa 200 - I have one in our bedroom, just cuz like the way it looks. I don't even use it, except as a bookend.
3) IKEA spoon - It's inexpensive and has clean lines, and the form of the spoon is well balanced. It lives in our kitchen and used for eating spoony type meals. We could have registered for fancier flatware set, but most are damn ugly.
4) POM Tea container - It's the packaging that comes with POM flavored teas, and I liked the container so much we kept it and use the container as a water glass.
5) Xmas Target Gift Card - It's soo cute I couldn't throw it away after it was used up. There is a little button you can press and there are teeny LEDs that blink and light up the tree. It's taped to my work wall along w/ magazine tears, postcards, gallery fliers, sketches and interesting food packaging.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
the new color of summer
So I am on summer break, returned from my wonderful vacation to Japan. I wished I could have stayed longer. I saw some art while I was there and discovered a few artists whose work resonated with me. I'm particularly interested in the orchestral work of Toru Takemitsu. I feel like his music goes with some of the images I have been making recently. I also saw some artwork that eerily looks like the piece I just completed, but in painting form. I can't seem to find the artist's name.
Anyway, that got me thinking that maybe I should spend time in Japan working on art and making stuff. I feel like I could learn a lot from the culture and the ways of working that Japanese artists, musicians and architects think about space, technology and structure. So I am actually conceiving of the crazy idea of studying Japanese during my normal school year and getting proficient enough to do an internship or have a job Summer 2008.
That brings me back to my thesis and my focus. At the moment, I am still interested in 3D visualization, and I am so attracted to flashy, bright things I get distracted for a wee bit. I am considering continuing my work on the interactive, digital projector, seeing that I received quite a good response from the show I had at the end of the year. I also am attached to my wand/conducting stick idea but I feel like I need more time to develop that idea fully. So, in the time I have to finish school I can tackle a doable project. I only have a year and I am still learning sooo much!
Perhaps the next step is having the 3D world have generative, interactive movement so its not so static. I suppose I'll have to rework my projector into something more solid and clear, but I do think its not impossible. I think its an idea worth delving into. I just need to get more comfortable with the technology (Maya, Director) and get to the point that I can really tweak and test.
Anyway, that got me thinking that maybe I should spend time in Japan working on art and making stuff. I feel like I could learn a lot from the culture and the ways of working that Japanese artists, musicians and architects think about space, technology and structure. So I am actually conceiving of the crazy idea of studying Japanese during my normal school year and getting proficient enough to do an internship or have a job Summer 2008.
That brings me back to my thesis and my focus. At the moment, I am still interested in 3D visualization, and I am so attracted to flashy, bright things I get distracted for a wee bit. I am considering continuing my work on the interactive, digital projector, seeing that I received quite a good response from the show I had at the end of the year. I also am attached to my wand/conducting stick idea but I feel like I need more time to develop that idea fully. So, in the time I have to finish school I can tackle a doable project. I only have a year and I am still learning sooo much!
Perhaps the next step is having the 3D world have generative, interactive movement so its not so static. I suppose I'll have to rework my projector into something more solid and clear, but I do think its not impossible. I think its an idea worth delving into. I just need to get more comfortable with the technology (Maya, Director) and get to the point that I can really tweak and test.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Enchanted Forest
The Enchanted Forest is an interactive installation that creates the illusion of walking into a book and translating the experience of falling into the world of the book and navigating through mishmash of multicultural fairy tale and folk tales as the female protagonist of the story. The narrative of the heroine against all odds is archetypal and fragmented, the objects are symbolic to represent the key elements of a story, and the visual style is slightly off-kilter, surreal and dreamlike to evoke a state of disorientation, fantasy and delusion.
The viewer enters a room where they pick up a “magic flashlight,” a portable, hand-held digital video projector with a 3-axis accelerometer inside of it. When the viewer turns it on, the magic flashlight will project a beam of light on the surface of a sparsely illustrated wall. The video projection changes depending upon the direction and orientation of the magic flashlight to the wall. The experience of using the magic flashlight is similar to how a normal flashlight works; it illuminates a dark space, while the magic flashlight illuminates AND reveals hidden elements of the black and white drawings on surface of the walls. The user would hear audio cues that they have “found” something and then click the button on the flashlight to access the object.
The desired user experience would be to have the user explore the space with the magic flashlight and try to find all of the hidden objects, in an attempt to piece together the narrative. Thus the initial engagement of the interactive device draws the user in, while the time spent “egg hunting” pays off with richer content. Each user would have a different experience since the objects themselves would change at random (every time a new user interacts with the magic flashlight, the system would reset and repopulate the world with new objects).
The environment is based loosely on that of a mythical forest, a place were magical creatures live, where characters get lost, and where truths are discovered. In nearly all cultures, the forest is not only a familiar locale in which real people lived in and nearby, but a place that embodies the darker side of humanity. I am interested in exploring those dark, unfathomable places that reside in our subconscious by bringing viewers to a familiar jumping off-point – back to their childhood – where they can remember what it was like to believe in the improbable, nonsensical and unreal.
The overall narrative structure of the story would follow the same flow, as many stories have interchangeable elements that serve similar purposes in a given story. The story itself is highly subjective and inferred by the viewer... there is no specific order that things occur in. The story is created in discrete parts, and is told through the suggested relationships between the objects the user discovers, as an archaeologist forms his or her own narrative based on the artifacts uncovered at a dig site. Additionally, the mythology of fairy tales will hopefully be familiar to most audiences and the story can be understood (on a low level) as a morality tale gone awry.
The viewer enters a room where they pick up a “magic flashlight,” a portable, hand-held digital video projector with a 3-axis accelerometer inside of it. When the viewer turns it on, the magic flashlight will project a beam of light on the surface of a sparsely illustrated wall. The video projection changes depending upon the direction and orientation of the magic flashlight to the wall. The experience of using the magic flashlight is similar to how a normal flashlight works; it illuminates a dark space, while the magic flashlight illuminates AND reveals hidden elements of the black and white drawings on surface of the walls. The user would hear audio cues that they have “found” something and then click the button on the flashlight to access the object.
The desired user experience would be to have the user explore the space with the magic flashlight and try to find all of the hidden objects, in an attempt to piece together the narrative. Thus the initial engagement of the interactive device draws the user in, while the time spent “egg hunting” pays off with richer content. Each user would have a different experience since the objects themselves would change at random (every time a new user interacts with the magic flashlight, the system would reset and repopulate the world with new objects).
The environment is based loosely on that of a mythical forest, a place were magical creatures live, where characters get lost, and where truths are discovered. In nearly all cultures, the forest is not only a familiar locale in which real people lived in and nearby, but a place that embodies the darker side of humanity. I am interested in exploring those dark, unfathomable places that reside in our subconscious by bringing viewers to a familiar jumping off-point – back to their childhood – where they can remember what it was like to believe in the improbable, nonsensical and unreal.
The overall narrative structure of the story would follow the same flow, as many stories have interchangeable elements that serve similar purposes in a given story. The story itself is highly subjective and inferred by the viewer... there is no specific order that things occur in. The story is created in discrete parts, and is told through the suggested relationships between the objects the user discovers, as an archaeologist forms his or her own narrative based on the artifacts uncovered at a dig site. Additionally, the mythology of fairy tales will hopefully be familiar to most audiences and the story can be understood (on a low level) as a morality tale gone awry.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Progress!
So it has been a fruitful past couple of days... Thursday I got my accelerometer working (I had used the wrong 3.3V regulator datasheet and hooked it up wrong) and Friday I spent the whole day getting the projector part working. I had to rewire and resauter since the original wires were brittle and breaking! Once I got everything hooked up, it was a great feeling... The resolution was better than expected and the brightness factor seems to be OK since I replaced the original projector bulb w/ a extra bright Xenon bulb. I hooked it up to a security camera to get video input and check the image quality.
Here are some pics:
Next step is to get the projector into a temporary housing made from foam core so I don't have to hold all the parts to see a projection. I just picked some up from Pearl Paint today. This weekend, I am programming the interactivity in Director to work with the accelerometer.
Here are some pics:
Next step is to get the projector into a temporary housing made from foam core so I don't have to hold all the parts to see a projection. I just picked some up from Pearl Paint today. This weekend, I am programming the interactivity in Director to work with the accelerometer.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Loveliness in its forms
I forgot to post my diagram from yesterday... here it is, thought I am changing it:
Ok, so I am somewhat frustrated. I FINALLY have all my parts today and I got my Arduino mini working and wired up the board, added the 3.3 V voltage regulator and got some numbers out of the Serial port... but they are all zeros!! Eh! I don't know why I am not getting anything out of my accelerometer. Here is a pic:
Anyway, I am going to bug Vida tomorrow and figure out what's going on... I can't tell if its a power issue or if my sauter job was insufficient. My money is on power!
Ok, so I am somewhat frustrated. I FINALLY have all my parts today and I got my Arduino mini working and wired up the board, added the 3.3 V voltage regulator and got some numbers out of the Serial port... but they are all zeros!! Eh! I don't know why I am not getting anything out of my accelerometer. Here is a pic:
Anyway, I am going to bug Vida tomorrow and figure out what's going on... I can't tell if its a power issue or if my sauter job was insufficient. My money is on power!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
A long time coming
So I have been bad about blogging. Not that I haven't been working on my projects... quite the contrary. I have been reading, researching, ewindowshopping for parts, and getting better at Arduino and wiring the breadboard. It is starting to all make sense to me!
I should really post a picture of Darwin w/ skin. He is pretty cute. I feel bad for not documenting that project better. :(
My final project will be a video projector, but not any projector, but one that can change the image based on the orientation of the projector using an accelerometer. I am Wii obsessed, especially after beating Zelda. Woohoo! I need to find the descriptive text I originally wrote for the project. However, the final will be different after talking about my project in class. I will have to simplify and adjust my original idea, but I really really really don't want to attach a potentiometer to the projector. Bleah!
Anyway, I have my work cut out for me. I will try to be better about blogging from here on out!!
I should really post a picture of Darwin w/ skin. He is pretty cute. I feel bad for not documenting that project better. :(
My final project will be a video projector, but not any projector, but one that can change the image based on the orientation of the projector using an accelerometer. I am Wii obsessed, especially after beating Zelda. Woohoo! I need to find the descriptive text I originally wrote for the project. However, the final will be different after talking about my project in class. I will have to simplify and adjust my original idea, but I really really really don't want to attach a potentiometer to the projector. Bleah!
Anyway, I have my work cut out for me. I will try to be better about blogging from here on out!!
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