Installation Model

I tried out a new program called Sketchup from Google that is more designed for environmental/structual 3D renderings. It's very rudimentary, but I think it communicates the general setup ... I thought about the design problem, and went back to my original inspiration. So instead of a chair, I am going to use a cradle-like structure to hold the projecor, which I intend to line w/ fabric.

I also adjusted the design so the cord comes from the middle part of the projector so if I hang it or lie it on a surface, it is either on top or underneath, not hanging out the end (which looked weird on the last design I did). In this way it looks more like an umbilical cord, as functionally these wires provide the same kind of support for the projector as an umbilical cord does for a baby.

Projector Diagrams - Internal Components

Projector Pix

Outside View


Split View (sans inside ribbing)

Moving into 4D

So I spent this week working with Steve on getting my projector body made in the rapid prototyping machine. I built a model in Maya and Steve rebuilt it in Rhino so it looks a hell of a lot better since I made mines w/ polygons and he used NURBS (smooth, baby!). It was fun watching him work in a different 3D program, and I learned a bit about the ID design process.

I'm also beginning to work in vvvv, which fortunately is pretty similar to Max/MSP/Jitter as it is patch-based. It's video capabilities are superior to Max so I hope implementing the video tracks won't be too difficult. To make it easier to program, I decided to limit the video loops to one per movie (a total of 10 films). I intend to edit select clips from one specific film, so each video loop has an non-linear edit of several scenes of the same film. The random access is linear, left to right (rotational direction), and the gesture is left to right, the up and down gesture would be zoom in and zoom out, and the speed (acceleration) affects the speed of playback for a certain clip.

I found a sample of a project someone did w/ gestures using VVVV... pretty darned cool.

Movietime

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.

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!!

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...?

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

5 beautiful things

When I hear the word "aesthetics", I think beauty. A simplified definition of aesthetics:

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.

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.