iAm - sockets

I turned a faux phone jack on Friday. I was reminded of my like for the lathe - it's such a "zen-process," being able to watch something spin at a moderate pace and slowly remove material to get the exact diameter you're looking for. I added heat shrink tubing to resemble the black parts on the original. The sample is definitely getting closer, but still needs more refinement. I'll do another one in a couple days. 
















Guitars for Vets - Finished

Broc and I finished our collaboration project for the Guitars for Vets event this past week. We used a some of the back of the guitar to create a tiled pattern of triangles that were laser cut, and used some of the front of the guitar. It kind of looks like fire? I'm not really sure what we were going for exactly, but it's great (!), right? Well, we donated it and hopefully it sold and earned some money for the cause. 






It dried eventually. 

Sheila Ring - Finished - it's about time!

So, I finally finished up the ring to bracelet redesign. I am super happy with how the whole process turned went - from designing my first 3D modeled ring, to using a casting service and then post-processing myself. I definitely would get other objects cast in silver through Shapeways. While the cost was only $50.00 to get the design cast in silver, I did spend a considerable amount of time designing, cleaning up the ring, finishing, and setting the stone... so if I had to price out the piece for production, I would probably need to sell this particular ring design starting at around $175.00 to make a profit.  $50.00 for casting, 3 hours for post-processing labor per ring @ $20.00/hr and packaging, plus %60 mark up for profit, with design hours being paid for after the first 2 sales. Compared to a company like Skydog, price is right on par... And their paying rent in LA, which means their jewelry is a steal - GO SHOP NOW!














IMA - Mouse Tracking - Interactive & Generative

A couple weeks ago, I made this "Drawing Bot" for Interactive and Multimedia Art. I was feeling in the mood to make a video of it. Take a watch if you'd like.
I wanted this project to have an uncontrollable erasing component, so I programmed a bunch of metro objects with random numbers to draw partial circles over more circles to act as an eraser. I also wanted the shapes of the mouse drawing to change, so I made all the LCD's have different marks and colors. It's cool and fun for a sec.. kind of like Smash Mouth.

IMA - Signal Processing Exploration

Last week, for my "stupid pet trick" assignment, I created this max patch that progresses a video based on amplitude. You can see via the meter object towards the top of the video the program measures the audio from the microphone and then based on the measurement progresses the frames in the video; it rewards you for making noise/talking/or listening to my favorite, Andrew Bird.

I am interested in refining this patch a little more, creating a more dynamic video, and perhaps installing it in a room with a projector. I can see it has the potential to relate to my current studio practice... Inputs and outputs with lots of possibility.

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Here is some writing I had done about the project when I was brainstorming the idea: 
Brief Summary:     I plan to use audio input and video output. A microphone will sense the amplitude of a room, and based on that measurement a projected image’s hue will gradually shift in tone, through value/contrast, in real-time.
Statement: In my current body of work I have been exploring, through various media, the relationship between individuals and technology. Through this installation (stupid pet trick), I hope to encourage face-to-face interactions (conversations) to occur by rewarding the viewer with a dynamic visual, that changes based on the level of noise occurring in a space. I imagine this piece functioning like an ambient intelligent system, seamlessly integrated into the architecture of whatever space it is installed. Through a sensor (microphone), the projected image in the environment will respond to the human action and behavior of shuffling through space, commenting, taking phone calls, vocally interacting with others, etc. The reward will reach its greatest potential when space reaches the largest volume. I am still working through exactly what the visual will be currently.  

iAm - samples - installed

I've been working on sketching a new idea... Thinking about how to make arrangements to increase body awareness in the viewer. I am working with proximity, sensory deprivation, and the possibility of being near other people, to increase awareness in how we interact with objects and other people in our everyday life. The samples were designed in rhino, 3d printed, some were spray painted to mimic a final finish, mounted on the wall, and each given a pair of ear plugs.  






iAm - samples

I've been working on some sample pieces for a project involving a wall-mounted dome shape. The mechanism I designed was inspired by an artwork I had the opportunity to install for an alumni show I helped organize over the summer by Lucy Derickson. I really liked how it seamlessly allowed the work to hand directly on the wall... Making the mechanism unnoticeable. Not sure if it's the right solution for this piece, but it was fun to make... More pictures to come.








Compact Progress - Hinge Wires

So, I did it... I cut through the hinge. It doesn't look too bad! I'd like to think I knew this would work all along, but... Well you know I didn't mean to save this for the end.

Once I finish cleaning up the tubes, I think I'll solder together the magnet holders and start getting those inset into the opening and file out a little fingernail grip.

All is good.




I marked with a sharpie the part that is "unseen" when you move the compact hinge, in hopes to conceal the hole for the cords. 

I used a ball bur to "center punch" where I'd be drilling. 









The hole shows just slightly... not sure if I should square this out, or leave it rounded... thinking on it for a bit. 


Tom Burtonwood - Photogrammetry Workshop

Last week Tom Burtonwood visited UWM... He did a workshop on photogrammetry. I had done 3D scanning in the past with a Sense and a Next Engine, but I had never tried using a camera and Autodesk's recap360. Tom demonstrated a scan using Nathaniel as the model. I tried scanning a bike with Fred and Scott... My scan didn't turn out so good, but from what I can tell, it's because all of the surrounding elements were too neutral. Tom mentioned needing lots of "stuff" in the background that is changing, i.e. patterns, people, movement etc. so that the program has an easier determining which content is important and which isn't. 
We also learned how to use NetFabb to edit our scans once they were generated. I was already familiar with NetFabb from Frankie's class, but it was still helpful to hear another approach to the software. 






Interactive and Multimedia Art - Exploration: Bang Bot

For our first small exercise in IMA, we were asked to create a "Bang Bot;" write a software program in max that can be initiated with a "bang," or push of a button, using a selection of additional MAX objects that have been introduced so far... Here are a couple screen shots and short videos (please don't waste your time watching them all the way - unless you're reeeeeaaaalllllyyy into it, some of the color combinations are really great) that show my process from start to finish....

All of the objects controlling one circle, this is eventually duplicated and the metros are varied for the 7 different circles that present in the final video animation/software... 

I eventually figured out that you can leave your patcher overlapped, but then rearrange the objects how you want them presented in Presentation mode.... Kind of like having patcher be the code behind the interface or presentation of your code/software. SO the sliders here are all overlapping but then in the Presentation they are all over the place... see video exploration 2 for clarity. 


A bang to initiate all of the bangs through a load message object. 




AND the final product... I could have kept on going and going with this... But you know...


Compact Progress - Plaster Molds

Yesterday, I designed and 3D printed a couple test molds for my compact mirror insulation. I poured one set of the straight side mold to see how it works... I also designed a tapered side mold to see if the plaster comes out any easier. I anticipate having to break the molds to get the plaster out, but anything to make it slightly easier would help.







Interactive and Multimedia Art - Max 7 - Tutorials 1-3

Last week was the first week of class for Fall 2015... I received homework in my Interactive and Multimedia Art class; download Max 7, and do tutorials 1-3 for Max... Here's a brief summary of what the tutorials covered:

Tutorial 1; introduced object boxes, inlets, message boxes, and comment boxes, patchcords, how to unlock and lock patches, and use the Reference functions.

Object boxes operate like miniature programs within the larger environments.
Message boxes send messages to objects, and can operate as either commands or control data. Use commas by adding a backslash before, or the result is a new line of text.
Comment boxes are used to add text to controls, such as "click me."

Max programs function by passing messages between objects.

Tutorial 2; introduced bang! message (do the thing you do!), and spatial organization of messages: information is sent right to left when there are multiple messages connected with a bang!

Tutorial 3; numeric data: numbers and lists: integer and floating point number boxes, pack objects and pak objects. $ before a number in a message allows you to have a changing numeric input.

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I also noticed that Max has a series of tutorials built into the program... I may check some of these out during the coming weeks...


S100 - Rhino Gold - Bracelet to Ring - Progress

I finished up my sample Shapeways print today - working with my friends bracelet, transforming it to a ring... There were a lot of possible ways to take this design, I just tried to do a bunch of different techniques to test out the service and quality of the company's silver prints. I ended up ordering the final in raw silver, so I will do finishing and patina when the piece comes, as well as set the stone after I take it out of the bracelet. The final design is kind of clunky looking in the rendering... but I'm hoping it won't be so once it's printed... But, worse case scenario I just hack into it to feminize the form a litte more.