IMA - Final Project Part 3

Here are some more images from the construction of the project I made for Interactive and Multimedia Art. I used this 1/8" x 3/4" copper stock to make the "buttons" for the project. They are all wired up to an Arduino. I ended up running a ground plane of steel just below each copper strip too. I built a foam stand for the TV to rest on.  

IMA Final Project - Part 2

I am manipulating a few images of water that I recorded out at Atwater Beach last week for my final project in Interactive and Multimedia Art. I've been doing some writing about the work, so I'll just post that here too (below)... I'm not sold on the video presentation yet - so I'm not posting any video documentation until that's better under my control. To see the work live, check out Arts Tech Night at Kenilworth Square East on Wednesday, December 16 from 6PM - 9PM. 

Bound by Periphery is an interactive art object that explores aspects of peripheral awareness through human presence and touch. Upon approaching the object, the viewer’s presence and proximity are sensed; this reveals a moving image on a screen resting face up on the gallery floor. By crouching down and physically exploring the frame of the video, the imagery begins to change; the water imagery becomes clear, colors increase in saturation and the sound of waves and wind becomes evident. Through presence and an acute awareness of the boundaries of the object, the viewers experience becomes more dynamic and descriptive. In this way, Bound by Periphery explores various states of being contained and containing physically through objects as a metaphor for the mind. A container holds a screen, holding a sequence of video frames, playing over time. While screens can contain an endless amount of data, this object is restrained to the frame of the video. The video frame only allows us to experience what is in view, limiting our field of vision, but upon exploration of the periphery, the focus becomes clearer and transforms. By placing emphasis on the physical presence of the body on the edge of the object, the viewer is offered an incentive to explore, to relieve themselves of tunnel vision, to soften focus and play.

IMA - Final Project

I've been working on an interactive object for my Interactive and Multimedia Art class... Here's a few images of the structure I've been creating to hold the TV over the weekend. I'll have some videos playing on the screen and then you will be able to manipulate the videos by sliding your fingers across the copper strips mounted to the surface of the frame.

I had never done any angled cutting on the table saw so it was a bit tricky to get the right measurements at first, but with a little experimentation, I got exactly what I was looking for. It's really satisfying to work with wood, you can get such precise results relatively quickly if you have the right tools. 

 I cut out a slot to inset the top frame into the top of the box structure. I needed to keep it hollow so that I can fit the tv, electronics, and laptop inside.

 On a recommendation from Broc, I decided to just use glue and tape to construct the pedestal. This worked good from what I can tell. He said this is the way a few professors on campus construct all of their pedestals, so we'll see if it stands the test of time and the wear of Arts Tech night!

 I sanded out the overlaps with a little wood filler, to disguise the seams. Laser cut some corner strips (WOAH - DIGI FAB and HAND FAB - UNITED!)

Drilled the holes for the wire to go through and made sure to attach the laser cut pieces to separate the four "buttons."

Finished the copper strips with a 150 grit sand paper. I will have to seal these with a spray acrylic to regulate the capacitance. 

Just waiting for it to dry now..... 

Interface & Interaction Design

I stumbled upon this website and am blown away with how thoroughly they cover this section on Interface and Interaction Design. It's free, you just have to sign up for an account. Check it out.  This section is written by Martin Charlier.

https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/interface-and-interaction-design

IMA - Midterm Progress

For my midterm project in Interactive and Multimedia Art, I am creating a projection that will respond to amplitude. It was my hope that this would encourage use of speech, and inspire people to engage in conversation with others around them. So far, my patch is working really well when you blow into the microphone array on my Surface (see at the end of video below), but when you speak and blow into the USB microphone the results are much more subtle (beginning of the video with hello). 

I am acknowledging that the imagery does not directly connect to my other work's way of creating awareness in the viewer, but I do see a direct correlation between the change of the video and voice/breath - a positive correlation. I just don't know how to make it relate more to technology in same why my other work, iAm is. I have thought about having the video imagery be faces, that are reacting to conversation... Maybe that would work better and relate more to human - human interaction. 

IMA - Jit scissors & glue experiments

I want to use video for my midterm project in Interactive and Multimedia art, but I'm still undecided about what video. For some reason, this is a really hard decision for me. I usually don't make art with a lot of realistic imagery, so that's probably why.... These plants are neat.

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.