meechhadeed-blog

[meechhadeed-blog]

Final Project Reflection

For my final project I created an artwork that is meant to simulate the feeling and energy of being at a concert or rave. The background is an image of a concert that vibrates with a speed and intensity based on the level of movement picked up from the camera. As the user moves closer to the camera, different instruments would appear on screen and play their respective sound as they appear. After a total of three instruments appear and the user moves to the closest value of the camera, the background image will begin to constantly change color as an EDM beat plays and an image of santa clause appears on screen. Originally, I had the entire project be based around the level of sound versus where the user is in space. This was manageable however it was difficult to maintain a specific level of sound for a long period of time which I thought would maybe annoy the user but would also give the project a challenge. I decided to make the shift to movement based late in the project, and used the webcam rather then the kinect because I did not realize that the kinect would be too much of a difference. It turned out that the webcam had trouble keeping up with people in space and to make the project more accurate to my vision I should’ve just connected the project to the kinect. However what came about from my project actually added to the challenge and formed an artwork in itself. Usually in a concert the focus is to move around as often as possible to keep up with the energy, but because of the camera not being too responsive it would lead the user to contrast this energy by being cautious and still in order to maintain the energy in the project. Initially I thought I could do better with this work, but I now see that it has beauty in it and am pleased in the way it turned out.

A big struggle at first was figuring out the toggle mechanic of having certain objects and sound appear on screen based on circumstances and then disappearing when those circumstances are turned off. I managed to work past that by sending a trigger based off of whether those circumstances were active or not and connect it to the boolean trait of the object and sound. Another struggle I had was to figure out a way to generate a song that does not sound annoying and sounds a little professional. I’ve had no experience creating music so I looked up a tutorial on how to make a simple EDM beat that I can piece together. I sampled the required sounds I needed after testing playing the instruments together and then decided that it worked well.

I’ve learnt a lot through this project and was glad I was able to overcome a lot of my struggles in creating it

[meechhadeed-blog]

Michel Foucault: Of Other Spaces

In Michel Foucault’s article “of other spaces” he talks about the concept of “heterotopia” which describes the idea that within societies exists places that seem to be worlds within worlds. What he means by this is that specific areas that you may enter may bring a person into a mindset of what that environment is about. For example, a bar upon entering is an enclosed space that focuses on the mindset and semi-culture of drinking. It is closed off by the rest of the world while offering it’s own world inside of it making it a heterotopia. I thought this concept was very interesting because I never realized how many different areas this can be applied to. Foucault explains that there are five principles of a heterotopia, with the first being that they exist in every society. This is a way to accommodate for the diversity of people living in the same society who have different interests. The second principle is that as history progresses then so could a specific heterotopia and it’s ability to change. This was very interesting because it implies that history changes societies view on certain subjects which could alter a heterotopia. The third principle states that several different heterotopias can exist in the same society. This goes back to what I believed the purpose of a heterotopia is which is to accommodate for a diverse set of interests in a society. The fourth principle states that a heterotopia can give insight on a specific moment in time. An example would be entering a museum because you would be surrounded pieces of history that date back to previous times. Finally, the fifth principle states that a heterotopia has the ability to open and close itself from the outside of the world. This allows the area to separate itself from the world while still allowing people to enter. This would make it come off as a transfer in between worlds. I really enjoyed reading about this topic because it opened my eyes to how conceptually societies tend to function. Each area serves a purpose and a heterotopia can be applied to anything as long as it relates to each of these principles.

[meechhadeed-blog]

Final Project

For my final project I want to expand on my first project in which I created a video that changes color depending on where the user is and also alters the image depending on the sound. I plan to create a space that makes the users feel as though they are in a concert. I got this idea for the common use of my classmates using clapping to stimulate sound activated effects in their project. with people clapping to interact with the video it would further the simulation of being at a concert. The level of sound will activate an instrument to appear on screen as well as play the sound of that specific instrument. I’m still thinking whether I should make the location of the user or the level of sound dictate what instruments to appear. However this is my final project, and I have made decent progress on it so far

[meechhadeed-blog]

Transforming Mirrors: David Rokeby

Transforming mirrors by David Rokeby elaborates on the constantly growing connection between the audience and the artwork. He describes a form of art that involves user interaction and transforming those actions into art such as visual displays or with sound. This is where “transforming mirrors” comes from because this form of art reflects the actions of the user. This is what I find most interesting about the art form because the results from users is unpredictable making every experience different then the last as each person creates their own projection through the art. This article and concept opens a lot of ideas for projects because there is plenty of features with isadora that would make a lot of things possible. Rokeby talks about how this concept does not need to be done with technology which I agree because as long as the concept of user interaction manipulates the artwork accordingly then it still follows the same guidelines.