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Major Project Proposal - Safe Space

Subject / Concept

The project is based on putting a physicality to the coping strategies that people with mental health issues utilise. By creating cathartic spaces in the form of a popup book it acts as a celebration of people’s determination to overcome issues.

The reader is presented with roughly five double page spreads, each one its own unique safe space. When viewed through the application on a smart phone the reader is able to hear the interview where they will gain insight into the specific elements and choices of that safe space that the person chose. I have the ability to implement 3d objects, video and audio to help finish of the narrative between interview and scene.

I understand that a subject of this nature must be approached with a real level of respect and that is something I am constantly keeping in mind. If this project is successful which I am confident that it will be, it will address and play a positive role on overcoming some of the misunderstanding and taboo surrounding mental health.

Aims

Ideally I want to break down a difficult subject matter in a way which can be understood by people with any level of prior knowledge into mental health. I want to take a subject that is often shied away from and give it a platform for discussion.

I want to achieve a book that can be reproduced with a relative level of ease. To achieve this I need to improve my file organisation, methods of assembly and generally create a tighter workflow.

The last aim that stands out to me is creating a merging of two quite unique mediums that works and compliments itself. Applying augmented reality to a popup book on mental health is a lot of different concepts coming together. The pilot project feels me with confidence that these mediums will work together well.

I am confident that through all the planning and research that gone into major project 1 that I am on track to achieve my aims. After creating the pilot project I think I am able to create aims that I think are achievable. A lot of major project 1 was teaching myself the technical limitations of augmented reality as to have a good understanding to all the tools at my disposal.

Context / Audience

Ideally this book would be seen by adults, any adult who wants a unique view on mental health. This book won’t be the most academically educational but I feel where it does exceed is in the positive stance it takes against mental health. Although I won’t this book to be seen as much as possible I understand that it will be a small batch book and due to the unique skills I find that being in museum gift shops and gallery’s would also be suited. Although I realise these are big goals which may not happen, it is still the intention and design which is being put into the work.

Proposed form, medium, presentation

The work itself will be presented as a large a4 or a3 popup book, probably 10cm thick. At the beginning of the book you will be given instructions how to download and properly use the companion app which will complete the experience. I am also considering have a website with the interviews and such available in case anyone doesn’t have access to a smartphone to view the augmented content.

 I must admit I have been so focused on content I haven’t put a great thought into the binding of the book, I enjoyed the traditional approach I took to the last popup book I made. Red book cloth and gold lettering, it contrasted so nicely against the quirky popups inside. I can imagine this book being a bit of a disconnected sequel to the first. Another popup book that given its exterior and title shouldn’t be as playful as the content is. But that’s what makes this format work for myself, breaking down difficult subjects in a easy to digest format.

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Research report

Major Project Title

‘Safe Space’

Through a process of interviews, I aim to construct visual representations of individual spaces that are cathartic and offer a sense of protection for people dealing with mental health. The aim is to create a series of sculptures each one representing a safe space. Each safe space is imagined and designed with the person it would be for, space itself can be as impossible and as fantastical as they want. The safe spaces ability to exist in reality is irrelevant as the space we create is purely a way to put a sense of physicality to the coping strategies that people use. I have titled the project and book ‘safe space’ because not only is it a collection of personal safe spaces, the book itself through the process of conversation has acted as a safe space for those involved.  

Research Methods

For the most part, my main research has been in looking into and developing my understanding of augmented and virtual reality. The popup book aspect of my work uses and builds on the skills that I had developed from last year, so that is not my focus. What I have been researching is what my limitations are in regards to 3d scanning, and mapping. I have been teaching myself how to effectively photograph and scan real life objects to create digital 3d file counterparts. This has been quite a lengthy learning process as the technology used it fairly niche and there isn’t a great deal of information available online. Once I was more comfortable with scanning objects and people I then went into researching how to utilize these digital objects so they would interact with the real world through augmented reality. This to required a vast amount of reading and researching in the best way to build a platform that is easy to use to interact with the book. I decided that I will likely be utilizing the app Entiti to power the use experience as it the most intuitive and free, so will be received the best from the audience. The other aspect of my research has been into interviewing techniques and also I have been speaking to a couple of people who work within the mental health sector to ensure that I approach this sensitive subject from completely the right avenue.

The vast majority of my research at this point as you can see is based on the technical digital side of the project. This is because popups and photography are things I know relatively well and I can conceptualise my limitations with them, what I had no grasp on was what I could create with 3d scanning and augmented reality. Now I have researched and practiced this area substantially I know what tools and boundaries I have for this project.

Pilot Project

Producing a pilot project really helped me to see how my ideas and plans would all come together. For my pilot project I created a spread of my book, which is one safe space created for myself. The pilot project helped to outline two main aspects for myself.

I wasn’t sure how well the technology would work with the book, seeing it all physically allowed me to further learn what the software boundaries and limitations are. The second area that the pilot project helped with was demonstrating how the two aspects of my project that through developmental stages have been kept quite separate would work together. Seeing the popup element work alongside the digital aspects of the project alleviated any fears I had about the project appearing overcomplicated. I felt that seeing the two aspects working together has given me confidence for the continuation of the project.

Audience and Context

Mental health is a subject matter that needs to be approached in a sensitive manner. It is imperative that the people I am talking to and working with on this project fully understand what they are working on and that they feel comfortable with the work. I have made sure that the audience will be able to see this collaboration between artist and subject. I feel that by having interviews between myself and the people I worked with playing as each scene is viewed it will allow the audience to understand the background of the work best.

By creating a popup book based on the adult concept of mental health I am merging two formats that aren’t often combined. It has been important to remember that my audience is adult even if they are looking at a book format often reserved for children. It has been important to keep the language open to include all people with varying levels of understanding when it comes to mental health. I feel that even though it is unorthodox to use a child’s book design to explain mental health this allows me to break down these difficult and sometimes uncomfortable aspects into a way that anyone can interpret.

Another aspect of my project that I have had to consider in regards to audience is the ability to use the augmented reality aspect of the project. I have had to ensure that the technology is easy to use and is available to everyone. By building the digital aspect of the work on a smart phone app that is free and available on both android and Iphone I am relatively confident that the majority of people that view my book will be able to have the full experience.

Production and Presentation 

In regards to presentation, it has been about designing a format for the augmented reality that is easy for someone to pick up and use. By working on a specific platform that is free for both Ios and android I have made it extremely easy for people to simply download a free app, scan the page and the rest will load itself up. I think it's through a simple system like that, that I will be able to get the most successful response. For the development process of the pilot project I used various texture packs which is a quick and efficient method for designing a layout but some textures which I applied didn’t fit well so I applied a filter across all textures to ensure they matched flowed nicely. This method of designing pages is quick and efficient and gives a good idea of what scene will look like, even if I am considering using my own photos down the line. I I feel that if time allows I would like to progress onto vuforia which would allow me to launch my own app store application for this project which of course would give the work a level of authenticity.

Visual references / bibliography

As this stages of my research was mostly based on the technology side of the work as I haven’t really conducted much visual research. But the links below show the artists that I have gained ideas from along with some of the software’s that I have focused on using for this project.

Miriam Elia is a visual based artist who created the lets go to the gallery book. Her mixture of complex terms and child like books is one of the key sources for my popup book.

http://miriamelia.co.uk/

 Kelli Anderson is a paper engineer who has published several popup books, including one which works as a camera. She creates popup books for adults who are interested in art rather then just for children.

http://www.kellianderson.com/projects/

 This is the software that I am currently using to create the visual environments for the 3d models and runs the phone app

https://www.wakingapp.com/

 This is the software that I am considering to progress to, although its much more advanced it will let me create something a lot more unique

https://www.vuforia.com/

 The 3d environment software which allows me to create a custom app for the android play store if I decide to go that route

https://unity3d.com/

 The software used for turning a series of images of a object or person in a 3d rendered file

http://www.agisoft.com/

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Major Project budget plan

Following the template supplied to us this how I feel my money will be spent over the following months on this project. I was tempted to create my own budget plan but the one provided seemed to include a lot of costs that I hadn't considered. Overall projects like this can be hard to estimate but i feel this includes the vast majority. 

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Timeplan

January

Mp1

Mp1

Dissertation

Dissertation

February

Sourcing collaborators

Interviewing and planning

Further planning

Mock layouts

March

Feedback from collaborators

Updating work based on responses

Digital 3d scanning

App development

April

Final book assembly

Final book assembly

Final app development

Final app development

May

Review and loose ends

Last review and loose ends

Final Deadline

Sleep

Here is my predicted time plan for the following months. From February onwards all of my efforts go towards my final major project. As I have experience in many of the areas I am working in I am confident I will be able to keep on target, and I have allowed myself some leniency at the end of required.

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 Final pilot project

Here is the final version of my pilot project spread. Although this is a final it is still in prototype stages in comparison the final project itself. What I have created as my own safe space, An organised workshop where I can spend all day making things. As the attached videos demonstrate this scene works with the augmented reality side of my project development. by viewing the popup through a phone it shows 3d tracked text, a 3d object on the table along with an audio recording (which will be interviews of the people I have worked on in the final work) I am extremely pleased with how this looks and I think it shows this project has fantastic potential. The most exciting element to seeing this pilot project it how well the augmented reality works with the physical scene. 

The pilot project served its purpose, it outlined to me what it would take to construct this concept on a larger scale. It showed me that it is possible but a lot of planning will need to go into ensuring this project is manageable and most importantly I keep to producing quality work over quantity. Now to start speaking to people and beginning to build ideas of other peoples safe spaces. 

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Illustrator layers

To circumvent using Cricut studio as much as possible I have continued to use Illustrator in much the same way as last time. Breaking down the outlines, cuts, scores and draws into separate SVG files which then get uploaded to the beloved Cricut studio to then get regurgitated, changed and if I'm getting rally spoilt then deleted. Never a dull night using Cricut design studio.

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Cutting machine software Cricut design studio

Clarissa wasn't built for me, she was built for old people who make cards for their grandchildren. the software is basic and people like me who don't want to use drawn pictures of butterflies do as much as we can to work around using the software. The main issue is the software runs entirely through your browser which means it stores all of that data in your RAM when you're trying to layout a design. Even with my 32gb’s of DDR3 ram my browser keeps crashing. And basically this is overkill information, the software is bad and I felt it warranted a blog post about how bad it is because it's really caused me some emotional turmoil. 

What the vast majority of my time ‘using’ Cricut design studio actually looks like. 

Aw snap, indeed.

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Pilot project mockups

Me and Clarissa are back on talking terms, look at what we made.

Okay enough weird jokes about inanimate objects, This is a plane mockup of my pilot project submission. It's important to create a non-textured model so iI can see if I have made any mistakes (I did) with my designs. What I saw though looked incredibly promising and I am really happy with the general layout of the scene, which I will go into more detail in another post. 

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Learning to use a cutting machine (it doesn’t quite do everything for me)

Trouble on love island. 

Calibrating is necessary to keep the cutting lines all perfect and accurate and nice looking. This means printing of, inspecting with a magnifying glass, taking note, adjusting lines by points of a mm at a time and repeating. When Clarissa cuts nicely she cuts nicely but last night she put a huge slice right down the middle of two hours of work and frankly I'm upset. 

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Cutting machine purchase 

I treated myself, and made myself feel redundant along the way

Imagine a printer but instead of throwing down ink it cuts crispy perfect lines every. single. time. 

I named her Clarissa (anyone fancy some  fava beans and a nice chianti?)

Clarissa is able to not only cut, but score lines and hold a pen to draw lines, all at the same time. It's worth keeping in mind that the increased potential of this new machine also increases what I am able to produce so in actuality it has given me higher standards and thus the workload has potentially increased. 

Oh and that ladder in the central picture. Its vertices are only 2mm thin, good job Clarissa.

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Alternative room designs 

Here are two different room designs I constructed for the popup showing a kitchen and a bedroom. the diamond shape room that i ultimetly decided on i feel was most suited because it presents the room and its contents to the viewer whilst still providing the illusion of a closed of space.  

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Thoughts on cloud processing

Rendering 3d models takes a lot of computational power. I have a good computer (trust me I built it) and it doesn't struggle with video editing and doesn't break a sweat from moving giant archives of RAW files. but 3d modeling, on the other hand, is a very system intensive process. My computer is usable but it takes a couple of hours instead of minutes which I much more powerful server farm could handle. Microsoft offers a pay per hour service to remotely use a virtual machine to do extreme processing on the fly through a virtual desktop which is a bit brilliant. 

TLDR; Bill Gates owns big floating cloud computers that if I pay will rain pure speed and make my stuff go a lot speedier. Maybe for the full project, I shall give Bill a call...

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Popup business card: elastic and plastic (lenses)

Weaving in between developing my main project I am still working on the pop-up business card and I am nearing working prototypes. By using a variety of lenses I haven been able to focus a sharp image that can easily be seen in daylight. By utilising elastic and string, I have managed to create an action that requires the user to simply pull a tab to activate the popup action, instead of multiples stages of folding to assemble. A slowly developing side project that is really starting to shape up. 

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Augmented reality software: Zappar 

An interesting software with a good editing suite, but unfortunately it mostly runs on pure code which given my other options doesn't particularly sell it to me. A strong piece of software but not worth the extreme time it would take to be able to fluently create a program in javascript. Additionally all models used on the software have to go through a lengthy conversion process which the other software I used didn't need. For now, I am sticking to Entiti but keeping an eye on other offerings such as Zappar.

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Augmented reality software: Unity and Vuforia 

Unity is a huge graphical engine capable of running professional games and designing all forms of 3d design stuff which blows my mind. Vuforia is a plugin made by Qualcomm specifically for the easy creation of AR / VR projects. now the term easy is a loose term here, it's easy compared to lines and lines of code, but it is still running through unity which is a completely foreign environment to me. 

After persisting managed to wade my way through the foreign waters and get the software working, and it really is the most powerful option I have. The main issue is with my other options I upload my file and anyone with the app can view it. With vuforia I have to self-publish an app to the app stores, and although it helps me to achieve that it's still a huge task. with the android store costing twenty-five pounds to publish apps and the apple app store costing one hundred a year it's no small expenditure although it could be within budget. I don't have an iPhone so I wouldn't be able to test that side, and altogether I feel like it would take so much of my time learning how to self-publish apps that the actual conceptual side to the work would become secondary elements which of course is not the way I want this project to go. Vuforia is the best, but like the best of most software it's also the most time consuming and somewhat overkill for my current requirements. 

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Augmented reality software: Entiti

The new few blog posts will look at the different software I have worked with to form the augmented reality aspect of the work. Entity (the software shown in this post) is currently the software I am using for the project, but as new features change that is subject to change. further blog posts will be created as software develops.

Not only does Entiti support all of my 3d models and other files, it also supports augmented reality and virtual reality. It publishes to a freely available app so it is extremely intuitive to the user. The first image shown shows a logic map, which is a graphical way of coding the software. That logic tree is controlling the play and pause button that start and stop the audio recording respectively. Although it looks confusing as the name ‘logic map’ suggests it is very logical and after a bit of work easy to work with. 

Breaking down the first tree: On touch started (play button) check if audio is already playing, if it is then do nothing but if it isn't then begin to play the audio file. 

Breaking down the second tree: On touch started (pause button) check if audio is playing, if it is then paused it if it isn't then resume it. 

Both of these trees are linked together to cycle, so when the pause button stops the music, it then changes the outcome of the is audio playing for play button push. This way of coding is so much easier then screens of javascript code. 

All in all this software is quick and easy, I may not be doing a great deal of the backend work myself but it still allows me to create exactly what I want to my specification. 

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3d model scanning developments and improvements

Another update on scanning as I have learnt more things. As you can see in the setup photo’s above I am using a full studio lighting kit, softbox, turntable, textured map (helps with tracking) and also a Hasselblad. Of course 50mp is a delight to work with but also its large dynamic range really allows me to capture as much detail as possible. Pairing a digital Hasselblad with a proper light kit and I am able to capture a 7cm model at medium format 50mp with a capture of 32 and ISO of 50, all through a macro lens. Talk about crispy images.

The other things I have shown in the images above is quite a big deal. the two photos showing blue rings are showing the camera placement reconstructions for the digital object. the left-hand image shows a singular ring of about 30 camera’ (or an object was rotated 360′s in 30 increments in front of a static camera). Now on the right-hand side, we have three rings each consisting of about 60 photos. The more photos the merrier (for the most part) and just increases in detail, matching chance and general quality. but what these three separate rings are signifying is the camera position changing, by looking down on the model and up at it, i am able to capture information previously post. I was now able to photography the top of his hat and the underneath of his moustache, to places previously lost. Multiple angles although adding more time is a really important element to creating accurate models. 

The last update I have included in this post is my first foray into augmented reality with these objects, but more on that later!