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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 - sockets

I am working on revising some of the mechanisms for the iAm Samples... Adding a socket for the ear plugs, and a socket for the wall mount. 

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.