Interaction, Digital Art and Dundee....

Done.

2009-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Final installation. Show on Friday. Can't believe that's the year over.

Finally......

2009-09-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

The final patch.

Installation begins....

2009-09-02T06:43:00.001-07:00

Finishing off the installation today. Got the plinth and equipment set up, need a dongle for the Imac though but I think everything else is done. Just need to get ready for the presentation on Monday now.

Eye tracking

2009-08-18T05:43:00.001-07:00

Eye tracking is working better now. Face detection has been no problem and triggers instantly in Max/MSP but eyes were a little bit more difficult to pinpoint. Seems to be a bit more stable today.
Also made an outline mode capture too. I like it as it's simple but retains the idea of computer and person mixing, but not sure where it would fit in with the rest of the installation. Might become overkill.........

Augmented Reality working

2009-08-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Phew - got my code working better for the augmented reality material.

Back to reality

2009-08-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

So after a very nice break in California - where I saw lots of great design, interactive work and art (so it wasn't just a holiday...!) I am back into the reality that there are only a few weeks to go until my Masters assessment - and the exhibition is breathing down my neck. Got the majority of it sorted, but now just need to tweak some areas and add the finishing touches....

Data moshing

2009-07-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

Having fun now that I have processing and Max talking, and also downloaded some samples from JMyron too to add to the whole process. I'm currently building a patch to include datamoshing, so that when people interact it will look just like a live image capture, however as they move around there are glitches applied so that the image slowly deteriorates and changes, but, as you stay still, it returns back to it's original image. This ties in nicely with my mirror metaphor and also the surreal idea that when looking in a mirror are we really seeing the real image - what happens when we look away or move - does the image have a parallel experience?

More inspiration

2009-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

I love the insecurity camera, and this great shadow monsters installation using Processing, and JMyron. Everything is not always as it seems............!

Max/MSP and Processing

2009-07-23T07:37:00.001-07:00

After quite a few hours I have got Processing and Max talking to each other so I can manipulate my Processing files via Max MSP and vice versa. So I can now put the finishing touches to altering the visuals that a user will see as they interact. Randomly, different images will appear, as a visual journey unfolds which in turn will be different for each individual and every interaction.

Unfolding Landscape

2009-07-20T02:06:00.000-07:00

Jenny Brownrigg gave me a link to this which, although slightly different from what I am currently working on still creates a visual experience for people who interact with the piece.

"The dramatic natural land formation of The Old Man of Storr in Trotternish on the Isle of Skye was transformed through illumination and sound throughout the months of August and September in 2005. For forty two nights this award winning installation The Storr: Unfolding Landscape brought an audience of six and a half thousand people, equipped with headlamps, guides and walking sticks on a strenuous walk to witness one of Europe’s most dramatic and inspiring landscapes at midnight. The massed pinnacles and buttresses were illuminated while powerful soundscapes drifted down from the ridges above."

TheCreator

2009-07-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Looking at some of the information Karl-Petter Åkesson has sent me from SICS, based on pervasive gaming - as mentioned in an earlier post. The interface looks good. The ideas on authoring etc are still in development but hopefully in the Autumn this can be further explored!

MaxMSP

2009-07-08T04:05:00.001-07:00

Working on a bit of Max/MSP Jitter material today to try and get the AR material and the processing files all working in synch.Tricky stuff.

Pervasive gaming

2009-07-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, in exploring interaction, augmented reality and visual cognition Gair had mentioned the collective 'Blast Theory', who, through further exploration I found, worked with IPerG, a group whose aim has been the creation of 'entirely new game experiences, which are tightly interwoven with our everyday lives through the objects, devices and people that surround us and the places we inhabit. The approach has been through the exploration of several showcase games which come under the description of “pervasive games” - a radically new game form that extends gaming experiences out into the physical world. To achieve a high quality of interactive experience for these games, new technologies and methods were explored for the creation of novel and compelling forms of content. Their web site documents the main findings of the project and its public documentation - publications, deliverables and dissemination materials.' On investigating further I contacted Karl-Petter Åkesson, at the Swedish Institute of Computer Science (SICS), and he then suggested beta access to their new pervasive gaming authoring software called TheCreator. It sounds really fascinating, and although it will probably not be completely up and running before the end of my MSc I want to continue researching and being involved in this area of digital media and interaction, so I'm looking forward to exploring further in the near future.

photo's © SICS and IPerG

We are autobots.......

2009-07-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Really like this AR piece 'We Are Autobots' set up for the new Transformers film! Aiming to include this kind of face tracking in my installation, alongside the element of pervasive gaming. Want to keep the idea small but have some impact, and be intuitive for the users.

Next project.....?

2009-06-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

After last nights seminar - I want one! - So I can do this!

OKN04

2009-06-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

Had a great evening yesterday at Peacock Visual Arts 'OKN04' - Open Knowledge Network. Ewan McIntosh from Channel 4's 4iP was there,with a really great talk on innovation and digital media's future etc, along with three other guest speakers, including Bill Thompson who did a great live demo on circuit bending and music making from an old 'Major Morgan' toy! Really liked the open stack info too, and Jono Sandilands stuff was great. Fascinating and great fun. Will definitely be at their next one. The red wine was good too. ;)

Books

2009-06-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

I ordered some books which have proved incredibly helpful in my work Visualizing Research, (Which gets a bit of a knocking from some, and loved by others - I enjoyed it after being unsure initially and then revisiting it a couple of times) offers students and supervisors guidance in the planning, execution and communication of research in Art and Design. It's well structured and concise, and gave some some food for thought while writing my earlier reports, and undertaking my research. The others such as 'Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image and Manipulation in Visual Communication' posed some interesting topics and questions that helped inform my actual practice.

Have been really enjoying exploring the theory and philosophy behind my work, and have uncovered countless interesting topics and tangents as I have delved further into the factors. I think this is a definite route my work will follow for sometime.

Relief!

2009-06-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

Phew! - the results came in for our post grad diploma and I passed thankfully - now to tackle the 7,000 word dissertation.

Fake Model Cities

2009-05-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Been playing around with this idea - but finally got a decent one with an old Tokyo holiday snap, taken from the Tokyo tower. Almost looks like a little model city! I like the fact that similarly to the trompe l'oeil paintings it tricks the eye, just by adjusting lighting and adding a slight blur etc.

Markers

2009-05-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

This is becoming heavy stuff, with all the augmented reality software - Artag, Artoolkit, FlarToolkit, Papervision etc, and then creating markers etc. Thought about making a puzzle of some sort which involves folded markers which when opened up create an optical illusion or something similar, I'm also loking at fake model photography, which fascinates me as another spin off from the whole visual perception project.

Marshal McLuhan seminar

2009-05-19T04:03:00.000-07:00

We have a seminar today based around 'The Media is the Message'. I find McLuhans work interesting and studied some of his work for my undergrad.
Although I don't feel I could follow the concepts such as feedforward and New Criticism as indepth as I.A Richards work entails or requests, I do see how it became a precursor to McLuhan's concepts on technological form. I like the idea of the media driving the effects of how we use or utilise it. Noticing these changes can mean an opportunity to observe the detrimental effects on society before they become permeating. I also like to think that as the message or effect is noticed it in turn drives further media to be developed and explored.

'Research'

2009-05-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

Went to see 'Coraline' - 3d version last night, which was part entertainment and part research! Great to see how people react to three dimensional films - ducking and moving to avoid objects. Nice little animated story too.

Now, this could be more like it.......

2009-05-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

Discovered this fantastic game by Julian Oliver and thought, that using augmented reality + webcam + wireless internet = William Gibson’s book, Spook Country! Creating 3D virtual sculptures that can only be seen while wearing goggles and standing in just the right place, or in my projects case, labryinths and games that can only be interacted with when viewing the markers.

To be able to somehow include a second person could be pretty impressive however, and have them interact and also possibly using more visual cognition to solve the puzzles would fit in with my entire research and development of ideas so far. More experimentation is needed!........

Wordle

2009-05-02T06:19:00.001-07:00

Made a wordle map of my essay - PgDip handed in for yesterday (Friday 1st May)

Sightseeing and inspiration

2009-04-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

Just back from a city break to Rome and was really inspired by how people view their surroundings - lots of beautiful typical art surrounded by modern graffiti and posters all blending to create some great visual landscapes.

Olafur Eliasson

2009-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Gair got me on to this artist; Olafur Eliasson, whose work I am really enjoying finding out about. Lots of immersive interactivity through visuals and tangible components. Nice.

Augmented reality part 3

2009-03-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Brilliant - and something I want to explore more. Enjoying exploring various virtual and real visual perceptions.

Amazing colour changing card trick.........

2009-03-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

....or is it?

Augmented reality part 2

2009-03-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

I am starting to do some experimentation with augmented reality and trying out visual illusions. Would be great to get some test runs done in time for my presentation in a week or so. Some of them have shown great reults and as I mentioned earlier, I'd like to have some kind of interactivity as per the test run below done in flash using web cam motion detection (very similar to the nintendo Wii idea) to possibly create an augmented reality interaction. Maybe the imagery could be used to create an illusion of some kind, or possibly see if people are initially aware of their visual environment by including something unexpected. It feels like I am getting somewhere now with my development.....

Augmented Reality

2009-02-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

Have been reading an interesting article on Augmented Reality written by James R Vallino that looks at the aspects of it and how it can be utilised. This has now got me thinking further about where my installation can go, and I have started to consider the aspect of eye tracking or face recognition and the possiblity of users being able to take part in a large interactive illusion. Possibly using cameras and sensors running through MaxMSP with face recognition and once tracked then somehow the users can distort other participants views or visual perceptions.......hmmmm. This one needs a bit more thought and time....

Further research

2009-02-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

Greg got back in contact and it will hopefully mean that I can take part in the composite interviews playing the part of a victim/witness next Wednesday which will be great. In the meantime I have been researching and developing further ideas in visual cognition. Professor Nick Wade in the psychology dept at Dundee University has an intriguing website based on various visual illusions. I've also come across a few more, including;

Moving the first towards and away from you will create the illusion of movement, the second shows an example of retinal fatigue, staring at the cross in the centre of the box, the dots will start to disappear. Finally click on the third to see an example of an afterimage, which is a visual impression that remains in the retina after the initial stimulus is removed. The afterimage always has colours that are complementary to those of the original image. Look steadily at the cross in the centre of the picture.

Art of Deception

2009-02-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

After a tutorial and feedback session with Gair, in which he remembered the artist we spoke about at the assessment presentation - Rod Dickinson, I have discovered some interesting visual and cognitive experimental tricks in which Rod has taken part.

Gair also suggested reading or watching the T.V adaptation of 'The Wave' based on an experiment called the 'Third Wave' which took place in California. All these experiments, and others such as the Milgram experiment, which Rod Dickinson based his contemporary exhibition on, involve duping members of the public or students into believing certain things from visual cues. Often this can lead to convincing people to take part in all kinds of activity, displaying the limits to which subjects are prepared to follow the orders of a supposed authority figure, by what they think they are seeing, or visualising. I find this incredibly interesting that we use learned cues to gauge a situation - such as someone in a uniform generally visually seen as a figure of authority. The idea of exploration into the structure and mechanisms that underpin systems of belief and social control also appeal, and I'm intrigued to see whether this holds for all cultures, races etc.

Examples

2009-02-10T01:58:00.000-08:00

Very rough tests to look at different ways of distracting the eye while visual changes occur. The first shows how colours can be changed while an individual is directed to look at another object. The second shows how a time lapse can make it difficult to see changes taking place in a static image. More information on these and other visual perceptions can be heard from the philosopher and scientist Dan Dennett. Another interesting talk on 'fooling our consciousness' can also be seen on the TED website, from Keith Barry.

Induced Failure of Visual Awareness...

2009-02-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Trying out some experimental work to assist in how the brain creates erroneous visual images, and recalls information, and also to receive feedback at my seminar presentation next Tuesday. I'm reading a paper by Daniel J. Simons (Psychology Department & Beckman Institute,University of Illinois, USA) and Ronald A. Rensink, (Departments of Psychology & Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada ) who state that 'Research over the past half century has produced extensive evidence that observers cannot report or retain all of the details of their visual world from one moment to the next. During the past decade, a new set of studies has illustrated just how pervasive these limits are.' (Induced Failures of Visual Awareness). They go on to explain that failures of visual awareness have been induced in a variety of ways. For example, subjects often fail to report a visible but unexpected image when attention is focused on some other object or event in the display. They call this 'inattentional blindness'. They ask the interesting question; are these limitations due to failures of perception? Of attention? Of memory? What is preserved with and without awareness? I'm hoping to investigate further and will find the composite interviews interesting with Greg in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I've attached a few stills from my current quick experimental material playing with visual awareness.

Visual Perception

2009-02-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

The Thatcher effect or Thatcher illusion is a phenomenon where it becomes difficult to detect local feature changes in an upside down face, despite identical changes being obvious in an upright face. It is named after British former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on whose photograph the effect has been most famously demonstrated. This was originally created by Peter Thompson, who is a professor at the University of York, England (Thompson, 1980).

I'm finding this visual perception fascinating, and meshes well with the current research I have been doing into forensic art, visual recollection etc. My aim is to create an interactive piece which addresses these issues and also allows people to participate with others, and see how individual and collective responses differ.

Ways of Seeing

2009-01-21T03:49:00.000-08:00

Had a really great meeting with Greg this morning, and he lent me some brilliant books on forensic art, interviews, visualisation, memory etc. Also getting a chance to take part in the composite interview module they do over at the MSI building, later next month. Think that will be fascinating, trying to recall information and see how good my own recollective memory is. My idea, work and research has gone off into a completely different area now which is good, but I also have to make sure I'm not going off at constant tangents, and try and focus in on the important elements to my work.

Psychology of seeing.....

2009-01-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

So, after having a think about this new direction my work was taking and talking to my tutors I got in contact with Greg over at Forensic Art, which 'is perhaps most well known for work in facial reconstruction, the process of rebuilding a face from the skull, both to aid forensic identification and archaeological investigation' but they also do various exercises in police questioning and psychology, which is an area I have discovered while researching my slightly different theme. I'd like to develop the idea of people visualising something and how they then record that or, possibly, some interactive piece whereby the participant is unaware of the whole picture of which they are interacting, while an audience can see the results.

I was advised to ensure there was a definite element of 'play' in my work, and that the participants made the experience their own, as opposed to guiding them to the outcome. Anyway, initially I am going to meet Greg tomorrow and have a chat to see what advice or pointers in this area he can give.

Elephants on acid

2009-01-07T03:02:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to go to Tokyo over Christmas and New Year and while on the flight I read this book - and found myself thinking of changing my direction with regards to my project. The book looked at lots of bizarre experiments and one was the power of suggestion using image, and I thought this would be a good concept to look at with regards to interaction - what could be suggested or removed from someone's recollection of a story via certain imagery and how it is seen and interacted with? It also come about after reflecting on a few of the lectures where it had been mentioned how in police interviews people will make up information when they can't remember details, not intentionally but just the way the brain works. So I intend to explore and do a little bit of problem solving with this one and see where that takes me too.

Also, while in Tokyo, there was an interactive Christmas display - whereby you put your hands on to the electronic pad and it picked up on your 'mood' and the lighting changes accordingly. Great interactive fun!

I can paint you.......

2008-12-09T01:22:00.000-08:00

As mentioned previously, I am hopefully going to collaborate on an interactive piece of work with another masters student - Ian Thomson, studying for an MA at Gray's School of Art. He intends to create an online gallery with a virtual opening in May, and to actually have work to show he is setting up a site which invites people to send in their photos, and from those, 25 will be chosen. These people will then have their portraits painted and the 'big reveal' will happen in the spring. The idea involves some of the concepts I have been investigating such as images, identity, and using the web to explore this, also the feeling of participating in a virtual space, and with a virtual community. My small part of the project will possibly involve the more 'techy' stuff such as the possible php, assisting in site set up etc, however I look forward to observing and noting the results this project generates. It might also drive new understanding of social interactions online with regards to my own work and practice.

Snowed in!

2008-12-02T04:25:00.000-08:00

Photo - Nic - 2008

Heavy snow last night which looks very pretty but hasn't allowed me to physically hand in my project. Curses! In the meantime here are a few stills of it, and also a link to my friend Jack's experimentation in MAXmsp which amused me....... 'waxing on and off' and interacting with films. Great fun!

Britglyph

2008-11-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

Via another blog I am also taking part in 'Britglyph' - which can best be explained, (as described by one of the creators of the project) thus(!)-:

Since prehistoric times, humans have left their mark on the world around them by creating objects and markings to last the ages - and even perhaps to be seen from the vantage of the stars. There is a deep human desire to communicate with the mysterious, to leave something of ourselves in time, to make a mark and own a moment...if only to say 'I was here, I lived!' The designs on the Nazca plains, the Egyptian Pyramids, the Mayan pyramids, crop circles, hill figures and megaliths did just this - and were created with the pinnacle of that era's technologies.

This project will bring people together across the country to create a new kind of Geoglyph, one that will be created using the technologies available to us now.
If successful, we will have created the largest geoglyph of all time.

Sounds cool. To also take part go to Britglyph I think it starts on the 1st Dec until the 15th. Intriguing.........

City as a landscape

2008-11-25T04:36:00.001-08:00

Possibility of collaborating with another MA student on an interactive art project. Will see how it pans out, but in the meantime I am still reading tons, filling up my sketchbook and looking at lots of stuff on the internet.
I found a link to the current Experimental Design exhibition in Amsterdam.
Their own take on the exhibition is this:

'For the first time in history the earth’s population is more urban than rural. This means that for most people on this planet, the city has become their natural habitat. When in this context we speak of growth and blossom, terrain and flow, or use other natural metaphors, we speak in fact of engineering, architecture and design. We talk about the city as a landscape, that we have created ourselves and continue to shape.'

I just thinks it sounds right up 'my street'. The Sunday Adventure Club also features Troika's sms guerilla projector.
I think the main thing in my project follows the same ideas and concepts - the freedom to view your 'image' and place within your city, town, village, room, however you feel without thinking of the constant external persona. I think it will mean that each individual takes a personal journey, and then creates a visual to allow for others to 'see' them as an individual.

The Notion of Space

2008-11-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

Once again my session at Uni was really good - got presentations to deliver next week. Oh my! Anyway, this week I have enjoyed the stuff I found from Random International - including their interactive mirrors at the Royal Opera House and light sensitive paper exhibitions. I also found this little fella in the studio - a new friend for all!

Beginning to think I want to really get involved in our appreciation of image within the digital environment. Will look into this further and let you know what my findings are......

Fast & Dirty

2008-11-05T04:41:00.000-08:00

Link to the 'Fast & dirty' stuff from the Lemon Tree at Peacock. Also enjoyed yesterdays presentations from Mat and Cat. Inspirational material. The people at 55 degrees have some really cool stuff particularly the bank of tv screens. Got some ideas ticking over.........

Poetics of space....

2008-11-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

Started reading this book and really enjoying it. Asks questions about our visual and environmental experiences. Such as why when we imagine attic stairs we think of looking up at them, and cellar stairs as looking down them etc. Our research and methodologies lecture today also gave us food for thought. I like the idea of getting all this inner dialogue about my work out, and visually represent it. I've started keeping a reflective journal and also intend to keep a journal about everything I encounter in relation to my focus and body of work. I also want to be able to tie in this notion of personal space and my reflective teaching practice too, so will have a go at mind mapping some ideas to 'see' if the idea is actually there, and just needs teased out!

I also loved this BMW sculpture made out of lights at a recent exhibition. I appear to have a fascination with 'light' and motion. hmmmmm.

MSc

2008-10-28T04:06:00.000-07:00

So I have started a new blog for my MSc - my idea is to continue with my exploration in 3d space and architecture and also interaction. Met with Jack from Peacock Visual Arts again last night and had a great chat about various ideas and other work from influential designers/digital artists. This stuff from Pablo Valbuena is amazing, and I'm still enjoying the exploration with GRL, particulalrly now they have opened up an office in Tokyo! This week I plan to complete my research mapping task, get a new sketchbook and start getting ideas down and do some electronic tests. Let the fun begin. Again.