Timing and Pacing

By jhclaura in Blog, Coding for Emotional Impact, Spring 2014 1 Comment

For this week’s subject Timing and Pacing, I chose “No Safe-House” in the soundtrack of The Grand Budapest Hotel to decode.

timing

 

effect I intend to achieve

–> emotion accumulation, cheerful and narrative.

notes

  • library I used for camera in 3D –>  http://mrfeinberg.com/peasycam/#about
  • using PShape to store the tetrahedron I made and set their movements with trigonometry functions, noise, hsl, and hard-coding frameCount!!!(see how long and tedious my codes are :P)
  • issues to work on, since I used frameCount, it’s different all the time, depending how fast my computer run. need to use millis() next time!
  • next step will be using library Minim to generate the patterns directly from the analysis of sound file.

codes 

Continue reading

mushroom. intervention. systemic.

By jhclaura in Blog, Fungus Among Us, Spring 2014 0 Comment

First thought after reading “Unruly Edges: Mushrooms as Companion Species”, “Arts of Inclusion, or, How to Love a Mushroom”, and the interview with Oliver during weekend is that, I kind of found the purpose of a project, what can I do about it and what’s the possible future of a project. As an artist, I can start from

"love"

, start from developing deeper and knowing thoroughly about what I love, and then gradually, with the creative interventions, I can bridge worlds between public and the field where my passion lies.  Quoted from Anna “… my stories tell how advocacy for mushrooms can lead to projects for democratic science and publicly inclusive wellbeing.“, I’m inspired to search what I’m crazy about and immerse myself in it. Before that, I don’t really understand the goal of this class now I’ve found it. It’s not about just trying to use fungi in your projects and trying to involve Led, motor, Arduino, but trying to intervene this mysterious field with your point of view. Then as a messenger, you expose the rarely-knew info and make it connect to the public.

Thus, simplifying and more comprehensive project update:

2014-02-19 08.08.44

Idea

  • One line description: See the world through fungus.
  • I want to build up connections between fungus and people, and further take fungus as a bridge to connect people with the world beyond fungus. Thus being aware of what fungus is, what fungus does, how does it affect the planet.
  • The idea is playing with the notions from “Mycelium Running” by Paul Stamets,
    • “I see the mycelium as the Earth’s natural Internet, a consciousness with which we might be able to communicate. Through cross-species interfacing, we may one day exchange information with these sentient cellular networks. Because these externalized neurological nets sense any impression upon them, from footsteps to falling tree branches, they could relay enormous amounts of data regarding the movements of all organisms through the landscape.”
  • One particular thing I’d love to highlight is fungus’s decomposing ability. It is the key of the nutrient cycling system, and also degrade or remove toxins from the environment.
  • So yes, it’s a project with eco-friendly aspect and hope people will be more aware of the environmental issue.

Content

  • Upon a box of soil, are 5~8 mycelium lights hanging and changing between bright and dim gradually.
  • In the background screen, playing the collage of the mycelium activities(growing, moving, etc) video footages, representing fungus’s daily life.
  • Once  someone comes near(detected by ultrasonic sensor), the mycelium lights speed up changing, and forming a pattern of spreading. Also, the screen’s content turns to show the interactions between fungus and humankind, including foraging, pollution, infection, bio-chemical etc.
  • If time permits, the soil will be pushed by the solenoids beneath, amplifying fungus’s awareness of us.

Materials

  • Mycelium Lights * 5~8
    • wrap mycelium(post-blender) around balloons, and poke the balloons once mycelium eats all the materials
  • Wood sticks * 4
  • Wires hiding in flax ropes
  • Wood base
    • soil in wood box
    • ultrasonic sensor attached
    • solenoid beneath(if time permits)

mycelium_ball

Also about the case study, one thing interests me that most of the projects from reading and from Oliver, all have certain degree of public influence, and create new behavior. I wonder how many artist originally had this kind of visions and how many artist eventually made it and change the real world? Or are they actually all make it through but just in different level? And how can we keep our vision and passion vivid and lively?

perform test & 5 patterns of emotion

By jhclaura in Blog, Coding for Emotional Impact 0 Comment

Group perform test w/ audiences!

And below are my 5 patterns of emotion.

The emotion accumulates through the weaving of three stories. At first, the emotion is unsure and blur. And gradually, the similarities of three stories appears, and the emotion goes higher and higher. In the end, huge amount of happiness burst out. The pattern of emotion reaches pick. And the result makes the sweetness linger into the end.

 

For music, similar to the 1st piece, emotion starts low and then goes high. What’s special about this is its “swinging” feature. By swing low makes the high even higher. And the competitive pattern create the anticipation from audience and creates more sense of involvement.

 

I see the pattern of the weaving from up to down. Not only the lines, the different materials and textures bring and add another layer to the pattern. It’s like the extra details on the high and low points. Besides the pattern of wave, different genera.

 

It’s an unusual pattern I’d love to challenge. Unlike the easy-following pattern, the abrupt fault shift the layers as whole, so although it’s easy to tell from looking at distance, it’s difficult to tell in close-up view. In the way to express, I’d imagine the “style” will change abruptly and unrelated at all. Altering without clues. And after that, gradually and gradually, viewers(or receivers, more broad) MIGHT realize the changing. Hopefully.

 

It’s a raw meat pattern. Less linear, more circular. It’s like a linear pattern without the end. Ending is always the beginning. Love the variation of width of layers. Difference of width, curves, and colors can add up producing a rich experience. Not good for real performance definitely.

Application_What’s your definition of time?

By jhclaura in Applications, Blog, Fun 0 Comment
a glass of wine and a clip of time.

a glass of wine and a clip of time.

It’s a response to Einstein’s Dream, written by Alan Lightman. Einstein’s Dream is a novel depicts several kinds(approximately 27, I counted) of world views, based on Time. In one world, time is circle that bends back, in one world cause and effect are erratic, and in one world time has changed plans thus sometimes people can glimpse the future. Beautiful and sad stories happen. Being a fiction novel, the book well translated the vision of Einstein in an artistic way.

As for my thoughts  –time exists in each individual’s mind. We can decide our own setting of time, just like what the book depicts. It might flows backward, or it might be in what people live just one day. Once our mindset changes, we can live in whatever kinds of the world the book depicts, and of course in the world you define.

Right now, I live in the world where everyday is the day before due. Chased by deadline, sometimes I work hard to try to win the race against time. Like trying to occupy all the seats in a hall against time. Compared to my rush and anxiety, time moves on gracefully in its pace. Or sometimes, I ignore the existence of deadline in the  “Oh Whatever” way. I explore the environment leisurely and spend time admiring surprising details of life. It’s like comfily curling in a sled, and let time drag me forward. I still do my work, and it probably just turns out being ordinary, but I’ll never be left behind. I can choose to be either kind of person. It all depends.

But this is not my ultimate dreamy setting of time. The one which is closest to my ultimate dreamy setting, SO FAR, would be –time is like the video clips you can stroll around on Youtube. Sometime at night, after all the work, it’s time for a glass of wine and a clip of time. Vividly, you see the beloved eyes from your grand grandmother, the ones without wrinkles, and you interpret the words from her that you couldn’t before. Or it’s a chilly random night, you and he continued the first acquaintance at bar to a 24/7 breakfast branch. You re-cover the taste of alcohol with eggs and pancake, and re-cover the talks of non-sense with visions of future. Or it’s an unexpected museum visiting, and you re-feel the shocks and touch of amaze from the first time of seeing the workpiece of your all time favorite artist.

In this closest to ultimate dreamy definition of time, that each clips of time is reachable, I can hold the one I thought I’d never be able to hold again, and I can recapture the sudden emotion pulse I thought I’d never be able to feel it again. Dose it sound too beautiful to be perfect? What’s the drawback of this? And what’s your ultimate(or the closest)dreamy setting of time? Those are the questions I’d love to quest you guys 🙂

 

PComp_Interaction_Rethink

By jhclaura in Blog, PComp_Physical Computing 0 Comment

7 weeks past, I’ve seen a lot of interaction thought through a lot of ideas for midterm project. Personally, it strengthens my favor for the tangible interaction. It doesn’t necessarily need to be touched to activate but it’s really a satisfying moment to be able to be touched, if users want to. For me, touching strengthen the level of interaction, since touching make workpiece more lively and real. More approachable. And that also strengthen my desire to make some low-fi thing! The original, unpolished appearing can let users focus on the content, and the exposed, seeable technology(e.g. motor, mechanical and physical stuff) can surprise users with familiar things doing unfamiliar things, and might even catalyze users to have new ideas to live the life.

About whether interaction to be implicit or explicit, I think it is case by case. Personally, unpredictable and surprise is my thing but some people might find it annoying and uncomfortable. Moreover, measuring the level of implicit is also an important issue. It should still have patterns or certain amount of logic, in that way users can still have the power of control.

PComp_03_Observation_DearElevator

By jhclaura in Blog, PComp_Physical Computing 0 Comment

Hi Elevator,

How you’re used_my assumption

  1. User walks to the elevator and stands in front of the door or waits in line.
  2. Pushes up/down button if it’s not been pushed.
  3. Walks inside when the door opens.
  4. Gentleman holds door-open button for incomers.
  5. Everyone checks if his/her destined-floor-button has been pushed or not, or he/she pushes the button or asks others to do so.
  6. The door closes.
  7. Unless it’s user’s destined-floor, user stays inside instead of stepping out.
  8. Gentleman holds door-open button for incomers and out-goers.
  9. Users says “Excuse me. Thank you.” and steps out when the elevator reaches his/her destined-floor.
  10. The End.

How you’re actually used_from observation

  • actual situation(observed in the lobby of Tisch)
    • because of the existence of smartphone, users have more patience to wait nowadays.
    • when waiting in line, users start making small chat, meeting people from different departments, and it’s a good moment to be social.
    • at 4th floor, ITP’s elevators have no signs showing where the elevators are at. Maybe because of this, users become less patient waiting and more attempting to use the stairs down.
  • different approaches
    • some stand motionlessly and wait the door to close; some keep pushing the door-close button
    • when lines get too long, some users at the back give up and choose the stair instead, and some just keep waiting.
  • difficulties
    • users have to tiptoe to see if their destined-floor button has been pushed or not.
    • users have to squeeze in to push the button if it’s crowded.
    • users have to be aware of the unpredictable closing door.
  • easy
    • just stands and goes up and down several meters effortlessly.
    • asks for help to push the buttons.
  • longest time
    • waits in line
  • shortest time
    • gives up and uses stairs instead(if users’ departments don’t reside higher than 5th floor)
  • time of whole transaction (this part is still under construction)
    • waiting:
    • duration of each floor:
    • pushing button:
    • stepping in/out:

What if… Then… Moment for you my dear Elevator

  • The display board inside the elevator shows which floor has already been chosen.
  • After being pushed, the door open/close button flashes on and off continuously to indicate that it does keep working/sending message(giving local feedback), so users won’t act crazy pushing it.
  • Set floor buttons
    1. outside the elevator, and users press the button before walking in.
    2. on the side of the door, and users press the button when walking by.
    3. hanging from the ceiling, and users pull the button(acting like pulling string).