Vidoe Assessment - Evolution of an Idea

Wanting to differentiate ourselves from Rokeby's work, we observed a [possibly unintended] stencilling effect in his work Seen - where the static objects in the foreground of a scene quickly stand out once substantial movement occurs behind those objects.

Exploring this concept further, we realised that the patterns created by movement in a scene could also be used to reveal a "hidden" image in the installations projection - by making this hidden image 2-bit greyscale negative, the classic "afterimage" optical illusion could be created and gradually revealed, then hidden again, as the day (and its associated motion) progressed.

Hence, we drew further inspiration from the stencil graffiti movement, as well as the optical illusion crowd. Each motion though a given scene is noted and quickly 'fades in' behind the stencil, then changes size and/or opacity slowly over time to fade away. The secret stencil, then, may only be revealed during periods of heavy pedestrian traffic, whilst simultaneously being susceptible to the recent phenomenon known as "flash mobbing".

Video Assessment - Initial Concept

Next week feels a lot like a "placeholder" assessment piece, IMO. The challenge is in proposing a video interaction piece that DOESN'T feel like a cheap EyeToy knock-off or lame-o real-time filter effects.

My discussions with Ben (our tutor) suggest that, even in 15 years of R&D, very little new applications have been designed or developed, merely that the technology has become more affordable for the consumer (cheap web-cams, etc.).

I'm proposing to attempt something reasonably simple that doesn't just feel like an "art for art's sake" project:

[drum roll...]

>>> Temporal Pattern Analyser <<<

Much like a long-exposure photograph, this web-cam enabled installation tracks clustered movement in a public space, with each movement leaving an ever-so-slight outline (ghosting) for each second that they are in motion. These movements can be highly stylised in the camera's interpretation and representation on-screen, but should ultimately allow the viewer to analyse where in a particular scene users tend to congregate (or skip right through). Commercial application would be most viable in the retail industry, where shop-owners could use the tool to gauge where potential customers are drawn to in their shop layouts, without the fear of privacy violations.

Not entirely dissimilar to this installation:

http://homepage.mac.com/davidrokeby/seen.html

So, the theory and application of this could be reasonably easy generated, as would the context of the installation (large, open public space). I imagine that the use of the WebCamXtra for director would be able to continually write on a per-pixel basis to the screen based on movement detected by the camera.

Just a thought - I'll have to wait until I get home to have a crack at the software side of things, but I'm very open to suggestions and/or assistance.

Presentation 2

Harry does the text. Gordon does the piccies. Shane does the demo. Sweet.

Download PPT

It Works (The Way We Want)!

Awesome, awesome job. Got to borrow a Bluetooth headset off a mate, and, after the pairing process with my own generic Bluetooth dongle plugged into the PC, we were on our way.

The only thing required to allow BT-enabled audio was to set the BT-hardware as the default input device - with further tweaking, we could produce some audio feedback (transmitted direct to the headset), but for now things are very sweet - users bring their own headset, pair it to the installation, and sing along! Nice.

Feasiblility? Check!

Technical Feasibility: Lose the Mobile Phone

After discussing possibilities with several electronics, computing, communication, hardware and audio specialist dudes, I came to the conclusion that the only way to use the mic on a mobile to communicate with our Bluetooth dongle is to write a custom app that offers our desired functionality.

Instead, I believe that the use of Bluetooth-capable headset devices (which are becoming more and more prevalent) would be far more feasible. This particular device from Blueant (http://www.blueant.com.au/X3micro_Bluetooth_Headset_voice_over_ip_voip.htm) would do the trick nicely:

When connected to a computer, the X3 micro becomes the default Sound playback device so that any program which utilises the Soundcard can send and receive audio signals from to the headset.

Perfect! That sounds like us! Now to find one to experiment with...

PPT Presentation Work-In-Progress

Now available for your perusal:

http://student.ci.qut.edu.au/~n4661117/kib311/Presentation1.ppt

Feedback and comments welcome. This is a dot-point summary of most of my prior notes, with fancy additions for other users (i.e. you guys).

Presentation Images - First 3 Slides

Welcome to "Sing-a-Sketch"!

Sing-a-Sketch is a unique conglomeration of a variety of familiar toys and technologies, fused in an unconventional way and projected on an unexpected location. Sing-A-Sketch relies on everyday users' sense of play, allowing simultaneous or iterative collaborations of community- created artwork, and, by way of vocal interaction, spontaneous performance art.




Users familiar with the SingStar series of games for the PS2 may recognize the voice-activated game mechanic used here, but that's largely where the similarity ends. Children who grew up with the classic "Etch-A-Sketch" toy may also feel at home, but the privacy of their creations is no longer limited to a friend nearby to whom they can pass the sketchpad.

Graffiti artists have long used public space to make a statement, or to add to existing statements created by earlier artists. The final result never fully solidifies: the space is consistently added to, refined, roughened, or simply painted over. The space itself is as fragile and as engaging as an Etch-a-Sketch.

Mobile phone users have long had gaming facilities on their devices - some of which even have the facility to play against other users. Mobile users are also very familiar with the voice-driven nature of the phone's primary use, and will no doubt be comfortable speaking into the device.

Using their voice with their phone to control their contribution to collaborative community artwork is the key mechanism of play in this piece. Users are invited to pair their Bluetooth-enabled devices with [possibly one of several] Bluetooth audio receivers. These receivers then take the users' sound input as a single button device to control the direction and speed of the users' pens, represented and projected onto a suitably flat public surface.

Without further instruction, users could potentially play with the interface: some may feel they need to sing to the device a particular song - others may sense that they have to move around the device's broadcast radius. Still others may invite their friends to help them control their pen. Users may even unknowingly influence each others' pens if their voices carry far enough.

Similar Projects - Worth Citing for Reference

We Make Money, Not Art:
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/cat_locative.php

Phillip Pocock (pioneer in the internet / installation artwork form):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pocock


Node London (funky interactive artworks, using a variety of input medium)
http://nodel.org/projects.php?type=67

Public-Access Bluetooth Work:
http://www.orbit.zkm.de/?q=node/412

One-Button Games

Easily one of the most fun I've had with one button.

http://www.miniglobz.com/games/twinspin3_en.html

Operates on a similar principal - constant rotation with a trigger to move in that rotation for a fixed / variable period of time.

Job Delegation

Concept
(Gordon) - Describe how the project uses the concepts of play, graffiti and collaborative community artwork as experimental process.

Context
Participation in the "Sing-a-Sketch" project requires a BlueTooth-compatible mobile phone. Users 'sing' into the phone whilst remaining within a receiver's radius (typically 10-20m) to control a pen projected onto a nearby flat surface (ceiling, wall or floor).

The ideal environment would be large, open and urban, with one or more large structures nearby. Projection results would be most effective at dusk or during the evening.

Visualisation
Go HARRY!

Pen is represented as an arrow - leaving either a solid trail, or a semi-transparent trail of simple shapes.

Pen's "direction" rotates constantly while sound input levels remain below a given threshold. Pen moves in set direction when user makes a constant sound. Speed of pen or width of pen can be determined by either a variation in pitch or volume (most likely volume).

Pen becomes stationary again once sound level drops below threshold, rotating its direction.

Will be worthwhile taking photos of potential locations for installation, then adding "artist's impression" type mockups of projection and users singing into their mobiles.

Mechanics
Go SHANE!!
Check out the feasibility of such a device - requiring bluetooth audio receivers, feasibility of system handling multiple simultaneous audio inputs. Examine range of receivers. Any hardware incompatibilities with USB-based audio devices.

Explore how users become aware of the "Sing-a-Sketch" project. Online help required?