Molly and Me
So the past two rehearsals I spent working on some new material with Molly. We developed a new movement phrase which will be used as the basic vocabulary for her duet with Veronica. After setting the material, we developed 3 different variations on it. Each has a different dynamic and emotional texture. Playing with the idea that Molly’s character is constantly trying on new skins, we created these variations to link with the different personalities that she tries on.
04.05.10 : Molly Phrase Original from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
04.05.10 : Molly Phrase Version 2 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
04.05.10 : Molly Phrase Version 3 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
04.05.10 : Molly Phrase Version 4 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
Precedents Exercise
In class today we did another exercise exploring the relationships of the precedents to our final project. We were encouraged to look at both the similarities and differences in each precedent and group theme based on technical, formal, or conceptual elements of our project.
It was interesting for me to see the themes that kept emerging in most of the precedents I have been looking at. Almost all of them are using similar technology as me, where the relationship of the viewer to the media informs the action. This is most likely done using motion tracking software, a camera, and a projector or monitor. Most of the pieces also dealt with the human form as its main subject.
One of the elements that came up as a difference that I really thought about, was the use of time. It is something that I hadn’t really put much thought into, but I think that it could be a very interesting element that adds a certain dynamic to the work.
My next step for this specific exercise is to refine what I did in class into a more succinct and compact diagram.
Adam’s LED tracking
Adam Dancing – Tracking from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
For my section in the piece we are looking to use motion tracking to create live visuals. What those visuals are exactly, is still yet to be determined, and how we will track my movement is still in the works. For this specific rehearsal we used an LED light strapped to my chest. We used a processing sketched which measured brightness to track my movement and projected the floating bubbles.
Katie’s Projection Improvisations
Katie 1 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
Katie 2 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
Katie 3 from Adam Scher on Vimeo.
These improvisations are the basis for Katie’s section in the piece we are creating. We are exploring the theme of memory, and how sometimes when looking at the past you yearn for those past experiences. However much we want to recreate the past, it is impossible.
Mini-thesis paragraph for writing workshop
My project this semester is an interaction installation piece where viewers interact and effect the actions of a digital person. I wonder if our interactions with each other differ when they occur in digital media vs. physical interactions. We text instead of call, we email instead of handwrite letters, we join social groups online but less and less do we congregate in person. With all of these digital interactions, i am interested in attempting to define what boundaries of personal space are in the digital world. and furthermore what are the consequences of our behavior when we cross these “digital boundaries”?
So far in my process I am still trying to solidify my idea for the actual project. I have done a lot of research of other media artists who specifically are creating interactive installations. Most of these precedents use the human form as a main component in its overall aesthetic, both the viewers body and the body of the piece. Also, these works are usually triggered and effected by the way in which the viewer interacts with the piece. I am still in the stage where I am being highly informed by the research I am doing, and hope to soon solidify my overall product so I can move into the development stage.
Feedback and Guidance from Midterm Critique
The midterm presentation and critique I thought went very well. Jonah and Ted were able to offer me with some wonderful multimedia artist, who’s work I found to be both exciting and inspiring. I thought I would post some of these works to the blog.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has done some amazing work using projections and interactive screen displays. His work deals mostly with the human form, creating relationships between the viewer and his digitized subjects. In going through his website, I was inspired by so many different pieces that it was slightly overwhelming. His body of work is so large, and it looking through it chronologically, I was able to see the threads of how his ideas developed and evolved.
“Eye Contact” is a screen based interactive work, which displays 800 different recordings of people lying down. If you make eye contact with them, they will start to move and interact with you.
“Under Scan”is a large scale projected interactive work. Using a surveillance camera, an entire outdoor plaza tracks the people moving in it. Projections of people lying down are placed in their paths, but only become activated when covered by their shadows. The projections are scaled to fit within the size of the pedestrians shadows. This piece is amazing, because the projections just seem to appear, and they interact with the people who activate them.
Other Notable Works:
“Glories of Accounting”
“Third Person”
“Make Out”
Scott Snibe’s interactive work which deals with personal space, “Boundary Functions”, is very interesting in the way it delineates and structures it space. I was drawn to the physicality that the piece brought to its viewers, encouraging them to move around and play.
Chris O’Shea created a highly amusing and whimsical interactive piece situated in a public space. The piece “Hand From Above” shows in real time, a video of the space on a giant screen in the air. On the screen, a huge hand interacts with the people in the space by tickling, pinching, and squishing them.
Midterm Presentation
My midterm presentation for my final project:
Accompanied write up:
MidtermWriteup
Slideshow
