meridian blog

created by alexander j richardson

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Brief


Pollution is like a modern-day plague, it is the biggest side effect of urbanisation and industrialisation. Global emissions of insidious chemicals are at an all-time high due to the ever-expanding population, which stimulates copious amounts of consumerism.

Harmful substances are released into the atmosphere, water, and soil. This inevitably spreads to plants, animals and eventually us, thus deteriorating our natural environment due to the excessive neglect of our planet.

The smorgasbord of pollutants include; Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Methane.

SO2

CO2

N2O

CH4




For my project, I will investigate how an ever increasing population, reliant upon consumerism negatively affects our planet.

Inspired by my research into interactive design and immerse installations, I will be presenting my project inspired by these mediums.

Projection onto a wall as my canvas and using an Xbox Kinect camera, I will allow the audience to manipulate the installation. What I would like to create is a serene backdrop reminiscent of an Alice In Wonderland enchanted forest, with an organic soundtrack sampled from nature. The installation adapts depending on the number of people detected, each person representing a part of our growing population.

As people interact with the projection, the peaceful environment that they are initially presented with is adjusted dependent on the amount of people detected by the camera. Intrinsically exacerbating to metaphorically portray industrialisation as the saturation in the animation diminishes to greyscale, sounds of the city replace the sounds of nature. It does not stop there, I would like to take my audience to another dimension by changing my display from 2D to 3D using fogscreen projection with a Raspberry Pi controlling a fog machine - depending on the amount of people detected - the more smoke produced. Smoke is representing the increasing levels of pollutants in our atmosphere, again it will be relative to the amount of people that are interacting with the projection. The fully immersive experience is presented with another level while in its 3rd dimension of which bright coloured orb shaped particle to represent different pollutants in the air swarm around the people engaged.

The ideal location for my system is inspired by an adventure through the city at dusk where I set out to find where nature is and isn’t in Bristol. Armed with my phone camera and my longboard, I explored the outreaches of my local area. Foraging for inspiration I meandered through streets, fields, cliff edges, river banks, urban tunnels, and underpasses. I would like my installation to be situated in an unused tunnel which, could be used as a cycle path or shortcut connecting two parts of the city to encourage greener modes of transport.

The working title for this interactive environmental project is “Playground”. My intention is to metaphorically represent the destruction of our planet by creating an absorptive playground which, can be used to teach children about how our growing populations in the cities and abandonment of our natural world are creating a chaotic polluted concrete jungle while being fun and engaging like a playground.

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Research 03/10/2018

Spatio-temporal design


“A state–of–the–art presentation of optimum spatio–temporal sampling design – bridging classic ideas with modern statistical modeling concepts and the latest computational methods.

Spatio–temporal Design presents a comprehensive state–of–the–art presentation combining both classical and modern treatments of network design and planning for spatial and spatio–temporal data acquisition. A common problem set is interwoven throughout the chapters, providing various perspectives to illustrate a complete insight to the problem at hand.

Motivated by the high demand for statistical analysis of data that takes spatial and spatio–temporal information into account, this book incorporates ideas from the areas of time series, spatial statistics and stochastic processes, and combines them to discuss optimum spatio–temporal sampling design.”

Spatio–temporal Design: Advances in Efficient Data Acquisition, Jorge Mateu, Werner G. Müller





Camille Utterback

Liquid Time Series

“The Liquid Time Series explores how the concept of point of view is predicated on embodied existence. Initially, the piece was an attempt to create an interactive installation where users physical positions in the gallery tracked by an overhead camera controlled different perspectives in a collage–like projection. The result of this exploration, however, is a series of pieces in which imagery of time, as well as space, is disrupted by users motions.”

See reference

Playing with space and time artists manipulate footage showing what has changed in previous frames by detecting optical flow semantically.



teamLab

Transcending Boundaries / Pace London

“Transcending Boundaries is an exhibition of works by teamLab at Pace London, which features three rooms of immersive installations, including a virtual waterfall that extends beyond the gallery wall onto the floor, flowing through the exhibition space and around the feet of the viewer. Transcending Boundaries aims to explore the role of digital technology in transcending the physical and conceptual boundaries that exist between different artworks, with imagery from one work breaking free of the frame and entering the space of another. The installations also dissolve distinctions between artwork and exhibition space, and involve the viewer through interactivity.

The art collective teamLab is a collective, interdisciplinary creative group that brings together professionals from various fields of practice in the digital society: artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, architects, web and print graphic designers and editors. Referring to themselves as "Ultra–technologists," the group aims to go beyond the boundaries between art, science, technology and creativity, through co–creative activities. TeamLab was formed in 2001 by Toshiyuki Inoko.”

See reference



teamLab

Transcending Boundaries / Planets Tokyo

Body Immersive – Become bodily immersed with others in a massive art space.

teamLab has been producing artworks with the Body Immersive concept for many years. teamLab Planets is a massive Body Immersive space consisting of a collection of installations in which the entire body becomes immersed in art, and the boundaries between the viewer and the work become more ambiguous.

Body Immersive works immerse the body entirely through the use of digital technology, separating the artwork from the canvas that mediates it. This allows for continuous dynamic behaviour, visual phenomena, and the ability to transform the canvas. By doing so, the boundaries between the body and the work become ambiguous, which may become the starting point for people to think about their relationship with the world. As the the artwork changes, due to your existence and that of others in the work, people dissolve into the artwork world and the relationship between people also changes.”

See reference

Research 05/10/2018

Lollipop – Immersive Lifestyle


At Lollipop we engage the influencers of tomorrow by building highly interactive experiences which leave a lasting impression and a longing for more.

We are innovating and productising traditional hospitality/entertainment through its marriage with immersive experiences and cutting edge functional venue designs. In simple words, we are building bars and restaurants where you can have fun! We are also giving our customers a similar kind of experience at home through our new AI driven project – Vinny.

In the last few years, we have built a discerning community of over 150,000 who challenge us at every step to think about what they expect from a night in or out. Their high expectations make us mindful of every detail in everything we do. Everything we do at Lollipop is focused around our community.

We have also worked with a number of clients to help them conceptualise innovative ideas and understand and engage communities which are important to them.

Website

Bletchley

Enter an immersive world of code–breaking and cocktails

The Bletchley, Chelsea London. Inspired by Alan Turing and Bletchley Park, this cocktail bar promises to decode human senses for a truly unique cocktail experience.



ABQ

Breaking bad Themed Bar

World's favourite immersive and interactive molecular cocktail bar. Make your own cocktails at ABQ. YO!



Bunyadi

London's Naked Restaurant

Enter a secret Pangea–like world, free from phones, electric lights and even clothing and revisit the beginning where everything was fresh, free and unadulterated from the trappings of modern life.



The Grid

Time to go undercover as our operative to help defeat evil AI corp (Neosight) and save the future of humanity.

The Grid opens its undercover operation after more than 5,000 humans have shown interest to join this fight against AI and the evil Neosight.

It is now time to show solidarity against what remains the biggest threat to humans: technology!

While you are in the Neosight's office, please make sure no one knows that you are undercover. You may also meet people who are not members of The Grid.



Research 07/10/2018

Combe Down Tunnel – Passage

Bath, Sommerset.


Sustrans build art installations into their routes – think of the portrait benches, the figures on Warmley Station or the dramatic 'Teepee-shape' close to Mangotsfield.

If you've been through Combe Down, you'll probably have encountered the tunnel's art installation – the lights and sounds, tucked into some of the refuges in the walls.

This is one of the Two Tunnels route's art

See Reference

Research 09/10/2018

Masters of Japanese prints

Hokusai and Hiroshige landscapes


Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has a collection of some 500 ‘floating world pictures’ (ukiyo-e) which celebrate the pleasures of life in Japan. Our collection ranks in the top five regional UK collections.

Through a series of three exhibitions, we are showcasing our collection of Japanese woodblock prints over the next year.

The first exhibition, Masters of Japanese prints: Hokusai and Hiroshige landscapes will explore the radical developments in landscape prints made by two of Japan’s best–loved artists.

From the 1830s to the 1850s, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) developed a dynamic new genre of landscape prints that became hugely popular with their customers in Japan and later with western artists and collectors.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831, from the series Thirty–six Views of Mount FujiThe exhibition will explore how Hokusai exploited a growing interest in Japanese landscape through his ground–breaking series Thirty–six Views of Mount Fuji and how he experimented with newly available Prussian Blue dye to develop a striking new colour palette. The selection will include his iconic design The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Encouraged by Hokusai’s success, Hiroshige developed his own landscape series including The Fifty–three Stations of the Tokaido Road which portrayed views along the route between the cities of Kyoto and Edo (today’s Tokyo). Engaging scenes from this and other series will be included in the display.

The exhibit will highlight the ways in which both artists use innovative perspectives, changes in light and weather as well as human figures to involve viewers in the scenes.

Included in the display will be a set of prints showing the process of colour printing one of Hiroshige’s prints Shono – Sudden Rain from The Fifty–three stations of the Tokaido, newly commissioned from a traditional woodblock print workshop in Tokyo with funding from the Friends of Bristol Art Gallery.

See Reference



Freelance 11/10/2018

Fujiyama Japanese Resturant

Clifton Village

This is a freelance project in which I am redesigning a logo for one of my local clients, the Japanese restaurant; Fujiyama.

Fujiyama known in the west as – Mt Fuji is an active volcano about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Naturally the concept for the final design needed to include this iconic mountain in the logo. Behind the mountain is the sun rising over the biggest mountain in the land of the rising sun, but more distinguished the sun itself take the patten of the fat on a piece of salmon.



Typeface




Avenir is a sans–serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger and released in 1988 by Linotype GmbH. The word avenir is French for "future".As the name suggests, the family takes inspiration from the geometric style of sans–serif typeface developed in the 1920s that took the circle as a basis, such as Erbar and Futura.



Colour




I chose Pantone's Goji berry as the red as it is similar to the red in the Japanese flag but slightly more delicious.



Invoice

Other Concepts


Research 12/10/2018

MULTIVERSE

The eternal birth and death of infinite parallel universes


During the last century, several hypotheses have been formulated involving the nature of our universe. Some theories lead to presume the existence of a multiverse: a system composed of an infinite number of universes that coexist simultaneously outside of our space–time. “Multiverse” is the new audio–visual installation by fuse* that draws inspiration from these concepts and, through the creation of a sequence of digital paintings, generated in real–time, attempts to represent the eternal birth and death of infinite parallel universes. It consists of a vertical projection of 7.5 meters high and two large mirroring surfaces that generate an infinite reflection of the image towards the sky and the center of the earth. The multiverse theory by Lee Smolin, an American theoretical physicist, has inspired the group to create a scientifically coherent narrative context. According to this theory, our universe is only one in a much larger cosmos (the Multiverse), a member of a growing community of universes, each one being born from the collapse following the formation of a black hole. This process leads to a revolutionary image of a Multiverse where universes with more black holes have more descendants. Smolin concludes that because of this “Cosmological Natural Selection” our universe is in this particular configuration and was born following precisely this mechanism; the existence of the earth and of ourselves, therefore, is partly causal, but at the same time the result of an infinite evolution of other universes. Hospitality to life in our universe is seen as a consequence of a self-organized process.

See Reference



Research 13/10/2018

HALO

Sculpting the sunlight into (im)material form


Created by Kimchi and Chips and currently on view at the Somerset House in London, HALO is a new installation in the series of works by the Seoul based Mimi Son and Elliot Woods where light is sculpted to create form that exists between material and immaterial.

The installation is comprised of over 100 motorised mirrors spread across two 4–metre–high towers and one 15–metre–long track that move in line with the sun throughout the day and redirect the sun rays to draw a halo, formed entirely of natural light and floating in mid–air made visible by fine water jets in the cloud of mist. It is for the first time that Kimchi and Chips focus fully on natural, rather than artificial light, bringing the sun down to earth wholly depending upon the strength of the sun, creating an experience which constantly evolves and to which the artists have to respond daily. Kimchi and Chips collaborated with the scientific research division of London based Improbable Worlds Limited to develop and train the HAM. Improbable specialise in virtual simulations and are one of the UK’s largest startups. Halo utilises Improbable’s recently released Bayesian Inference based machine learning engine titled ‘Keanu’ (a play on the name of the popular deep learning library ‘Theano’).

See Reference



Research 13/10/2018

Superception

Expanding human perception with personal projection mapping


Created by Shunichi Kasahara in collaboration with Satoru Higa, Takuto Usami, Shotaro Hirata and Tetsuya Konishi, “Superception” (Super + perception) is a research framework that uses computer technologies to intervene and transform human perception. One of these research projects, “HeadLight” is a system that allows humans to experience the perceptual world of nonhuman species through personal projection mapping.

HeadLight consists of a laser source small project with a wide conversion lens, a headphone and a pose tracker. HeadLight has a fish–eye conversion lens on the projector which enables much wider projection image. However, the conversion lens produces strong distortion in the projected image with pincushion shape. The Headlight system compensates this distortion based on a fisheye model distortion. Therefore, it enables wide–angle visual projection from the point of view of user up to 131 degrees in diagonal angle, minimum approx. 105 deg. horizontal and 55 deg. vertical, which covers a large field of view of human. By using three–dimensional data of the physical environment as the source of the projected video of the system, Headlight can project computer graphics aligned with the physical environment the user is watching. In this projection mapping mode, the projected image appears to exist on the physical surface. ​​In addition, since the system can generate image synchronously with one’s head movement, motion parallax can be generated by the change of the projected image. Due to the perception of depth caused by this moving parallax, the user feels that a virtual object exists in front of or behind the surface regardless of the physical arrangement of the actual projection plane.

See Reference



Research 14/10/2018

Learning To See

Making deep neural network predictions on live camera input


Latest in the series of experiments and explorations into neural networks by Memo Akten is a pre–trained deep neural network able to make predictions on live camera input – trying to make sense of what it sees, in context of what it’s seen before.

Learning To See is an ongoing series of works that use state–of–the–art Machine Learning algorithms as a means of reflecting on ourselves and how we make sense of the world. The picture we see in our conscious minds is not a direct representation of the outside world, or of what our senses deliver, but is of a simulated world, reconstructed based on our expectations and prior beliefs. Artificial neural networks loosely inspired by our own visual cortex look through surveillance cameras and try to make sense of what they are seeing. Of course they can see only what they already know. Just like us. The network is trained on tens of thousands of images scraped from the Google Art Project, containing scans from art collections and museums from all over the world. These include paintings, illustrations, sketches and photographs covering landscapes, portraits, religious imagery, pastoral scenes, maritime scenes, scientific illustrations, prehistoric cave paintings, abstract images, cubist, realist paintings and many more.

The work is part Memo Akten’s broader line of inquiry about self affirming cognitive biases, our inability to see the world from others’ point of view, and the resulting social polarisation.

See Reference



Research 14/10/2018

The Crystallisation Event

Endless digitisation and supersaturation of data


Created by Jayson Haebich, The Crystallisation Event explores a speculative future in which the endless digitisation and quantification of data has caused information to become supersaturated and begin a process of crystallisation. The project is presented as a speculative museum exhibit showing future artefacts from this post crystallised data world.

Presented at the end of the year MFA show at Goldsmiths University, the installation includes a number of artefacts that show both the physical results of the crystallisation process as well as digital information crystallising. The narrative describes how a crystalline structure is forming over our planet, emerging from digital data to create a new anthropogenic layer over technology. Using a kind of future speculative media archaeological approach the crystallisation event was examined as a process that has continued since deep time. Beginning with the minerals and elements that formed our physical world the process has permeated through all layers of our physical, digital and ontological world. With the crystallisation process being observed in everything from DNA structure and behaviour, investment and financial trading to the notion of time itself. These kinds of emergent systems are not just present in nature but in all kinds of complex systems including software and algorithms such as cellular automata, fractal mathematics, iterative algorithms and turmites. This kind of self organisational and self distributed behaviour is also evident on higher levels of abstraction in computation in the way in which peer to peer networks behave, data is organised in cloud servers and services such as facebook and google link information together.

The work is inspired by J G Ballards book “The Crystal World”. In the same way that Ballard’s book describes crystals taking over a remote corner of the jungle, Jayson is discussing a possible future in which crystals have crossed the digital/physical divide and emerged from data centres, hard drives, routers and other data rich media. These crystalline forms create their own new forms of information generated through the algorithmic, emergent behaviour of crystal growth.

See Reference



Research 14/10/2018

The Square

A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.


The Square is a 2017 satirical drama film written and directed by Ruben Östlund and starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West and Terry Notary. The film is about a curator (Bang) who struggles with various personal issues, including the theft of his mobile phone and affair with a journalist (Moss). Amid these distractions, a controversial promotional video for an art installation is published without his oversight, threatening his career and sparking a debate about freedom of expression and political correctness. A Swedish production with co-production support from Germany, France and Denmark, the film was shot in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin. The story was partly inspired by an installation Östlund and producer Kalle Boman had made. Östlund was also inspired by a notorious incident involving Oleg Kulik and cast Notary in a parody, drawing on Notary's experience imitating apes.

The film was entered into the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Palme d'Or. It was subsequently selected for the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It went on to win six European Film Awards, including Best Film; two Guldbagge Awards, including Best Director; and other honours. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.

See Reference



Research 15/10/2018

Heidelberg Project

The Heidelberg Project (“HP”) is an outdoor art environment in the heart of an urban area and a Detroit based community organization with a mission to improve the lives of people and neighborhoods through art.


The theory of change for the Heidelberg Project begins with the belief that all citizens, from all cultures, have the right to grow and flourish in their communities. The HP believes that a community can re–develop and sustain itself, from the inside out, by embracing its diverse cultures and artistic attributes as the essential building blocks for a fulfilling and economically viable way of life. In 1986, artist Tyree Guyton returned to Heidelberg, the street where he grew up on Detroit’s East Side, and found it in shambles, riddled with drugs and deepening poverty. Bruised by the loss of three brothers to the streets, Guyton was encouraged by his grandfather to pick up a paintbrush instead of a weapon and look for a solution.

Armed with a paintbrush, a broom and neighborhood children, Guyton and Grandpa began by cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg Street. From the refuse they collected, Guyton transformed the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became “lots of art” and abandoned houses became “gigantic art sculptures.” Guyton not only transformed vacant houses and lots, he integrated the street, sidewalks and trees into his mammoth installation and called the work, the Heidelberg Project (“HP”).

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Research 15/10/2018

Jenny Holzer

Tate Modern


American artist Jenny Holzer presents statements that can provoke strong responses. Whether encountered on city streets or in art galleries, Holzer's work asks us to consider the words and messages that surround us. Her art takes many forms, including stone benches, projections, signs, posters, paintings, plaques and textiles. Words are central to her work, whether pasted on a wall, flickering from an electronic sign, carved in granite or stitched in wool.

Her texts can be forceful and apparently simple, but may contradict one another. They are not necessarily straightforward expressions of the artist’s views. Truisms, Holzer’s first text series, is a survey of belief.

“I wanted a lot simultaneously: to leave art outside for the public, to be a painter of mysterious yet ordered works, to be explicit but not didactic, to find the right subjects, to transform spaces, to disorient and transfix people, to offer up beauty, to be funny and never lie.”

See Reference



Research 15/10/2018

Simon Stålenhag

The Electric State


In his most recent book, The Electric State, released this September, a teenager named Michelle and a robot called Skip travel across a version of America in which something has gone profoundly, uncomfortably wrong.

“Being an adult for me is understanding that you are still a kid. I think that, for me, is the most adult thing you can do: understand that you're a kid, but somebody has to pay the bills. There are people who think there’s something else to it, like “Something will happen! You will become a man!” Something like that. That never happens, and I think those characters... I don't think they specifically symbolise adulthood, I think they symbolise conformity. People choosing to be somebody that they're not. They think they're acting in a certain way, because that's what society expects from them, and they expect to get a reward for it, but the kids—I mean I'm not sure they see through it, but they react to it. They don't like it, and I remember that's how I felt being that age. I waited for that thing to happen. Adulthood.”

See Reference



Research 15/10/2018

Felix Kalmenson

Psychedelic Art Made from Moldy Food.


Watching Growth by multimedia artist Felix Kalmenson feels like dropping acid and going to the movies. Colors bleed into one another in strange, vibrant patterns that seem to eat away at the footage flashing before your eyes. A familiar face or distorted limb appears onscreen for a moment, before blurring again into blotchy, dissolving orbs. The short video was made by cultivating mold from rotting strawberries on film stock of the trailer for 2008's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. As the fungus grew, it degraded the film, leaving behind psychedelic patterns that look a little like oil slicks. If experimenting with the destructive power of mold feels a little like a science fair project, that's intentional. Growth reflects the growing trend of BioArt, or art made with live tissues, bacteria, or other living organisms.

Kalmanson is hardly the first to mix art and science. Artist Anicka Yi worked with a team of molecular biologists and forensic chemists for her 2017 exhibition, Life Is Cheap, at the Guggenheim. It featured two living dioramas: bacteria grown in agar sourced from Manhattan’s Chinatown and Koreatown, and a colony of ants exposed to a special scent museum visitors were also spritzed with, "creating the possibility of a shared psychic experience between ant and human," according to the show description. Other artists have used honey bees to repair damaged artifacts and cultivated colorful strains of bacteria to use as natural pigments.

See Reference



Research 16/10/2018

Poetic Kinetics

Reflection Rising by Patrick Shearn


Since its debut on November 17, 2017, Reflection Rising has quickly become one of the most beloved public artworks in Scottsdale, AZ, billowing brightly at the Scottsdale Waterfront. The latest Skynet by Patrick Shearn and his team at Poetic Kinetics encompasses approximately 16,000 sq.ft above the the canal, veering dramatically over the adjacent walking paths, under and over pedestrian bridges and ending in a shady silver swath above the iconic Soleri Bridge. The work’s 100,000 colorful streamers, derived from the palette of the Southwest desertscape, coalesce into a form that conjures a Chinese Dragon, mirrored ebbing and flowing in the water’s surface below. During the culminating weeks of the display, Reflection Rising will be expanded, broadening its already impressive presence on the canal. Phase 2 coincides with Scottsdale Art's annual Canal Convergence festival. Exceeding the span of three football fields, the Skynet is the premier installation exhibited at Canal Convergence Water + Art + Light 2018, which hosts a series of innovative public artworks by local, national and international artists, as well as engaging events and live performances at the waterfront.

Shearn’s signature Skynet artworks are conceived to evoke the natural phenomenon of flocking, like the murmuration of starlings, the schooling of fish, or the swarming of insects. Suspended using transparent monofilament netting and rigged inconspicuously, the undulating forms appear to levitate in mid air, finessed by the unique wind patterns of each site.

See Reference



Research 16/10/2018

Poetic Kinetics

Nimbus by Patrick Shearn


“Nimbus,” is the work of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s artist–collaborator, Yuval Sharon, in conjunction with composer Rand Steiger and artist Patrick Shearn.

Nimbus is an installation that transforms a transitional space into a performance site. The installation acts as a timepiece for Walt Disney Concert Hall as Rand Steiger’s commissioned music changes over the course of the day, alternating between computer generated musical atmospheres and compositions built from material recorded by soloists from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. These pieces, spatially distributed over 32 speakers, alternate with periods of silence interrupted by brief related sounds triggered by motion sensors. Suspended 40 feet in mid-air – seemingly floating above the atrium of downtown L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall – looms a storm of colorful clouds.

See Reference



Research 16/10/2018

Poetic Kinetics

Liquid Shard by Patrick Shearn


Liquid Shard dazzled downtown Los Angeles as a surprise to the city from July 28th to August 11th 2016. This large-scale, kinetic sculpture made of holographic mylar and monofilament was installed across Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. The piece spans 15,000 sq ft. and is comprised of two layers that rise from 15 feet off the ground to 115 feet in the air.

“The inspiration comes from observing nature and the feeling that we are only aware on a very surface level of what is really going on around us. Unexpected things revealed in time–lapse or hyper–spectrum photography fascinate me. Like fractals recurring progressively, we feel the currents of air on our skin but do not see the larger movements. I wanted to play in that realm with this piece.”– Patrick Shearn. As the center square for downtown Los Angeles, this work was created site specific to be viewed both from the ground perspective looking up to the sky and from the offices surrounding, looking down. This project allows viewers to slow down, and observe the wind slowly undulating and transforming the piece, similar to watching clouds or observing the slow mesmerizing motions of sea flora. The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, as just the contrasting rhythm of this artwork to the hustle and bustle of downtown adds something unique and positive to the urban environment.

Now Art LA secured the location at Pershing Square which made the display of the project possible while Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics had the privilege of designing this piece specific for this site with his students of AAV School.

See Reference



Research 17/10/2018

David Rokeby

The Calgary Scroll


The Calgary Scroll is a public art work commissioned from David Rokeby by the City of Calgary as part of the refurbishment of the entire length of 8th Street.

The 8th Street underpass that hosts the artwork exists because of the old railway yards that used to dominate downtown Calgary. All entry into the downtown area from the south must still pass under the remaining CPR tracks, and much of the railway lands remain vacant, serving as a huge parking lot.

The railway left a scar across the body of Calgary. The Calgary Scroll turns this scar into a repository of civic memory. The public artwork is a gracefully curved, 150 foot long LED display inspired by the curves of railway rails as they cross from track to track. The displays present scrolling fragments of text presenting snapshots of everyday life from Calgary's first 25 years, 1880–1905, relating to the railway, the river, fragments of advertising, news stories and more.

Passers–by can jog the memory of the Calgary Scroll by texting to the sign, encouraging the artwork to present texts related in some way to the contents of the text.

See Reference



Research 17/10/2018

21 Balancoires

Montreal


Participate in a collective musical production in which a single moving swing sets off a note, and several create a melody! The work was created by Daily tous les jours, in collaboration with animal behaviourist Luc–Alain Giraldeau from UQAM and Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, who composed the score of this fun installation

See Reference

Research 17/10/2018

The World's First Intertidal Art Gallery

Maldives


Underwater art installations are all the rage right now. Europe's first and only underwater museum made waves when it opened off the coast of Lanzarote – a Spanish island–in January, and America's first underwater museum followed suit, opening to divers in Florida in late June.

Now, the Maldives a true pioneer in underwater entertainment–has its own semi–submerged art gallery. Dubbed the Coralarium, the new art installation has found a home at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, a luxury resort located in the Shaviyani Atoll. The sculptures, designed by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, double as a habitat for marine life. Each atoll in the Maldives is unique for the types of creatures you'll see there, whether it's whale sharks or sea turtles. In the Shaviyani Atoll, divers and snorkelers are most likely to spot eagle and marble rays, schools of batfish, and guitar sharks. And unlike the underwater museum in Florida, which is designed for divers, the Coralarium can be enjoyed with just a snorkel and goggles in tow. Don't be surprised if you end up feeling like more of an attraction than a spectator, though.

It's almost like an inverse zoo. So in cities, we go into space and we look at caged animals. Whereas this is almost like we're the tourists, but we're in the cage and the marine life can come and go and look at us.

See Reference



Research 18/10/2018

Piano Migrations

Kathy Hinde


The inside of an old upright piano, is recycled into a kinetic sound sculpture. Videos of birds are projected directly onto the piano to provide an ever-changing musical score. The movement of the birds trigger small machines to twitch and flutter on the piano strings. In this work, nature controls machines to create delicate music.

“The best work of the festival, however, was an unassuming installation in the foyer of the Scottish Music Centre. In Kathy Hinde’s Piano Migrations, a piano becomes a bird cage (or should that be a Cage bird)…” The Arts Desk review from Sonica Festival, Glasgow 2012.

Piano Migrations was runner up for the Sonic Arts Award 2014 and listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2014 A Piano Migrations workshop generates an opportunity for members of the public to drop in to create a musical score from a journey. A map of a route they choose is printed out for them to punch holes into – which can then play melodies on a winding Music Box. A popular event with families; here is a short movie made at the Merlin Theatre at Frome Festival. The music box can be exhibited alongside the installation as the accompanying work ‘Music Box Migrations’.

See Reference

Design 21/10/2018

Project Title

Choosing the name of the project


The working title for this interactive environmental project is “Playground”. My intention is to metaphorically represent the destruction of our planet by creating an absorptive playground which, can be used to teach children about how our growing populations in the cities and abandonment of our natural world are creating a chaotic polluted concrete jungle while being fun and engaging like a playground.

The City

I spoke to the earth and she told me everything is going to be okay

Natures Majesty

H I D D E N

Hyperurbanisation

Serenity?

playground

INCIDEOUS

Vulnerability

E X I S T A N C E

Is this my home?

GREEN HOUSE

Research 22/10/2018

Exploring Bristol by Board

Hotwells, Clifton, Bedminster, Leighwoods, St Pauls


The ideal location for my system is inspired by an adventure through the city at dusk where I set out to find where nature is and isn’t in Bristol. Armed with my phone camera and my longboard, I explored the outreaches of my local area. Foraging for inspiration I meandered through streets, fields, cliff edges, river banks, urban tunnels, and underpasses. I would like my installation to be situated in an unused tunnel which, could be used as a cycle path or shortcut connecting two parts of the city to encourage greener modes of transport.

Freelance 24/10/2018

Men With Ven

Freelance for a Peep Show inspired removals company


New business created by one of my clients titled; Men With Ven. The company is a removal, delivery and standard white van man services based in Bristol. Inspired by an episode of the Cult TV series; Peep Show, where a Super Hanz wants to start a removal company with Jez called; Men With Ven. The website design is inspired around the Peep Show branding and is full of references. The page includes 3 Easter Eggs in which the user can type the names of the main characters after the URL to see a custom GIF of there favorite Peep Show characters.

www.menwithvenbristol.co.uk



Freelance 26/10/2018

Wrapman

St Nicolas Market


A food stall client based on St Nicks Market twice a week in the center of Bristol. The branding is inspired by the Owner; Alister Bain's pseudonym - WRAPMAN, Notorious for his chicken wraps.

www.wrapman.co.uk



Research 29/10/2018 - 31/10/2018

Interacting with autonomous and learning systems

Experience Design School, Siegen University, Germany


Autonomous and learning systems fundamentally differ from traditional interactive systems in at least two ways: through their autonomy, they are likely to take initiative, to plan tasks and carry them out independently, and to actively address its users; through learning mechanisms, they are likely to change behavior over time and to make more and more complex suggestions. The most likely way of “using” those systems (i.e., personal assistants, robots, cars) is HumanSystem-Cooperation. Yet, while many already preach the advent of a plethora of anonymous devices, visions of detailed interaction and its design remain scarce. In many examples it boils down to conversing with the system; however, what happens, if we have a number of those devices? Will we hold morning conference with our devices, discussing our personal health status with Doc2Go™, the maintenance needs and fuel prices with our car and the harassment inflicted by the neighbors’ offspring with our Houshold-Robot?



We worked in teams to conceptualize and create autonomous systems, while learning new techniques from the students in Seigan and attending lectures discussing the future of artificial intelligence.

Code 06/11/2018

Example Code

Theorising variables and statements for project


 
    /* P L A Y G R O U N D */

    var people = // amount of people detected
    var natureColors = // colours assoc with nature
    var naturePattern = // patterns assoc with nature
    var natureSound = // sounds assoc with nature
    var citySound = // sounds assoc with city
    var cityPattern = // patterns assoc with city
    var particles = // coloured particles
    var fogMachine = // fog machine

    if people = 0 {
        $(naturePattern).show();
        $(natureColors).show();
        $(natureSound).volume(10);
    }

    if people > 0 && < 3 {
        $(cityPattern).show();
        $(natureColors).css(('saturation') / people);
        $(natureSound).volume(5);
        $(citySound).volume(5);
    }

    if people > 3 && 5 {
        $(cityPattern).show();
        $(natureColors).css('saturation' = 0);
        $(natureSound).volume(0);
        $(citySound).volume(10);
    }

    if people > 4 {
        $(fogMachine).run();
    }

    if people > 5 {
        $(particles).show();
    }
                        


I am theorising which variables and statements I will need to use in my final code.
I am not working showing an example of a working syntax, just code theory.

Design 06/10/2018 - 31/10/2018

Potential colour schemes

Looking at colours of the city and nature.


I have been looking at colour palettes that could relate to nature and to the city. I plan to manipulate the hues dependent of the amount of people interacting with the project. Metaphorically displaying the city and nature using colour.



Freelance 07/11/2018

Code West

User experience design presentation

I have created 3 wireframe concepts for the web design of The Foundry's website. When designing a website my intention is to take the ethos of the physical environment and create a digital design realm synonymous with the brand. I have used contemporary design practices, user experience fundamentals and innovative creative to create 3 divers designs.

I presented these concepts to Dr Paul Matthews - Senior Lecturer of Information Science, Web Development, UX, Data Science, Andy King - Associate Professor of Technology & Innovation and Jenna Schuetzle - Engineering Enterprise Officer.

Designs


Code 07/11/2018

Javascript Example

Practice manipulating animation using a dynamic variable

A fundamental feature in my project is reacting an animation depending on the amount of people detected. To help me understand how this would work in practice I have created an Javascript animation which rotates faster depending on the value entered. Now that I can manipulate an animation depending on a value, once I connect a detection camera I will be able to replace the current variable with the variable output by the camera.

 
    /* O R B 1 */

    $(document).ready(function) {
        $('input').change(function(){
        var val = $(this).val();
        var inputNo = (10 / val);
            if (val > 0) {
                $(".orb").addClass("rotating");
                $('.rotating').css("animation","rotating "+ inputNo +"s linear infinite");
            }
            else {
                $(".orb").removeClass("rotating");
            }
            console.log(inputNo);
        });
    });
                        


The code above takes the input value as a variable called 'val'. It then checks if it is greater then zero, if it is not greater then zero nothing happens.

If val is more than zero it adds the class 'rotating' referenced in the CSS. It then edits the css by adding an amount of seconds which the animation takes place.

The number of seconds is a new variable called 'inputNo' - Which is 10 / val. This equation is important to reverse the speed of the animation to be faster if higher and slower if lower.

Code 12/11/2018

ORB 2.0

Practice manipulating animation using a dynamic variable

I am following on from my previous orb experiment, manipulating Javascript with a dynamic variable. The code is significantly more complex with this project as I progress with the development with Playground evidently the design and code with intricately improve.




*If frame is empty please press the refresh icon.

 
    /* O R B 2 */

    var val = $(this).val();
    var valHun = (val + 1 * 100);
    var colour = #ffffff11";

    $('input').change(function(){
    var val = $(this).val();
        if (val > 5) {
            colour "goji">= #57e0c111";
        }
        else {
            colour = #ffffff11";
        }
        init(val);
    });

  var
  body,
  lines = [],
  totalTentacles = valHun;
                        


The code above is a code snippet of a function and variables which manipulate the animation above. Similar to the previous demo the number entered in the input field changes values in the code. The if statement changes the colour of the animation if the number is greater then 5. The variable; valHun is the number + 1 * 100 and changes the number of testicles in the orb.

Code 14/11/2018

Kaleidescope

Practice manipulating animation using a dynamic variable

I am following on from my previous experiments, but this time I am dramatically adjusting colours and size in a psychedelic kaleidescope.

 
    /* K A L E I D E S C O P E */
    
    if(this.radius >= valHun){
      this.growRadius = false;
    }

    if (val == 0) {
        this.ctx.strokeStyle = '#ffffff';
    }
    else if (val >= 3) {
        this.ctx.strokeStyle = 'hsla('+this.rand(170,300)+', 100%, '+this.rand(50, 75)+'%, 1)';
    }
                        


Kaleidescope looks a lot more complicated then the previous two, however the same concept within the code is evident. The code above is a snippit of two if statements. The first changes the radius of the animation depending on the value entered. The second is an if else statement that checks if the value is equal or greater then 3. If it is not change the stroke to white. if it is change from hex code to hsla and randomise colours between two values.

Design 15/11/2018

Meridian Rebrand

Rebranding the project with a more appropriate title and a new typeface


Formally known as - Playground
Meridian - a circle of constant longitude passing through a given place on the earth's surface and the terrestrial poles. (in acupuncture and Chinese medicine) each of a set of pathways in the body along which vital energy is said to flow.

The plan for this project is to create a new path through the city, which can be used for more environmentally friendly modes of transport like a bike or walking, connecting two parts of the city with an easy route. The animation is supposed to reflect the impact we have on our environment through a visual and audio metaphor encouraging an enchantment of a beautiful new realm - powered by wind energy collected by the natural airflow created by the tunnel.

I have looked at 16 potential fonts I could use as the header type for my project, I then defined this down to 6 (bellow). After carefully considering each typeface I decided to go with Ubunto.

Ubuntu is an OpenType-based font family, designed to be a modern, humanist-style typeface by London-based type foundry Dalton Maag, with funding by Canonical Ltd. The font was under development for nearly nine months, with only a limited initial release through a beta program, until September 2010. Being a contemporary typeface only released within the last decade, I feel its curved angles and minimilist structure reflect my brand and will be holistically used from this point. Replacing the working typeface - Avenir.

Code 16/11/2018

Rays

Practice manipulating animation using a dynamic variable

I am continuing to play with animation and code variables to show dynamic animations, rays of light surge and pulse like lightning emulating from the abyss.

 
    /* M E R I D I A N    R A Y S */

    function val() {
        newValue = document.getElementById("input").value;
        loadValue = newValue * 5;
    }
    val(opts);
    
    var opts = {
        get radiantSpan(){return (loadValue / 10)
    },

                        


Above a similar function has been created but this time I have used a getter which binds a function to an Object property and uses the return value of that function each time the property is looked up to pass it into a new variable.

Code 20/11/2018

Tracking.js

Computer vision with Javascript

The tracking.js library brings different computer vision algorithms and techniques into the browser environment. By using modern HTML5 specifications, we enable you to do real-time color tracking, face detection and much more — all that with a lightweight core (~7 KB) and intuitive interface.

Website




**If frame is empty please press the refresh icon and allow camera settings.

 
    /* C O M P U T E R   V I S I O N */

          document.getElementById('input').value = event.data.length;
          if (event.data.length > 0) {
            document.getElementById('input').style.color = '#57e0c1';
          }
          else{
            document.getElementById('input').style.color = '#ffffff';
          };

                        


Tracking.js has allowed me to use compute vision to detect faces. I have logged the number of faces detected by looking at - event.data.length. I am now displaying the number of faces detected in the input field in the bottom left. Then I am running an if statement that is the number of people detected is greater then 0 change the colour of the input field text.

Code 21/11/2018

Particles

Another animation manipulated by variables

I am displaying particles to symbolise the pollutants in the air - Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Methane.




*If frame is empty please press the refresh icon.

 
    /* M E R I D I A N    R A Y S */

    function val() {
        newValue = document.getElementById("input").value;
        loadValue = newValue * 5;
    }
    val(opts);
    
    var opts = {
        get radiantSpan(){return (loadValue / 10)
    },

                        


Above a similar function has been created but this time I have used a getter which binds a function to an Object property and uses the return value of that function each time the property is looked up to pass it into a new variable.

Code 24/11/2018

Tracking.js

Computer vision with Javascript

Computer vision manipulating Javascript variables controlling an animation. ‘Particles’ is a visualisation of harmful substances in the atmosphere; Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Methane. The theory enforcing my project is that the ever growing population of the cities is contributing to these insidious pollutants damaging our environment. Metaphorically I am displaying this theory, as the more people detected the more particles are visible.

Website




**If frame is empty please press the refresh icon and allow camera settings.

 
    /* A N I M A T E D   C O M P U T E R   V I S I O N */

      document.getElementById('input').value = event.data.length;
      newNumber = event.data.length;
      maxParticles = (newNumber) * 50;

      if (newNumber > 0) {
        document.getElementById('input').style.color = '#57e0c1';
        currentMax = newNumber * 300;
        maxParticles = newNumber * 300;
        emissionRate = newNumber * 10;
      }
      else{
        document.getElementById('input').style.color = '#ffffff';
        particles = [];
        maxParticles = 25;
      };
                        


If you interact with the animation, when 0 people are detected the particles are minimal, but when 1 person is detected a swarm of particles flow on the screen, and this multiplies relative to the number detected.

Design 30/11/2018

Location

Eastville Bridge Under M32


Under the M32 is a clandestine art gallery filled with some of the best graffiti pieces in the city, and to get too it takes crossing a motorway, climbing a barbed fence and crossing a 50cm wide girder over an ice cold sewage ravine. At the end of this needle infested slippery footpath is a handmade skatepark. I feel this is an ideal location as the project is presented via a projector that works best in dark areas. Not only for its aesthetics a cyclepath or footpath integrated under the bridge as a direct route too the city center could be a perfect environmentally friendly alternative to a motorway. It is integral that the skatepark and graffiti is preserved and left as is.

Design 01/11/2018

Meridian Film

A 100 second film depicting the project