Atrium experiment - interpreting my observations.

Well, we're not calling it the Atrium experiment now, are we? It's now the Coniglio Trials - fitting to the creator of Isadora. As I may have also pointed out, I've unwittingly become a part of an exhibition showcasing the collected works of Marian Clayden. The exhibition, A Dyer's Journey Through Art & Fashion, is now currently running in the Bonington Gallery, and works by other art students have been set up in the Atrium. The information I gave to the organisers has been attached to it.

Last week, I had composed a quick questionnaire for those who had evidently interacted with the art piece, keeping in mind that this feedback was largely interpretive. I asked ten people, some of whom I didn't actually know by acquaintance. This is one of the feedback sheets:

These were the FreeFrame effects that I used, although I did add further variations of them later on (VE stands for visual effects):

Based on the number of people I gave this questionnaire to, VE4 and VE5 were the most preferred. Now, even though this is all very subjective, my speculation on this would highlight the painter-esque nature of these effects. One of the Fine Art tutors in Trent (I didn't know his name, and this was before I made the questionnaire) described these aesthetics as such. The least preferred - maybe even the least seen - were VE1 and VE-2. I'm not sure why this is, but without speaking for everyone else, I didn't take much of a liking to them either. I can only relate, there.

Everyone interacted with the piece for an estimated five minutes or more; not going beyond ten minutes. I was going to put my own, traditional adaptations of these effects up before I was aware of the exhibition I'm now a part of. So, as a result, it occurs to me that I don't need to, as there are traditional mediums already on display by other students. These are mainly undergraduates in Fine Art, Textiles and Decorative Arts, whose work is very suitable to compare with the interactive piece. Not to say that mine would be superior, but it is interesting to see how spectators walk around the gallery and view each piece, then actually wave and gesture in front of another curated piece in a corner. 

9/10 stopped to interact with the object, and the one who didn't commented that she will again (this was mainly because I gave the subject a questionnaire right after she interacted with it the first time). That's quite nice to know: that people have come back repeatedly to interact with it. What I really should have asked is if they would view all of the surrounding artwork again, but I believe I could still do this at the official launch (30th April). 9/10 had also shown an extra person to the piece (again, the one who didn't commented that she will). When I think about it, I'm unsure as to the significance of this question, because this can easily be the case for all other kinds of artwork.

Now, as I have previously done this in projection, the views have been mixed, which I think is mainly due to the fact that only four people have seen it that way. Four people ticked projection, two ticked for the current presentation (yet commented that they would be interested to see it projected), four ticked both boxes. It can be safely assumed that most would like projection. And why not? That gives more space to immerse oneself in the space as it is transformed into a big, interactive art piece. Illumination is more key in that situation, however. The perk about my current presentation is that it is well placed in a spot that is complimented by natural light, so you can get a plethora of different results.

A few of them didn't really bother with the last question, asking for further comments. But the overall impression was that - other than the "I love it!" expression - the effects of the screen implied further possibilities of generative art and interaction. There was a curiosity to see more variations, which had me thinking on what other plugins could be installed on Isadora, beside the FreeFrame package.

Projection mapping in gas tanks, and ambitious proposals

LOOK!

A friend posted this video to me on facebook the other day. The sheer magnitude and expense of this commissioned undertaking boggles me still. To stand in the middle of that place would probably obliterate every visual conception you had of yourself as anything significant.

I had also shown another friend afterwards, and because he himself is a sound/light engineer with a keeness to sound art, installations and projection mappings, he now wants to collaborate with me to make a projection mapping piece for Light Night 2015. An ambitious proposal, but a project I would certainly like to have a good crack at.

A note in the Atrium (and further developments)

I was working last Wednesday, because that's what I've ended up doing on Wednesdays every week. So, I wasn't in when another exhibition was being set up in the Atrium. When I got in this morning, there it was: another exhibition. A note was left resting at the base of my Atrium experiment, asking that if I want it to be in the Atrium and be a part of the exhibition, then all I'd need do is e-mail the address that was left behind.

Fair enough. I was going to take it down today anyway. But if I'm being invited to keep it there, then I'm equally happy to do so. That leaves me a lot more time to, perhaps, record some interaction. The only downside to this is that it's been the Easter weekend, and the university is apparently closed from Friday, all the way through to Wednesday. So, I may not be able to film anything until then. Given that that I'm at work on Wednesday, I won't be in until Thursday. I have to say, that's beyond annoying.

Anyway. here's how it looks now, next to some other funky piece:

They got back to me by e-mail at the end of the day, and it seems that they're pretty excited to have me as part of their exhibition. Excellent. As a result of becoming an unwitting element to this event, they just needed the following information, of which I indulged:

Name of piece: 
Coniglio Trial 2

Description:
This interactive piece is named after Mark Coniglio, a pioneering media practitioner of integrated performance art and digital technology. It invites the audience to explore and consider their engagement with exhibited art, albeit digital video capture and rendering through Isadora - a proprietary graphics programming software with emphasis on real-time digital manipulation. 

If there is a statement, then it is still in testing. But for now, Coniglio Trial 2 is an encouragement for interacting with all art in whatever form it takes, be it gesturing in front of the object before you, or responding to equally vivid artwork in the space, thus enhancing the social dynamic of an exhibition. 

Course of study:
MA Interaction Design

I've also put together a quick questionnaire about the piece and given them out to those who've interacted with the piece, but I may do this further at the launch (assuming I'm not at work).

Atrium Experiment - Progress

I've finally got the piece up and running in the Atrium space, and ye gods is it a lovely, sunny day! In fact, it's a bit overly sunny; so much so that I can barely register the reactive object in the space. So, what I've decided to do tomorrow is to move the piece into a better, slightly darker corner in an environment that is otherwise rich with natural light. People will be walking past this spot more often when coming and going through the double doors near this corner. Not to mention that there is an accessible power source concealed in the floor itself, so it's just a matter of moving the piece literally across the room. 

In the meantime, here's how it has sat today:

As one can see, it's a pretty bright day. Unfortunately, that may have subtracted from the presentation of the piece. Apart from the odd and curious individual, the experiment so far has simply blended in too much with the environment. I can tell that people can at least register the fact there is some kind of art piece being displayed as they've glanced at it, but so far, nothing fruitful enough on engagement. Hopefully, this will be rectified with tomorrow's plan... and I believe I'll be trying to film it as well.

Floor plan of the Atrium space and experiment:

Projection experiment

Perhaps it is best to illustrate the technical arrangement of this primary research, although it is easily explained. My extension of this project into public spaces has not just been limited to the Bonington Atrium. I have already used a photography studio that was literally next door to the sound studio. The convenience of this extension was that I could just shift one of the Mac Suite computers next door, and run Isadora from there. The crux of this involved the acquisition of a HD projector, but that was resolved quickly with help from the sound studio technician, who signed an Epson EH-TW480 out for my use. It was then just a matter of hooking it all up, running Isadora and projecting it onto a plain white backdrop, and seeing how camera positions, angles and projection work in the setting.

A few images of the space and initial testing with the inbuilt camera on the Mac Suite. The realtime video rendering, as I suspected, was a lot more smooth and crisp on this computer than the MacBook Pro. I was using the same camera from the Atrium experiment, so I now know that it was hardly anything to do with the camera, just the performance of the computer connected to it.

Starting the projection up onto the backdrop.

That image is of me taking a picture of the projection, whilst the inbuilt camera was rendering my own image. Call it a three way selfie. 

Isadora itself. It's really quite simple after several youtube lessons and a few hours of experimentation. 

The bonus yielded from this undertaking was the participation of a few uni friends, whom I invited to have a look at what I was doing. I'm quite pleased to say that they certainly didn't mind jumping around and waving their arms and legs in various directions.

Even managed to get a video on my phone, because I'm professional like that!

I also had the additional idea of experimenting with reverse projection, which involved moving the backdrop forward, and extending the lamp along with the camera to address the shadow and mirror problem (the mirror problem was later addressed with the flip actor in Isadora as well). The result led to further considerations being taken about camera angle and luminosity. Here is a quick illustration as to what might be considered:

Saying that, though, I asked the participants whether they minded the fact that they cast shadows on the projection, to which all three of them replied: no. One of the rationales they gave was the immersion of the audience; it felt to them like they were a part of the artwork on display. It would be a shame to leave this projection experiment here, so I'm going to continue with it as illustrated above (or something similar) with a more translucent surface, then see how projection works in a very public setting, possibly even a separate organisation.

The Atrium experiment - development

We've come to the Easter holidays, and the undergrads have scattered and left a deserted cityscape of libraries, lecture rooms and student unions. But the Easter break, as it turns out, doesn't apply to post-graduates. So, now is the time for the Isadora kiosk I've been making to be put to the test. Over the course of the last week, before the end of this second term, I acquired a disused wooden unit that can host a screen, which in turn can be connected to a computer running Isadora. I've now got it working, as pictured. 

I'm also going to paint it white, because the DIY look of this piece in the Atrium space would make it look tacky. Given that it looks partially like a plinth, white is the prevailing colour for the gallery setting, and usually makes everything look bold; this piece is no exception. 

What is left to consider here involves the physical application of Isadora with a higher-performance computer, and drilling a hole for the camera to slot inside. Drilling a hole is also due to avoiding the tacky look of the webcam. It's a real art piece that I am effectively doing here, only I'm being quite unofficial about it, because in reality it's an experiment; not a show. Nonetheless, bold aesthetics are nice to have. 

The other issue in that light was concealing the computer that ran the piece itself. When I was testing the piece, I was using an old MacBook Pro with OS 10.6 or 7, and found that the video rendered through the screen was slower than anticipated, even in realtime video capture. The camera connected to it may have also influenced its performance. So, I have endeavoured to borrow a more powerful Mac Suite computer from the sound studio and conceal it within the fake wall of the Atrium. 

Here is a quick illustration for physical description.

Hopefully, by Thursday this coming week, I will have this piece tested and ready in the Atrium space.   The following week will be key in many aspects of this project, especially in technical and interpretive contexts, as the space will be busy again with students, lecturers and the general public. The piece itself will remain there and be maintained, whilst I observe and interpret the engagement of the passerby audience.