CyberArt

Showtime

2009-05-03T14:33:00.000-04:00

We finished up the project and had the show with ease. A lot of people came out, and everyone's projects looked fantastic. Becky from my group took a ton of pictures. Here they are:
http://vt-cyberarts.blogspot.com/2009/04/week-cyber-arts-show-opening-night.html

We have begun assembling pairs

2009-04-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

These are some of my ideas for images that will be paired up.

burning oil fields

https://segueuserfiles.middlebury.edu/Geog0214a-4-G3/OilFieldsKuwait2.jpg

http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/071009-F-2911S-013.jpg

http://sill-www.army.mil/famag/online_photo_gallery/artillery%20in%20oif-oef/Rumaylah_Oil_Fields.jpg

gas station

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Shell_Tankstelle.jpg

chureca

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagechica/2688622061/sizes/l/

suburbia

http://sylvanend.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/new-suburbia.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Suburbia_by_David_Shankbone.jpg

http://www.kaylinart.com-a.googlepages.com/suburbia.jpg/suburbia-full;init:.jpg

kid playing in dirty street

http://bbsnews.net/bbsn_photos/topics/US_Iraq_War/05_07_24_69_Little_boy_in_Sadr_City.jpg

rainforest with lake

http://image36.webshots.com/37/6/71/27/333767127ETMMYw_fs.jpg

dump with lake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagechica/2688632063/sizes/l/

colorado river

http://www.jessstryker.com/national-parks/rocky-mountains/images/ColoradoRiver1.jpg

hoover dam

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/geo372/2005-03-26-033-Hoover_Dam-dam%2Bdischarge_bay-NV%2BAZ.JPG

Rundown of what we have left to do

2009-04-26T14:29:00.000-04:00

-spray paint foam boards black (Ryan has spray paint)
-assemble foam boards
-black cloth for table (I'm going to JoAnn fabrics to find something)
-photo pairs
-set up / final touches

setup

2009-04-25T19:00:00.000-04:00

We decided on a setup. Here is a picture of what we plan on doing:

We basically will have two tables next to each other. The table furthest from the wall will have a box on top of it. The user will put his hands in the hole in the box which has a webcam mounted on the ceiling of it. The webcam will capture the image, and then convert it to black and white. Anything in the box (i.e. user's hands) will be black and the background, white. The Isadora software will then replace the white with one image and the black with another. The resulting image will then be displayed on the TV. This will give us the effect that the user is revealing the truths behind the image. In order for the user to get the best effect, the tv has been placed on a table on top of the table that we made with a piece of plywood and some concrete blocks generously donated Steve.

first isadora screenshot....awesome!!!

2009-04-22T23:30:00.001-04:00

Great Progress!!!!!

2009-04-22T22:04:00.000-04:00

Tonight we worked in the space that will be hosting the art show. It is over by Ben and Jerry's where Obama's Blacksburg HQ was located. We made a ton of progress. Simone showed us this software called Isadora from a company called TroikaTronix. It is exactly what we were looking for. There is one slight problem. We don't have the money to afford the full version ($275...no thanks). We do have access to a demo, so we are able to use it at full power but are not able to save anything. This is going to be a major hassel, but we hopefully will be able to work around it.

Other big news is that because Simone and Steve liked out poster so much, we will be creating the invitation as well. This is great!!! Sara and Becky did all of the presentation for the poster while me and Eric handled the content. I give the credit to the girls though. They really made it look gorgeous.

We are in the midst of setting up right now. We are still deciding on how we will actually present out piece. We are not able to mount the TV that will be projecting our images, so we will have to figure out a way to work around that.

Looking for the right software

2009-04-20T17:15:00.000-04:00

We are still looking for the right software. Simone said she had a good idea of what we needed last week after our presentation of the poster. That went really well by the way. Our poster and idea were one of the few that did not get torn to shreds. Simone and Steve really liked it, and I am really proud of our team. Now we just need to execute it. We have played around with a couple things from Adobe's suite, but so far no luck. Next class, we are going to have to really bug Simone and Steve about what we should use.

Actual Poster

2009-04-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

The final content for the poster

2009-04-15T18:45:00.002-04:00

Ghost of our Nature

Imagine examining a famous cityscape known for its grandeur and prominence. In viewing some of mankind’s greatest accomplishments of engineering, sometimes in the back of our minds we feel a twinge of sadness, a feeling of insignificance, and perhaps a sliver of guilt—as if there is an implied truth behind our technological marvels that despite our combined work, we have sacrificed more than we bargained for to get it. What have we covered up? What beauty are we overlooking? Where has our innocence been left behind? The ghost of our nature is visually prevalent in our demonstration of mankind’s tradeoff for civilization. In order to bring this idea to life, we have constructed a new media art piece.

We will project a basic landscape onto a wall, while utilizing a green screen and camera on the opposite wall. As people walk in front of the green screen, a camera will track them to capture their movements. Instead of the green screen’s traditional use, our software will outline everyone’s silhouettes on top of the projected image, and through this shape, another image layer will be exposed. Essentially, the viewers’ shadows will reveal this new image layer.

Poster

2009-04-15T13:38:00.000-04:00

We finished our poster for class today, and finally decided on a name. Eric came up with "Ghosts of Our Nature." This is the basic premise of our project as well as the execution:

The main objective of (our project) is to show another side of the truth. There are many instances of where something beautiful has an ugly side. In order to brings this idea to life, our team has constructed a new media art piece.

We will project an image onto a wall while at the same time use a green screen on the opposite wall. Then instead of using the green screen to show that person on top of the projected image, another layer of the image would be revealed. Think of it like creating a silhouette on the fly.

The effect will allow viewers to interact with our piece of artwork in addition to bringing some conflicting feelings to mind.

Trying to find the right software

2009-04-06T13:32:00.002-04:00

I emailed Ken Garland of the communications dept to help us figure out what type of software we should use. Our idea is simialr to what a weather man is doing in front of the weather map. He eventually got back to me, but it does not look like we will be needing his help, because Simone has some software for us to use. This is the email I sent him:

Mr. Ken Garland,

Hello, my name is Ryan Hauptman. I am working on a project for an art class, and I have some questions about using a green screen in real time (i.e. a weather man). I found you on the comm website under broadcast journalism and was hoping you could help me out or point me in the direction of someone who could.

Best,

Ryan Hauptman

Name ideas for project and thigns we need

2009-04-04T17:01:00.000-04:00

Name Brainstorm

human layer masking

magic eye

subliminal imaging

revealmaging

shadowy revelations

slhoimaging

from the shadows

little green man

skeletons in the closet

Things we need

green screen

projector

camera

projection screen

lighting for green screen

2nd Meeting

2009-03-31T16:50:00.002-04:00

We decided to go with my idea, but with some minor modifications. This was my original idea:

we would have a camera and a green screen where you could stand in front of the screen. Then the image would be sent to a computer and create a silhouette. That silhouette would then be shown on a wall by flipping tiles. It would be done in real time, so you would actually see the tiles flipping as you moved around the green screen. It is real tough to explain over the web, so send me any questions.

Instead of using tiles, we will use a projector. Ideally it will be in one of the square rooms in the museum. Now, we are searching for software. Here is an example of what we want to do...

Notes From first meeting

2009-03-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

We have a bunch of ideas, so I am going to list them and whatever is related.

aerial view of...
    rain forest that is being destroyed either by the user or in a predetermined fashion
    urban center
    strip mining
    virginia tech
execution of aerial view
    surround sound
    use the wiimote to view the environment

motion detectors or a green screen+camera that distort a collage of provocative images

green screen that flips over black/white tiles -> make almost a silhouette of whatever is in front of the green screen

show a warped image by changing mirrors concavity depending on the motion in front of the mirrors

Our Groups Idea for project 3

2009-03-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

My idea is inspired by something I saw at the Taubman Museum. It was a grid of small mirrors on the wall that were connected to a motion detector on the floor. When you walk in front of the detector, it would cause all the small mirrors to shift and follow your movements.

I think it'd be cool to do something similar using motion detectors but without the mirrors. It could be hooked up to bigger objects that you could try to make mimic your motion. I also thought about having a projection of a space (say a meadow), and by walking in place in front of the motion sensors, the image would move like you were moving through that space.

This idea is from Becky

visit to multiverse

2009-03-19T02:08:00.003-04:00

I went to the National Art Gallery to see the light sculpture, Multiverse created by Leo Villareal. It is experienced when visitors of the museum step onto a moving walkway in the Concourse between the east and west wings of the Gallery. As you move along the walkway (for approximately 90 seconds), upwards of 40,000 LED lights are changing in what appear to be patterns. In reality, Villareal wrote a computer program that has the LEDs randomly changing. The patterns that are formed take on many different forms. For me, it looked like I was watching clouds float through the sky. I went with my dad, and he saw it as locusts or the video game, Space Invaders. Needless to say, this piece is very fun to talk about, and different each time experienced.

What makes Multiverse so cool is its use of organic form in artificial life. It takes the randomness that is nature and displays it in an artificial computerized environment using code to randomly generate patterns of light. It makes technology look like something alive and unpredictable. This is a very interesting concept and brings up some questions about their relationship. Is there a distinct boundary between life and technology or have they become so intertwined that it is becoming difficult to distinguish between the two? At this point in time, I believe that they are still two separate entities, but this piece will get you thinking about the future of technology and life.

Another significant thing to point out is the connection between the east and west buildings. The west houses the more traditional art such as portraits in paint or stone. The east holds modern art including pieces from Andy Warhol and other similar artists. I viewed Villareal’s piece as a vortex that connects the two together or a black hole that transports you to another time period’s art. After travelling through the concourse, you see a completely different side of art. The name Multiverse also implies this. You have two different art universes that are being connected.

I snapped a couple of photos of the exhibit. As you can see, the visitor is totally immersed in the piece. It made me feel like I was traveling through space or in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Check them out here

Proposal

2009-03-19T02:05:00.002-04:00

The whole Dada movement in Zurich is very interesting to me. My idea is create a piece that takes the Dada mindset and applies to today using new technologies.
The piece would be a musical performance that includes space raps and projectors that are firing off random yet significant images. I have not decided on what type of content would be in the images or lyrics. This could be decided by the team.
I drew this picture to give you a better idea of how I envision it.

Girl Talk

2009-02-28T01:09:00.002-05:00

Somewhat related to the class. I saw girl talk last night. It was real wild. He is a pretty interesting artist. He samples music from all sorts of classic rock, 90s pop, gangster rap, slow jamz....you see where I am going. It is great music to dance to, and everyone can sing to at least 80 percent of the songs. The coolest part is how he samples the songs to take on new meanings. Most of them are sexual. Here is a video of his live show.

Presentation

2009-02-28T01:03:00.002-05:00

Last class, we had our presentations for the second sketch problem. They were all really great!!! Ours went very well. One minor problem....we forgot to turn on the space heaters. Outside of that, it was a real hit. I think that it turned out almost exactly as we had expected it to.

The other presentations were also very cool. I really enjoyed the "I wonder" project. The idea was very cool. They set up a bunch of stereos and played the same cd on all of them on random. The tracks played were all variances of the phrase I wonder from songs, interviews, the actual group's wonders, etc. It was very interesting and got you wondering about stuff ;).....I'm lame. I can't believe I actually just typed that. I'm leaving it.

The rest were great too. I still want to know what I felt in that back room for the white elephant group. I loved the maze concept. We should have had a race. The drillfield in a box was soooo cool. I think that is all of them. Overall, great!!!!!

Minutes from todays meeting

2009-02-18T22:13:00.001-05:00

Team,

Here is a list of things we need:

space heaters - I have one, ryan has two
smores
wood bein
misty conversation
snake tongue...maybe a wet string or rubber band
say "shhh did you hear that?" and then tag with the snake tongue/bear claw
blindfolds - 5 each, ideas - bandanas or ties
sound
a few pc's, ryan will let us know how many
speakers - i have a pair
Ryan will take care of the "ambient" sounds i.e. nature, campfire, crickets....
Eric will work on sound fx
things to pass around
soda, hot dog, s'mores, flashlight, marshmellow roasting stick (we could warm it up on the heaters to give it that authentic campfire feel)
smores smelling candle
fan for a gust of wind
spiders...

I was thinking about the story a little more. In order for it to feel natural, it should be something that can be easily memorized. Because at a campfire, stories are usually recited (not read) and real cheesy. I did a little googling, and both of these stories seem short and scary/funny.

http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/pa7.html
http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/tx5.html

Let me know what you all think. We can definitely still write our own or modify one of these, i think we just need to keep in mind that it should be short and sweet.

I put together a little outline....email out any changes or additions

jump right into Kum Ba Yah
ask if anyone wants a smore or hotdog or soda and "pass" them to each other
do a remember that time.....maybe an embarassing story
throw around a couple jokes
ask if anyone knows a ghost story and have someone tell it
head to our tents/ end the experience

Send out any input!!!

Regards,
Ryan

Blipfest

2009-02-15T13:05:00.004-05:00

These are a couple videos from blipfest http://blipfestival.org/2008/

It is pretty wild stuff. they use projectors to show some pretty crazy graphics. Something like this would be cool to perform for the final project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnDbtnXyNc4

This is another thing to think about. It is called demoscene. It is pretty crazy. They basically take apart old video games and rework them to make their own visuals. Then they combine it with audio to make kind of a music video. Very cool. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demoscene

Some of them use the C64 to do this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64#C64_clones

This is something I am pretty interested in. I am going to try and find some more info on how to do it.

One more thing. this is a description of Meneo, an 8bit artist.

"Meneo means “massive bootie sway” in Spanish, which is the mission of Rigo Pex's 8bit reggaetón and electro-dancehall grooves. His epileptic sounds lead to a hot and spicy atmosphere that sometimes has motivated the crowd to experience disorderly conduct. Meneo performances investigate artistic concepts that imply the surprising and unforeseeable, accidents, mistakes and coincidences as a means to alter the dynamics of creative performance and to discover new aesthetic presentations. Intentional coincidences produce paradoxical irritations that allow for a re-enchantment and sensualisation of abstract structures – whether applicable to technological systems, social situations, or communicative and collective processes in an open venue or a space. Meneo plays with the unpredictable also as a method of conscious disorientation, of asserting a provocative independence, and as immunization against the growing desire of public and commercial organizations for security and control."

minutes from last group meeting - 2/11

2009-02-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

Ideas
-performance about someone who loses sight
-experience something....car crash, rain forest, campfire
-follow a story
-guess colors, using other senses

Camp Fire
touch
-use space heaters for fire
-snake hissing on back of neck...scare the audience
-fog machine mist
-pass around a flashlight.....ask the audience to pass it to one of us, but just let go around the circle
-throw spider webs on people
taste
-eat a smore
smell
-smell a smore (maybe make beforehand)
-burnt wood (burn outside and then bring in)
-
sound
-snakes rattling
-crackle of fire
-nature sounds

Execution
-circle everyone up and then blindfold them with the lights off
-create an environment where we are at a campfire as friends telling jokes and stories, eating smores
-tell a story about....
big foot
a ghost story
the tell tale heart
-chose a story that is heavy in the senses and have the audience experience them as we telling the story
-exaggerate the sounds
-scare them.....could be a snake or just scaring a friend or both
-we will be doing it inside because we have more control over the situation

Cool Idea for future projects

2009-02-09T20:59:00.004-05:00

I came across this today. It is this guy who makes DJ equipment out of old video games, electronics, etc. It looks pretty cool. This looks like it would have been a little too ambitious for the first project, but it definitely something to keep in mind down the line.

http://gieskes.nl/

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/make_interview_modding_co.html

http://www.littlesounddj.com/lsd/sounds/lsd_dmgvscgb.mp3

presentations/new project

2009-02-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

today we had our presentations. they all were very good. i like to think our project is the best ;). i think we had the best presentation, but the coolest project is the fast food wind chime. it would ask to take your order when the "chimes" touched. very cool idea. we rocked the house. everyone had fun and i believe we accomplished what we had hope to do.

we also got into new groups today. the new group consists of another ryan-art, eric-cs, christine-art, rico-cs, and me-idst. the new projects theme is "every sense but sight." it should be real interesting. we came up with a few ideas.....

a musical

scratch and sniff

fog machines

turn off the lights and tell a spooky story

haunted house...

think about different versions of your senses

"free your mind" -steve harrison

Last group meeting for project 1

2009-02-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

Jan 31

today we finished up the bends and the jacob's ladder. we decided to go down the route and create a band and song. we will from now on be known as the weekend benders who penned the underground hit "get bent." we will be using the jacob's ladder as a "light show" for the background of our band during the preformance/presentation this week. i agreed to pen some lyrics.

So I was walking down the street
When I heard this strange beat

It sounded like a robot dying
Or maybe broken barbie crying

I walked up and said whats that
To my surprise they said back

Get bent…get bent….get bent

After calming down I asked some questions
Quickly, they gave an explanation

First you gotta crack open some toys
Then short them out to make some noise

Now soder your wires
To make the sounds desired

Then its time to fasten the screws
Pretty soon you be singing the circuit bending blues

2nd class - third meeting for project 1

2009-02-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

Jan 28

We gathered toys over the last few days to circuit bend and now have a keyboard, drum, and guitar. Estelle, christine, and i learned how to soder. Greg taught us. he also brought in a ton of tools, switches, wires, etc. We were able to get a bend on the drum and greg had already finished the piano. It is pretty cool. We can speed up or slow down the drum with a switch and then create some crazy noises with the button. the guitar has some cool stuff on it, and we just need to do sodering. greg bought a microwave to try to figure out the jacob's ladder. We will be meeting again this weekend to finish everything up.

second meeting - first project

2009-02-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Meeting on January 21

Greg came to the meeting with a completed circuit bend which is basically taking apart an electronic toy and then playing around with its insides. Very cool stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cCyuWTjgug We also looked at some footage online of a Jacob's ladder. It is basically two wires connected to a transformer that create some sparks. Very cool/dangerous looking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYBPtp0XwbM I came up with the idea of getting together a bunch of kids instruments to circuit bend and then write a song about it. We decided to go in this direction and create our own circuit bending band.

First Class

2009-02-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

First day of class - Jan 21

we were put into groups today. our group is me-idst, greg-cs, estelle-cs, and christine-art. we came up with a list of things we have and ideas for projects:

Sodering iron, DJ light, Jacob's Ladder from Greg

Old printer from Christine

Waffle Iron from Ryan

Circuits and Wires from Estelle

We could go to a thrift store to do some circuit bending

Use a telephone that made lights or sounds go on and off depending on which keys you pressed

Pen light

Speaker that uses an electrical arc

Guitar Hero

X-mas Lights

Strobe Light

Glasses to make specific notes

Pocket Fan

Old cell phones

DDR

These are basically just a bunch of random thoughts.....