words become the shape of my mouth as I read Geometry and Non

Description

I was given an assignment to create a screen print based on the city of Venice and inspired by the poem Geometry and Non by Jennifer Scappettone (Actually, this is a erroneous amalgamation of various poems attributed to Scappettone, sorry this is a collage given to me as the *real* thing. Apologies.). As more of a performer then visual artist, I decided to create a piece of software that could turn a reading of the poem into it’s visual analog. This singular performance generated both the print as a PDF and video documentation of its creation.

Built using Open Frameworks, ofxKinect, OpenCV, and Jason Saragih’s FaceTracker through Kyle McDonald’s ofxFaceTracker wrapper.

Music: La Serenissima (Theme From ‘Venice In Peril’) by Rondo Veneziano.

Images

Visit the Flickr set

I took part in the openFrameworks Lab at the Ars Electronica Festival 08:

Zachary Lieberman and Theo Watson, originators of openFrameworks, an open source, C++ toolkit for artists and creative technologists, are transforming the 1st floor of the Brucknerhaus into an experimental laboratory: OF lab. The idea is to build a space where a dozen or so hackers, tinkerers and researchers will hang out and experiment, make art, create guerrilla exhibitions around the festival and document their progress and discoveries. The “OF lab” will focus on creating new works that come directly out of suggestions from the festival audience members, and over the course of the event, create a feedback loop between suggestions, experimentation, making projects, exhibiting the results and most importantly, exposing the process.

Before the festival began, the OF Lab team built the software and installed the hardware used during the festival. I built an automated security camera system with 3 monitor displays and a hardware video switcher.

People visiting the lab proposed projects using up to 5 words and were photographed holding their idea. These pictures were printed and transported to the 2nd floor where the laboratory members processed the idea and created new media project. The idea submitters were then contacted and shown the resulting project in a small public exhibition. Image and video documentation were taken and finished projects displayed in the first floor exhibition.

Pierre and I made 2 projects:

Veski is a better man?!

Project id: 34
Time: 6 hrs
Lines of Code: 945
Description:

We don’t know who Veski is so we did a Google search and discovered Anne Veski, an Estonian singer and a weird baby picture from “veski.com”. We then Googled “better man: and arrived at “betterman.com”, a penis enlargement website.

Wo, without further ado, we have the singing sensations …

Download the Code (zip)

a good art sniffer

Project id: 73
Time: 6 hrs
Lines of Code: 259
Description:

sense = smell

art = good, mediocre, or crap

behold the art sniffer, kind of like a geiger counter but for talent

Download the Code (zip)

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The project was part of the Double Take Exhibition at Eyebeam from Jul 12 – Aug 8 08

Check out the official project wiki

UPDATE Sept 08: soundMetal will be in Nick Collin’s Hand Made Electronic Music and the video on the accompanying dvd!

Proposal

This is my proposal to the Eyebeam Interactivos? call for project proposals, May 2008. The workshop theme is :

The theme of this workshop is centered around exploring the tension of real versus fake. What is authentic in the realm of the digital? Can something be so fake that it moves into the realm of the real?

Abstract:

This paper proposes the project SoundMetal: An Unreal Touch Experience to the Eyebeam Interactivos? call for proposals, May 2008. SoundMetal is a simple system to turn any conductive surface in the city into a conduit for unexpected sound generation. Users simple grasp a subway pole and any further skin contact influences the system to create sound, creating a unique experience to those not accustomed to the concept of body conductance. It is hoped that this simple concept could lead to a moment of “unreality of the everyday” for those involved.

soundMetal: An Unreal Touch Experience proposal (.pdf)

Finished Project

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

I’d like to thank my team: Reid, Patrick, Leanne, and Lee. I’d also like to thank the Eyebeam staff and the workshop mentors: Zach Leiberman, Taeyoon Choi, and Friedrich Kirschner.

Audio of the performance:

Window Feedback

Description from oramos.org:

Project shown at the bellmanlarssonlindstromnord kalendar projekt. It was a sound installation /performance that worked with the properties of audio feedback. For that night, a simple contact microphone was taped to a window looking to the street. The sound picked up by the microphone, was played trough a speaker that was placed against the glass of the same window. This created an audio feedback that was manipulated and altered by the movement and vibrations of the speaker while i moved and smashed it trough all the window. (Dan Wilcox had to take care of the audio feedback running through the P.A and mixerboard)

A project for the “Future” exhibition at the IT-ceum, The Swedish Computer Museum, in Linköping, Sweden.

December 9th 2006 to March 2007

Custom electronics, light ropes, and a light box.

photos of the project in progress

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An enthusiastic review of the “Future” exhibition at the ITceum (in Svenska). Dec 20th, 06

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Video of Michael Idehall playing on praya dubia at the exhibition opening.

praya_dubia

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November 24, 2006

What’s the best way to get a stir out of an “experimental music” crowd? Why become a mobile midi karaoke platform of course!

Utilizes pykaraoke.

Songs performed (selected by the audience/participants):

1. Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles
2. Thriller – Michael Jackson
3. Crying – Roy Orbison
4. Rhythm of the Night – Corona
5. Tainted Love – Soft Cell
6. White Wedding – Billy Idol

Thanks to Chrisitian (koloni), Hamlet Lin for the camera work, Daniel Wilson for the camera, and everyone who boogied for their boogying.

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robot_karaoke

(also more video can be found on robotcowboy youtube)

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On the MAKE:blog!

September 2006
The robotcowboy button_box is a wireless play button for automatic playlist control of music software.

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button_box

As a solo live performer accompanied by a computer out of necessity, I am confronted with the forced-interaction of the musical software I use. Basically, if the performer has to run to his/her laptop after every song to setup the next one, then much of the momentum and energy built by the previous songs are lost.

The button_box is a wireless hardware button to be mounted on the performers body. Custom scripting software controls the more advanced functions built into the controlled musical software. These required actions fall beyond the MIDI specification and therefore MIDI controllers do not provide the needed functionality.

I use FL Studio 6, a catch-all Windows sequencing and synthesizing platform. As the interface was designed around the common mouse/keyboard paradigm, it is assumed that users of this software will select songs to play using this interface. This is exactly what I want to avoid in a live situation. I am forced by the design to provide a workaround to control song selection and loading functions. Momentum of a live show is killed if I have to run an “Open File” dialog box.

The goal behind this device is simple: let the audience know I am in control of the computer. The computer does not control me and force me to run to it. I send a command and the audience can hear the feedback. Thus, the performer is free to perform.

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robotcowboy button_box proposal: pdf ———————————————————————-

(the bluetooth module is inside now and the battery is outside … not enough room )

Hardware Implementation:

• Arduino (Atmega8) standalone microcontroller
• BlueSmirf RS232 to Bluetooth module, following this guide.
• custom breadboard shield
• simple membrane momentary switch
• light emitting diode
• power switch
• 9V battery
• velcro to hold it to my jumpsuit

Software Implementation:

• custom scripting functions for FL Studio in Python using pywinauto and simpleOSC
• • robotcowboyOSC – OSC server
  • robotcowboyFruity – FL Studio specific play list control
• a PureData patch which relays comport information to Python via OSC
• simple Arduino firmware to control the button, led, and communication

Update: Jan 23rd 06

The system works quite well at distances over 100 feet. The battery lasts about 35 minutes, which is enough for a whole set. An added benefit to using the transparent red plastic case is that the red connection light on the BlueSmirf is very bright and proves good feedback on the status of the bluetooth link, whereas the green power lights are filtered. I’m very glad I set the led to blink when the song is loading, this small feedback is very important. Naturally, the radio module sucks the most current and dies before the Arduino – I’m thinking about trying rechargeables and building a small charging circuit.

I added the analog sequencer pd patch into the PureData part of the system so that tones are produced when loading the next song. That way the audience knows what is going on to a certain extent and it just sounds cool.

ToDo:

• Rechargeable batteries + charging circuit
• Relay control over body lights – this works and I’ve already built it … the PD patch takes midi and tells the Arduino to turn realys on and off. The only problem is that my box is too small to fit the relay module
• Replace Ardunio board with custom Arduino circuit. DONE – I made a small pcb which ends up being about half the size.
• Change python scripting for Linux – as I’ve bid farewell to Windows.

End Update

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If you are in a similar situation and want to control FL Studio, or any other piece of software for that matter, try out the code and tell me what you think. You do not need the microcontroller, as all messages can be sent via the PureData patch as well. (This is a backup in case bluetooth stops working )

This is an alpha version as it was built in about 4 days. I’ll add onto it as I experiment further and add modules to the system.

What you need to run this:

• PureData
• Python 2.4 + pywinauto
• (hardware) Arduino microcontroller setup

The button has two modes:

• a short press: start/stop playback
• a long press (> 1sec): load the next song

This was an introduction to Python for me and, if you have done any programming before, you should be able to understand what is going on (I hope). There is documentation for pywinauto if you want to extend the scripting beyond these simple FL Studio controls.

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robotcowboy_button_box 0.1.zip

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I consume energy at my recharge station.

(an homage to Paik’s TV Buddha for today’s cult of technology)

installation/performance, Art and Technology Spring Exhibition 2006

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images

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video footage

recharge

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Spring 2006 Term Project

robotcowboy is a system worn by the performer that transforms them into a walking icon of our computer age in order to augment a computer music performance and act as a mobile platform for digital art exhibition.

robotcowboy represents my work to present an engaging live presentation using both traditional and electronic instruments, as well as heavy visual elements. Coming from a more traditional performance/musical background, I am challenged with replacing the physicality of live performers with that of a computer. My laptop does not dance, sing, or run about on stage, yet it can be just as loud as real performers, leading to a discontinuity between the sound and the live action. The laptop itself is an inherent barrier between audience and performer, with the former focused on the screen and the latter wondering if he/she is checking email. It is an attempt to break this discontinuity by literally combining man and machine, performer and universal instrument, both visually and thematically.

The aesthetics of this project stem from a concept I had used before in performances of my previous band 7inchWave. It is the persona of a computer performer come to life – a robot representing the computer that has replaced my fellow musicians combined with own my physicality and human energy.

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Midterm Presentation (pdf)

Term Report (pdf)

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The implementation is based on found and obsolete hardware: an old iMac and a used lcd monitor. The iMac was skinned (see picture below) and the shell installed with the flatpanel display and hardware. The iMac’s speakers were retained with a small power amp and a cctv camera was installed in the upper right corner of the shell. The video feed is viewed through lcd goggles and a wireless mic is integrated for vocal performance. The helmet itself is a used riding helmet (black felt!), with a solid plastic shell and chin strap, that is bolted into place. The entire shell is packed with custom-fit foam layers to position all of the electrical component boards.

A Xybernaut MA-IV wearable computer setup with a custom Debian Linux kernel runs the display and communicates with my host laptop. The SDL display program shows portraits and accepts commands from the wrist keypad. A wireless ad-hoc network between the mobile computer and laptop allows communication via Open Sound Control (OSC).

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I learned a great deal from this project:

• Linux kernel configuration and compilation (It is much faster to compile for the slow Xybernaut on my laptop)
• Designing a large software project single-handedly is an immense task and takes attention away from what is important (see below)
• Smaller, well developed steps are better then trying to make gigantic leaps (see below)
• Developing a strong concept and plan is half the battle

I am not a computer scientist, but have a background in computer engineering which is hardware and lower-level programming. I am not an object-oriented master, nor do I enjoy large software projects. For some reason, I attempted to develop a large, object-oriented software project single-handedly for the robotcowboy project. Cross-platform compatibility was also set as a goal, which forced me into many details I did not want to focus on. The entire system was to be written from scratch: a network module, a control module, and a display module.

I spent nearly a week straight working on the code before I realized I had completely lost focus of what I wanted to achieve. Programming practice in sockets, threading, and classes was not the object, but it became the new focus. I was stuck in the details instead of developing the whole: a program to control one computer from another and to relay MIDI and OSC messages. I threw the coding project away and focused on readily available open source solutions. Basically, I realized I cannot do it all myself and to value the knowledge and time spent by experienced programmers on useful libraries.

Conceptually, the project was not as refined as it should have been. If I had a solid goal of what I wanted to accomplish, I believe I would have approached the project differently. With an engineers training, I do not have as much experience working conceptually and these problems have brought this to light. I wanted to build the helmet because it “would be awesome”. I did not consider what I wanted to say, it’s relevance to past and current art, and what part of myself it was addressing.

Mainly, I had forgotten the goal of the project was to play music and put on a good show.
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robotcowboy v2

Back to basics for the Fall 2006 semester.

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A small film of the helmets trial run. (Our first show can be found in the media section)

trial run

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Pictures during the development of the robotcowboy helmet. (More pictures can be found in the visual photo gallery).

Here’s proof that the iMac survived its skinning.

A guest trying on the apparatus.

Trial run of the helmet.

For a Body Art Seminar

November 10, 2005

GOLDEN

Dance, Dance, Dance, to the Radio Computer.

My Computer’s name is GOLDEN.

He likes to dance on the streets.

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GOLDEN palpitates his limbs in
“Preacher Man” (7.1 Mb QT)

golden

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Also see Golden in “Rhythm of the Night”