SLAPATTACK!!

EA

2012-01-29T11:47:00.001+01:00

{EAV:f8307886b3b4bfe5}

Peda-God W-I-P

2010-06-08T11:11:00.009+02:00

A work in progress of my final art project at the Frank Mohr Instituut. The installation will be powered with my old mountain bike which is hooked up to a car alternator and batteries. Looks very empty at the moment. I still have to fix the motors and other JUNK I've salvaged from the junkyard. More details as things progress.

TagTool Ver2

2010-04-26T12:19:00.047+02:00

This is Version 2 of the TagTool. I've replaced the knobs for sliders which makes it much easier to see where the values are.

Used this version publicly on the 20th of April 2010 at Zernikeplein 7, the Hanzehogeschool, Groningen, The Netherlands. We did a mixed performance with De Fenestrated on music and Thij Jansen painting for us traditionally. This was a good experiment and we had a good idea on what to do and what not to when working with a REAL painter. One thing to keep in mind is to see the TagTool doesn't really over power the painting process.

TagTool

2010-03-10T20:39:00.023+01:00

I'm working on a TagTool device with help from De Fenestrated on the electronics. You can draw, paint and animate in realitme. A perfect tool for realtime VJing and incorporating it with theatrical performances. The TagTool doesn't take up much resources and requires a laptop running windows with a USB port and some beaming space. We did a test at the Frank Mohr Open Day on the 6th of March 2010.

I'll be building a new box with a modified design. The new design will replace all the potentiometer knob which are a little uncomfortable to use. The sliders should be easier to control. We might look at the possibilities of using it in a musical/dance performance.

B L U - (new)Babylon, Labyrinth & Utopia

2010-01-13T17:45:00.037+01:00

For our theory class "Game Models" this semester at the RUG (University of Groningen) with the students from the Department of Art History and Theory we had to come up with a playable game or an unconventional form of a presentation.

Each group was given a set of letters and had derive terms in context to the Game Models lectures. Our letter were B L & U and so the terms (new)Babylon, Labyrinth & Utopia.

We came up with a playable game called A'Maze-in'Maze which is played in a physical environment. The following are the rules of the game.

Players - Two teams. Each team has two players – 1. The Controller and 2. The Pawn.

Objective - The Controller has to help the Pawn navigate through a labyrinth before the opposing team does.

Game Play & Rules - The Controller is blind folded and his hearing controlled by the game administrator via headphones. She/He is given a cardboard console with tiny cut-out squares – which represents the map/pathway of the Labyrinth. The start point and end point will be explained to them before the game starts. Some of these paths are also dead-ends. By touching and feeling the cutout squares she/he has to issue one command at a time to the Pawn.

The Maze Game - Test Subjects #1 from de fenestrated on Vimeo.

The Maze Game - Test Subjects #2 from de fenestrated on Vimeo.

The commands will only be “step left”, “step right”, “step forward” & “step back”. Each Pawn can only take one step at a time. The Pawn has to face the direction before taking the step and completing the command. The Controller has to keep in mind that the direction changes with the Pawn's subsequent step.

If by chance the commands issued are incorrect and the Pawn has to step off the path of the Labyrinth, the Pawn has to start from the beginning. The Controller will not have any knowledge whether the Pawn has started from the beginning or not, so she/he has to be careful.

The first team to have its Pawn reach the endpoint – 'Utopia' – wins the game.

Inspiration 1 - Alexander Calder

2009-09-28T16:51:00.013+02:00

I first came across Alexander Calder's work as a kid and had a faint recollection of his Cirque Calder peformance on India Television sometime in 80s. I didn't know who the artist was then but the performance held my attention and was interesting fun in a very crude way. I came across Calder again this summer during my trip to Paris at the Centre Pompidou.
Calder's sculptures in wire are brilliant and anything but ordinary but his kinetic sculptures are what I'm really drawn to. Made from a mix of wood, cloth and everyday materials, the sculptures are moved by systems of cranks and motors. Thus treating audiences to a live performance of moving toys. I love the fact that they aren't well finished and so I'd like to call them crude. Calder's work will (or at least I'll try to) be an influence and inspiration in the development of my project.

PHP GODS

2009-09-09T10:59:00.011+02:00

We had a class in PHP in March by Vincent Bruijn. We were taught the basics in PHP and how to pull data off the internet and to use it as an ART Project. I worked my assignment around having Gods generated by using keywords and having a folder with images of body parts, i.e. - music, love, art, money, sex, war, hate and strength.

Depending on the number of hits a keyword generates a body part is substituted from its corresponding image folder and you have a different GOD character generated every few minutes. I will be posting the PHP on my website soon (I'm unfortunately still working on finishing my site). But for now these are the images of the various characters that were generated over a period of weeks through the code.

VERHIP Comic Strip Festival

2009-09-08T19:28:00.006+02:00

Participation at the Verhip Een Strip Festival @ the Vera, Groningen on the 16th of May'09...

Eureka!! It works...

2009-09-08T18:56:00.014+02:00

This is a very late update... but nonetheless. I'll try to be frequent with my updates!!

I finally got EyesWeb+MaxMSP+Animata to work. They all work beautifully.
EyesWeb analyses the video, estimates the body joints according to the silhouette video it captures. It then sends out OSCs to MaxMSP. Max then outputs theses OSCs in an X & Y axis depending on the movement it picks up. Animata picks these up from Max and then applies them to the rigged character. Thats a lot of PICKING & SENDING!!! but it works and we have real-time animation right there...

Open Day Poster...

2009-03-02T20:18:00.002+01:00

A poster for the Instituut's open day on the 14th of March 2009.

Animata, Eyes Web & OSCs

2009-01-28T00:11:00.021+01:00

I rigged the Art GOD in Animata, an open source real-time animation software, designed to create animations, interactive background projections for concerts, theatre and dance performances.

The software is very easy and has a simple interface. The only draw back are the clumsy layering system and the lack of an Undo command. So you not only have to plan out the order of your character's body parts (descending - ascending) to be rigged but you also have to have a clear mind so as not to make any mistakes. Or else you have to start all over again. The only solution is to save your work as you progress in sequential files.

I then intend to control the character via MaxMSP using a motion detection patch. But the problem is getting controlling OSC commands using a motion detection software.

I've tried out EyesWeb which detects motion and then generates Centroids corresponding to your joints. I now have to find a way to unpack the OSC data and route it through MaxMSP. Till then my Art GOD is UNCONTROLLABLE

Art God!! Rough Collage

2009-01-16T18:15:00.003+01:00

FucinaOff & a tryst with God... kinda

2008-12-13T13:25:00.016+01:00

We attended the FucinaOff'08 festival in Spoleto, Italy from the 28th of November - 8th of December. We took part in the week long workshop which was a mix of sound, video and theatre. The festival ended on the 8th with installations and performances put up by participants of the workshop. I played with the idea of incorporating my "GOD" project in some way.

The initial idea was to make and interface where a member of the audience could play GOD for 60 seconds. Creating his own atmospheric mood with music, sound, images and lighting on the interface and then have performers behave as instructed. With the limited amount of time and resources we didn't have a strong interface or a concrete structure for the performers to behave or act upon.

Another installation was to be built by Jan Klug - one of our core tutors at the Frank Mohr who was also conducting workshops in MaxMSP at Fucina. With an interactive Map of Spoleto projected on the floor one could then navigate by walking over the map. Parts of other scrapped ideas (such as mine) were also incorporated this installation.

I modeled a God like character in Blender (which I picked up during the week at the workshop)... neither male or female and clourless. The installation did work to a certain extent - I did catch a glimpse of Jan's hair ripping moments while setting up the installation. Sadly I had to leave early on Monday evening to visit family in Rome.

I'm back in the Netherlands... back in my cozy studio... and back to work.

MOHRaliveTHANdeadSOCIETY # 01

2008-11-23T19:45:00.002+01:00

The first of our "MOHRaliveTHANdeadSOCIETY" parties was on the 21st of November. We were expected to give informal presentations, a talk, a performance etc. Most of us showcased the work we have done so far. The evening was a good opportunity to kick start my project. I put together a God of my own using things I could find around the lab. And thus I had the Mohr Goddess. Ruud had asked me not to just stick to designing on paper but to experiment with materials or dressing up people as Gods. Michael and Hideki as seen in the picture were more than glad to be the first of her followers. Building this installation has also given me more of sense of space and dimensions. It was also fun putting together an installation with different materials. At the bottom of the installation I tried a Rangoli pattern our of coloured food grain and flowers - which was a first for me. More pictures are up on http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=789730053&k=X2M3Z4U6S22M5BLHUG32PU

It was a fun experience and I will try to make some more sculptures/installations and also shoot a few of my classmates dressed up as Gods once I'm back from Spoleto, Italy.

Some more deliberations

2008-11-23T19:41:00.001+01:00

I've been making sketches, trying to design characters that come to mind... Treating my God creation as a character design exercise. I've been theorising too many things while drawing up these characters and theres where I seem to be getting myself all confused. Damn those books and all those articles online. I've had a discussion with Ruud (one of my core tutors) and Federico (my semester teacher). Both have giving me possible inputs as to what direction to take the project forward. Ruud has asked me to go berserk while creating my new Gods. I've got to take a more fun approach - not sticking to the cliche god of death or peace . Federico has asked me to read more about Albrecht Dürer and the way his works throw open a variety of interpretations. I also have to look up the works of Pablo Palazuelo and his methods of generating algorithms for his artworks. Other references to read - www.aiwaz.net and the book "The Art of Memory" by Frances Yates.
I have to find symbolic methods to make new images.

Cultural Influences

2008-11-14T20:22:00.001+01:00

I've been reading up on some Indian Mythology. Surprisingly I came across a book on Hindu Gods and Goddesses at the home of a Dutch friend's mother. The book has been written for the so called Generation X to give a basic concept about Indian mythology and religion. It gives just about enough information to know about the various Gods, their characteristics, powers, personalities etc.

The aim of my project is not to get into a detailed research on religion and mythology, but to use influences. Using images from a total other discipline, culture or one that I invent myself could be one way of looking at it. The intention is to give my audience a multi-layered reflection on the notions of war and peace, life and death.

One of the goals of my project at the Frank Mohr to get in touch with my cultural roots. I want to make it very clear that the project will not be a cliched “Project with Indian Design” appeasing a western audience”.

A New Start

2008-11-11T17:41:00.003+01:00

My first post on the blog... its been 3 months at the Frank Mohr Instituut.

I will be posting on this blog developments, research, art, sketches, illustrations, observations and maybe my shitty as well as not so shitty experiences while living in Europe...