Category Creative web and interactive narrative

Entries 9 Total

Creative web Performance!

May 24, ’11 2:49 AM

The following video is documentation of a performance piece put together for the module Creative Web and Interactive Narrative called No Shape without Shadow.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/24148617[/vimeo]

Credits

Jenny Hayes – Costume and presentation

Santiago Laserna – leaflet, advertisement, lighting and music controls and blog: http://noshapenoshadow.blogspot.com/

Martin Hylton – Additional choreography, lighting.

Isobel Taylor – Video and interactivity

Andrea Masala – Dancer

Special thanks to -

Pengfei Zhang and Andrzej Wojtas – interactivity

Neil and Richard – technical support

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Creative web – rehearsals

May 24, ’11 1:54 AM

The following are a collection of photographs taken during rehearsals and set ups, all photo’s taken by me except the ones of me which were taken by Santiago.

Group gathers and sets up.

 

 

 

 

Lighting set up and mapped out by Santiago.

 

 

Costume check, Jen and Andrea.

 

 

 

Pengfei conducts Kinect tests.

 

 

 

I continue to work on the max patch and set up the 2 laptops and webcam.

 

 

Martin checks Andrea’s choreography

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Creative web Interactivity work – Max msp

May 24, ’11 1:10 AM

For the interactive side of the creative web module it was decided that the speed of the dancer, Andrea, would alter the speed of the video itself.

This in the end was only one part of the interaction.

This is the first Max patch made in the second Max msp doing class. From explining this to Pengfei the next day we both realised it could be used to monitor the movement of the dancer and change the speed of the video. So we looked into it with help from Andrzej.

Although there were many patches in between this was the next stage, getting the film connected to the numbers in max.

This was almost the final version of the patch, however to get the full screen for the projection Andrezj added an extra part.

 

This is a still from a video of testing the dancer in the jacket with the light silhouette.

 

 

 

 

 

Interactivity testing by Martins Kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Creative web video work

May 24, ’11 12:41 AM

This is quite a big update as I have been concentrating on getting the work done on time so much. I have decided to split the posts up into each area.

video.

After easter I got the filming of the clothing done and the filming of people walking in and out of and around and passed shops, with Koyaanisqatsi as inspiration for this, as Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance (1982) covers many issues but is filmed in a very mesmorising way I felt it was the best aproach.

Koyaanisqatsi on IMDB : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/

This is a still from the filming of the clothes on racks in various shops.

 

 

 

 

This is a screen shot from the various people I filmed walking in shopping centres in Cardiff (particularly busy).

 

 

 

When I first edited the videos together the fabric moved from left to right mainly, this was quite odd aesthetically so I turned the clothes videos 90 degrees.

 

 

 


This worked out a lot better and gave the image a more sedimentary, piling up feel.

 

 

 

I then added a sepia filter to go with the spotlights in the performance, giving the video a more rustic look and once the light silhouette was shown on top of the video the colours worked exceptionally well.
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creative web- less than 2 weeks until show

May 4, ’11 9:31 AM

Creative web had its first after easter break meeting yesterday and things seem to be coming along, the clothes have been looked at and comments made. We also looked at how the piece will be shown to an audience, what lighting would be ideal, and the general ideal set up. I spent a few days over the easter break filming and a day in Newcastle filming as well, following which 3 to 4 days editing in uni (final cut pro). I showed the result to the group and Steve and the feedback was positive so Im glad about that. I made a few slightly different versions so that we can pick the best one to go with the room when it has lighting set up. We spoke about the idea of having one version of the video I made pointed down at the dancer as a spotlight and one facing the screen as the back ground. The projection on the dancer would be the one that changes speed according to the dancer. This is the ideal idea and of course we are waiting to discuss this and find out if its possible to have the 2 projections, if its possible to have one face down or using mirrors reflected to the floor. So while waiting to hear about whats possible I will turn my attention to hopefully getting the interaction to work out. Aiming for a kinect to be set up to map the dancer and then sort out how this translates to the video -which will be on loop-.

During my general reading and research I came across an article on digital legacy that was very relevant to some of what was said in yesterdays discussions. So the following links are to the page of articles about the online legacy, the first picture being the one before the article I read some weeks ago now and the second link to a recent full article, which is the first listed under my fist link.

http://www.newscientist.com/special/digital-legacy

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028091.400-digital-legacy-the-fate-of-your-online-soul.html?full=true

 

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pre-easter update

Apr 20, ’11 5:43 PM

Doing – I originally had quite a few ideas for my arduino project (the one most did before christmas but Im still catching up) I set up some parts to just have a look at the basic method as its been a long time since I’v used arduino, I have not decided what my project should quite be yet, but Im doing a lot of research and drawings that I think will lead me to a good plan. I did have an idea for an automatic drawing sensor you could have on during the day and be able to go to your computer at the end and see what your day of e.g, arm movements has been in lines and/or ink style. However Im not sure if thats the right thing to do at the moment.

Thinking – I have been mainly reading through the book I was recommended by Oliver at the future textiles talks in Northumbria, Textile Futures by Bradley Quinn. As since attending these I feel I have finally found the area of research I have always wanted to be in but not quite found a way. I have been going through this quite slowly taking notes so its going to take me a while to be able to finish the book but I will have the extra research Im doing in connection with every chemical process mentioned, designer and fibre. Eager as I am to start the next essay as I know how long it takes me I yet to get feedback, so I have emailed out for extra people to give feedback and looks like I should have some soon

Creative web and interactive narrative – This is the first time I have done a collaborative piece since college and I am starting to learn new lessons from this, I keep becoming concerned about what the piece will end up actually looking like as I am yet to see the dance thats the main part, yet to hear more from the costumes or have any idea of what the music will be like. I may well just be worrying too much and it will just be a piece that will have to come together on the day. Though I also feel like I have been falling behind as I was originally waiting to see the dance so I could create a animation/video piece accordingly however after 2 weeks I realised I should make something appropriate and go with what I imagine the dance to be like, so far I have designed the piece and will be making the test shoot this evening so the area is set up. I decided after the theme seemed to change a few times that the best thing to do would be to try and back up the dance’s particular message as that is to be the main focus so I will shoot 2 sets of film/animate (depending on which looks most aesthetic) one will be crowds of people walking up and down high streets and main shopping areas to show the carrying and gathering of new clothes and over layed on this will be footage of garments being thrown in a container, one transparent side so as the numbers pick up a archaeological stratification effect begins as you see the layers of different colours and shades piling up, the wasted side, so together there will almost be a ghostly feel about the clothes purchase and discarding of. Although I originally pushed for the theme of the water waste being the worst part of the fashion industry which is famous for its polluting, un ethical,  wasteful and ill health inducing imagery. The group has taken it to the traditional look of wasteful, throw away clothes. I am still imagining how the dance will be like but I see it as a struggle with throwing away clothes yet being left with nothing at the end.

I hope to have a test version ready over the next few days but may need to re edit once Im back in Newcastle next week for use of the editing rooms.

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no shape without shadow 1

Apr 5, ’11 12:33 AM

After some discussions, emails and posts on the creative web blog I think the group has an idea and an aim. Its still a bit loose but im sure will find its way as time goes on.

So far the main phrase is ” no shape without shadow” looking at the sustainability and ecological issues in fashion which is one of the biggest sustainability problems, mainly how much water goes into it all, the making, the dye process, washing, throwing away.. and creating new items to replace the dumped.

Fashion and technology is quite a well covered topic in Newcastle at the moment with talks and shows, catalytic clothing exhibit is a collaboration between artist/designer Professor Helen Storey, scientist Professor Tony Ryan and textile designer Trish Belford. A really fantastic collection and idea or purifying the air.

http://www.catalytic-clothing.org/

Interestingly I have been in touch with the Electron microscopy unit in Newcastle and looking at this site there is an EM imagine of the fabric they use, which was what I was originally thinking would be good for ‘no shape without shadow’.

 

From whats discussed so far ‘no shape without shadow’ there will be 2 performances, these will be made up of a dancer battling/struggling with clothes made from throw away materials that are through frustration becoming thrown and ripped off making the waste fabrics waste. There will be a back projection on a screen behind the dancer, as a back drop, of a video/animation which I will be putting together and with the help of Pengfei and an xbox kinect will react to the dancer speeding up his movements and change/speed up the video/ animation. There has also been talk of some more technical interactivity but for now I think it would be best to get the first part of the interaction solved. All of which will be accompanied by either live or prerecoded music written for the exhibition.

So far the group are waiting to see a clip of the dancer dancing a similar dance to what we will have on the evening as we want to work around this main part.

Im making sketches of how I imagine at the moment the piece may look like and various ideas of what the video/animation will look like. I also had a chat with Adrian and a script writer friend of mine from college Nick, though Nick mainly said its worth waiting to see the dance, but Im quite eager to make a start so I have enough time to get something good done on time along with keeping up with other modules.

One of my ideas is to have various images of moving fabric video’d or stop-framed and these will move during the dance and when the dancer speeds up the fabric will change. As I mentioned above I was thinking about using EM images, and with throw away fabric to eco and sustainable I was thinking of imaging cheap fabric, possible in part slightly torn/worn/ stretched and the most ecological and sustainable fabric, bamboo, which I should be able to get a sample of from the high street. I will go looking for this tomorrow. The EM images could be the last to be seen in the animation/video, perhaps as the dancer tears off his last layers.

Another idea for the video/animation was something a bit like ‘Koyaanisqatsi’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirH8PADDgQ

I was thinking of filming/stop-framing arial shots of the high street, and just outside primark, perhaps a few other angles showing cheap throw away fashion with huge in coming and out going numbers.

However these are just starting ideas I think I will get started to see how it looks. Further discussions and tests may lead me down a more certain route, be that similar to current ideas or completely different.

I wil add my sketches at some point soon.

 

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Creative web~ sustainability dance

Mar 12, ’11 2:03 PM

From the final project session it looks like the whole group will be working together. I think this is fantastic as everyone seems to have something great to offer the team, so together we should be able to produce a really fantastic piece. I havnt worked with such a varied team before; we have a dancer, musician, fashion designer and project manager, writer and me, I have worked with video, animation and editing as well as putting what Im learning in processing and web knowledge to the test!

I put forward an idea of sustainable dancing at first, that perhaps you could have a dancer filmed and in a variety of times begin to seem to fall, then the observer would have to hit a button, click something with a mouse, etc. to stop the dancer falling and a new edit would kick in for another dance. On the screen would have a timer going so you can see how long the dancer has been sustained, and for example in a gallery style environment you could be taking over those before sustaining and when you want to move on allow the next person to continue watching and be ready to save the dancer.

This was just something on the spot that I thought would incorporate the skills of the team. So from emails and posts on the blog it looks like we’re going with dancer/s and perhaps something inspired by the scene with the globe in Chaplin in The Great Dictator; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJOuoyoMhj8

Which sounds good, so Im looking forward to discussing this further with the group and planning the stages of putting the piece together.

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Creative web and interactive narrative

Feb 28, ’11 6:25 PM

The first task was to create a new online presence, I spent some time thinking about this and over all over thinking this, wanting to make a robotics work presence that I could then continue. However in the end I decided that as I had never used a lot of the online social networking sites I would make a preliminary online identity to just test all the ways I could spread my name for free, from twitter and myspace to blogs and free websites. This however has not effected the google search for my chosen alias “espionagelime” which remains to have 5 hits.

From this I have been thinking about how other pieces I have done online, for my artistic alias I have found about 9 hits in the first 2 search pages of google and for my real name 2 hits over the first 2 pages.

Home for the weekend I decided to read the Guardian my parents bought and the first article I found to read was in the weekend magazine ‘Sick note: Faking illness online’ which can also be found here ~  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/26/faking-illness-online-munchausen

The article speaks about an issue arising, “Some psychiatrists have started using the term Münchausen by internet(MBI) to describe this behaviour” where some people come up with various online illnesses to get attention and support from others, with no want for money just attention, sometimes having big impacts on those who keep up with the many false identities.

 

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