April 2018 – hellosiqi

Project ‘IDLE’ Final

Concept

IDLE is an interactive performance that incorporates DIWO essence, the third space and the concept of glitch.

IDLE requires collaboration between players and the artist to achieve an intended outcome. We as the artists relinquishes certain control to the players so that their decisions contribute to the final outcome of our performance. This blurs the line between the roles of the artists and players as both are important elements of the performance and we work together to create a piece of art.

This project also utilises the third space to transport the players into another setting, connecting different individuals from different location. The third space also allows us to repurpose the location and create intended personas. It blurs the line between virtual and reality as the players are looking at a reality in different location through virtual means.

With the use of the third space as a platform to connect the players, there will be an inevitable occurrence of glitches e.g. internet latency. In IDLE, we embrace the glitches and turn them to our advantage.

Artist Reference: Blast Theory, I’d Hide You

I’d Hide You is a game where players online direct 3 hosts on the ground to guide these hosts to catch each other on film. Each host has a camera that streams what they see and hear live, and the objective of the online players is to guide the host of their choice towards other hosts. When other hosts are caught on their live feed, online players press a button in order to catch these opponent hosts onscreen and score points. Online players are allowed to guide these hosts to ask pedestrians or passers by questions. Online players can also hop from one livestream to another to change the host that they are taking the perspective of.

IDLE is similar to I’d Hide You in how the game operates. Online players are allowed to hop from one livestream to another in order to gain different perspectives and achieve a goal. IDLE attempts to bring its audience into it’s world, and, similar to I’d Hide You, wants the audience to be co-participants, bringing them into another world that is both immersive and entertaining.

Actual Run

Click on the link attached below to see more on our process which includes ideation, location recce and trial run.

https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/ngsi0020/project-idle-trial-run/

Watch the video below to see the highlights of our Trial Run (password: behindthescenes)

After the trial run, we went back and made some changes to the game. One of the changes was to make the hints more visible and informative to the players. We also came up with a guideline for rules and regulation and a how-to-play list so that the players can understand the game better.

Variables

Location: Bedroom, kitchen, study room and living room
Player: 12, at least 3 players per room
Duration: 30 mins
Hints: Written on yellow papers that were crushed into balls, some one-word hints were changed into riddles, e.g. Wanted by dusk, headless at dawn, I help you when you want to see but you wouldn’t want to look at me

Even though we intended for 12 players to participate, only 10 players showed up. Therefore, we decided to close down one of the rooms (kitchen), so that the players would have higher chances of finding the keys.

Challenges

I think that one of the biggest challenges for this project is battling against the glitches. During the actual run, the study room lost connection with the players. The live video keeps pausing and eventually we have to end the live video and restart it again using another phone. We manage to salvage this error by telling our players that the escapee in the study room blacked out for a moment.

There was also latency experienced in other rooms that caused a delayed response from both the players and the escapee. This slowed down the game a little but we did not let that disrupt our performance. Occasionally, random customers would also walk into the showroom causing a break in the narrative and our personas. But on the bright side, these organic glitches blurs the line between virtual and reality.

Another challenge that we face was getting people to participate in our game. Most of the people would not want to commit in a complex gameplay without incentives. Some of our players did not even bother to read the rules before joining.

On the actual day, instead of having intended 12 players, we only got 10 players. That forced us to close down one of the rooms, if not the difficulty of the game play would increase as there are lesser players to help solve the puzzle of all four rooms. We took this as an opportunity to add to our narrative by telling the players that the kitchen had burned down because the escapee tried to escape the room using the stove and now they have 30 mins to save the rest before the fire engulf the whole house.

Reflection

I think that we could have improve the game by making the rooms more interconnected as players tend to stay in one room. This can be done by placing hints for one room in another room so the players have to jump from one live stream to another. Most importantly, we could have added some incentives to motivate the players to do well. Perhaps it would also be a good idea to include some competitive elements in the game so that the players would feel more satisfaction upon completion. For instance, we can split the players into two groups and have them compete against each other.

The biggest takeaway for this project was to apply the concepts that I have learn in class in an interactive performance. I think that by incorporating all these concepts in our project, we have pushed ourselves as an artist to break out of our usual way of thinking, be it in terms of medium or aesthetics. This project also made me realise the power of the third space as we were able to transport our players into this fictional world that we have created. Through the third space, we were able curate what we want our players to see and experience. Additionally, I think that we have handled the glitches well by using them to our advantage, giving more depth to our narrative.

We also love all our trips down to IKEA cuz meatballs n ice cream!!!!!!!!!

Project ‘IDLE’ Trial Run

Ideation

My group which includes Melodie, Kai Ting, Desmond and I thought of doing something like a virtual escape room. After some discussion, we decided to hold our interactive performance at IKEA, because IKEA has many showrooms which is appropriate for our intended setting.

The performance would be conducted on Instagram via its live function and players would be able to interact with the objects in the showroom by commenting on our live videos. They would be looking at the room at a first person’s point of view, so that it seems like they are transported into the game itself. Their goal would be to find hints and ultimately the key that are hidden in the rooms by the moderators (us).

Narrative

In order to make this interactive game more immersive, we came up with a storyline so that the players would feel engaged in this interactive third space that we have curated for them. The plot follows a group of 4 friends that are trapped in 4 different rooms of a kidnapper’s house. They have been trapped for days and they will be dying in 30 mins due to the lack of food and water. Therefore, players have 30 mins to help all the victims escape by directing them to find the key to the room.

We also created four Instagram accounts documenting the bedroom, kitchen, study room and living room. Players would have to follow these accounts and view their live videos in order to play the game.

Location Recce

Our first step was to explore IKEA. During our recce, we finalised the four showrooms that we would be using on the actual day. These rooms were chosen based on their secludedness, their relatively small size and their potential for spaces to hide hints and key.

Trial Run

With all the ideas finalised, we went ahead to do a trial run at IKEA to see how we can better develop the game play. We also wanted to anticipate all the potential problems that we might face and make changes accordingly.

Watch the our trial run at https://youtu.be/2FTsIyNWUdQ

Variables

Location: A random bedroom in IKEA, relatively bigger than the other rooms
Player: 3
Duration: 30 mins
Hints: Written on white slips of paper, e.g. Within, Right, Orderly

Feedback

Hints were not visible to the players because they were written on white slips of paper
Hint were too vague, players cannot derive anything from them
Internet latency
Players not sure of how to instruct the escapees
Instagram does not save the comments from the players only the video itself
3 players per room for 3o mins is feasible
Room chosen is a bit huge and its hard for players to view the whole area at once

Graphic Form: Gallery

These are the links to see my work process!

Image Through Type: Process & Final

Zine Part 1: Location Research

Zine Part 2: Waterloo Street

Zine Part 2: Waterloo Street

Ideation

Waterloo Street is unique as a place of convergence between the Hinduism and Buddhism. I wanted to represent this unique aspect of Waterloo Street using the arrangement of the spreads. Since this project requires an eight page zine, I’ll have three spreads to work with (excluding the cover and back page). This gave me the idea of splitting the street into three parts. The first spread will represent the Buddhist area, the middle spread representing the convergence and the last spread representing the Hindu area. This way it’s almost like I’m bringing my viewers along the physical street of Waterloo.

Content

First spread- Significance of divination in the Buddhist culture & the competition between the many divination booths in that area

Middle spread- Convergence of the Buddhist and Hindu cultures through similar means of worship

Last spread- Hidden Hindu aspects of that area that are obscured by renovation works

Style Reference: Tanabu Hiroshi

Struggling with Abstraction

Version 1

First page- I illustrated some of the talismans that I have observed from that area. These talismans incoporated the play of typography to explore some of the reasons why people buy these items, including: fortune, peace, health and luck.

Second page- I extracted some of the signs I have found from the divination booths over there and illustrated them into vectors.

Middle spread- I used the play of typography again to illustrate some common methods of worship between the two religion.

Feedback

1. To be more site specific by extracting elements that are unique from that area (consider mark making)

2. Avoid figurative representation of that area & find alternative solution to convey intended message

3. Consider how the arrangement of elements can help to convey intended message

Exploring Scannography & Mark marking

Divination Slip, Talismans, Joss Sticks and Flowers obtained from Waterloo Street.

Process

Version 2

First spread- I used signages extracted from the divination booths to show the cluster of them at the street and included the text no.1 in Singapore to show competition between the stalls. I used Scannography to distort the image of a divination slip to represent how divination is a distortion of truth.

Middle Spread- I extracted Chinese and Hindu words and distorted them to make it seem like they are merging into one. Again, I used Scannography images of flowers and joss sticks to show how the two religion intersect through similar methods of worship.

Last Spread- I extracted different Hindu motifs from that area and arranged them into a foliage. I also included a signage which tells us that the Hindu temple is currently under construction.

Version 3

I rearranged the elements from version 2 so that the spreads do not look so messy. I also used vintage paper as the background to create a retro look to the zine.

Feedback

1. Look into elements/principles of design

2. Consider how the arrangement of elements can help to convey intended message

3. Find a focal point (one idea for each spread)

Final

I added some images that I have extracted from Waterloo street to add more depth to the visuals. I also wanted it to look a bit like a newsprint.

Cover spread- I used signages found at the start and the end of Waterloo Street.

First spread- I made the no.1 in Singapore flow into the divination slip to bring the viewer’s eyes across the whole spread. The text was reduced in its opacity to show like a subtle competition between the many divination booths found in that area. Along the distorted divination slip, one can see that the words are fighting with each other to further emphasise the competition.

Middle spread- The convergence between the Buddhist and Hindu cultures can be seen through the flow of Hindu and Chinese text flowing in from both sides. I also used a Scannography image of the joss stick to mimic the movement of smoke drifting in from the two sides.

Last spread- I wanted to emphasise on the partially obscured motifs of the Hindu temple, by making them peek out from behind the crates.

Thoughts

I think that this zine project really pushed my abilities to conceptualise and refine my idea. When it comes to ideation, I often find myself trying to include too many ideas. Given that this project only requires a 8 page zine, it is very hard to fit so many ideas into one visual without diluting the message. I am glad that after many attempts, I have managed to filter out some unnecessary elements to achieve a better focus in my zine. However, I think that this zine can be further improved in terms of its design. For example, the minimalist style of my cover page can be more cohesive with my messy spreads so that the viewers would not get a shock when reading my zine.

Hyperessay: Online Symposium

The online symposium was a very intriguing experience for me as it took me through various concepts that I have learned throughout the semester, such as, cyber performance, the third space, networking and digital glitches. This was done through a series of live performance and presentations conducted by artists from all around the world.

The highlight of Day 1 symposium was Annie Abraham’s performance titled Entanglement. It was a collaborative work that involved 6 other performers from all around the world to synchronise a sequence through Adobe Connect. The performance reminded me of the tele-drift project as it explored the boundaries of the third space where people from different locations connect in real-time. The use of third space inevitably resulted in latency and audio malfunctioning, which offered “us an alternative space beyond perfection” as Marc Garrett had mentioned. It was a fascinating experience to see everyone embracing the chaos without faze, despite the recurrence of technical problems.

In the sequence, the performers were to showcase several objects of their own, one at a time. With every change of object they will have to recite a phrase. There was synchronisation among the performers in terms of the placement of objects and their timing. However, the types of objects and phrases presented were totally random. It was later explained that each artist had chosen about 15 political phrases to address the local situations in their countries. There were also not much directing and restrictions imposed, that gave the performers a lot of freedom for self expression.

This performance embraced the essence of DIWO as it involves a collaborative work between different curator of different cultural and political background. The involvement of different parties enhances the experience, as well as, the message intended. It also made the performance unpredictable and eccentric.

For Day 2 of the symposium, there was a series of performance conducted by Jon Cates with Roberto Sifuentes, Arcángel Constantini, Shawné Michaelain Holloway, Janet Lin & Paula Pinho Martins Nacif. The one that stood out to me was Roberto Sifuentes’ performance. It was very disturbing to see living leeches being placed on the man. As the leeched were sucking out his blood, he gave no signs of resistance. The process was facilitated by a female assistant that helped to place and remove the leeches.

The performance resembled a ritual, with an executor, a victim and blood. It portrayed an interesting dynamics between the man, the woman and also the leeches. In the first part of the show the woman was the one that was inflicting pain on the man as she place the leeches on the man. Towards the end there was a shift of power and she became a healer, helping the man clean up his wound. This shows a contrasting portrayal of cruelty and compassion. Similarly, the man started out at a very vulnerable state, with the leeches all over him. Later, he assumed a masculine and aggressive persona as he hit and strangle himself with the rod.

I thought that the performance was trying to convey progressive violence and self harm. It also addressed the issue of gender roles, how people perceive genders and how they should act. While this intense performance was going on, a split screen displayed artist Arcángel drawing on a neon surface. The seriousness of Sifuentes’ performance was downplayed by the futuristic music being played Arcángel performance. I thought the effect was very captivating, bringing the audiences into a trance.

In my opinion, the symposium could be more interactive by allowing the audience to change the course of the performance. Yet, I have to agree that the performances were a departure from traditional work. The use of third space allowed us to be at a different location all at once. It also allowed us to interact with one another in the chat group while the performance was on-going unlike many traditional performances where the audience have to stay silent throughout the entire show.

Micro-Project 7: Video Selfie

For my artistic altered ego I wanted to be Michelangelo, a renowned renaissance artist. In the video, I was doing an anatomy study (credits to Don’s sketch that I found in the room). This was to replicate Michelangelo’s love and interest for human figures and their anatomy.

I choose to film my video in ADM art studio where painting and drawing materials were readily available. In reference to Michelangelo’s studio as seen below, I wanted to create a private space that was dimly lit and surrounded with human sculptures. I also played renaissance music in the background and applied a warm tone filter to bring my viewers back in time.

I think that the use of video is a very good way of altering or concealing identities because there is no direct interaction between the viewers and the curators. The information only goes one way and the amount of information received by the viewers is limited. The curators have full control over what they want the viewers to know. Everything behind the screen could be planned by the curators to portray the persona they intended.

The objects present in the set are very essential to convey the intended persona or message to the viewers. These objects can help to shape the viewer’s perception and push them towards a certain direction. But I think that the use of objects or props must considered carefully in terms of cultural context and age group because these factors could affect how people perceive things.