Cascade no. 2

Installation location was at ADM level 1 stairs (directly in front of the lift)

Overview
Cascade no. 2 is a continuation of the analog version of Cascade, but utilising different type of strings – aka rubber bands. Intended for audiences to pull and interact with, the elastic bands are meant to generate sound feedback, which would be more processed the further one stretches the bands.

Initial concept of Cascade no. 2

However, I altered the structure of the initial concept as pulling sideways is a more practised movement than pulling it downwards. Pulling the rubber bands from underneath would also cause the elastic bands to pull back and jump around, potentially messing my strings. Hence, the sideways arrangement of the final project is more idealised for both restricting rubber band elastic feedback/movement and adapted for used human gestures.

Reflections
Prof feedback-ed that this project might be an instance of too many details, whereby it could be further simplified yet bring across a more ‘purified’ message. I wanted each band to sound their own unique soundtrack, which instead made the patch more complicated. I also intended for the feedback sound to be more in tune with the vibrations (and hence more responsive), instead of just relying on changing the speed. However, I was not able to produce these in this piece. These are simple details, but yet were exceedingly crucial for this project to be successful. I should have tried it out earlier, and ruminated more on the different types of options for this project – eg. recording the physical twang sound and manipulating it instead of using a pre-recorded sound – perhaps, this would strengthen the linkage of sound to object, and increase responsiveness of the project.

Lingering Butt Sounds / Creating a space

A group project by Nathanael, Esmond, Yi Xian and Tania.

The chairs have been wrapped with plastic! When the plastic comes into contact with another object (person’s butt, or item placed on the chair), crinkling plastic sounds are generated. This sound is then recorded real-time and processed, and immediately heard through speakers placed at the side of the chairs.

Act III | The Death [Updated 17/4/17]

Screenshot of Act III broadcast

It is night, and somehow, the air is heavy with sorrow. She comes out for one last time, but her heart is torn between returning to the 2nd space, or staying in the real 1st space. However, she accidentally destroys her portal-frame on her way out: effectually fully closing the way she manages to flow in between worlds. She panics, for she is stuck, and she remains the sole being of a product of both worlds.

Isolated, she circumambulates around the only space she knows. She finishes up the whole of the broken, and realises why; she herself has been destroying her space with the X (close tab) on her hand. Her own existence is unstable – she does not exist in the real world. Thus, she marks her own finale: she X-es herself from the real world.

Act III: The DeathShe is now free, present in the real space! But what is she to do now??? Feel free to comment, or participate! (Part 3 of final project broadcast)

Posted by Tania Tay on Thursday, 13 April 2017

 

Sequence Symbolism
Crawls out of frame Reappearance into the real world
Accidentally X-es the screen Destroys the portal between worlds
Circumambulation Marking the end of the season’s finale; in searching for the end repetitively

Act II | The Birth [updated 17/4/17]

Screenshot of broadcast [Act II: The Birth]
Tania Tay of the second space finally gets out! She escapes the digital world, and starts to explore her surroundings excitedly, charmed by the temptations of the real world. However, she starts getting bored, and is suddenly drawn to the water, where she cleanses herself in a water purification ritual.

She wants to continue exploring, but later realises the sheer uselessness of life. She tries to seek feedback from her ‘hometown’ (aka the online world), later giving up and returning to where she came from.

Act II: The Birth

Posted by Tania Tay on Thursday, 6 April 2017

 

Sequence Symbolism
Climbing out of frame Literal entrance into the real world
Water Purification Ceremony An entrance into the world, washing away all traces of the past

Act I | The Awakening (Bubbling Unhappiness)

Screenshot of [Act I | The Awakening (Bubbling Unhappiness)]
After the initial broadcast of Act I, Prof Randall and Sun Yi suggested that I include switching of tabs within the computer screen, rather than leaving it static only with the Facebook page. I agreed, as it would add variation and further fuel the narration that Tania Tay of the second space is fighting a stronger, more ominous greater power.

Here is the re-filming: Click here

 

Light and Sound Experience

The head is stuck into a box, for an immersive light and sound experience
Software: Arduino, MaxMsp, Ableton Live
Music Credits: NoMundoFiorella EP
Completed 28/3/2017

Reflections
– In synchronising lights and sounds: there is a slight interval delay between signalling and lighting the strips, hence when matching the lights with the sounds, the signalling on Ableton may need to be slightly slower or faster than than music.

At certain positions, I failed to realise this, resulting in slightly uncoordinated lighting and music only realised during the actual setup.

In the ending sequence where the lighting turns blue: Due to the close proximity between the projected surface and the led strip, variations in lighting levels for the higher intensity lighting was hard to differentiate by the human eye.

To this, I should have lowered the lighting levels so that the difference between a lower level lighting and the higher level lighting would be more distinct and differentiable.

– I would also have loved to expand the size of the box accommodate the entire human body, and to create a more immersive experience.

Conclusion
After this exercise I have widened my sights to varying types of light shows, and might want to further explore this for my fyp.

 

FYP Proposal: WOA (working title)

Refining the details and more thoughts

Project Outline
The project will focus on fostering an experience within a space, instead of the interaction at this point of time. Ultimately, I would still want to include some degree of interaction but will focus on creating the experience first.

With regards to the artistic direction, it will remain minimalist, stripped down to the ‘element’. The project’s light projection will now project planes of light parallel to a human body.

Conceptualised version of light projection (rough sketch)

Above: a small snippet of the visualised light projection; the light rays will form walls which are solid, yet the walls ‘curve’ around the viewers like a maze. Repetition of the light waves will be conducted throughout the entire space, to create a visual depth.

The light projections will now include coloured lights, to further push across a visual depth. (Under consideration: allow viewers to toggle with colour filters and change the colours).

After more research, the project will reference the following artists to better reflect its ideal:

 

James Turrell, Breathing Light (2013)

Turrell’s Breathing Light effectively creates an atmospheric space with an even lighting to promote a surreal, out of the world experience. Similarly, the intention for the project is to achieve a similar atmospheric condition, of creating an entirely different, immersive, contained experience.

Despite similarities in medium, my project would instead integrate additional dimensions, whereby the possibilities for variation of lighting schemes are maintained. Despite that, it would be good to examine the visitor’s reactions and use it as basis to predict how the audience would react for my project.

 

Parallels by NONOTAK (2015) and White Canvas by Cocolab (2016)

White Canvas by Cocolab

Both Parallels and White Canvas present more suitably the idea and outcome the project wishes to achieve, albeit with differences. The idea of repetitive forms hailed from White Canvas, but I wish to further simplify the light forms hence the usage of planes. At the same time, I feel that the usage of projected light planes can further increase the ‘wholeness’ and the large scale of the project.

Technicalities
As per the previous update, I would like to harness projectors onto the roof tentage of the truss room, and the projection will hail downwards.

The smoke machine still remains, as it contributes to better visuals of the light rays.

Concept
I am still exploring related concepts but have shortlisted several ideas that might relate to the project: the black hole (in space), stormy weather, haze.

Ongoing Concerns
– Would have to test out the lighting to determine the outcome of the lights
– Of not having visitors stay beyond a short period to experience the project (trying to further interactivity in the later half)
– Would prefer to integrate more analog elements within the artwork, instead of pure projections