100 Lights / Pavilion

1 Lightbulb – Placed against the wall, pointing directly at the viewer.


10 Lightbulbs – Stacked in a pyramid at the centre of the room.


100 Lightbulbs – Arranged in a sloping gradient


Singapore Pavilion

Although we often say that Singapore does not have a strong identity as it is made up of a melting hotpot of cultures, what is iconic to Singapore lies in what we identify with as uniquely Singaporean behaviour. The ideal pavilion would be made to represent the Kallang Wave. The Kallang Wave has its origins from the old National Stadium, and is a representation of Singaporean pride, community and togetherness. It is usually performed at mass events such as the National Day Parade, and sports activities, particularly in Football matches. The Kallang Wave is performed by having rows of people standing and waving their hands up one after another, creating a wave-like formation that ripples through the entire stadium.

The pavilion would behave somewhat like Ned Kahn’s Wind Arbor, a site-specific installation at the Marina Bay Sands.

Issues in IM – Final Presentation

Cracks tell stories.

Often marking their territory on old buildings, these tiny, unnoticed features are often seen as defects. However, they have stood by the test of time and witnessed the changes around them discreetly.

Based on a crack I observed on the CHC entrance, I decided that I would like to do something within cracks. The CHC has a turbulent period in its story that many prefer not to talk about in detail, as it is a sensitive issue and a dark part of Singapore’s history. Hence, the crack – similar to this period of our history – are things that we want to hide and cover up as much as possible. The contents within the crack are abstract textures that represent these turbulent times.

The abstract textures were created with Cinema 4D, a 3D modelling and motion graphic software. As I initially wanted to create textures that appeared as though they were emerging from the wall and towards the viewer, I need to use a powerful 3D modelling software and not After Effects. I have never had any prior experience dealing with C4D before, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to throw myself into the deep end and see how things go (with a lot of reliance on online tutorials of course).

To map into the crack accurately, I thought it would work if I took a photo of it and drew it out on illustrator before importing it into C4D. Unfortunately, there were many things that I failed to take into consideration, one of which was the distance of the projector from the crack and parts of the surface that would have actually been projected on. As a result, the “projection mapping” wasn’t really mapping onto the crack anymore. Another issue that surfaced was with the size of the crack to export. As I didn’t know the exact dimensions of the crack, my content was built based on estimations – a really bad move! What I did not realise was that the crack was soooooo tiny that even pulling my Quicktime window to the smallest size was still too big for it.

I wanted to try out 2 different kinds of textures – one that popped towards the viewer, and the other which looks like it was hidden inside the wall.

 Out of curiosity, I tried playing a video of the animations hidden behind the wall. It looked as though another huge crack had appeared on the wall, and looked like a gateway to another realm! I also realised that it was quite difficult to achieve the “3D” popping out effect due to irregularities of the surface and the crack, which made it really obvious that it was a projection.

Thanks to Shah who introduced the VPT8 software that he was using for his work, I was able to (finally!) map the irregular edges of the crack rather accurately to achieve my intended outcome. The software was really simple to use, and did not require a steep learning curve. I also learnt that it can be paired with Arduino and MaxMSP – meaning that interactive projection mapping is actually possible!!

With that being said, I would love for this project to be interactive, whereby the projection appears for a while when someone passes by. I would also like to improve on creating the abstract textures to be something that is more visible, instead of looking like flashes of light and perhaps a material and colour that is more blended in with the wall surface, as well as taking into consideration the lighting of the space. In the most ideal situation, I would like to find way in which the technical components can be well hidden such that nothing would bring attention / suggest the existence of the projection in the crack. The work should also not have an accompanying soundtrack since the intention was to have this projection work be as discreet as possible, and is something that will catch the eye of passersby should they notice it.

Producing this work has made me more aware of the cracks and holes on the walls of spaces, wondering and imagining what kind of stories they hide behind those layers of paint and cement. Taking on this project has changed my perception of projection mapping as something that has to be large-scale, eye-catching and prominent. More importantly, I hope this work has done its part to inspire others to appreciate these tiny details that we tend to overlook, and to think about the potential stories that are hidden in the spaces we are in everyday!

Interactive Spaces – Analog Project

S ECOND
By Tisya & Jiaman

How long is a second? How much time is between one heartbeat and the next?

Our understanding of time is through rhythm and repetition. The rhythm of ticking clocks, the rising and setting of the sun, metronomes, and counting mentally by the thousands, are all indications of time passing by. Time is man-made; there is no definite indication of time, and each one of us perceives it differently.

S ECOND (Pronounced as “Split Second”), aims to manipulate one’s sense of time through an ever-changing, rhythmic soundscape that allows viewers to discover their own sense of time in a place that lacks any evidence of it. By creating a spatial instrument that generates rhythms, the repetition of sound becomes an indicator for the passing of time. Through participation, the viewer is able to modify the length of time in the installation, affecting their own perception and that of the next.


PROCESS

Driven by how sound can be an important determiner in defining a space, our initial processes revolved around the idea of playing with sound and one’s perception of it. We were keen on creating an experience that deals with an unseen space – the mind space.

Initially, our intention was to create an installation where visitors would lose their sense of time. We wanted to achieve this with a combination of repetitive motions and a droning sound. We were very inspired by free-hanging kinetic sculptures that can rotate freely on its own axis. Using this, we thought that it might be possible to generate a consistent sound from it through the friction between materials.

Unfortunately, this was difficult to achieve due to the analogous nature of the project that we had to do. To generate a constant and consistent droning sound, we would have to defy the laws of physics, which is I M P O S S I B L E as everything in motion would eventually stop at some point. Our next closest bet was to make use of the force from magnetic repulsion in an attempt to turn the mobile. Sadly, this also failed to work, as the polarity of the magnet was difficult to control and can be quite erratic and inaccurate at times.

Moving forward, we wondered if having the structure behave in the opposite manner could also create the experience of time manipulation that we intended. By designing a moment that was suspended in stillness, the mobile could be captured in a way that gives the impression of time coming to a standstill. Although this might be visually portrayed, our minds are still very well aware that time passes by regardless.

As time is something that is man-made, each of us has a different understanding and perception of it. In the location that we have selected, there is completely no indication of time (considering that one doesn’t look at their phones or watches). It is a completely enclosed space that has no exposure to sunlight or time-based artificial light.

Given the nature of the space, everyone would develop their own sense of rhythm and repetition to determine how much time has passed, based on their personal perception of how long a second lasts. Hence, we decided to design an ever-changing, rhythmic soundscape that allows viewers to discover their own sense of time in a place that lacks any evidence of it.

The structures used to contain water were created out of bottles and metal rods, held together by bits and pieces of hardware parts such as screws, grommets, hooks, fasteners, pegs and stoppers. Each bottle has a different configuration to attach it to the rod, and also has a hole that allows and controls where and when the water drips. The holes are either attached with hollow brass rods that slow down the speed of water, or “pins” that were made out of wire and glue. The pins prevents water from gushing and instead collects them on the tip to create tiny drops of water.

These structures are attached onto the railings of the staircase, held in place by L-shaped brackets. The industrial look of the installation was intended to fit with the space, especially with the metal railings and concrete floor.

At the bottom-most layer of the installation, metal lids of varying sizes and heights were suspended, creating a different tone with each impact of water dripping onto it. Due to the reverberative nature of the space we have chosen to work with, the lids were confined at the bottom as the sound travels and echos more.

We did also consider modifying the lighting of the space as we felt that the warm light in the staircase did not really suit the atmosphere of our installation. We covered the lights and placed tiny white balls of light on the lids. This provided a nice reflection of the metal surface as well as the water droplets on it.


 

Issues in IM – Week 01

Examples of projects that addresses the notion of place, mobility or interactive environments in an innovative or thought-provoking way.

(Question: What defines space and place?
Place – specific position? Space – empty & vast?)

Image result for anish kapoor cloud gate

Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor
Kapoor’s work is a site-specific, giant, reflective, bean-shaped sculpture that seeks to alter our perception of the world around us. Its reflective surface provides a wider view of the environment that surrounds the sculpture, allowing us to see it through the skewed and distorted image presented to us. The work attempts to nurture an appreciation of our surroundings, and through its very existence and significance, contributes to the idea and definition of “place” by filling the void of where it now stands.

Overdeepening by Olafur Eliasson
Eliasson’s work consists of two half-rings that appear completed when seen through their reflections – one seen from a mirror and the other from a water surface. The illusions create an impression that the ‘space’ created from the reflections is an extension of the physical space that the viewer is in. The layering of reflections – from the mirror, back to the water surface and back to the mirror again, etc. – creates an infinite chain of rings that challenges one’s idea of continuity and limitations of space.



We Live in an Ocean of Air
by Marshmallow Laser Feast
The work is a multi-sensory immersive installation highlighting the connections between us and nature through virtual reality. The work is ironic in many aspects, particularly in its attempt to portray a realistic presentation of nature through virtual means. The use of virtual reality also contradicts the idea of mobility, by only allowing us to freely navigate a space virtually (based on what we see) but restricting our physical movements in reality.

Hoshi by Nonotak
Nonotak’s work uses the simple and effective combination of mirrors and lights, multiplying them to create an infinite space. It plays with the viewer’s perception of depth and motion by utilising the illusion of reflections and movement of light.

MCM x Christopher Raeburn by Universal Everything
This work merges the physical and digital almost seamlessly. “The multi-sensory installation was created through the unique combination of radial architecture, large-scale CGI video, atmospheric lighting design and the inventive screen format hologauze – a super-fine projection material that creates a holographic illusion.”

Project Management – Week 01

/ B I O G R A P H Y

Tisya Wong is bad at biographies.

However, she is an aspiring artist-designer hybrid, with a particular interest in creating immersive spatial experiences. She is currently pursuing a Degree in Interactive Media at the School of Art, Design & Media in NTU.

Wong has always been curious about human behaviour – but more specifically, our interactions with objects and spaces. With a background in product design, Wong is also a firm believer of physical interactions, as well as its interdependent and intertwining relationship with technology. She also has a keen interest in material exploration and a mild obsession with water.

Her work is inspired by issues that result from our behaviour, spanning across a wide range of topics such as plastic pollution and abandoned furniture. Through her work, Wong hopes to bring an awareness and make an impact in the lives of others by changing the lens through which they see the world.

/ W O R K

PLASTIC GYRE
Recycled plastic bags, Nylon string, Electronic wires, Ultrasonic sensors, Servo motors, Arduino Uno,  Projectors, Macbook Pros, Speakers

Plastic Gyre is an interactive installation inspired by plastic trash islands that float around the World’s oceans. The work merges data visualisation and physical interaction to create an awareness of the damage that has been done to our natural environment. Driven by sensors that are triggered by the viewer, changes in the movement and light on the plastic body reveal a harsh truth – that the beautiful surface of our oceans may soon be replaced by our plastic trash.

(https://www.behance.net/gallery/60792111/Plastic-Gyre )


/ R E S U M E
/ I N S P I R A T I O N

WeltenLinie, 2017
by Alicja Kwade

Kwade’s installation deals with optical illusion through the use of space, creating a disorientating experience.  With the use of mirrors and identical objects as well as carefully-crafted placement, Kwade’s work attempts to engage the viewer by blurring our perception of reality and changing our perspective of the space as we move around it.

(https://alicjakwade.com/exhibitions/space-shifters)

Madmax 03 – Vee Jee

V E E J E E

Having to work on this assignment without a webcam, one of the coolest things that I discovered was that our phone can actually be used as a “webcam”! This makes camera-related assignments a lot more convenient, and can be used as substitute if we need more cameras in our MAX MSP projects in future.

Okay now, moving onto the project!

To do list:
01 Align motion regions, connect to triggers
02 Control sounds with motion regions
03 Add more sounds



To be able to trigger 8 different sounds, we first have to create multiple boxes by using x & y values to position each of them in a message. I had quite some difficulty figuring out the distances and sizes of each box such that all of them will fit in a row. However, I realised that it might be easier to have them not all in the same position so that the detection would be more accurate. The boxes are then displayed on a p window, showing the areas where the motion regions are. To allow the motion regions to function as detectors, more routes have to be added and linked to an output in the main patch.On the main patch, the motion regions are linked using s Step & r Step, functions that enables data to be sent and received within the patch and makes it neater. Initially, I linked every output value alternatively to r Step 1 & r Step 2, but I realised that only 2 motion regions were connected. More r Step objects had to be added to enable the other motion regions. I tried testing if the motion region works with the triggers first:


To add more sounds, simply drag in audio files built within MAX from the left bar, and pull it into the playlist. The sounds are triggered in order and can be controlled by the slider on the main patch.

But somehow, although different motion regions were triggered, they all kept playing the same sound. I’m not sure if there was something wrong with the patcher or with the s TrigSound & r TrigSound objects, but I could only play different sounds by pulling the slider. I tried connecting it to r CurrentStep, thinking that the values were displaying which motion region was triggered.

The sounds started playing immediately after i turned on the speaker output, and I realised that it was not linked to motion region at all. (I’m still not sure what it is for)

After playing around and attempting to connect the r TrigSound in different ways, I realised that it doesn’t send any value through at all, and only sends a bang to the playlist, causing it to only play 1 sound all the time. Hence, I put aside the playlist and decided to connect all the sounds individually to the output values instead.

I can’t seem to figure out why r TrigSound is unable to play the audio files according to the audio on the playlist, and will work on finding it out!

 

Madmax 02 – Brad Pitt

B R A D  P I T T

For this assignment we had to place a face over ours and try to make it as blended as possible, but I was wondering what it would be like if I was able to “create” my own face instead? Through this I discovered the jit.lcd function, which basically allows you to draw with your mouse on MAX.

To-do list: 
01 Link drawing to face tracking
02 Crop image onto face


Initially I was having difficulties with finding out where jit.lcd should be placed. When I linked it to p faces (where the face tracking functions are) and attempted to jit.alphablend the image from the camera and from jit.lcd, the combined image just kept flickering. Working from the Step 1 file that LP provided, I extracted everything onto the main patcher and replaced the image file with jit.lcd so that it could be connected to other functions as well.

02 CROP IMAGE ONTO FACE
I wanted to make sure that the drawn image was only mapped onto the face. I searched online and found that there was a message called clipoval which can help to keep drawings within an oval dimension on jit.lcd. I thought this would be ideal for what I was trying to achieve, but sadly it doesn’t seem to work. The closest I could get was to remove the clear function from the mapped square that was linked to the captured camera image, such that it will leave a trail wherever my face moves, “erasing” the darker parts and creating the impression that I was only drawing on my face.

However, it still doesn’t create a very clean image, and trails of the drawing can be seen at parts where my face cannot cover. Unfortunately, this is the closest that I have managed to get with this, but I am quite determined to figure out the issue with the cropping.

Madmax 01 – Mirror

M I R R O R

In our first lesson with Max, we were tasked to do three things to achieve Christian Moeller’s Electronic Mirror effect, whereby the mirror fades to black when a user approaches it, only showing them a clear reflection when they are at a distance.

To-do list:
01 Retrieve & display data from webcam
02 Detect & track size of face + fades to black when near
03 Reflect the output so that it reacts like a mirror


Within p videoin, the functions were kept simple – to only control the flow of input from the webcam using the open and close functions. The image is sent onto the patcher using jit.pwindow, so that we can visualise what is being captured.

To determine the area of the face, we calculate the position using the maximum values of position x & y. This value is then sent through 2 outputs, the first is to $1 1000 & line 0 50 to smoothen the transition of brightness within 50 milliseconds. The second output is through peak, which tracks the nearest distance that the face was to the camera (aka highest value). The values are then sent through scale, where the maximum and minimum values for distance & brightness is adjusted. In this case, we can change the gradient from bright (1) to dark (0. <), at a distance of 1000 to 10000.
After running through various jit. functions, in an attempt to find one that could invert the image, I finally landed on jit.dimmap, which inverts the output screen. However, it was flipped on a vertical plane, instead of horizontal as I wanted it to be. By including the invert value and playing with the 1 & 0 values through trial and error, it finally reflected to mirror my movements.


E X P L O R A T I O N S

Initially, I tried experimenting with other functions to adjust brightness because the original file looked really complicated and I found it difficult to comprehend what was going on with all the splitting of values. After running through the jit. functions (and getting distracted by many cool things along the way), I landed at jit.brcosa, which adjusts an image’s brightness/contrast/saturation. I soon realised it was not what we really want to achieve here, but it’s worth a try anyway!

Although the transition was not as smooth yet, using jit.brcosa overexposes the output quite drastically.

I tried fiddling with the values and overexposed my face till it was the same white as the background (which is pretty horrifying), but I also realised I was able to change our control by inverting the values and having the image brighter when closer, and darker when further.

In an attempt to smooth the constant flickering, I added an object and typed “smooth”, hoping some magical function would appear. And sure enough, I found Smoothr (no surprise there). This replaces the original method using scale, and also visualises the values in a graph. Although it seems to smooth out quite evenly, the fading seems a bit too slow and obvious.

Changed the smoothing value and it works much better than before! Will definitely work on improving this further and try out other methods of using faces to trigger other changes.

Project 1 G2

After our visit to the Chinese Heritage Centre and the talk by Professor Chen Yu, we were all quite intrigued about the history of Nantah university as well as the establishment of NTU.

Here are some of our takeaways from Professor Chen Yu’s presentation:
– NTU is made up of a transition of history; the campus itself is a narrative of the progression of NTU from Nantah days till present.
– The building materials and patterns of the architecture can give an indication of when the building was built, as well as its influences.

Based on this, and upon the realisation that people tend to describe a building based on its architecture and its surrounding spaces, we decided to head towards the direction of creating a timeline map where the buildings are sorted by the decade that they were built in, and represented by distinctive patterns that makes them easily identifiable. Through this map, we hope to be able to bring out the history and progression of NTU in a visual manner, to create more awareness about the story of our campus and allow them to experience our campus through a different perspective.

Our first step was to do some research into when the buildings were built, and at the same time finding out interesting information about them:

We also went around observing and documenting patterns that are distinctively related to a building’s architecture (we have yet to cover the entire campus, we will aim to finish it in the coming week!):

These are some quick sketches that we’ve been doing so far, we’re considering patterns that are visible from an aerial view as well, not just patterns that are visible from our eye level. We have also started considering the layout of our project and what it might look like. Our current plan is to display the patterns of the buildings by decades on acrylic pieces, hanging them up in an open space that people can weave in and out, a metaphor for exploring our campus and travelling through time.

We will be working on the layout of the individual acrylic pieces and creating more patterns that could represent each building. We will also be exploring the campus to document more photos of patterns, watch this space!

Spatial 01 – Chinese Heritage Centre

We had the privilege of being led on a tour around the Chinese Heritage Centre (CHC) by Dr Lim Boon Hock, who knew every little detail about the beginnings of the first Chinese learning institute, or what was known in the past as Nanyang University.

I have to admit that I always had the impression that the CHC was actually the building where students studied Chinese Medicine, and often wondered how nice it must be to have lessons conducted inside. I’m really glad this field trip has cleared my misconception and taught me a lot more!



The Nantah Pictorial Exhibition displays the progression of the development of Nanyang University over the years. It “seeks to capture the spirit behind the founding of Nanyang University (Nantah), the first and only Chinese-medium institution of higher learning outside China.”



Nanyang University was a school by the community, for the community. Chinese Singaporeans and Malaysians from all walks of life contributed to the construction and building of the school. Fundraisers were organised by people from various occupations, from trishaw riders to hawkers and taxi drivers.



The Nantah Library & Administration Building (now the Chinese Heritage Centre) was the first building to be built. The founders believed that a library was important in driving the educational success of the school. It is located on a hill that overlooks Yunnan Garden “like an armchair atop a hill, as a reminder of the Chinese community’s sacrifice.” Dr Lim gave us access to the observation deck (which is closed to public) and it was there that I realised that the building was positioned adjacent to the fountain, memorial, as well as the arch replica before it. It was interesting to note the relationship between buildings and the other structures surrounding it, and how they can lead from one to another.





The building was built in 1954 and was gazetted as a National Monument in 1998. As such, the building has to be well-preserved. It still maintains the same elements as it did when it was first built, albeit with some scars from aging. According to Dr Lim, they were not allowed to repaint the doors, replace any of the tiles, or even jet-wash the stone steps on its exterior because it might further damage and affect the original form of the building.


REFLECTIONS –

There was one thing which Dr Lim mentioned nearing the end of our tour in the Nantah Pictorial Exhibition that really stood out to me. It was about how the CHC was an iconic spot for friends to meet up and where couples have dates. He told us the story of how young men would request the help of his female friends to pass on a message to his potential date, to meet at the CHC at a specific date and time. This made the CHC a very popular dating spot, especially since it was near the Yun Nan Gardens as well.

A building with such distinct architecture was also easily identifiable in the background of many of the photos at the exhibition. It seemed to be the main location for many historical events that involved the school.



It made me realise that identifying the architecture of buildings can be considered as a form of way-finding, not only back in the days where technology was not as developed, but also in the our present day and age. If we were to meet up at CHC, we would have to describe it / identify it as such:

Let’s meet at the Chinese Heritage Centre, the building __________________________________.

a) with the green tiled roof


b) with the red brick wall

c) that has an oriental Chinese look

d) that is opposite Yun Nan Gardens
e) with the fountain in front of it

It makes me wonder if people with good directional skills have formed this map in their heads solely based on the architecture of buildings that they know, which makes it easy for them to get from place to place. However, identifying places based on architecture would only work if the building has very distinct and visible visual elements. In places where nothing stands out and where everything looks the same, how do we navigate our way around?


References:
http://chc.ntu.edu.sg/Exhibition/Pages/NantahPictorialExhibition.aspx
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nantahs-historical-structures