Monday, October 26, 2015

10-26-15 Project Update

We have narrowed down an intersection we would like to duplicate on the Layar platform for a superimposed AR experience. The intersection is the iconic reno intersection of 4th and Sierra. The viewers will have to stand at an exact spot to view the superimposed reality and we have marked a spot where the viewer will be able to see most of the buildings and advertisements. We have a 3d model working now, however it is specific to the GPS coordinates of the inputted geo location. In order to test it we will have to import the 3d models and then make trips to the geo location to observe what modifications we will have to make.






10-19-15 Project Update

Moving on from our 2D AR experience development we have undergone a rigorous setup of web-based addresses so as to upload a temporary example file to be used in Layar's geolocation settings. The geo-location settings provided a good middle ground for us due to the inability to scan a location and superimpose an AR experience. If we were to stay with the image scanning option it would limit the angle of view for the participants too much and any modifications in reality to the source image would not allow participants to properly scan the image.

In order to utilize the Layar geolocations settings we must pinpoint the exact GPS coordinates and upload them in the web database. The instructions we followed for the setup of the web-server were extremely rigorous and involved hundreds of input sections before input of the .obj file converted to .L3D (layar file) along with proportions and positioning of the model. The web database is necessary for all the input sections and is specific to Layar which needs to explicitly pull the information from the web file location to superimpose the AR onto the mobile device.

After many frustrating days we were able to resolve the issue with the files and used a creepy model found online as a placeholder with GPS coordinates set to the Art 451 classroom. The only issue we have noted is the inability for the program to resolve visual proximity cues from the mobile device and compensate for viewing angle from the mobile device camera (i.e. the model does not grow when approached or shrink when distancing). Another issue right now is the model stays (from every angle) at a front facing view. We have compensated for this however by expressly marking a GPS spot from which the participant will view the geolocation.

10-12-15 Project Update




Using Layar we have been able to create relatively simple augmented reality experiences that involve scanning original images and then accessing a database to pull content needed to superimpose the image. These two examples we chose to illustrate the wide range of capabilities with just this simple development. Additionally we have also discussed the use of transparent videos to add more movement to the AR experience.







10-5-15 Project Update

Per suggestion I have taken a look into various Augmented Reality platforms. The winner right now seems to be the free downloadable app Layar, however there are other multitudes of possibilities including working with Google Cardboard and Unity.

Zachary Cordisco and myself have decided to team up as we are both interested in utilizing this technology to advance our topics. I hope to be able to superimpose advertisement modifications for app users while Zach intends to focus on a post-apocalyptic rendition of a location in Reno. As of right now we have decided to attack this new software together to parse through the information and bounce ideas off of eachother.

We have found tutorials aiding our initial steps into Layar

https://www.layar.com/features/developers/

currently we have both created accounts and have started exploration of the possibilities of Layar. One thing that is troubling both of us however is the ability to move freely around an environment with models staying at the same point in AR so it would be possible to walk toward a model and have it expand on ones mobile device. We have also signed up to be developers to access more advanced features in layar to input our own model data.

9-28-15 Project Update




Construction, for this update, was as much of a focus as the conceptual underpinnings of the project. By suggestion, I looked up Billboard Liberation Front and a number of other artists dealing with the similar topic of public art intervention and interaction with the public via the art.



Interventions such as these, while illegal, have an important and characteristic conceptual drive with an iconic sense of humor as well. There is a message behind each piece such as obesity, alcoholism, politics, or even more transient topics such as materialism and popular culture.

Another notable piece is 1:100 by Glowlab, where 1 foot of interior space represented 100 feet in the city of New York. This posed an interesting concept for a potential piece involving the city of Reno.

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Every corner was represented by pieces utilizing artifacts taken from that specific location such as dirt or plastic bags.

In 'The End' Steve Lambert displayed ads featuring the words 'The End' to humorously comment on the never ending nature of ads in public squares. The pervasiveness of advertising is a serious topic to be addressed, and one that I can use conceptually in my own piece.



Combining these different projects with my previous project concerning advertising in my new direction I would like to take advantage of the massive amounts of advertising we have here locally in Reno and put my own positive spin on things. 

Using the 3d tour software, I plan to take 360 panoramic photos of iconic advertising spots in Reno and then, using a combination of 2d and 3d software, will insert my own advertisements in place of the previous advertisements.

I have already identified some iconic spots







9-21-15 Project Update

Most of the parts have come in now necessary for the creation of the circuit for the light box. The PIR sensor requires several different output pins which was not originally accepted for in my design but nevertheless I seem to have figured it out.

With the activation of the light the LED plate has 6 embedded ultra bright LEDs which comes at a cost of 4 massive C-cell batteries. Their size is cumbersome however I managed to find a container for them and have secured them with a rubber band temporarily. I also have started investigating the prospects laser cutting offers me for creating a professional and clean-looking light box.

this is a rough diagram of the laser-cut needed for the light box. I have not currently decided on a material however. I would like the sign to be reminiscent of earlier aluminum exterior signs, however I am also partial to masonite or other composite MDF materials (thickness would vary but would need approx 1/4" material).

9-14-15 Project Update

The idea for this project started with the initial idea expanding upon a previous project concerning LED 'graffiti'. However, after some research I have decided to focus more on the showmanship evident in pieces such as Capitalism by Steve Lambert. My intention is to create a series of signs to display the main conceptual focus for my piece. The variety of possible phrases and designs requires further research especially if the messages displayed are meant to be "rewarding" in some way to the audience. Another excellent point raised in class discussion was the topic of interaction and simplicity as in Capitalism by Steve Lambert requiring the audience participants to vote by pressing a button for interaction. Simplicity is another topic to be addressed as in the projection of the 'Sky' sign pointing up at the actual sky. Nick and myself had discussed both after the class and agreed that before the message can be decided upon it would be best to sort out the design of the pieces individually.

Another factor that will be important to consider is the location of the piece. Nick and myself both want to interact with a public and unassuming audience. For this reason we believe it may compliment both of our projects to be able to work together, especially considering his project deals primarily with audio and mine with visual, yet we are both attempting to tackle similar hardware together. I intend my piece to be an active and distracting agent facilitating the derailment of the average person's daily life and hope to pose thought-provoking statements or questions on my motion-activated sign to make people think about topics rarely addressed. These topics may concern current popular assumptions about the definitions of vast encompassing terms such as love, art, values, morality, humanity, etc...

Displayed below are two circuit diagrams I was considering for the backlit illumination of the signs. The second diagram seems more plausible currently.




9-7-15 Project Update

Work with the light box is going well, I have ordered multiple transistors both PNP and NPN and resistors to complete the first circuit for the model. In the mean time I have focused, as suggested, more on content itself and what i would like to say with the piece and not exclusively the technical aspects.

I have thought about numerous variation but much like Steve Lambert's work, I would like whatever is stated on the sign to be provocative and more than just itself at face value. Ideally I would like the phrase to make passing individuals question fundamental aspects of society and especially those aspects that are often in practice without much question initially. These may be phrases such as "What is morality?" "What is truth?" and perhaps even a critique on the art world itself with phrases such as "What is Art?" All of these phrases I believe have great potential combined with the startling aspect of a motion-detected light.

The appearance of the message in the night to passing individuals may have a curious effect on them. The aspect of motion activation would make the message seem intrinsically personalized as it was initiated by the individual's motion itself.

For now I plan on considering all of these concepts as 'punchy one-liners' while also working on the circuit.

8-30 Project and Venue Proposal


REDIRECTION PROJECT PROPOSAL



The proposition for my project comes from the Graffiti Research Lab and their project LED Throwies. From my last project in Art 350 expanding the LED Throwie concept to recreate a digital checkpoint system aiding in the deconstruction of established pedestrian routes in Reno, NV. The concept of renavigating urban environments stems from the French concept of the Flâneur and text from Walter Benjamin. 



With this project I hope to bolster this idea and create more permanent installation pieces with motion-activated lights to emphasize the conceptual ramifications of chance and curiosity. I would really like to sell the concept of the pieces and create every bit of information needed for the pieces to appear like a legitimate piece of technology so as to critique the notion of graffiti creation and make the installation process appear more legitimate. The details involved in this project stem from influences such as Steve Lambert’s Anti Advertising Agency and the conviction of the details involved with the project. 



It is my hopes through this project to engage with an unassuming audience and derail people’s normal pedestrian routes through sheer happenstance. The project’s success is not measured by the number of people discovering a new path through their engagement, but instead the piece’s very existence as a statement against current city layouts and the potential for art as inspiration for curiosity in turn motivating actions.



The intricacies of the installation process might involve



-logo and website for light-sensor checkpoint pieces

-installation with appearance of business (construction apparel, official car, etc.)

            Construction look/official documents in light of defacement?

-metal/custom fitting cases with permanent installation (with logo)



Technology and securing will most likely involve



-IR transmitter and receiver

-breadboard/custom housing with inlaid circuitry

-other electrical fittings

-fitting via screws through housing/snapping/glue

-securing to various surfaces through housing (concrete screws, industrial glue)








VENUE



For a collective presentation/venue I would not be against a set venue, however my piece necessitates the deconstruction of pedestrian routes making it site-specific. The piece is not a means of way-finding but precisely the opposite – it serves as a tool to provoke a sense of wanderlust so untypical in modern urban environments. This stated, if the collective venue is surrounded by a sort of urban environment with clearly defined preferred routes by pedestrians, then my piece could work outside the venue. 



I believe collectively our class should tackle a larger concept of audience connection that engages with the public in ways that many previous projects have not. Being an artist means you are actively engaged with the community and are creating pieces that hopefully connect to an audience. I think that branching out from the archetypical gallery exhibition setting would be a good step for those looking to pursue art in the future where they will be required to engage publically. I think it would be a good challenge different from simply creating a piece by and for oneself and displaying it for only a select few (often members of the very same class) to critique. 



Concerning these parameters, it would be interesting to find a gallery setting that can serve a variety of needs, Currently I am considering the Holland Project due to its semi-urban surrounding and the ability for gallery expansion outside of the building.