Author: jmmedenb@andrew.cmu.edu

Jess Medenbach – Face Variables

“A manic day”  

//Jessica Medenbach
//Assignment Project 02;Variables Faces 

var noseCurve2=200;

function setup() {
    createCanvas(640, 480);
}
 
function draw() {
    background(17,216,162);
    fill(189,255,108);
    ellipse(width / 2, height / 2, 250,200);
    beginShape();
//mouth
curveVertex(width/2,  height/2);

curveVertex(281,  291);
curveVertex(268,  290);
curveVertex(221,  200);
curveVertex(232, 300);
curveVertex(232, 300);
endShape();
fill(255);

//eyes
var pupil1=10;
var pupil2=10;
var eyewhite1=30;
var eyewhite2=30;
var pupil1=random(10,30);
var pupil2=random(10,30);
var eyewhite1=random(30,50);
var eyewhite2=random(30,50);


ellipse(width/2,height/2, eyewhite1, eyewhite1);
ellipse(width/3+30,height/3+30, eyewhite2, eyewhite2);
fill(0);
ellipse(width/2,height/2, pupil1, pupil1);
ellipse(width/3+30,height/3+30, pupil2, pupil2);

//hat
fill(0);
 rect(300, 90, 30, 50);
 rect(290, 120, 50, 20);

}

function mousePressed() {
    // when the user clicks, these variables are reassigned
    // to random values within specified ranges. For example,
    // 'faceWidth' gets a random value between 75 and 150.
  
}

Jess Medenbach – Looking Outwards -2

“Péle-Méle” was a visiting installation exhibition at the Wood Street Galleries here in Pittsburgh by the French Artist, Olivier Ratsi.

The project is a projection installation that plays with lines and depth to continue the viewer’s eye line into the space. At first the image appears as a normal box shape but then as you stand still the boxes peel away, moving farther into the space and revealing more shapes, making you feel like you’re moving through a tunnel, although you are standing still. The installation is paired with music with a deep resonance, making the viewer feel as if they are entering another dimension or as some have described a “wormhole”.

What I admire about this piece is the strength in the simplicity. It’s a simple algorithm design, just boxes that start wide and get smaller and multiply…but it’s a really effective design that evokes a lot of emotional resonance.

Jess Medenbach Looking Outwards-01

AlterBahnhofscreengrabblur

The Alter Bahnhof Video Walk was designed for the old train station in Kassel, Germany as part of dOCUMENTA (13). Participants borrow an ipod and headphones and go to the abandoned train station where they then watch a film on their phones that takes place in the abandoned space they are standing in.

What I think is really effective about this piece is that the uncanniness of the event brings up a lot of thoughts about memory of experiences, as well as memory of places, and how a space contains many past and present happenings within it.

The project could be more effective if in addition to the ipod there are other interactive elements within the space…such as actors or objects that bring the participant even more into the world of the story and the nostalgia of the piece.

It’s unclear the exact influences for this piece but the experience seems to be inspired by immersive theater pieces such as Sleep No More, as well as site specific video installation, as well as traditional historical art walks.

Jess Medenbach Self Portrait

For this project, I just started out making shapes and experimenting with colors that resonated with me. Especially because I’m new to processing, I decided to let the process of creating a self-portrait guide itself through more abstract imagery, allowing what I was making to reflect the self portrait as opposed to trying to do something more figurative.

jessportrait

function setup() {
    createCanvas(600, 600);
}

function draw() {
	background(120,180,180);
	fill(255);
	ellipse(300,300,450,450);
	fill(255,162,164);
	ellipse(300,300,250,300);
	fill(255,255,202);
	triangle(30,75,58,20, 86,75);
	triangle(130,175,158,120, 186,175);
	triangle(230,275,258,220, 286,275);
	triangle(330,375,358,320, 386,375);
	triangle(430,475,458,420, 486,475);
	triangle(530,575,558,520,586,575);
	stroke(0);
	strokeWeight(10);
	line(600,80,325,600);
	line(600,20,225,600);
	line(450,18,200,580);
	fill(0);
	ellipse(300,300,50,50);





   
}