September 2017 – Page 31 – [OLD FALL 2017] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

gyueunp – Project-04: String Art

//GyuEun Park
//15-104 E
//gyueunp@andrew.cmu.edu
//Project-04

function setup() {
    createCanvas(400, 300);
    background(0);
}

function draw() {
	var x1 = -5;
	var y1 = -25;
	var x2;
	var y2;

	for (var x2 = 0; x2 < width; x2 += 10) {
		for (var y2 = 0; y2 < height; y2 += 10)
	stroke(255);
	strokeWeight(0.2);
//lines from top left 
	line(x1-15,y1,x2,y2,40);
	line(x1-25,y1,x2,y2,40);
	line(x1-35,y1,x2,y2,40);
//lines from top right 
	line(width+35,y1,x2,y2,40);
	line(width+25,y1,x2,y2,40);
	line(width+15,y1,x2,y2,40);
}

//growing center lines
	for (var i=0; i <= 2000; i += 100){
		var xPos = random(0,width); 
		var yPos = random(0,height);
		var x2Pos = random(width/2,width/2);
		var y2Pos = random(height/2,height/2);
		var linethickness = random(0,1);
	stroke(255,20);
    strokeWeight(linethickness);
    line(xPos,yPos,x2Pos,y2Pos);
}
}

One of the most attractive aspects of string art is the pattern that is created by the merging lines. Therefore, I focused on accentuating the patterns that are created by the spaces between the lines. In order to provide a contrast, I decided to limit the usage of colors for this project.

BrandonHyun-LookingOutwards-04

For this week’s Looking Outwards, that is focused on Sound Art, I choose Samson Young, an artist who is from Hong Kong. The project called Nocturne (2015) is a live performance project where Samson collected found footage of night bombing (Gaza strip, ISIS, gulf war etc.) from the internet and recreate the sounds of the bombing, explosions, and gunshots using household items live.

The recreation of the sounds of bombing and explosions by just using household items seems to be very interesting in this performance because it is essentially saying that daily objects withhold some sort of power and energy. I am fascinated how he was able to convey such emotions using the medium of sound.

Documentation of Samson Young’s Project called Nocturne (2015)

Live Performance Video of Nocturne (2015) – On-site radio broadcast, video, performance

Samson Young’s Web Page

mstropka-Project-04

sketch

//Max Stropkay
//Section E
//mstropka@andrew.cmu.edu
//Project-04


function setup() {
    createCanvas(400, 300);

}
function draw() {
  background(255);
  //draw ten lines from upper left corner
  //line spacing controled by mouseX and mouseY
  for(var i = 0; i < 10; i ++){
    line(0, 0, i*mouseX, mouseY);
  }
  //draw ten lines from upper right
  for(var i = 0; i < 10; i ++){
    line(400, 300 , i*mouseX, mouseY);
  }
  //draw ten lines from lower right
  for(var i = 0; i < 10; i ++){
    line(400, 0, i*mouseX, mouseY);
  }
  //draw ten lines from lower right
  for(var i = 0; i < 10; i ++){
    line(0, 300 , i*mouseX, mouseY);
  }


}

For this project, I tried doing something simple because I am still not 100% comfortable with loops. So I made a couple loops that generate lines that touch at the x and y values of the mouse.

mstropka-Looking Outwards-04

This chair is part of a series of chairs called Nóize chairs by Estudio Guto Requena. The Brazilian designers recorded ambient noise in the streets of São Paulo then used the information from the sound recordings to distort the surfaces of 3D modeled chairs. They distorted three classic Brazilian chair designs. The goal for the designers was to create a chair that represented the culture and ambiance of brazil. By taking an already iconic chair design and distorting it with the sounds of the area, the designers created a very interesting object that is symbolic of their native country.

I find this project very interesting because it is an example of designers building off of the ideas that older designers had with the new technology that is available today. However, I think that the way they distorted the models of the chairs is a pretty generic algorithm for distortion. I think that this concept could be better executed if the designers edited the distortion algorithms to generate geometry that was symbolic of some other aspect of Brazil culture or reminiscent of the original design of the chair.

mjanco-Assignment-04-String-Art-Section-B

stringart

//Michelle Janco
//Section B
//mjanco@andrew.cmu.edu
//Project-04-String-Art

var x2 = 1;
var y1 = 1;
var y2 = 0;
var xInc = 300;
var yInc = 400;

function setup() {
    createCanvas(400, 300);
    background(249,214,86);
}

function draw() {
  for (var x1 = 0; x1 < width; x1 += 5) {
    var y1 = x1 * .50;
    stroke(250,150,0);
    //vertical lines
    line(x1, y1, x1-80, y2);
    //upper right curve
    line(x2*yInc, y1, x1, y2);
    //diagonal center lines
    line(x2-100, yInc-65, x1, y1);
    //center triangular form
    stroke(240,100,0);
    line(yInc+40, x2*xInc, x1, y1);
    //upper right smaller curve
    stroke(240,100,0);
    line(xInc+65, y1+40, x1+20, y2);
    //bottom left curve
    stroke(250,150,0);
    line(x1, xInc, x2, y1);
    //lower left smaller curve
    stroke(240,100,0);
    line(x1-10, xInc-60, x2+35, y1);
  }
}

I found this assignment quite difficult because I did not have a clear vision going into it. This result is primarily from trying different things and seeing what works. However, I did enjoy playing with the color scheme.

abradbur-Looking Outwards-04

This is “Fall” by Robert Henke.

This art piece was named after a village in Bavaria that was submerged under the waters of a reservoir in the 1950’s, which reemerged in 2015 when the reservoir water level fell. It is a series of suspended, extremely thin swatches of fabric, and the laserlights that play on them in different shapes, colors, and patterns. The cloth pattern itself was designed with an algorithm, and the sound aspect pulls from granulated bavarian music, water sounds, church bells, and other distortions. I love how haunting the backstory combined with the execution of this piece is. I always appreciate art that is a well researched tribute. In this piece, Fall is resurrected.

Here is the installation page on Henke’s website.

mmirho – Looking Outwards 4

France Cadet – Spina Family: Hunting Tophies, Robotic Sculpture 2008

This project is simple in design and simple in action.

Each little “Tail” on the mount moves to music on its own independent basis, but when each of them moves together, or in a pattern, the result is beautiful to watch.

I admire the simplicity of this project, and I think the computation behind it isn’t very serious. If a certain frequency of sound is played, a certain tail reacts, and this creates a wonderfully mesmerizing effect. I especially respect projects that focus on being creative with simplicity, instead of trying hard to be really complicated. The value is in the creativity, not the computational difficulty.

I believe the artist’s purpose and goal with this piece were to potentially make a statement on hunting and mounting, but also to show the power of small independent movements together as one.

hyt-Looking-Outwards: “I am Sitting in a Machine” by Martin Backes

The inspiring sound installation art, I am Sitting in a Machine, is created by multi-disciplinary artist and composer Martin Backes. The piece pays tribute to the Alvin Lucier’s 1969 experimental piece I Am Sitting in a Room — a piece where the composer narrates a paragraph of text, then play the recording to an empty room, and re-recorded and re-played until the piece ends with hollow, resonated sounds. Similar process was used by Martin Backes, except that the narration is conducted by an artificial human voice, and then run through a MP3 encoder repeatedly through algorithms.

Exhibition view of “I am Sitting in the Machine”

For the physical work itself, the left portion is a 30-unit dubplate vinyl disk, and the right portion an online web page that conducts the same audio. The production presents the process of encoding until it fades into distortions and simple data formats.

I was mostly drawn to the artworks because of the reiterated interpretation of the experimental process, revealing the transformation from supposedly natural sounds to another that is so artificial and cold, and slowly goes into decay as the process repeats infinitely; at the mean time, its recursive algorithm also accentuates its properties as both a physical and digital production. According to the artist, he made 3000 iterations of the piece and eventually chose 32 tracks eventually, illustrating the variety and differences for each trial.

Web edition: http://iamsittinginamachine.net/info.html

ablackbu-LookingOutwards-04

Specdrums

When I was home over Winter break last year a friend of mine was working on this project for kickstarter:

Specdrums is a drum machine and synthesizer that you wear like a ring on your finger. Depending on what color you tap with the device, a different drum sound will be produced. Your cell phone can synthesize different sounds and the device works on any surface. It can pick up the colors of your clothes so you can play body music.

What I admire about this project is how playful it is. A lot of new technology like this is very intimidating to use but this seems almost childish and fun.

I was lucky enough to see these guys working on this project and see the mechanisms on the inside of the test product.

karinac-LookingOutwards-04

Mileece has spent many years studying sound design. In the process, she created a garden, the Tree Weaver, that produces acoustic sound through currents and wave frequencies. The sound produced by the movement of the hands utilises GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) while the human interactive sections use biosensors connected to a bigger system that chooses sound based upon factors such as firmness and location of the touch. This project really inspired me since Mileece took something artificial, the sound design creation process, and perfectly blended it with nature and everyday life to enhance the features of these plants inside the garden and really immerse those who visit. There are times when I believe that technology could not emulate sound produced by humans or actual instruments, but Mileece integrated the technology in such a natural way that it seems real.