Category: SectionA

With the development of algorithms, even artistic ideas can be developed and turned into reality with great efficiency. When designing architecture, I always put a lot of manual adjustings and editings for linework drawings and overal layouts of the rooms. However, an architecture studio Wallgren Arkitekter has created some programs embedded in the architectural parametric modeling tool Grasshopper.

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Let’s draw some dwellings with #finch3d

A post shared by Jesper Wallgren (@jesper.wallgren) on Jun 4, 2019 at 9:44am PDT

Once the site constraints and several specific requirements such as wall thickness and architecture type are set, the program will automatically create elegant drawings for the plans and sections. Meanwhile, the building models are created with great detail. When the user makes changes to the settings, changes in the drawings are laid out instantly. Such an algorithm provides an insight into modern healthy and safe living, and it also takes advantage of the site to generate the most ideal and economic layout for the rooms. Moreover, when combined with other programs that deal with weather and transportation proximities, the algorithm will also produce a map analyzing which house or suite will be most wanted. Such a new program inspires me to compare my own design with what the machine produces and to see which design factors I have considered or not. In addition, the program greatly facilitates the design efficiency and enables us to think in a wider picture for forms and environment.

Click here to see the introduction of the software

Official website for the software:http://finch3d.com/#

Mario Klingemann is a German artist who uses neural networks, codes, and AI to create generative art. He put images of portrait paintings from the 17th and 19th centuries into GAN (Generative Adversarial Networks), which then produces replica or newly generated portraits based on its own interpretations. GAN is a deep neural net architecture that consists of two nets, going one against the other; the generator and the discriminator. The generator takes in random numbers in order to create images. Then, those generated images are sent to the discriminator with a stream of images from a given dataset (i.e. images of paintings that were put in). The discriminator’s job is then to produce probabilities, a number from 0 to 1, where 0 represents authenticity and 1 represents fake.

In Klingemann’s artwork, GAN isn’t simply duplicating old paintings (input). GAN decides its own aesthetic using a Tinder-like selection of what it finds aesthetic or not, and after studying its own interpretation of the basic features of a face, it produces an infinite stream of portraits that are rather uncanny and creepy. Personally, I always believed that art was a field AI could never achieve to learn, since there are no set of rules on how to express and create art. Creativity is unique to individuals since we all have different interpretation of the world and different ways of self-expression. Mario Klingemann’s pioneering artworks proved me wrong, and this is why they caught my eye. I am excited, at the same time, terrified to see what the future holds for the AI art.

I was play Electronic Organ when I was in undergraduate university in China. This instrument is very popular among children because it contains thousands of sounds in one instrument.

The first electronic organ made by an American named Thaddeus Cahill in 1904. Until now, YAMAHA is the biggest company producing this instrument.

Electronic Organ seems like a harpsichord, piano size but has a foot-keyboard. Electronic Organ is a modern electronic keyboard instrument which combines high technology. It originates from classical pipe organ and is similar to the structure of the classical pipe organ. But the electronic organ has its own musical form, which is just like a music synthesizer but need a performer to run the whole organ. It contains thousands of instruments inside one electronic organ and it can show symphony when performer plays it. Even I play this instrument for 8 years, I still do not know how does it run. All the information online is about teach how to play it but no one to show how can produce one.

From my experience, the electronic organ function just likes the music synthesizer but more than one. It can process thousands of instruments in one time.

However, the sound of this instrument is not very adjective sometimes. It’s like fake not true. It inspire me to learn more about computing music and what is computing music. I love my instrument and I wandering maybe I can do more about this project. Like, making this instrument become more productive or making the sounds more adjective. Then chamber music can just need one instrument not a lot of instruments.

SICKTRICKS is an interactive video game for the sport of tricking, which is an aesthetic blend of martial arts, gymnastics, and break-dancing. It was a project created nearly three years ago by CMU student Bo Tembunkiart. Though this project was created from scratch, it did utilize the Autodesk Maya application for 3-D interactivity in order to allow for more realistic movements and responses by the avatar.

The project was not as inspired by one particular work as it was inspired by the lack thereof. As tricking is a somewhat new, relatively small sport, the creator wished to create a video game for the tricking community, entering a space that has not been widely explored before. In this way, it offers a new area of potential study for the video game world, expanding the awareness of tricking at the same time.

I admire this project because not only does it explore a new realm of video games, but it also is wildly impressive to me that such a game was able to be created from scratch in just one semester. It is exciting for me to see that you can create new content even if there is no template, so long as you’re willing to work hard enough for it. This project was certainly outside the box, and that to me is definitely inspiring.

I had an opportunity to learn about an interactive art project called “Portals”, created by a creative studio, Shared Studios, through my friend over the summer. How Portals work is that a person walks into a shipping container in which they talk to complete strangers from different backgrounds such as from Iraqi refugee camps, Afghan universities, Mexican public parks and German libraries through live feed. People are given with some ice breaker questions such as “What would make today a good day for you?” before walking in, but the rest of the conversation is up to them.  This project was launched in December 2014 by a former Washington Post reporter, Amar Bakshi, after traveling to 12 countries to report. His most memorable moments from his time visiting different countries were talking to complete strangers in each country. On his way back home, he brainstormed ways of connecting people from all over the world in more personal ways, and Portals was created. With a team of 16 people, the shipping container have been traveling to different cities in the US.

This project has struck out to me as it provides meaningful experiences between people separated by distance and differences and will further encourage them to be more open-minded and expose themselves to different cultures – resonating with my personal values. As a person who has been studying abroad – New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, now, America – since a young age, I have been pushed to step out of my comfort zones, which led me to learn and appreciate different cultures. Since I am aware that everybody’s experiences are unique, I hope to create creative and more fun ways to encourage people to learn about other cultures such as the Portals. 

When I see interfaces from sources such as sci-fi movies like Iron Man, or Oblivion, it always excites me and makes me want to create something similar. My favorite designer regarding this topic is Gmunk (Bradley G Munkowitz). He uses mixture of Cinema 4D, After Effects, and other softwares to create mind blowing animations. Such graphics really catch the attention of the audience by generating futuristic atmosphere as well as help us imagine ourselves in the position of the characters that are using the interface.

Above is the UI of Bubbleship. Bubbleship is a paramount vehicle in the movie. Gmunk’s stated that it was the most researched graphic task, trying to imitate the actual functional data that currently exists in the combat aircraft interfaces as well as modernizing its aesthetics. I genuinely appreciate the works that someone put in much considerations to crafting it to very details, though it’s not required to do so. 

Such as HUD above, I have been using softwares such as After Effects myself to replicate such interfaces, but have not been able to create an actual interaction. I look forward to learn how to create digital interactions that reacts to the user’s movement and actions, with a behavior more than just a pre-directed script.

A video by creator Ken Kawamoto introducing the tempescope and its functionality.

A few years ago, I discovered this video while scrolling through my Facebook feed. I was fascinated by the idea that this object could not only serve an aesthetic purpose as house decor but also a functional one to remind one, for example, to take their umbrella because it’s raining.

Tempescope is essentially a clear case that visually displays weather conditions using a custom app. You can either set your location or manually choose whatever effect you want. Creator Ken Kawamoto built the first prototype in 2012 using the Objective-C and C++ programs after wanting to experience the Okinawa weather from his living room. In 2013, he created an open source version (available on GitHub) so other people could reproduce the tempescope at home.

After receiving a lot of attention from multiple media outlets, Kawamoto recruited a team of five people to create a retail version of the prototype and a funding campaign was initiated on Indiegogo. Although it received substantial attention, the campaign ultimately did not reach its funding goal and as of now, the project seems to be at a halt with no further development plans.

You can learn more about the tempescope here.