Sinew Flex is a responsive installation by architect Jenny Sabin. Jenny Sabin is an architect using a computational techniques to create experimental form, bringing new perspectives to ways we see structures around us. She studied interdisciplinary visual art for bachelors and architecture for masters degree. Since she specializes in adaptive architecture, material computation, and biomimicry, most of her works contain bioinspired design created through knitting of responsive fibres. Similarly, Sinew Flex, a 2 story double canopy structure connected with a central bifurcated tubular form, is mathematically generated and activated by digital knitting process and light.The responsive fibres used in the structure change color and glow in response to an integrated lighting system and changing programs. She employs artificial intelligence to translate the data from environment into an immersive and interactive light and color. Also, the inhabitable structure provides various points of engagement; transformational views when audience descends the stairs, pause, productivity, and reflection at the base of the sculpture. I admire how she breaks down the barriers of disciplines and create a integrated work of engineering, architecture, biology, and mathematics. Especially, how she branches “knitting” into structural and architectural applications is very creative and compelling as it’s not a common material used in architecture.
// Ana Furtado
// Section E
// Project 9 Computational Portrait
//What is Beauty?
let img;
let smallPoint;
let largePoint;
function preload() {
//img = loadImage('https://i.imgur.com/pl5VSHB.jpeg')
img = loadImage('https://i.imgur.com/hxAyzbU.jpeg')
}
function setup() {
createCanvas(480, 480);
smallPoint = 10;
largePoint = 15;
img.resize(width, height);
imageMode(CENTER);
background(255);
noStroke();
img.loadPixels();
frameRate(75);
}
function draw() {
//paint the image using dots
let point = map(mouseX, 0, width, smallPoint, largePoint);
let x = floor(random(img.width));
let y = floor(random(img.height));
let pix= img.get(x,y);
fill(pix, 128);
//fill(pix);
ellipse(x, y, point, point);
//prints What is Beauty? across canvas in random places using image colors
wordtext = ["What", "is", "Beauty?"];
for (var i = 0; i <3; i++) {
fill(pix);
textSize(random(1,15));
text(wordtext[floor(random(wordtext.length))], random(0,width), random(0,height));
//floor gives less messages than round
}
//paints/ further distorts image using randomly placed line of image color
push();
stroke(pix);
let a = random(0,width);
let b = random(0,height);
line(a, b, a+10, b+10);
//line(a, b+10, a+10, b);
pop();
}
The most challenging part of this project was making all the different elements work to distort the existing image to create a new portrait.
I admire the project Active Ecosystem (SMF) by Camille Utterback and Michelle Higa Fox created in 2011 for Sacramento International Airport’s ticketing hall. I like how it continues the surrounding structure’s idea of “bringing the outside in”. It shows the interest of its maker in its inspiration: the “cycles of growth, movement, and decay in the natural agricultural environment or Sacramento”. The piece changes in response to multiple factors including the elevator that it surrounds, the time of day, and seasons. The piece combines hand drawn animations and dynamic calculations to generate the movement of growing or moving. It embodies the Utterback’s goal of creating physical-digital stems that engage surrounding and people’s bodies instead of just grasping attention of passerbyers. Camille Utterback is an artist with a focus on digital and interactive art. She explores possibilities of linking computational systems to human movement and physicality in many ways. Utterback combines sensing and display technology with custom software. She has a BA from Williams College and an MPS degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program from New York University.
Camille Utterback and Michelle Higa Fox piece for Sacramento International Airport. The animations change based on its surrounds, the time of day, and seasons. When the seasons or outside conditions change the type of fish changes and in the spring there is drifting pollen instead of fall’s falling leaves.
Caroline Record’s Falling OBJs was such a delightful treat to look at. With her use of random, oscillating lines that transform the perceived object into something else entirely, as well as the colors utilized to portray a clash of normality and chaos, she showcases her artistic and coding skills in an intersection of art and technology. Within each piece, she utilizes motion, as well, to create a sense of dissolving and forming. Record is a developer and artist that focuses primarily on writing the software to bring her installations to life. She has a background in fine arts, programming, and user-interaction design, having studied it at Carnegie Mellon University. She is currently focused on creating more digital, interactive works to be displayed in museums. She has also contributed to projects such as Popbox, which studied childhood obesity and the pressures and constraints that lead the children to their unhealthy weight gain.
I really enjoyed looking into this week’s “looking outwards” because the work women and non-binary people are doing around the world is INCREDIBLE. After looking through a lot of the work of these people, I decided to look more into Chloe Vardlidi who loves “designing and building playful products that empower humans to be creative, kind and curious about the world around them.”
A project she worked on, “The Littlebits Codekit + App” caught my eye quickly on their website because it helps teachers teach younger children by engaging them with fun games and cool entertainment. Using this kit, paired with the app, kids can create games and make inventions like a keytar instrument, hot potato, or button master. I find it really cool that Chloe was able to partner up with the company Sphero to work on a project of these level.
The Horticultural Spa is a spa for plants and people. It is part greenhouse and part “pneumatic bubble”. The purpose it to create a place for people to breathe and connect. I chose Rachel Wingfield as she has experience with large-scale architecture which is something I am also interested in. In this space, she transforms this public garden in order to tell her story about water scarcity and how innovative technologies can start to be redeveloped to reduce consumption. Meditative practices are also used in the spa and certain soundtracks generate music as well. I like how she tries to merge biological and technological futures through her work especially at an urban scale.
I was inspired by the work of Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat. I specifically was intrigued by the Musical Swings project. I like how it is interactive and different notes are played based on the swing. I have always loved swings and so I think it would be so fun to go to one of these swings. Not only are the swings fun but they create a lively atmosphere for the surrounding area.
Additionally, I really like how the swings create a musical composition when they are moving together. It is cool how, when people swing in sync, more complex melodies are triggered; so when people are swinging together, the music sounds nicer.
As mentioned before, there are two creators. Andraos recieved a Master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and a Bachelor degree from Concordia University. Mongiat has a Master’s degree in Creative Practice for Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK.
Both women now work at Daily tous les jours where they make these interactive art pieces.
//Xinyi Du
//15104 Section B
//xinyidu@andrew.cmu.edu
//Assignment-09
//Click to switch between "circles" or "lines" mode.
//"Circles" Mode:
//move the mouse left or right to change the circles' size and stroke weight
//to make the portrait more blurry.
//"Lines" Mode:
//move the mouse left or right to change the rotation angle of the lines
//to create the wind blowing effect.
var click = 0; //number of clicks
function preload() {
img = loadImage("https://i.imgur.com/ncc1zMh.jpg");
//original url https://i.imgur.com/mOmrZEo.jpg
}
function setup() {
createCanvas(547, 547);
background(255);
imageMode(CENTER);
img.loadPixels(); //load pixels
}
function draw() {
//click to switch between "circles" or "lines" mode
if (click % 2 == 0) {
draw1(); //circles mode
}
else {
draw2(); //lines mode
}
}
function draw1() { //circles
for (i=0; i<100; i++) {
var x = floor(random(img.width)); //random x of the center of circles
var y = floor(random(img.height)); //random y of the center of circles
var dotcolor = img.get(x, y); //get the pixel color info
var point = (dotcolor[0]+dotcolor[1]+dotcolor[2])/3; //get the average RGB value
//map the mouseX position to circle sizes
var mapsize = map(mouseX, 0, width, 5, 30);
//map the mouseX position to circle stroke weights
var mapWeight = map(mouseX, 0, width, 5, 0.5);;
strokeWeight(mapWeight);
stroke(dotcolor); //strokecolor is the pixel color
noFill();
ellipse(x, y, mapsize, mapsize);
stroke(dotcolor[0]+35, dotcolor[1]+35, dotcolor[2]+35); //stroke color ligher
ellipse(x, y, mapsize*1.5, mapsize*1.5); //circle size bigger
stroke(dotcolor[0]-35, dotcolor[1]-35, dotcolor[2]-35); //stroke color darker
ellipse(x, y, mapsize*0.5, mapsize*0.5); //circle size smaller
}
}
function draw2() { //lines
for (i=0; i<10000; i++) {
var initdegree = mouseX; //mouseX determines the initial degree
//x, y of the starting point of the lines, random points within the canvas
var x = floor(random(img.width));
var y = floor(random(img.height));
var dotcolor = img.get(x, y);
var point = (dotcolor[0]+dotcolor[1]+dotcolor[2])/3;
//map the average RGB value to degrees, the greater the value the greater the degrees
var mapdegree = initdegree+map(point, 0, 255, 0, 180);
//map the average RGB value to line lengths, the greater the value the shorter the lengths
var maplength = map(point, 0, 255, 15, 2);
//map the average RGB value to stroke weights, the greater the value the smaller the stroke weights
var mapWeight = map(point, 0, 255, 5, 0.3);
noFill();
strokeWeight(mapWeight);
push();
translate(x,y); //translate the origin to (x,y)
rotate(radians(mapdegree)); //rotate mapdegree
stroke(dotcolor);
line(0, 0, 0+maplength, 0+maplength);
stroke(dotcolor[0]+35, dotcolor[1]+35, dotcolor[2]+35);
line(10, 0, 10+maplength+5, 0+maplength+5);
stroke(dotcolor[0]-35, dotcolor[1]-35, dotcolor[2]-35);
line(-10, 0, -10+maplength-5, 0+maplength-5);
pop();
}
}
function mousePressed() {
click ++ ; //if mouse is pressed, increase number of clicks
}
Molmol Kuo is an artist and educator whose interests range from experimental film and AR to storytelling and collective memory. The Drink Up Fountain, created in partnership with creative agencies, is my favorite project she’s worked on. This is a public water fountain that spouts out entertaining prerecorded greetings and compliments when a water drinker sips from it (creating a circuit that is broken when the drinker pulls away). This goofy fountain brings so much joy to unsuspecting people in an otherwise fairly typical urban setting and creates collective memories shared by all that engage with the public fountain.
the drink up fountain – a compilation of people’s first reactions
This appreciation of joy, discovery, and sharing is found across Molmol’s work. During lockdown, she created “The Care Package”, a recipe of sorts that gave people a daily photography project that she would compile, overlay, and gift as a single print. One of her neon works combines the physical neon rods with an animated projection that seems to react to the physical rods like cars piling up on a road.
//Evette LaComb
//Section D
//09 project
//the portrait must be an un-retouched photograph of a person
//that can be acessed on imgur.com
//you can only display the portrait generated
//should not be bigger than 480 x 480
//show creativity
//write a sentance or tow reflecting on your process and product
let img;
var x;
var y;
var angle = 0;
var radius = 0;
var frameCount = 0;
var circleSize = 1;
function preload() {
img = loadImage("https://i.imgur.com/a9JqjIf.jpg");
}
function setup() {
createCanvas(480, 480);
img.loadPixels();
imageMode(CENTER);
img.resize(480, 480)
background("grey");
noStroke();
}
function draw() {
//varaibles for x and y occording to spiral
x = radius * cos(radians(angle));
y = radius * sin(radians(angle));
//code for calling pixels:
var pix = img.get(x, y);
var pixx = img.get(width/2, y);
//code for the circels and fill:
fill(pix);
circle(x, y, circleSize);
fill(pixx);
circle(x, y, circleSize/2);
//code for the spiral:
radius += frameCount / 3000;
angle += 8;
frameCount += 1;
circleSize += 0.07;
if (frameCount > 3000) {
noLoop();
}
//border to cover where circles could not be drawn:
fill("white");
rect(0, 0, width, 20);
rect(0, height - 20, width, height - 20);
rect(0, 0, 20, height);
rect(height - 20,0, height, width- 20);
}
//my process for this was I wanted to include a spiral effect revealing the image
//I found that translating th spiral to the center effted where my pixel colors were being grabbed from
//I changed the spiral instead to start at 0, 0
//I ended up liking this effect better because it shows how the that top corner
//is the brightest part. The spiral created a sun ray effect that looked cool
//I then wanted something else in the circled so I made donuts with the
//inverted color in the center. This helped to bring some color to the top corner
//so it wasnt just all white.