Stonehouse - Floor Space

After visiting Union Street a few times me and my group have decided that we would like to use the floor space on Union Street for our projection although the specific location is yet to be defined.  This is because as well as it being a more unique approach to the project, by using the floor it will be able to have a more direct effect on the people who view it.  The floor space is a very dynamic space in the environment where there is a lot of interaction between people and the ground.  The floor space and its inhabitants define the routes that people take across the surface, and so this could be manipulated, and the consistent contact between people and the ground make the floor a more interactive surface to use.  Also this constant relationship means that any addition to the floor surface can be subtle enough that it requires a greater exploration of the environment to be noticed, therefore enhancing a persons understanding of their environment. An example of how floor projections can be effective is shown in certain sections of the video below:

By investigating this space there is also a lot of other elements that can be investigated and dealt with.  One main interesting element is that of puddles. By using the floor space, it may be likely that the environment chosen for the projection will include puddles, and so projecting onto these may be something to consider.  This however could be used to our advantage as the projection could be designed to relate and use this element.  Water itself is a very flexible and dynamic substance and so properties like these could be used to influence the projection effectiveness.

Stonehouse - Temporal Sculpture

#bdat Another practice similar to that of light art is carried out by a man named Geoffrey Mann.  Mr Mann monitors and tracks the movement of different animals and objects and turns this information into sculptures.  The sculptures made demonstrate the movement of the item over a period of time, capturing a trace of the movement that is invisible when viewed normally.  This has a similar aim to that of light art, in that it helps to unveil an occurrence in our environment that we do not account for in normal life.  The interesting element of this art work is that the sculpture created produces a whole new perspective whilst also demonstrating the original and recongnisable shape of the object that was traced.  Below are a couple of examples of his work to demonstrate this:

This sculpture traces the flight of a moth as it is attracted to a light.  As this shows Mr Mann's work creates a 3D physical sculpture that on the surface seems just like an abstract shape.  However by knowing the basis of the sculpture a lot more understanding is revealed. The sculpture itself also holds this key due to the cross sections at the ends of the sculpture.  By looking at these cross sections of the sculpture the viewer is able to discover the object that was mapped and so decifer the sculpture. Below is a better example of this:

This sculture is the trace of a bird landing. As you can see the cross section on the end of this sculpture can easily be defined as a bird, and so the viewer is able to then discover what the sculpture is without any explanation. (http://www.mrmann.co.uk/)

The main cause for my interest in this practice in terms of this project is the element of tracing through time to produce a perception that would not be visible.  This concept could be used in some way as part of the feed that will run the projection and so having these different interpretations of this concept will help to develop how I want to use this.

Stonehouse - Light Art

ight is an important part of my Stonehouse project in many ways, and when thinking about this the production of light art occurred to me to fit well inside the main elements of this project.  Not only this but I have always found light art interesting, as it can produce some beautiful images, and is based on capturing an image over time.  This temporal element is particularly interesting as light art enables a person to see the trace of light that would not be visible to the naked eye, unveiling a hidden or invisible layer of information.  Light art can be produce images using uncontrolled light from the rest of the environment or the image can be painted in light to a set design by the artist.  Below are a couple of examples of this:

This is an image by Michael Bosanko, a light artist in South Wales who works with light art and light graffiti which is hand made to his own artistic specifications.

This is a simple long exposure image demonstrating the light art that can be produced just by environmental light sources such as passing cars.(https://www.newt.com/wohler/events/2008/hawaii/volcanoes-np/light-art-2-big.jpg)

Light art is mainly produced using long exposure cameras, in which the length of the exposure can be increased or decreased to collect more or less light information. However it is also possible to achieve a very limited form of light art using a standard camera, as if a camera is moving at the time it takes the image, the changes in the image during the capture time will also be in the picture.  Below is an image I took down at Stonehouse which has managed to capture an unintentional light art effect due to the movement of the camera:

However this unintentional form of light art does mean that the rest of the area is also blurry as it is captured the same way as the light.  I find this image I took most interesting as the light trace it has captured is oddly like the shape of a person, leaving an almost ghostly image, which there is very little obvious explanation to as the source is not visible. The real source was however likely to be a car headlight in the distance which was blurred this way due to the capture.

This concept of the light traces left behind in the environment is one that could be used in some way for the data or the projection itself.  If the projection could in some way draw the light traces that occurred in the environment previously or are occurring at the point in time of the projection it would provide the viewer with some kind of hidden history of the location.  In escence the projection would be able to unveil a hidden layer of the environment around the viewer. Being that the trace could not be placed exactly onto the surface where it occurred, but only on a 2D based projection, however it may be quite hard to get the meaning of the projection across to the viewer.

IDAT204 - Location Scouting

Landscape
Land is usually bought on an auction basis when it comes to singular plots, or there is always the possibility of renting. Islands however are bought straight from the secondlife site. Below are prices of available land:

Water Plot:
Wood Blewit (224,126) Mature 6400m
Current bid: £ 50.22 GBP

Land with Riverbank Plot:
Carlovitz (176,98) Mature 4608m
Current bid: £ 33.89 GBP

Snow Plot
Star Scythe (160,48) PG 7536m
Current bid: £ 52.05 GBP

Private Island

Full Region

Full regions provide the highest level of performance. They allow up to 15,000 prims and as many as 100 avatars at a time.

Set Up Fee: £ 605.265 GBP
Monthly Maintenance: £ 178.548 GBP
Maximum Prims: 15,000
*All values can be subject to additional VAT.

Cost

Example:
Land with Riverbank Plot:
Carlovitz (176,98) Mature 4608m
Current bid: £ 33.89
Monthly usage fees: £ 24.21
Premium Membership (Monthy): £ 6.93
Total Base Cost: £ 31.14 per month
                          £ 33.89 one off payment for land.
                          £ 65.03 First month. Excluding cost of textures and objects.

The option we decided to go with was to use an area called sandbox, it enables you to create and edit objects for no cost. So we will be able to have our event with all the objects and create within our building without paying excessive fees.
Building

IDAT204 - SL Proposed Idea

For our proposed idea we are going to be using the idea of creating an event based around “Christmas”. The usual idea of Christmas is to have a gathering of people in the same room socialising and opening presents, maybe have a few mince pies on the side.

With this event we will need a few things linked to our account on Second Life. These include things such as a plot of land, a log cabin, and various other objects to decorate our scene; to create the Christmassy feel. Within these objects not only will we require physical objects to place around, textures will be required for these objects, and even to texture the ground we are standing on.
Objects can be created for free, providing you already have the textures to apply to the model. On Second Life there are plenty of free textures and objects available, but not every object we will need will be easy to find. A few objects we could design ourselves are:

• Christmas Tree
• Baubles
• Tinsel
• Generic Decorations
• Fireplace
• Mince Pies
• Reindeer
• Presents (containing items)
• Angel
• Wine Glasses
• Christmas Dinner

From walking around Second Life we have come across several free textures to use on our objects. Spread over our accounts we have textures such as snow, wood, tiles, fur and various other miscellaneous textures.

IDAT 204 - Second Life Ideas

There are a number of possible events we could carry out in the Second Life environment.  Our ideas are listed below:

• 'Welcome To Earth': This idea was based on having an opening of a night club or iDAT party.  People (us) would dress up in space outfits (e.g. spaceman etc).  There would be dancing, drinking, DJ etc going on.
• Game show: e.g. Deal or no Deal, Im a Celebrity...(or student) Get Me Out of Here, X Factor etc.  Recreating these games with prizes, tasks, games, etc.
• Bowling: Recreating a bowling alley and just having bowling games, drinking etc
• SU: Having a student party in the SU. So again recreating the SU, dancing, drinking, a social iDAT party!
• Gig: Having a pub, a band playing and a stage.  Maybe have different bands playing.
• Christmas: Log cabin, recreating christmas tree, presents, fire place etc, maybe dressing as different characters from christmas.

Out of these ideas we decided that the Christmas event was the best idea, as it was relevant to the time we will be presenting, and will also be quite different to other peoples ideas.

Stonehouse - the site revisited

After todays session I decided I needed to go back to the area in Union Street we have been looking at to better document what is there. By doing this it will mean we have some information to go by when going down to the area to look at the audiences available.  Our task now is to document the movement and type of people in the area to discover what kind of audience we are able to target with the projection.  This will then help us to define the location of the projection more closely with the audience we choose to target.  The projection will be carried out between the hours of 4 and 6 using a van containing a generator and also the projector and so I also considered these conditions today by going to the site between these hours.  This allowed me to find out how effective the projection would be in terms of how dark the area was.  The following are the images that I took today of the area demonstrate a number of different things I observed:

Firstly my observations raised the issue of what kind of access the van will need to be able to do the projection.  This is because it occurred to me that Union Street has very few areas where vehicles are allowed to stop and so his may have a big restriction on whether the projection can be done in this area or not.  I also observed that there are a few locations where the van could stop alongside areas where people may cluster as there are a few bus stops in the Union Street location.  The area that we have chosen is lit by a number of street lights, but the projection should still be strong enough to be seen over these. 
Whilst down at the site I also observed how many people and what types of people there were around at the time I was there.  Although the area was not hugely busy, there was however a relatively consistent flow of people along that stretch of Union Street.  The people I passed were most commonly shoppers of some sort, either who had been into the centre of Plymouth or to the supermarket on the edge of the site.  A lot of the people were family groups which was quite interesting as I did not expect this area to have this type of population.  There were also a number of individual pedestrians such as business men.
My observations also demonstrated that there are a number of possible areas that can be easily projected on, although this is dependent on the freedom of the van that the projection will be done from.  The movement of people around the area now needs to be more closely monitored to discover what specific audiences are available and what locations will be best suited to target these people with the projection.

Stonehouse - Projection location ideas

The next step for this project is to research into possible locations for the projection by finding a suitable surface based on the events and potential audience surrounding it.  A location needs to be discovered that will not be dramatically obstructed by anything or anyone, but does need to be in a location that will reach its specific target audience. This will therefore narrow the location down again from what I have currently to a very specific point in space. The space I have focused on so far is on Union Street between the Palace Theatre (Dance Academy) and the roundabout.  This is the most undeveloped area of Union Street and also the area that seems the darkest because of this so is a good location for the projection. However there are street lights and a lot of traffic through the area so this may have an adverse effect on where the projection can be located.  When we first went down to Union Street I took some pictures especially to document areas that could be used for improvement, including areas now outside of the focus area.  These areas are the kind of areas that could be used for the projection and so are shown below:

These areas need to be considered in terms of their size, shape, accessibility for projection and also the kind of audience the area gets at particular times of day.  For example if the area is near a bus stop it will have a larger audience and also a static audience which would make the projection more effective as people would be able to watch the projection for a period of time.  However at night this would be less likely and the audience would more likely be passers by going out to a club or pub, and drivers.  Therefore it may well be better to choose a location that could be viewed by people going to clubs in the area but will not be obstructed by them.  I will therefore need to go down to the area and more closely document the possible locations based on these observations.

IDAT211 - Perception project

For this first term we have to create a 60 second film demonstrating a small area of our perception in the Immersive Vision Theatre(IVT), a dome projection building in the university that enables better immersion.  Today we looked at a range of different videos that have been created for the dome to gain some idea of the different possibilities that can be used in the dome.  In particular I found vection quite interesting, where the viewer percieves themselves, or the area they are in, to be moving when actually they are not.  The immersive quality of the dome allows for vection to occur very easily, and it is in many ways the most unusual potential the dome has to offer.  The concept of vection does not occur very often in normal perception although it does happen, and very rarely on any other visual viewing platform e.g cinema, TV etc. which means this project would be a great opportunity to work with a element of perception that is rarely dealt with.  However working with vection does require some control as too much can have adverse effects on the viewers e.g dizziness and sickness. However as long as vection is used wisely within the dome in a balanced way, it is definitely key to using the domes full potential. Vection is in itself an optical illusion and I intend to use it as best as possible to enhance my project.
In terms of the rest of the content there are a number of things I would like to consider.  Perception is a very wide topic and has many different elements that could be encorporated into the video, as well as being misrepresented to create illusions. The perception of size, alongside depth, for example is commonly used to form visual illusions.  The Persil advert below shows a great demonstration of this:



This advert uses size and distance perception to create an illusion which symbolises the main point of the advert enhancing the viewers understanding and the effectiveness of the imagery.  This also shows there are a lot of different possibilities in using these particular elements of perception, although this will not necessarily work all that well with vection.
Perception is based on the way in which we obtain meaning from the images we recieve around us.  A lot of this is therefore knowledge based and so would be quite easy to include.  For example I could use morphing elements to change between shapes in a way that emphasises the points at which a person's perception of an object becomes clear, and therefore would demonstrate what characteristics the perception is based upon.

Stonehouse - Which model?

For this project we have now been given two different end models which we have to chose between to transform Stonehouse with.  The first model is a projection model where a 3D simulation of a specific surface is used to project a form of animation onto the surface correctly.  Below is an example of such projections from AntiVJ as shown below:



The other option is to create an installation using LEDs and arduino boards and programming them to change in some way according to a feed.  Both of these options are to use feeds to produce the visual result and both also require some sort of website to power this.
Being that the focus of my project is on light and shadow, and more generally being able to see things, both of these options appeal to me.  They also both have their positive and negative points that require some consideration before deciding which option I intend to go down.  The following are some of the things that I have been thinking about in terms of this:

• implementation
• size
• effectiveness/impact
• target audience
• data type
• location
• invasiveness
• integration with other projects
• time

All of these elements must be considered to some extent when designing the model and also when selecting which of the models to use.  Both of the models are relevant to dealing with light/shadow as they both use a light source to create a visual effect.  Both models can be implemented into the area, but the size is limited for the LED model as the materials will have to be obtained, which would also have an effect on the way the LED model is implemented to have the most effect.  The size of the projection is within reason unbound, as the image can be projected onto buildings as shown above, as well as on smaller spaces.  Both of these models will have an impact on the environment, and the location and size are more likely to determine how much this is. In terms of the target audience for this project there are a wide range of possibilities, which in some ways is determined by the location and size also.  The LED model is probably more focused towards a pavement orientated audience, such as people at bus stops and people going to night clubs.  The projection model on the other hand can be orientated to almost any audience depending on its size and location. Drivers would be able to view it if it was on a large visible wall, but would not be able to see it if it was a smaller installation.  A smaller projection, alike to the LED's would be more focused on a pedestrian audience.  This therefore leaves the question of who precisely do I want to target and why are they the ones who most need to see my project?

In terms of data type, this is not specifically orientated to one model or another, but would be useable for either.  It is more about what kind of data I want my model to portray.  There are many different possibilities including emotions, news, environment data (PSQ like last year), opinions, global events etc. For example the D-Tower as shown below is similar to this and uses the areas emotions to colour the tower:

The website which should be included with the project is one of the ways in which to obtain the data necessary to work the model.

The location for the model is extremely important in having as effective a project as possible.  In generalised terms the location for either model will have to be a very specific and well measured location in the Union Street area.  In terms of Model 1 the possibilities include walls, floors, and ultimately entire buildings, whereas the LED model can be more closely intergrated with its surroundings such as in shop windows, on a bus stop, sign or lamppost, as well as the walls and floors. In terms of invasiveness it has to be agreed that the projection model could potentially be a lot more invasive than the LED model due to the possibilities in size.  However if installed sensitively and subtly this can be prevented.  The LEDs could also be invasive if there were too many, and if they were too distracting or obvious. Any installation into the area may be deemed by some as invasive as it is an addition to the environment that was not there before.  The key to this is to ensure that the installation is careful enough that it does not have any negative effect, but instead improves the area to some degree.

Being that we are working in groups but are each doing our individual models, it may well be possible to integrate our models together to have a more effective result.  This will be easier to achieve using Model 1 as the products will be quite different and may lead on from one to another quite easily.  For example I was considering how do you get a viewers attention onto a small projection which they may well miss, say on the bottom corner of a building.  However if integrated with another project, say on the floor next to the small projection, the viewers eye could be drawn from one element to the other, therefore solving the problem.

Finally time of day is important for both models, as both rely quite heavily on night viewing when it is darker and the light can be seen more clearly.  This is generally true for all projects like this as shown in the two examples above. However being that my focus is on shadows as well as light I may be able to develop some way of getting around the problem in relation to my project.

After considering these elements I feel that I would like to choose the projection model as my preference as it seems to hold the most flexibility and potential for a project out of the two.  I am quite interested in perhaps projecting onto the floor rather than a wall as this is a different perspective to take and aligns with the concept of shadow.  However I am also interested in doing a wall projection, but one that is quite small, enabling a more subtle development of the environment, that will encourage people to improve their understanding and interaction with the environment in order to get the most from it.

Stonehouse - An Overview so far

By this point in Transforming Stonehouse there are five elements that should have been produced.  These elements are demonstrated below.  For more information on each select the relevant link:
Stonehouse - without experience:

Stonehouse with experience:

Group map - Original, Re-keyed:

Area chosen for improvement: Union Street

 

Postcard of Stonehouse in the future:

After completeing these five tasks for the Transforming Stonehouse project the focus of my project is more towards light and shadow, both metaphorically and literally. My task now is to take this into greater depth and investigate how I can use this to further my project, and ultimately improve Stonehouse.

Stonehouse - A map with experience

Although I have previously create a perceptual map of Stonehouse this map was created based on my ideas of the area without experiencing it.  However it was also required that we produce a map once we had had experience of the area.  By the time we chose to visit the area a number of weeks ago me and my group had already decided that we should focus on Union Street as our key area, being that this was one of the areas that stood out on our original perceptual maps.  This 'with experience' map is therefore based purely on Union Street and the information we gathered when we visited it. The following is the map that I produced after our visit to the area:

To see a larger version click on the image.  This image, as well as outlining the light, views, and organic areas of the street also highlights possible areas that could be used for the improvement and the main area that needs improvement.  This image is still quite similar to that produced prior to having experience of the site for the purpose of this project.  This is mainly likely to be because I have had previous experience of the area before having been in Plymouth University for a year, and so this was likely to influence my representation of the area, making the first map similar to the second. The light is however different as this concept of light and shadowed areas was not included previously on the map. This is because I am now heading more towards the concept of light and shadow in the project and so I felt it a good idea to include it.  This demonstrates that the middle area, around the palace theatre, is the darkest area and most undeveloped. The darkness is likely to be in some way influenced by the development status of the area, as areas that look newer give of a cleaner brighter look than areas that are older.

Stonehouse - the postcard completed

To create my final postcard design I decided to focus on three key aspects of the Union Street area.  These were the redevelopment of the street, the relationship between a space and its past, and the boundaries of the street.  I chose to include redevelopment as a element in my postcard as this is an almost inevitable future for the area.  The Stonehouse region has been the focus of the Plymouth council development plans for a few years, and although very few changes have occurred as of yet, it is still likely that over a longer period of time these improvements will be made to modernise and empower the area.
In terms of the relationship between a space and its past, this was influenced by the realisation in my previous post that 'the future always holds shadows of the past'.  I find this temporal element interesting as it shows that there is actually a visual history of the area which most are unlikely to notice.  Being that the postcard is aimed at a time in the future, I felt it would be good to include elements of Stonehouse now as it is, to demonstrate the underlying information of the past that is embedded into the future.
#bdat Finally the concept of boundaries around Stonehouse and Union Street are interesting to me as alike to many telecommunications, physical boundaries are invisible and in some ways undefined.  The public knowledge of boundaries of an area such as Stonehouse is limited, and so this could be a focus for improvement.  Boundaries are also flexible and dynamic which can allow for more opportunities for development.
My postcard based on these concepts is shown below:

To see a larger version click on the image.  The top half of the postcard resembles the future Stonehouse with improved buildings that are modernised and fully developed as well as the Palace Theatre which would be renovated as it is a listed building.  This in itself therefore is one of the shadows of the past in the area even now and in the future.
The bottom half of the image is the collage made previously of Stonehouse as it is now.  This has been incorporated as a shadow of the 'future' Stonehouse following with the past-future relationship.
Finally the yellow clouds through the middle and edges of the space resemble the concept of flexible boundaries.  This is because the road itself is a boundary in many ways, which develops and changes over time.  For example the road is a boundary between the two sides Union Street.  It prevents people from accessing the other side instantly, to the point where pathways have been included in the infrastructure to allow access i.e pedestrian crossings.  However it is a flexible boundary as this prevention of access only occurs when the road is relatively busy.  If there is no traffic the boundary is removed and people have access much more directly to whichever part of the area they choose: their freedom is increased.  The concept of boundaries can also be used more literally in terms of the entrances and exits to Union Street. This is why the areas where there are roads away from the street are also yellow.
Finally there is the textual element of this postcard which reads "Stonehouse shadowed by the past, surrounded by the future".  I created this phrase for the postcard to sum up the main focus of what the postcard resembles, and also to give a positive impression of Stonehouse unlike to what is currently felt in the area.  The aim of this is also to make the reader think about this and improve their knowledge of the concept.

IDAT204 - Evaluation

The completed version of the Org-ant digital organism has both successes but also failures.  Org-ant has met most of the initial elements of the proposal. There are four possible interactions, the wall, apple, microphone, and the money.  The ants in the environment react as intended in most cases with these elements.  The money idea however did have to be changed as there was limitations in the knowledge of how to code the original idea.  Instead the plan was developed so that rather than swarming towards the money as was first suggested, the ants would act as a team to gather up the money and store it at the bottom of the ant farm.
The main functionality of Org-ant has in some ways gone beyond what was expected, as the user is able to put multiple objects into the environment at the same time.  These do have to all be of a different type of object, apart from the money, which once stored can be added again.  This is better as it allows for more functionality and will hold the users interest more easily.
In terms of the microphone input that we were considering to include, this has not as of yet been incorporated.  This functionality was built into the product but was not completed and so this has been left out and could be incorporated as a future improvement to the project.  Another possible future improvement that has not been included in Org-ant currently is the reaction to the time of day.  This is because it would only be a very minor change and would only be worth including in a more advanced and refined version of Org-ant.
Another development for the future could be that the ants have an ability to provide for themselves rather than relying on the user interaction.  Currently nothing happens with the ants or in the environment unless users interact with it.  It would be more like an organism if the ants could look after themselves and each other. Similarly the ants do not have any reproductive ability and do not die so do not always respond alike to an organism.
Overall I am happy with the final outcome of the Org-ant project as it encompasses most of the elements originally defined in the proposal.  The digital organism is functional and interesting and acts mainly as expected when we first envisaged the project.  There have been very little changes throughout the project  but there are also a lot of possible improvements if we were to develop the project to a higher level in the future.

IDAT204 - 3D images

For our Org-ant project we are going to use 3D built objects to highlight the link between reality and the virtual environment of the project.  These are images of the apple, wall, money and microphone.  The images we have produced are shown below:

These images will be used on the interface section of the project and also the objects that will be created via this.