by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #2

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner who is the head of the Tangible Music Lab (University of Arts, Linz) and gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis. Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner provided me good insights into conferences and researcher working in the field of embodiment and tangible interaction design.

Conference

The International Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) delves into the realm of human-computer interaction, pioneering tools and technologies, interactive art, and user experience. At TEI, the spotlight is on merging atoms and bits to create seamless interactive systems.

Professors

Furthermore, he mentioned Prof. Dr. Eva Hornecker who is currently teaching at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. According to Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner, one part of her research is about the Tangible User Interfaces and Education.

Books

Lastly, he mentioned the following book to me as I was released in 2022 and summarizes the entire research field of embodiment and tangible user interfaces very good.

Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction can be found under the following link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.1145/3544564

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #1

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Orhan Kipcak who gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis.

1. Framing Skepticism Towards Digital Media in a Positive Light

Highlighting the advantages of an analog focus without criticizing digital components.

– Reduction of complexity
– Multisensory experience

Concealing technical components is a notable unique selling point when expressed positively.

2. Defining Users

In the first step, define potential users and their motivations.

“Information measures for politics and large companies”

Potential target groups:

– Museums / Festivals

– Research projects (dissemination and communication to the public)

– Communication for political decisions

3. Establishment

Research funding opportunities and possibilities for establishing a company or a design studio.

4. Biography Tips

My technical studies provide a unique selling point that I can highlight even more. Express how much I enjoyed or gained from the experience.

5. Tips for the Master’s Thesis

Explore usage scenarios for Tangible User Interfaces and Data Visualization.
Make an inventory to identify what is needed – “Starting from the beginning and not the end.”

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Tangible STEM-Education

In this blogpost I want to give insights in the second of my two topics I researched during this semester. A concept for a hands-on exhibit in the context of science education.

Concept

Using the microscope as a reference for centuries of research, visitors will explore hidden information of objects by placing them under a modified microscope and looking through it.

The microscope as an invention to enlarge and discover details normally not seen by the human eye, gets therefore transformed into a hidden screen, displaying animations layered on top of the object in real time.

Explore

Visitors experience the research process in a playful way and explore hidden information about selected objects.

Physical Material

The Objects will have a reference to STEM-Education and be selected to fit different educational levels. They will be designed as slides normally put under microscopes. Depending on the size, objects will be cut in slices and protected by epoxy resin.

Participation

As only one person can look into the microscope, I also thought about alternative methods for displaying content. While still using the microscope as the primary display, one possibility would be to also project the content to a second display, visible to visitors walking by. However, by doing so technology gets visible what I try to avoid.

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Tangible Data Visualization

In this blogpost I want to give insights in the first of my two topics I researched during this semester. A concept for a hands-on exhibit in the context of science education.

Concept

A physical representation of an iceberg that will change its shape and texture according to the ongoing process of ice melting in real life because of climate change. Together with an interactive soundscape of ice cracking visitors get a multisensory experience.

Interactivity will either be realized by controlling the melting process by turning a wheel which symbolizes the time in years or voting on climate related questions by placing the hand on a reactive surface.

Texture

The texture being projected on the mesh will simulate the sun casting shadows on the lower parts of the iceberg. Furthermore, the texture will change as the shape changes and visualize the transition from ice to water and cracking ice sheets. Based on my interviews, a grayscale texture will be the preferred method if done in real time processing. If the textures will be pre rendered, further research and comparison on visibility between grayscale and color will be necessary.

Projection

The projection will be made from the ceiling. However, as in figure 1 shown, there are two possibilities to hide the beamer. While the first approach will mask the beamer with a lampshade the second will hide the beamer in the ceiling and project with the help of a mirror on top of the mesh.

Physical Material

The physical representation will be realized with sticks and an elastic mesh on top. The sticks will be connected to small motors that pull or push the stick individually. With this approach the shape can be changed and simulate the melting process.

A realization of the mechanics can be seen under the following link: https://vimeo.com/125111011#t=590s

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Interview 2

For this impulse I decided to conduct another interview with a professors of the Master at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) called Multimedia and Visual Arts. This interview was with Prof. Francisco Giner Martínez. Before the interview I summarized my project idea and questions in the following Miro board:

During this interview, I received the following feedback:

  • The most important question in terms of processing power is if you want to do the rendering in real time or pre rendered.
  • As you are focusing more on real time, the processing of texture takes a lot of processing power.
  • I would suggest concentrating on a matrix system with an alpha channel.
  • Try to focus on the black-white transition for good shadows, which is in your case important.
  • You could realize something like this with a matrix system that checks the height with its neighbors and calculates a corresponding alpha value.

My takeaway: Reduce complexity as much as possible, find the details that have the most impact and focus on them.

The following to photos were made at an exhibition at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia and demonstrates how a grayscale image is being projected onto a three-dimensional terrain made out of sand.

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Interview 1

For this impulse I decided to conduct an interview with a professor of the Master at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) called Multimedia and Visual Arts. The first professor was Moisés Mañas who is also the head of the master’s degree. Before the interview I summarized my project idea and questions in the following Miro board:

During this interview, I received the following feedback:

  • Try to further specify for whom the installation should be – for what age?
  • Try to condense your core message in a few sentences?
  • Watch out that technical effects often take all the attention. In some situation it can support whereas in others it can distract.
  • Often there exist good opportunities to use the space around for text info – like walls or floor.
  • One could also display additional information on top of the projection.
  • Think about if you want to go more into the field of data visualization.

My takeaway: The topic I want to communicate is too big for one exhibit, so I have to break it down and make it simpler.

The following links have been recommended to me by Prof. Moisés Mañas during our interview.

by edwin.lang -

Impulse #8 – Granular Synthesis

For this blog post I took a tutorial class about Max MSP integrated MC objects and their capabilities for programming granular synthesis. The tutorial series consists of 5 parts and was held by Federico Foderaro who has the YouTube channel Amazing Max Stuff.

Granular Synthesis
Granular synthesis is based on the same principle as sampling, however with samples split into many pieces of around 1 – 100 ms of duration.

First, he gave an introduction to MC objects which allows us to send multiple channels of audio in a single patch cord. So, in general we have the possibility to operate on many channels of audio at the same time while preserving a rather simple patch environment.

First we build the core structure of our audio playback system. Therefore, we need an audio file which is being loaded into a buffer Object and get information about playback time with the info Object.

The following MC objects in Max MSP can process multiple channels in one object:

  • mc.traget – takes on the left side a message which is passed on to the mc.line object and on the right side a channel number to which the message is send.
  • mc.line – counts from 0 to 1 in a given time.
  • mc.play – reference to the loaded buffer and plays the audio file at the triggered channel number.
  • mc.stereo – converts the audio signal into a stereo signal.
  • mc.dac – sends the signal inputs to the audio hardware.

Now we want to be able to play multiple smaller pieces of the audio file at different positions and with different pitch.

For this we will create a random number between 0.001 and 1.000 and multiply it with the audio file length. Then we define the end of our playback by adding for example 50ms to the start and play the file with the same speed of 50ms.

To play multiple samples at the same time we now replace the toggle with a metro Object that sends a bang every 10 ms. To avoid a clicking produced when a file has not finished playing and gets replayed we first duplicate MC target and MC line and then apply an envelop to every sound being played which gets later multiply with the corresponding channel of the audio playback.

Later we can add a parameter to adjust the playback start position with a slider and randomize it with a knob. The pitch variations will be also realized with random number that can be controlled with a second knob and controls the playback speed per channel.

Granular synthesis is characterized by sample lengths of 1 – 100ms, however I found out that for my recording of cracking ice this duration is too small. I still want some sound characteristics of the original file while being able to play multiple versions with different pitch to produce a controllable intensity of cracking ice. Therefore, I adapted the parameters and added a second slider to be able to define a custom playback length that gives the opportunity to incudes important parts of the sample.

The final patch looks like this:

by edwin.lang -

Impulse #7 – The Local Library – Part 2

The Art and Science of Interface and Interaction Design

In this book experts in the field of interaction design and interactive art outline currently discussed topics in their research. One chapter I would like to focus on is called “Interfaces in Public and Semi-public Space” by Joachim Sauter one of the founders of ART+COM.

Expert Interface vs Non-expert interfaces

According to Joachim Sauter, ART+COM has only realized a small number of interfaces, as the focus lies on installations in the context of mediating information. For example, interactive installations in museums, trade fairs or in an artistic context. These places can also be called public or semi-public spaces and require the user to understand the interface within a short time. As often by the visitors used only once, the interface needs to be intelligent, simple and functional without giving the feeling of banality.

Joachim Sauter presented a selection of realized projects and outlined the importance of prototyping and their ambitions of creating new paradigms of access to information. Furthermore, he noted the importance of making installations endurable, weatherproof and safe from vandalism.

Innovation Is Substituted by Quality

Unfortunately, in the 1990s projects often were acknowledged just because of their innovation and fascinating interface technology – the conveyed content was seen as secondary. However, today the way we see interactive installations has changed. Nowadays, they get acknowledged for their quality of concept and design, quality of experience they evoke, the information mediated by them and their utility.

“Today, you no longer talk about a handle as an interface to a cup (and the incorporation of content this involves), but you talk about the formal and functional qualities of the cup as a whole.” – Joachim Sauter

Media Art Installations – Preservation and Presentation

In this Book, Tiziana Caianiello wrote a chapter with the following title:

“What Is an Interactive Installation? An Attempt at Clarification”

According to her, “interaction” is a fundamental concept in sociological and can be seen as human actions carried out in relation to each other, implying interpersonal communication.

In the 1960s this term was also used by computer scientist to describe the ability of a computers to react to user input within a certain time (delay). While the concept of the interfaces still was based on the model of interpersonal communication, the definition of the term “interaction” shifted to Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI).

Tiziana Caianiello, defines the term “interaction” strictly as human-human or human-medium-human communication, while “interactivity” as human-machine communication.

Furthermore, she states, that human-machine communication should not be equated with interpersonal communication, as it can’t actively construct meaning.

Art Installations should therefore be categorized according to their service they deliver to the visitors.

A second definition from “The Variable Media Network” includes additional participative art forms:

“While the word is most commonly applied to electronic media such as computer-driven installations and Web sites, interactivity also describes installations that allow visitors to manipulate or take home components of a physical artwork” (Permanence Through Change 2003, p. 126).

While most of the cited authors try to define interactivity with a clear definition, Quiring and Schweiger see the term more as gradually classifiable.

Therefore, the author herself presents in cooperation with Julia Giebeler a model for analyzing the interactive characteristics of installations in a qualitative and quantitative way.

The model is called “Model for Registration of Interactive Installations” and can be found at the end of Tiziana Caianiello’s chapter.

by edwin.lang -

Impulse #6 – The Local Library – Part 1

One impulse that sounds very straight forward is the local library. However, as in times of the internet this approach is by any means not “straight forward” anymore. I am currently on my Erasmus, studying at an Art Faculty with a dedicated library. So, I made the plan to go to this library without any previous search in their catalog and spend one day getting inspired by all the physical books I would discover. I went through the whole library looking at every bookshelf, took books, read a few pages and marked the ones that interested me most. Finally, I reduced the amount to the maximum I could borrow and took them home for further research.

So, in this post I give an overview of the different books I found and the new insights I got.

Generative Gestaltung: Entwerfen Programmieren Visualisieren

This book offers a very nice collection of generative art projects made with the Processing IDE. Every project is very well documented and code snippets with comments and illustrations give insights into the algorithmic art. In every chapter the reader gets introduced to a new technic ranging from simple shapes like square or rectangle to complex noise algorithm like Perlin-noise. One project I was particularly interested in was called “Verrauschte Bewegung” and could inspire me for creating a generative iceberg texture.

Since the authors made the code publicly available, the following link leads to the code of every project: CODE

A touch of code

I am very happy about this book as I had searched a lot of libraries and shops for this book. At the end I nearly tried to import it from the USA, when I suddenly discovered it in the university’s library here in Valencia. The book is a collection of projects where design studios merge hardware and software with architecture and design. It gives an overview of interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of laboratory, trade show, and urban space that play with frontiers of perception, interaction and staging created by current technology.

Therefore, the book is divided into the following five chapter:

  • Look (The visitor as an observer)
  • Touch (The visitor acting)
  • Explore (The visitor is exploring)
  • Engage (The visitor takes an active role in the storyline)
  • Intervene (The visitor gets empowered)

In my opinion this structure also illustrates the different degrees of interactivity and the role of the user within a project.

While the chapters are very well defined, the descriptions of the projects are not very detailed and lack in information I would like to get. Most projects are described in one or two paragraphs without going much into detail. Therefore, I used the book mainly as inspiration and collection of design studios working in this field. However, I would like to list the design studios I liked most – from the capitals Touch, Explore, Engage to Intervene.

Touch:

  • Jonas Friedemann Heuer and Jürgen Graef (Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd): Noteput
  • ART+COM: Salt Worldwide
  • TacTable: Climate Change; Map of the Future
  • Ishac Bertran: Pas A Pas

Explore:

  • Torsten Posselt and Martin Kim Luge (Digital Media Design at the University of the Arts Berlin): Literally Speaking

Engage:

  • Jordi Puig: Lummo
  • Niklas Roy: My little Piece of Privacy
  • TheGreenEyl: Whispering Table
  • Informationlab: Cell Phone Disco
  • ART+COM: Duality
  • Jim Campbell: Scattered Light

Interventions:

  • YesYesNo: Night Lights
  • Sonice Development: Facadeprinter
  • Felix Vorreiter: txtBOMBER
  • Niklas Roy and Jari Suominen: Little Fountains to Hire
  • Vr/Urban: SMSlingshot
  • Paul Notzold: TXTual Healing
  • ART+COM: Reactive Sparks / Pulse

Interactive Installation Art & Design

Terminology

Installation art / Ready-made Art: A form of artistic expression that directly uses physical things to create artworks.

Interactive installations: Are based on installation art but more interactive experience has been added.

Interactive installation art diversifies the communication over a brother range of channels often resulting in multi-sensory experiences transforming the viewer into a participant. In this context the term “play” has become a key word letting the audience create a deeper connection between artwork and viewer.

“In short, installation art is an art combining “site + material + emotional expression”; interactive installation art makes innovations in terms of “emotional expression”.

According to this quote the main focus of interaction is the emotional expression – but from who? I would argue that not only from the artist but also from the audience.

How to start an Interactive Installation

Conception is the first important step of an installation. According to the author it should not only include sketches and drawings but also references to the works of other artists, a selection of ways of expression, appearance and materials of the installation.

While the basis is creativity, artist also need to know the basics of technological equipment (hardware and software). For example, sensors can be seen as the main input device for interactive installations and are not limited to their original use cases.

A few examples for such sensors as input are:

  • Infrared sensor
  • Touch sensor
  • Thermo sensor
  • Motion sensor
  • Depth sensor
  • Pulse sensor

With such sensors the following interactive modes (ways of expressions) can be established:

  • Body movements
  • Gestures
  • Touch
  • Face
  • Additional Equipment acting as controllers

Dedicated Hardware (for example an Arduino) and Software (e.g. OpenFrameworks or Processing) can process the information gathered from such sensors and perform predefined outputs.

The output of interactive installations can be divided into the following three categories:

  • Visual experience: Change of light and the shape of the installation (usually the preferred form of output).
  • Auditory experience: Change of sound (speakers are usually hidden)
  • Olfactory Experience: Change of smell (less common form of output)

While the importance of technological equipment has drastically advanced, it should not act as the main project’s driver. Creative ideas and the way they are implemented are far more important and don’t need to include digital equipment.

While traditional installations require the viewer to read the attached description, interactive installations attract to participate, experience and feel the work.

References:
Lazzeroni, Claudius (2009). Generative Gestaltung: Entwerfen Programmieren Visualisieren. Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz.
Klanten, R., Ehmann, S., Hanschke, V. (2011). A touch of code. Gestalten
Wang, Chen (2011). Interactive Installation Art & Design. Artpower International

by edwin.lang -

Impulse #5 – Museu de les Ciències (Príncipe Felipe) – Part 2

This blogpost is the second part of my visit at the Museu de les Ciències (Príncipe Felipe). If you did not read the first part, you can follow this link:

Exhibition: Marte

The next exhibition had the topic “Mars” and was in terms of structure and environment very similar to the Terra Extraordinária exhibition. Again, a dark environment with walls colored in black, giving the exhibits a glowing effect. Unfortunately, not all installations were working as intended – a beamer projecting a quiz where one couldn’t read the text and a projection on to a book that was out of service because of technical issues.

While one projection on to a book didn’t work, there was a second one I wanted to try. The exhibit quickly got my interested as I remembered several projects working with interactive projections on to books. However, the overall impression could be described as a mixture of feelings. In my opinion, instead of the book, the beamer construction cached the eyes of visitors first, as it was not only the biggest object but also the one with the most complex shape. Instead of focusing on the book which should be the center, I began thinking of what the shape of the construction reminds me of.

Next to the projection there was a screen which I think let the visitor choose different books being projected. Unfortunately, the installation was occupied for a very long time so I could not try it out. However, I inspected the physical book being projected on. I found a very familiar hand tracking device in front of the books. As I had seen past projects that looked similar, I tried to turn a page with a gesture – unfortunately nothing happened.

Furthermore, the projection itself was not mapped very accurate, leafing a blank spot on the bottom.

What I liked in this context was, that a lot of physical books were placed around this exhibit letting the visitor connect to. In my opinion this linked the digital projection with real historical books. On the one hand the projection became more meaningful as the visitor could reference to the historical books and on the other hand the historical books being protected behind glass become more alive.

A second exhibit I would like to mention requires no interaction as it only serves to display information. However, it caught my eyes because of its construction. Compared to all the other exhibits in this exhibition, this is the only one being placed at a height of around 50cm ensuring a better accessibility.

Bosque de Cromosomas and Exposición Temporal

Finally, there were two additional smaller exhibitions about different scientific fields in natural science – ranging from chromosomes to human cells. By following the path indicated with numbers, visitors could discover scientific mechanisms.

Taking a closer look at the interfaces one could see that the following exhibition could stay for a longer period. Buttons, mouse, frames and actuators – everything was built with a clear focus on durability. The following photos demonstrate how this long-term exhibition was constructed.

As I was coming from the other exhibitions this one gave me a slightly brutal impression. However, based on the experience I made during the last year I can understand that exhibitions need to be built with durability in mind. In my opinion it can often be hard to find the right balance between visually appealing, sophisticated and durable exhibits that need a minimum amount of maintenance. However, I think a physical button can always be designed more attractive than a simple green knob.

Science Communication

Another important aspect for me was to analyze how the scientific content was being communicated. While complex topics need to be broken down without losing their scientific accuracy, user Interfaces should be as intuitive as possible.

In the “Pixer” exhibitions this was very well made as nearly all interfaces have been designed in the same layout. Button and slider had clear feedback, giving the user a lot of variations to explore without getting lost.

The “Terra Extraordinária” exhibition had a broad spectrum on user interfaces ranging from physical representations protected by glass boxes to tangible user interfaces. One exhibit that I really liked was the microscope showed in the “Terra Extraordinária” exhibition. On the one hand there was a very clear connection to the scientific process and on the other hand the big plate with knobs let people explore the different microscope slides in a pleasant and playful way. However, in terms of accessibility there could be some improvement – for example being able to access the exhibit with a wheelchair.

The “Marte” exhibition was structured like the “Terra Extraordinária” exhibition. One could see historical books but also more complex projections on to physical representations of books. Unfortunately, the experience was not as intuitive as in the previous exhibition – either an interface didn’t work as intended, or I could not connect the exhibit with a scientific context well.

Conclusion

After my visit at the museum, I came to the conclusion that highly sophisticated technical interfaces can in the first moment produce big “wow effects” but when in lack of a good concept become great obstacles. During my stay at the museum, I sometimes felt relieved when interacting with very simple interfaces as the focus shifted away from the interface and back to the actual topic the exhibit dealt with.