In this blog post, I want to discuss an interview I conducted with Richard Dank, the lecturer of Design with Code for CMS. I will briefly summarize our conversation regarding local hands-on exhibits and the role of programming.
It is important to separate actuators and visualization as they do not occur in the same program. Every program has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is crucial to understand the boundaries of the project and use cases in order to carefully choose the appropriate tools for building hands-on exhibits.
Projects often aim to provide unexpected outcomes, which can create additional curiosity. For example, Richard Dank shared a project in which pedestrians could trigger the projection of “Kunsthaus” by pressing the button of the traffic light in front of the building. Most pedestrians did not realize what they were doing, but their actions unintentionally changed the mapping. Only a few noticed this.
Programming, specifically using Processing, allows for the integration of microcontrollers on a larger scale while ensuring a clean visual mapping of the setup. Data from microcontrollers can be further processed using other tools such as PureDate, but the spatial arrangement and data flow can be controlled using Processing itself. Although this process is not visible to viewers, it greatly assists the artist in setting up and testing exhibits.
In the second part of this blog post, I will focus on artists based in Graz. I will stay in touch with Richard Dank as our brief discussion about interactive experiences and programming marked the beginning of a local network of freelancers who share a passion for art, technology, and society. I would like to mention a few inspiring people and places that Richard Dank referred to – I am excited to meet some of them during the next semester.
In this place not only projects are being developed and realized but also publications in contemporary art, focusing on sound and installation art as well as intermedia experimentation. https://reagenz.at/
Note: Especially the work from Hanns Holger Rutz and his “transmedia” approach got my attention. https://www.sciss.de/
Paul Frick – “bildermehr”
The homepage is currently under construction but might show some interesting works with focus on haptics. http://bildermehr.at/
This and the previous blog post are looking into two major reports about the state of sustainability in the fashion world. “The Business of Fashion Index 2022” is looking at the 30 largest companies in fashion and how they are doing over a variety of fields of sustainability.
“The Business of Fashion Index 2022” by The Business of Fashion
The Business of Fashion Index 2022 “examine the performance of the industry’s 30 largest publicly traded companies by revenue across three market segments: luxury, sportswear and high street (ed. ordinary clothes).” Although the original 15 companies from the last years report had some progress, this was “eclipsed” by the new additions’ inaction.
Business of Fashion (BoF) points at “limited accountability within the sector, poor-quality data and a lack of investment“ as some of the biggest obstacles. This is very clear when BoF writes that “some of the industry’s biggest players — including URBN, Skechers, Fila Holdings, Anta and HLA Group — provided little or no public detail about plans to tackle their environmental and social impact.”
Although this is quite dark, there are also positive news. Fast retailing had the biggest improvement (of 11 points) from last years report, showing some of the “technological innovation, policy cues and standardised reporting frameworks” in action. If the fashion industry can do more of this, if can lead to real change.
”The Index assesses companies’ progress towards ambitious 2030 goals across six impact categories: Transparency, Emissions, Water & Chemicals, Waste, Materials and Workers’ Rights.”
As we see in the figure, waste is one of the areas that has the lowest score overall. This is something “very easy” to work on by not overproducing (resulting in landfill material before it has even been in the store) and to use scrap products and cuttings in a mindful way. Transparency is also something that is also obvious to focus on as a smaller company as this is one of the advantages of being smaller.
For me it would be interesting to read the full report (behind a paywall) as a designer to make sure that I follow the parameters given by BoF. To take part in the politics of fashion would also be an impactful way of taking part of this world.
Nature Detectives Mania is an app for iOS and Android and was developed as part of a big national campaign for Migros, Switzerland’s largest retail company. The Nature Detectives app is designed to educate children between the ages of 8 and 11 about Swiss nature in a playful way. The kids learn interactively, by solving fun puzzles and small tasks which habitats exist in Switzerland, which plants and animals inhabit them and how to recognize them. The children can roam through 8 Swiss ultra realistic 3D environments filled with true to life details. Each habitat can be discovered in at least seven different camera perspectives. With the help of an animated character called Minspector and the two protagonists Mia and Leon, users solve tasks and questions about Swiss nature and its flora and fauna to collect badges.
What I like
I think having the two protagonists and the Minspector makes the game more appealing to kids and they can get attached to them so children want to use the app more. I also believe that the quick mini games are a great idea to keep the children’s attention and in addition to that each win causes a dopamine release. Lastly, I like the reward system and it is a clever idea to combine it with the parents spending at the Migros stores.
What I don’t like
It may be a clever idea to incorporate the parents purchases at the Migros stores, but whether that’s ethical or not is debatable. It casts a bad light on the app and the intention behind it. Additionally, I don’t like that the entire game is happening in the app. Not only is the environment completely digital, but the interactions with nature are also close to none. Making the digital environment look realistic and modeling it after an actual place cannot replace the real thing. This app is essentially a game about nature, rather than a game with nature.
This remarkable phrase, which I put in the title, was said by Lord Kelvin in 1895, the eminent physicist, then president of the Royal Society. By the way, the unit of measurement “Kelvin” is named after him. This statement was made just eight years before Orville Wright made the first controlled airplane flight. Already by 1904 there was a more advanced model of the plane, capable of performing maneuvers. A year later there was a third “modification”, this model could stay in the air for about thirty minutes.
Just a year ago, we only laughed at AI and neural networks, finding their attempts to look “natural” funny. Siri was “born” only 12 years ago. The first iPhone was released in 2007. GSM was born in 1992, just 30 years ago. We never know how far technology can go or what to expect from it. In this article I would like to remember some inventions that were once met with hostility, but found their place in the world in the future.
Is it spinning or not? Copernicus was a scientist of the early 16th century, the author of the heliocentric system of the world, which marked the beginning of the first scientific revolution. Scientists before Copernicus believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and the world was divided into sublunary and supralunary. That was until Copernicus published his major work, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, in 1543, outlining and justifying the heliocentric system of the world. The Polish astronomer assumed that the Sun was at the center of the universe and that the Earth was only one of the planets moving around the Sun. Copernicus also stated that the firmament in which we observe the stars every day does not revolve around the Earth, as previously thought, but is at rest. With his research, the scientist shattered the foundations of traditional worldviews, which caused resentment and misunderstanding among ordinary people. His doctrine was officially condemned 73 years after publication, and only in time did astronomers recognize that Copernicus, and his “colleague” Galileo Galilei, were right. The Earth does revolve. By the way, many people mistakenly believe that Copernicus was burned for his bold statement, but this is not true. The scientist died at the age of 70 from a stroke.
The Age of Steam or Sail? Another telling story that not all great discoveries were welcomed with open arms is the invention of the steamer. In 1800, American engineer Robert Fulton began experiments to create a steam engine and modernize sailboats. As is not difficult to guess, the scientist’s proposal was met with a hostile reception.
“Mr. Fulton’s proposal to install a steam engine on seagoing vessels is sheer nonsense. A steam engine cannot replace sails.” – Fleet Commissioner François Le Moyne.
Despite the disapproval of colleagues and the public, Fulton still embodied his idea to life, and in 1803 created a steam ship 20 meters long. It was tested on the River Seine, where it reached a speed of three knots against the current. But successful tests did not help the scientist to convince people of the necessity of his invention. Napoleon Bonaparte did not believe in the success of the project either. It is worth noting that ten years later the emperor changed his mind. On Fulton’s models were built several steamboats, including a warship with 44 cannons. But his inventor never caught it.
Space and journalists. The era of rocket technology did not begin so long ago, and its history was not so easy in the beginning either. In 1909, Robert Goddard proposed a project to create a multistage rocket. The scientist agitated that once the fuel from the tanks was completely consumed, the stages would be discarded, thus reducing the mass that needed to be accelerated to higher speeds. When the scientist talked about his project, many thought the scientist’s words were fantasies. In his column, the editor of the Technology News section of The New York Times even ridiculed the scientist and his idea. But no one knows the journalist’s name now, and Robert Goddard has gone down in world history. The scientist created a liquid fuel rocket, which was tested in 1926. The first prototype rocket was only about 20 centimeters, which took off in just two and a half seconds to a height of about 12 meters and flew 56 meters. Goddard’s designs were used to build dozens of real rockets in the future. The New York Times, by the way, then took it back and apologized for their article.
So, in conclusion, I would like to emphasize again that none of us can tell which technology will be successful and which will remain in the dustbin of history. Sometimes technologies that cause skepticism turn out to be vital after a couple of decades, and sometimes loud and promising inventions are soon forgotten. But that’s a topic for another article…
References:
Misra, R. (2015, December 16). The greatest newspaper correction ever written (49 years too late). Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/the-greatest-newspaper-correction-ever-written-49-year-1491590487
Hartenberg, R. S. (1998, July 20). Robert Fulton | Biography, Inventions, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Fulton-American-inventor
Westman, R. S. (1998, July 20). Nicolaus Copernicus | Biography, Facts, Nationality, Discoveries, Accomplishments, & Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolaus-Copernicus
The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane. (2021, April 25). ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/airplanes-flight-history-1991789
Touchable augmented reality (AR) is a relatively new technology that allows users to interact with digital objects in a more tactile and immersive way. By using haptic feedback and other advanced technologies, touchable AR allows users to not only see digital objects but also feel them as if they were real physical objects.
One example of touchable AR technology is haptic feedback. This technology uses vibrations and other tactile sensations to simulate the feeling of touching a physical object. For example, in a virtual reality (VR) game, haptic feedback can be used to simulate the sensation of holding a weapon or other object. In an AR application, haptic feedback can be used to simulate the feeling of touching a digital object, such as a virtual button or control.
Another example of touchable AR is force feedback, which simulates the sensation of pushing or pulling on a physical object. This technology can be used to create more realistic and immersive interactions with digital objects, such as in a virtual sculpting application where users can feel the resistance of the virtual clay as they mold it.
One of the most exciting applications of touchable AR is in the field of medicine. With the help of haptic feedback, doctors and surgeons can practice procedures in a virtual environment before performing them in real life. This allows them to improve their skills and reduce the risk of complications during actual surgeries.
In the field of education, touchable AR can also be used to create interactive and engaging learning experiences. For example, students can use touchable AR to learn about and explore the human body in a virtual dissection lab, or to practice assembling complex machinery in a virtual factory.
In conclusion, touchable augmented reality technology is revolutionizing the way we interact with digital objects. By allowing users to feel and manipulate digital objects in a realistic way, touchable AR is creating new possibilities for art, gaming, education, medicine and other fields. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting and innovative applications of touchable AR soon.
Augmented reality (AR) art is a rapidly growing field that combines traditional art forms with cutting-edge technology. AR art can take many forms, including sculptures, paintings, installations, and performances, and can be experienced in a variety of settings, from galleries and museums to public spaces and online platforms.
One example of best practice in AR art exhibitions is the use of interactive installations. These types of exhibitions allow visitors to engage with the art in a more dynamic way, and can create a sense of immersion and participation. A good example of this is the “Van Gogh Alive” exhibit, which uses large projections and sound to create a multi-sensory experience that immerses visitors in the artist’s work. Another example is the “Rain Room” exhibit, where visitors can walk through a field of falling water without getting wet, thanks to the use of motion sensors and precise water jets.
Another best practice in AR art exhibitions is the use of contextual information and storytelling. By providing visitors with information about the artist, the creative process, and the historical context of the work, AR art exhibitions can help visitors understand and appreciate the art on a deeper level. An example of this is the “David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring” exhibit, which uses AR technology to overlay historical information and images onto Hockney’s paintings, giving visitors a glimpse into the artist’s life and inspiration.
In terms of augmented reality art use, one best practice is the use of AR to enhance public spaces and public art. For example, the “Green Light” project in New York City uses AR technology to overlay digital sculptures onto real-world buildings, creating a dynamic and ever-changing public art display. Another example is the “ARt Walk” project in Singapore, which uses AR to enhance the experience of visiting public sculptures and monuments by overlaying contextual information and animations onto the artworks.
In conclusion, best practices in AR art exhibitions include the use of interactive installations, contextual information and storytelling, and the use of AR to enhance public spaces and public art.
The main premise of this project is to add another layer to my existing and future artworks. By looking at the examples you can see that I take regular objects, clothes, etc. and make them look 2D in our three-dimensional world, which is causing a real eye-catching look. It is truly bizarre to hold and look at these objects while you have them in your hand, mostly because at a certain angle you can really see some unreal familiarity, like looking at objects in a comic book or video game (or a merge of both for that matter).
Now how do I implement AR into this whole situation?
Physical artwork is pretty cool, you can buy it, hang it on your wall, or have it displayed somewhere. It enhances a room, hallway or space in general. The idea would be to make these items in a sort of resin display case, making them look like loot crates in video games with a value system (common, rare, epic, legendary). Because the items are permanently sealed in the resin case “in real life”, the AR part would make the opposite. When you see the artwork through your phone camera, the item would break out of its case slowly rotating on the spot, and a pop-up “display” would appear next to it with the item’s name, category, backstory and statistics.
The name of the project and art pieces would be “Laurus Goods”. “Laurus” being my artist name and “Goods” being well, goods.
Future implementations
For future implementations, I have considered NFTs. The only problem with NFTs for me is that there is that physical part missing. It’s all fun and games having a png or gif of an artwork, but we all know that we would love it even more if we would have a physical copy of the digital asset. Therefore I would use NFTs in the sense of ownership transfer. When you acquire the NFT you are the owner of the object and the digital asset, if you wish to sell your artwork, you can, hence transferring your ownership to the buyer with the physical object linked to it. Because it is my artwork I would take a small commission every time ownership is transferred.
Continuing on NFTs, another project would be to open an AR NFT art gallery, a permanent exhibition with the physical items displayed in them. Underneath every item would be the small display with the current NFT and artwork holder name (or alias) and artwork price. When ownership transfers, the holder info automatically changes. The AR part would be the same as described before.
Augmented reality (AR) art exhibitions are a new and exciting way for artists to showcase their work. By using AR technology, artists can create interactive, immersive experiences that allow viewers to engage with their art in new and unique ways.
One of the most interesting aspects of AR art exhibitions is the ability for artists to incorporate movement and sound into their pieces. This allows for a more dynamic and engaging experience for the viewer, as they are able to interact with the art in real-time. For example, a sculpture made of virtual elements may change its shape, color or even move as the viewer moves around it.
Another advantage of AR art exhibitions is that they can be enjoyed by a global audience. Instead of having to physically travel to a gallery, viewers can experience the exhibition from the comfort of their own home, using their smartphones or tablets as a window into the virtual world.
There are many examples of successful AR art exhibitions that have been held around the world. One notable example is the “Invisible Landscapes” exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The exhibition featured a number of AR installations that allowed visitors to explore different parts of the museum, as well as a virtual sculpture garden that was only visible through the use of an AR app.
Another example is the “Reflections” exhibition held in London, UK, that featured artworks that were only visible through a smartphone or tablet’s camera. The exhibition was curated by a number of artists, who created unique AR experiences that explored themes of identity and self-expression.
Augmented reality (AR) is something that combines the physical and virtual worlds. It overlays digital images in your physical view. Augmented reality gives you an enhanced version of the real physical world visualized digitally with the same effects and sensory sounds and elements.
Goal
To research how to create and apply AR art to my existing and following art pieces. The research would include the history of augmented reality, technical research regarding software, limitations and accessibility, state-of-the-art research and consultation in exhibition design.
Master thesis title: Interactive Storytelling Through Augmented Reality in Art and Art Exhibitions
“Augmented reality can transform the artworks before the viewers’ eyes. This allows putting the potential of an endlessly expressive story-telling technology into the hands of galleries and their audience’s lives.”
These early systems superimposed virtual information on the physical environment (e.g., overlaying a terrain with geological information), and allowed simulations that were used for aviation, military and industrial purposes.
“Exhibition design is the process of conveying information through visual storytelling and environment. It is an integrative, multidisciplinary process that often combines architecture, interior design, graphic design, experience and interaction design, multimedia and technology, lighting, audio, and other disciplines to create multi-layered narratives around a theme or topic.”
This post will deal with the 12 principles of animation. It started out as jargon between animators at the Disney studio. As they talked about their work with each other more and more, some terminology was created or assigned new meanings to facilitate this process. After continuously searching for better names and methods, they eventually perfected it into these 12 principles. (cf. Thomas 1995: 48)
1. Squash and Stretch
This term was coined by the idea that most things, while progressing through an action, show some kind of movement in their shape, as little things are rigid enough not to do so. They define squashed as flattened or bunched up and stretched as an extended condition. It was important not to exaggerate to prevent the drawings from looking bloated or stringy. A half-filled flour sack was used as reference and bent into all kinds of shapes, while keeping its original volume. Various newspaper photos of people doing different kinds of sports were also referenced, as they showed their bodies and faces in most unusual and extreme situations. (cf. Thomas 1995: 48ff)
Figure 1: A squashed character
2. Anticipation
This was based on the idea that animation should visually lead the audience from one sequence to the next. Each important action should have a small preceding action which hints at what is to come. Without it, the audience can become nervous and unsure. Especially early animation was often abrupt and jagged, which is why Walt Disney wanted to correct that. (cf. Thomas 1995: 52ff)
Figure 2: An anticipation
3. Staging
Staging is one of the broadest terms on this list. Characters and action need to be staged for them to come across as intended and be properly understood. As soon as a story point has been decided on, it needs to be properly catered towards. The action must be properly seen, the framing needs to guide attention properly and there should be no other distractions from what is to be shown at any point. Walt also wanted everyone to work in silhouettes, in order to facilitate staging things properly. (cf. Thomas 1995: 54ff)
Figure 3: A staged character
4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
These are the two types approaches to animation. Straight Ahead Action means that the animator simply starts drawing and draws frame after frame, letting their creativity flow, getting new ideas along the way. The overall goal and action are obviously clear from the beginning, however this approach is more creative and can lead to more spontaneous results.
The second approach, Pose to Pose is more planned out. As the name suggests, the key poses of a scene are drawn first. This way more time is spent on these key poses, giving more control and opportunity to refine.
Both these methods offer their own unique advantages, which is why they are both still in use. (cf. Thomas 1995: 57ff)
Figure 4: A main pose
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
Whenever a character stopped moving it looked unnatural and abrupt. Consequently, Walt Disney knew that not all things come to a halt at the same time and defined a few basic rules.
1. After the figure has stopped, appendages such as a tail or big ears continue to move according to their weight.
2. The body does not move as one. When one element has already stopped, another can still be in movement.
3. Skeletal parts will move faster than loose parts.
4. The aftermath of an action can be more interesting than the action itself. A swing of a bat will be over in a second, but what that swing causes to the one swinging or anybody around can be shown in the following seconds.
5. Lastly, the Moving Hold is when a distinct pose is kept on screen for 8 to 16 frames to allow the audience to take in what had happened. To keep such a long wait from being boring, the pose that was kept was drawn a second time, but slightly more exaggerated. While holding the initial pose, the character gradually moved towards the second version. (cf. Thomas 1995: 60ff)
Figure 5: Action
6. Slow In and Slow Out
The established key poses were the hero of the animation, while the frames in between were just a way of getting there. This is why everything close to and around a key pose was slower and held on screen longer than the in-betweens.(cf. Thomas 1995: 63)
7. Arcs
This states that in living organisms, most movements will, in one way or another, describe an arc. With this principle, animation broke free from its stiff and rigid nature. It described how a character would arc into their steps, or how even the fist in a straight punch follows an arc during its wind-up. Such action is only visible in in-betweens, since only key frames have no way of showing their relative movement. (cf. Thomas 1995: 63ff)
Figure 6: An action arc
8. Secondary Action
A secondary action supports what the main action is trying to convey. It should never be too weak nor too strong, as not to be inconsequential or overpower the main action. These are things such as a tear dropping or a small change in expression. This also needs to be timed with main movement and action, since a subtle change during one of those times would easily go unnoticed. (cf. Thomas 1995: 64ff)
9. Timing
The time an action takes is of course directly proportional to its number of drawings. Depending on the complexity of these drawings, they might need more or less screen time. The same action can also be interpreted differently based on how many in-betweens are drawn, and therefore the speed at which the action completes. This can range from being hit by a brick to stretching a sore muscle. (cf. Thomas 1995: 65f)
Figure 7: Impact and timing
10. Exaggeration
Walt Disney always wanted characters and their actions to be as exaggerated as possible. Bringing across as much as possible through the way they and their actions were drawn was what he called “realism,” as it felt more real, more convincing.(cf. Thomas 1995: 66f)
Figure 8: An exaggerated character
11. Solid Drawing
This simply meant that animators should understand the basics of drawing. With these basics in mind, repeating all steps needed to produce animation is much easier to achieve. (cf. Thomas 1995: 67f)
12. Appeal
Be it a hero or a villainess, the eye of the audience needs to be drawn and what they see should have appeal. This makes people want to watch, want to know more about characters. There were many things that, according to Walt Disney, made something lack appeal. A weak drawing, clumsy shapes, poor design. With this appeal they tried to communicate feelings through lines. (cf. Thomas 1995: 69f)
Sources
(1) Thomas, Frank/Ollie Johnston (1995): The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION, USA: Abbeville Press
