This piece explores objects created through mathematical rhythm and variation. The same methods are employed in a series of images that I call Visions of Promise. My interest is very similar in this work, to find beauty in nature as interpreted through a system that I have devised. The music is similarly constructed, a looping system of frequency oscillations are layered to create a familiar, but artificial soundscape. (more…)
The Endangered Planet Foundation mission is dedicated to ensuring the survival of the Earth through the arts, education, dialog, the dissemination of knowledge and the recognition that advances in technology can provide many of the answers which will lead to a sustainable future. West Coast’s Premier 2009 Environmental Festival, featuring Innovative Exhibits, Art, Environmental Awareness, Healthy Living, Films, Music and Notable Speakers. Connecting the Arts, Innovation and Entertainment with the Environment.
For this piece I wanted to explore full dome projection as a topic and as a medium. The format is usually presented in a planetarium space and as such the experience is a fully immersive experience, which is quite different than standard film. With normal film, the viewer feels as if they are “watching” the action and story unfold in front of them. With a medium such as this the audience is actually experiencing the movie as a participant. The contrast between the “flat” medium of film and the immersive quality of the dome is what this piece is really about.
Immersive environments like this share more in common with gaming and role-playing than a traditional film. This first project for me was very enlightening and I believe this format provides a very unique way of engaging an audience. I look forward to exploring real-time dome installations and experiences in the future. (more…)
This piece was a collaborative project developed by Jane Franklin and myself for a performance at The Woolly Mammoth Theater’s experimental space in Washington DC. For this project, we decided to explore the topic of in-between spaces and we wanted to try to blur the distinction between the performance and the projected image. I was interested in using chance and randomness as part of my process and developed original music compositions and animation for the 22 minute performance. One of the sequences was developed by Rassamee Ruangsri, a talented artist and animator in Denver and she chose to work with ameoba-like forms that appear to communicate and interact with each other. All of the animations were projected over the dancers bodies as they performed, creating another dimension of movement through their shadows. (more…)
The 27th Annual Black Maria Film Festival selected P.R. and it was awarded a Juror’s Citation Prize. The Black Maria is a long-running international experimental film and video festival with tour dates throughout the US. (more…)
I wanted to explore location as it exists in virtual space so I created a piece of cloth and then dropped it to see what would happen. I attached a camera to the falling cloth and recorded the effects of gravity, friction and wind as it is simulated programmatically. I felt that I was not really animating but watching a process unfold based upon parameters that I put forth. I used the same approach for the background and for the sound track, both of which are randomly generated through looping noise and oscillations. (more…)
I am interested in the embodiment of processes, making the invisible visible through my videos, installations and paintings. To me, the excitement and challenge of the digital medium is that it is both at the same time. Digital processes can visualize almost anything, but at the same time does anything that is digital truly exist in one place at one time? (more…)
This series of images is continuing with the exploration of mathematically derived objects and landscapes. There is both order and chaos in the way the images are constructed, repetition and variation on a theme. The landscape is inspired by the landscape I see from where I live, on the edge of a plain that collides with the mountains in the distance.
I am very happy to announce that Indistinct Boundaries Movement 2 is an official selection of the 34th Atlanta Film Festival. This piece was a collaborative piece animated by Rassamee Ruangsri and produced for Jane Franklin Dance.
Thanks to Scott Hull for pointing me to this Fast Company article about what personality type makes the best designer. It seems to be inline with what I would expect, it also makes me wonder (beyond it’s incomprehensible design graphics). To see a trend, I would need to know how other professions would fare with the same criteria. I would think investment bankers would also be good at “intuiting”.
I asked seven digital design students to take a look at the iPad and Kindle, analyze the major points both good and bad and come to a decision about the product. The specific question is what’s going to happen a year from now. Will the Kindle be overshadowed by the iPad, or will it hold it’s own? Is there a market for both kinds of products, a dedicated e-reader and a new type of device? Continued…
This piece explores objects created through mathematical rhythm and variation. The same methods are employed in a series of images that I call Visions of Promise. My interest is very similar in this work, to find beauty in nature as interpreted through a system that I have devised. The music is similarly constructed, a looping system of frequency oscillations are layered to create a familiar, but artificial soundscape. Continued…
Utopia, perfection and illusion are some of the ideas I wanted to explore with this group of images. I recently stumbled upon the work of Ernst Haeckel and was fascinated by the beauty of his drawings and his obsessive desire to find rational structures in everything he observed. As an artist I have always been interested in creating imaginary spaces that are both real and unreal, these works represent my exploration of that space. Continued…
I thought it would be fun to revisit a classic assignment Michael Beirut mentioned in a recent post on DesignObserver.com where he showed his student portfolio. The idea is to simplify an animal to it’s most essential elements and create a logo-like image. It occurred to me that those same skills are exactly what is needed when designing characters for game design, and with the game engine Unity now free we should introduce motion as an element.
My favorite microcontroller, the Arduino, has hit the big time – a WSJ feature article! For the uninitiated, the Arduino can be hooked up to sensors to detect presence and then it can send out signals to the computer or to motors, LED lights and a bunch of other stuff. The nice thing about doing interactive design with the Arduino, is that it can be a stand-alone installation without the need for a computer to remain attached.