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December 16, 2005
Fall 2005 Spatial Design Class Site - Aaron Harmon
Here is a link to my site for spatial design:
http://www.itp.nyu.edu/~ah1258/Spatial%20Design/index.html
Posted by Aaron Harmon at 02:00 PM
Sound Domes
Earlier this week we picked up more speaker wire, more speakers and some small plastic domes which enclose the speakers underneath. Right now there are eight domes suspended from the ceiling in the hallway. Yesterday was the first time we had all eight in operation and were able to fully test audio content. More documentation about the specifics of the project can be found on the documentation site.
Posted by DelGaudio, Michael at 08:23 AM
Interactive Tree ( building in progress... )
We're now still working on it. Here're some pics
Posted by Min Weng at 04:26 AM | Comments (0)
Paris, the capital of the 19th century
I like this article very much. It is written not only in the view of architecture, but also analyzed Paris’ society, history, etc, like a dictionary or database. Readers can find what they want through the subtitles and short descriptions.
In this article, the glory of pairs is represented in various spaces. Arcades is the most impressive one. I can imagine that the arcades in 19th century for Pairs were the same important as subways for New York now. The arcades in Paris tell us so many things about the rich history of Pairs.
Though I have no chance to see Paris in 19th century, I still like the balconies in Paris at present. I think they are heritage of ancient Paris and represent the “utopia” idea.
Posted by Jiang, Chunxi at 02:28 AM
December 15, 2005
Labyrinths
This is another article by Jorge Luis Borges, he is really good at description. In the title “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbits Tertius”, Tlon and Uqbar are utopia cities or countries, and Orbits Terius means the 3rd day. Borges had such great language ability that every detail in the story seemed real like watching a picture.
Like the library of Babel, this Tlon city the imagination was so systematic that everything was nicely organized. Unlike ordinary fiction, math and science are also considered in Tlon, which increased the feeling of reality.
Posted by Jiang, Chunxi at 05:20 PM
Library of Babel
Library of Babel
The library of Babel is consisted of hexagons. The imagination is really remarkable. And so is the description. I appreciate the idea that simple structures goes to an infinite network. The library of Babel is consisted of numerous hexagons which are connected with each other and form a large complex library. The library is as perfect as honey bee hive which saves materials, has sufficient space and is very stable.
Since the hexagon structure is so perfect. It has been used widely in wireless telecommunication as a effective topology. The cellular mobile system and some DSL networks are constructed just like the library of Babel. But in the telecommunication area, the hexagons have different sizes instead of identical hexagons.
Posted by Jiang, Chunxi at 05:19 PM
December 10, 2005
Welcome aboard, Leif!
Hi everyone,
My spatial project was declined, so I'm glad to lend my knowledge of audio and MSP to your project. I worked with Mike today on strategies for powering the speakers. I feel that real power amps would be better than headphone amps. We hooked up two power amps from the ER and to four of the speaker and started panning sounds with a MSP patch. It sounded great! We may not be guaranteed these amps for the show however, but home stereo receivers will also work. Does anyone have a home stereo receiver to contribute during show? Otherwise we may be able to rip the stereo amplifier out of some cheap computer speaker, like the MoPod group did for their project. I also made a Max patch that smoothly pans a sound between eight speakers. Check it out.
Peace,
LK~
Posted by min at 01:31 AM
Spam Comments
What is with these weird comments on our spatial blog lately???
Posted by min at 01:30 AM
December 05, 2005
Thoughts regarding audio content
There seems to be a few patterns emerging regarding the audio content. I'm attempting to summarize conversations I've had with members of the Sound Dome team and with others outside the group.
Sounds that move - We began to get at this a bit with the horse and carriage track we were listening to the other night. Other ideas include a motorcycle, race cars, or anything else with a prominent doppler effect.
Birds (or other nature sounds with emphasis of location and/or space) - Bird conversations evoke spatial idea. Using the sound domes, we would be emphasizing the spatial relationship of the bird to one another, making visitors of the installation more aware of the space they are in. Birds and nature in general is also contradictory to what people might be expecting to hear inside a building in Manhattan.
Laughter - Often when people hear laughing, they want to know what is going on, or what they are missing. Laughter, would make visitors look twice and examine the the space they are in more carefully. Additionally, laughter often makes people laugh and puts them in a good mood. Part of this should be fun, right?
Audio deconstruction - The idea would be to deconstruct an audio performance intended to be heard at one time. Each musician part of the performance would be played at the same time simultaneously, each out of a different speaker. Visitors would become more aware of the audio components and would need to move through the space in order to hear all each of them. A dialog and narrative is formed in the visitors mind as they move through space learning about the audio composition as they traverse the halway. The irony is that they would never be able to hear all of the at once. Personally I like this idea, however it's probably the most difficult to pull off.
Xin, I know you had an in at a recording studio. Do yo know where we could get audio content that still recorded to the independent tracks, before its been mixed down? Is recording something way out of the achievable scope fro this project?
I hope this helps stimulate some thinking. I envision the audio program will most likely be a combination off all of the above. Thoughts? Ideas?
Posted by DelGaudio, Michael at 06:44 PM | Comments (0)
Summary of Assignments
Summaries of each of my projects for this class can be found here.
Posted by Sai Sriskandarajah at 11:59 AM
Life A User's Manual
In "Unpacking My Library," Walter Benjamin provides this gloss on ownership of unread books: "Suffice it to quote the answer which Anatole France gave to a philistine who admired his library and then finished with the standard question, "And have you read all these books, Monsieur France?" "Not one-tenth of them. I don't suppose you use your Sevres china every day?" Life A User's Manual has been sitting on my bookshelf, unread, for a nearly a decade. Sometimes I think that it is simply the length of the novel that prevents me from reading it, but then, I've read other long books. And my copy is relatively small, so I'm not deterred by an unwillingness to lug it around. What makes reading it so daunting is my awareness that the book is structured as a sort of puzzle or game, and will therefore involve a degree of continuous active involvement not required by most other works of fiction.
In the preamble, Perec makes two key points about puzzles, and the experience of putting them together. The first is that the magic lies not in the image -- the content, if you will -- but in the form. He suggests, rightly, that the enjoyment provided by a puzzle does not depend on whether the completed image is a Vermeer or a Pollock, or even a complete blank. whwat matters is the relationship between each piece and the pieces around it. The second point Perec makes is that a puzzle is, like all art, an act of communication. Thus, the true puzzler derives little pleasure from a machine-cut puzzle because the message it sends is like a play written by 100 monkeys at typewriters; it may be Hamlet or Quixote, but it is most likely just gibberish. The hand-cut puzzle, on the other hand, represents an artist's attempt to convey meaning, to communicate, through the medium of the puzzle.
Posted by Sai Sriskandarajah at 10:42 AM
Creative Portfolio and Spatial Design Page
I have created a web page for the creative portfolio of all my projects done during the Spatial Design Class at http://itp.nyu.edu/~thy206/Minteractive/ITP/SpatialDesign/index.html.
There are diverse sections for the assignemnts and also final project.
Posted by Tae Ho Yoon at 03:12 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2005
Brute Performance Kit
The Brute Performance Kit is a prosthetic device which both cues a performance and reacts to it by translating movement and speech to sound.
We live in a world where we occasionally simply have to bust out a bag of tricks, perform, and enjoy the attention. The Brute Performance Kit is designed for these kinds of impromptu-exhibitionistic moments. It is an apparatus which physically connects two people's heads to form a computer-mediated, pair of people. The primary reason for this cooperation is to move through space and sporadically utter philosophical propositions. Partly such a performance draws its character from the apparatus' blunt visual appearance, and partly from the combination of a live sound track and an algorithmically pro-scripted choreography. Users are cued and sensed. As the users follow commands, the BPK senses movement and utterance from which it composes a unifying sound scape. [PROJECT PAGE]
The BPK Experience
There are three distinct parties involved in a performance with the BPK: the audience, the users, and the programmers. Each of them has a different vantage point. The audience are predominantly people of public spaces. They observe two persons being physically and operatively connected to one unit. Movement and speech appears scripted and exhibits a recognizable coherence. Stories are told by two people in unison and a mysticism is generated regarding the internal workings of the box. A private sphere of knowledge is overtly prominent within the public space.
The users wear the device like a helmet. They may roam spaces freely as long as they accommodate for their physical link. Two separate audio feeds--one for each user--tell stories as to why it is important to adhere to the instruction that are to follow. This sets the tone for the users' performance. Once properly introduced the device starts cuing movements and utterances ("move two steps forward, proclaim that your partner is rather slow today"). By sensing physical acceleration and analyzing spoken words the system gauges the level of participation and adjusts the cuing rate accordingly. Should the users discontinue their involvement the device falls back into persuasion mode explaining the importance of this setup. As an additional incentive to engage with the device the users will hear an increasingly more articulated percussion line as they intensify their participation.
The programmers of the box deal with a platform for experiments in the field of human-computer interaction. Unlike the usual one-to-one relation the BPK provides a triangular setup. Part of this setup are exclusive communication channels between the BPK and either one of the participants. This gives the programmers control over four different spheres of knowledge. They can specifically direct story lines at either participant separately, both participants, or the audience. By telling different stories to separate parties they can cause variance in the conception as to what the performance is all about, provoke interference, and interpersonal dynamics.
Implementation
The primary elements are software, electronics, and enclosure. The software runs on an embedded Linux system which is mounted inside the rectangular box that defines the physical appearance of the BPK. The box is made from opaque white polystyrene. This material has a matt homogeneous finish, is durable, and is almost as easy to work with as cardboard. To cut out pieces one simple has to scribe the sheets with a knife and carry out a snap motion. The particular pieces are assembled by epoxy-gluing polycarbonate angles into the corners of the box. The box is mostly static. The only kinetic elements are two lazy-susan-like discs on the internal side of the top sheet where the users' heads touch the structure. This allows hassle-free wearing of the device. Similar to a cap, one simple places it on top of one's head. The rotating discs between the head and the box assure free movement around one's vertical axis.
The electronics part is based on two embedded PC boards from the Via Epia series. Each of them is approximately the size of two CD covers, is binary compatible to the x86 architecture, and provides all the standard PC inputs/outputs. Connected via fast-ethernet they provide six input and four output audio channels. Three output channels are used to play audio feeds for each user and the "unifying soundscape." Two input channels are used for voice-analyzing the spoken words of the users. For three degree of freedom acceleration sensing the BPK utilizes the SerAccel module from Sparkfun. This module plugs into the serial port and can be read out with any application that has access to this port.
The control software is a combination of FOSS (free open source software) programs and custom Python code. The BPK uses Debian Linux, the Sphinx2 speech recognition engine, RTcmix, and the Python interpreter. The general flow is based on a simple Markov chain in which each jump from a series of intuitively composed pro-scripted events to the next is weighted by sensor input. For example, low-frequency sound synthesis is favored by backward motion.
Posted by Stephan Hechenberger at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2005
RED CARPET
Our Red Carpet takes a low-tech approach to transform underutilized floor areas into a space to relax, interact with other visitors and enhance other projects on display.
Description
The concept for the project stems from a desire to transform the physical presence and mood of the existing space using methods and materials covered in the Spatial Design course. We chose red carpet as the basis of our project because it symbolizes both grand events and a warm, embracing experience. The show is laden with technology-based projects, so the Red Carpet offers visitors a relaxed, low-tech experience that complements their high-tech surroundings.
The project was inspired in part by Vito Acconci's architectural designs, which blur the lines between floor and seating.
User Scenario
The modular design allows for several possible uses. The above left image depicts its use for seating, and a space for visitors to meet and talk with each other. The second scenario demonstrates that it can also enhance the presentation of other projects, creatively reuse space, and allows visitors to sit nearby projects, possibly experiencing them from another perspective. We are proposing to utilize the end of the hallway near the administrative offices, as this space is not fully utilized and has less traffic.
Implementation
Materials include red carpet, cardboard, glue and tape. The core of each unit will consist of rolled cardboard, to provide firm support for seating. This will then be covered with carpet, with one end extending outward, to simulate a roll of carpet partially undone. Doorstops, or other suitable object/material will be used to secure location of these rolls for seating.
Conclusion
In developing this project, we discovered that an interactive spatial experience need not be dependent on technology. We examined various scenarios for providing a welcoming environment and altered perspective of space for ITP visitors.
Posted by Angela Pablo at 03:05 PM
December 02, 2005
Sound Domes
Description
A linear series of sound domes suspended from the ceiling in the main ITP hallway will act as a guide for visitors, leading them into the show. Each dome will contain an embedded speaker that plays audio. The audio playing through the domes will originate from one source, but will pan through the domes, sequentially. At the start of and during the show, the sound will gradually travel down the hallway. As guests walk through the hallway towards the rear of the floor, their awareness of the space will be raised by the auditory experience, allowing them to explore and chart their physical position in relation to the dynamic movement of the sound. The audio content will entice visitors to venture down the hallway, following what they hear and satisfying their curiosity for the sounds emitting from each individual unit. Near the end of the show, the audio will be panned in the opposite direction, helping to lead visitors out of the space and back to the main ITP entryway.
A dome structure was chosen in part because the interior shape will focus the sound downward. This will allow the effect to be audible, even in a crowded, busy environment, without being obtrusive or disruptive to conversation. Acoustically, the design will project the sound waves directionally, creating a listening environment that is very personal while the user stands directly under one of the domes, but barely audible when standing between them. Positioning the domes between the existing light sources and suspending them from the ceiling will allow for the installation to take up as little room as possible, while at the same time providing a very distinct and unique experience for the visitors of the Winter show.
Background
The purpose of this project is to explore the ways people perceive and respond to sound in a spatial context. This is a very natural progression as the interactions between sound frequencies are themselves spatial relationships that are heard rather than seen. By combining the concepts of spatial relationships, musical relationships and kinetic relationships this project touches on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence, wherein he states that visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic and auditory-musical intelligence are the three types of Sensational learning. While this theory is still controversial, it should also be pointed out that many studies conducted on normal, neuro-surgical and brain-damaged individuals have concluded that the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain is dominant in the identification and perception of musical stimuli, non-verbal sounds and the analysis of geomoetric and physical space. Musicians have been exploring these concepts for centuries now, utilizing the space as a compositional technique, placing instrumentalists in specific yet unconventional positions throughtout the performance venue.
Audience
All visitors to the ITP winter show are invited to explore the 4th floor space, using the sound dome installation as a guide.
User Scenario
A guest exits the elevator and walks into the main 4th floor entryway where they are greeted by a roomful of people and more student pieces than they can absorb at one time. Picking up a catalogue, steadily making their way through the chaos of the ITP Winter Show. Then, turning the corner, they are confronted by the antithesis to the bustling room they just exited: a long and daunting hallway. What lies ahead? Where does this hallway lead?
A very distinct sound resonates from overhead, and, looking up, the guest spots a metallic dome from which the sound is clearly eminating. Looking down the hallway again, this time they notice a series of domes lining the ceiling, stretching all the way down the hall. Curious to know what sounds come from these other domes, the guest walks, noting the differences and similarities from one to the next.
They walk a little further, then, look around to see that they have made their way into a new space, surrounded by new people and new installations. The Japanese Room lies to the left, and the vast ITP lounge opens out to the right. But, straight ahead, the long, locker-lined hallway and the domes continue, uninterrupted.
Taking note of the interesting objects that surround them, the user is still curious about the domes, so they continue to walk further towards the hallway's end. A few steps further, and another previously unnoticed room, classroom 406, immediately presents itself. It is filled, again, with many fascinating projects the user wishes to explore, but, in the meantime, there are just a few steps further till the end of the hallway, with just a few more domes to hear.
Finally, reaching the end of the hallway, the guest meets resolution. The user now turns and looks back up the hallway to the place where their journey originated, only this time they are well-oriented and aware. Remembering those installations and pieces that most caught their eye in the first passing, perhaps by recalling the sounds they heard when they were first spotted, the user returns to the show, ready to explore and experience the many pieces laid out before them.
Implementation
Twelve sound domes will be constructed and suspended from the ceiling along the main hallway at ITP. We will use the existing piping on the ceiling to hang these, about nine feet from the ground. Each dome is built from a large, metal mixing bowl, a small speaker and an audio amplifier. The audio content is pre-recorded and controlled through MAX/MSP to pan through the individual domes via the multiple line outputs of an M-Audio breakout box.
Conclusion
With our first two prototypes completed, we discovered the proper materials necessary to produce the fullest and most directional sound, as well as the optimum positioning of the speaker inside the dome. The amplification of the audio signal itself was a cause for some concern, until we incorporated an amplifier into our breadboard. Not having much experience using MAX, we also learned how to use the program to control the pan of the speakers through a firewire breakout box.
Posted by min at 11:15 PM
SMS Guestbook
It isn't uncommon in art exhibitions to find a simple guestbook to leave comments, questions or requests for future contact. The ITP Winter show should also have such a mechanism, but perhaps with a bit of a technological twist. My final project for Spatial Design involves the simple use of a display within which visitors to the show can post short messages using SMS mobile phone messaging. Placing a flat screen display near the entrance/exit of the floor would:
1. Put visitors in a more observational state as they enter2. Encourage them to post ideas/comments/etc. upon leaving
3. Facilitate a new mode of communication between visitors and students
The technology involved includes a computer running Kannel SMS gateway software and a Bluetooth-enabled mobile handset. Visitors would send messages to the handset's phone number, which would in turn trigger an event on the computer, storing their message in a MySQL database. A full-screen Flash movie would simply poll this database every few seconds for updates and place new messages at the bottom of the list.
The display intentionally draws on the existing Tisch identity to help make the design as transparent as possible. If successful, this is a project that could remain on the floor and repurposed for other things outside the context of the show.
Posted by Phiffer, Daniel at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Interactive Tree
Posted by Gilad Lotan at 11:12 PM