September 30, 2005
Korean Electro- Acoustic
I went to a sound performance by the Music and Performing Arts Professions at Steinhart this past Tuesday. It was a performance by Doo-Jin Ahn and Donoung Lee. Mr Lee performed the piece, Alco XII. This was a performance of algorithm Composition and composition series by unique algorithm that the composer himself programs and controls with sensors.
The sounds of the materials are directly sampled in the concert hall and transformed in real-time. The piece was controlled with various sensors, such as the infrared and a multiple of potentiometers designed for this piece. The artitst used MAX.
All the sounds for thie piece was recorded and played real-time on stage by the artist. Mr. Lee recorded samples of his breath, water drops and pebbles in a bowl... etc. On stage, he was manipulating the sensors to produce different layers of the sounds that he had recorded. An interactive performance!
Posted by min at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2005
Analog In
Variables
Variables are places in computer memory for storing changing information.
Analog In
When we want to measure variably changing conditions like this, we need analog inputs.
Digital = on or off, 1 or 0 (things such as a switch)
Analog = the range between on and off (we can get all the different ranges between 1 and 0, such as the wall clock)
All analog inputs are on the upper left pins of the PIC.
Since we are using analog ins (variable resistors such as the pot, flex sensors, force senors etc, we need to know what the ranges are)
To see that, I connected a serial cable to the board and the computer and had the computer print out the values.
Download file
The beginning part of the code is to set the chip so that it does the analog ins.
Serial cable connected the board and you see the 10K potentiometer on the upper left on the analog pins.
You can have the pic printout whatever you tell it to. Pretty cool.
Also, depending on the variable resistor (see here for different resistors that could be used) that you are using, you may need a pull down resistor. I used the 10K for certain variable resistors.
I got tired of having to cram everything onto one board, so I connected another to make more space for my LEDs and other outputs.
There go my lights!
Using Force Sensors.
I got the range from my pot and linked them up accordingly with the LEDs.Download file
Posted by min at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2005
Perspectives
Continuing on with the usage of mylar, I made a shape, somewhat completely opposite to what I had created the previous week. I made glass like shapes that reflected images on all sides of the walls.
See the movie to get a better idea. If anyone needs to stick adhesives onto foamcore and needs help, ask. I've been through it~ haha
Posted by min at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
Different variable resistors
Carly brought a long some interesting variable resistors on Friday. Here are some examples.
Small pressure sensors.
Sliding variable resistors.
360 degrees potentiometer. There is a piece of metal that blocks the potentiometer from turning all the way. If you were to remove this, it will become a 360 potentiometer ( a must try).
Posted by min at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)
Bitforms
I went to the bitform gallery this past weekend to see Danny Rozin's new piece. He's opening a gallery in Seoul, Chungdahm so I was very eager to see this new piece.
The piece uses Op art circles that rotate around and as you get closer to the piece, your profile appears on the piece. Well fabricated and I really loved the sound of those discs turning. Simply perfection...
Posted by min at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
Parts for Pcomp!
rainbowkits : a great place for little kits we could use in projects.
Posted by min at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
The artist, Bill Viola
Bill Viola has been one of my favorite artists since I was an undergrad at the Art Institute of Chicago. Studying interior architecture, I was very impressed by his usage of space for his video installations. I actually saw his exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in the year 2000 and ended up breaking one of his pieces. It was a piece with a bronze tap in a room and a video projection on the wall. As you turn the tap, you hear the water dripping with surround sound in the space that you are in. There was a video piece running with the sound. I had turned the tap too far right and after I had used it, it was no longer in sync with the sound.
It’s always very interesting to read what artists have to say about their pieces and the whole process. Bill viola suggests that his medium, in this case, video, is only a tool in his process of investigation. I agree with him. Whatever the medium you may use, it is only a tool that helps you bring what you are trying to express in your art. The medium may be very low-tech, but if it works for the piece, the artist should stick with it and make the best out of it. This is especially true nowadays, with this new genre of art called “new media.”
He also states that he works with the “raw material”, (the sensory data, neural processing, memory, imagination etc) and that he aims at trying to “put it all back together” in his video installation. I personally do not know whether this is completely doable. Our individual bodies and minds react is such different ways that it is almost impossible to get the same reactions of the same place from different people.
I agree with his idea behind the “working” of an artist. He states, “It is the time of an unfinished thought, the time the painter must go through, the time behind the façade of all great discoveries.”
Posted by min at 03:31 PM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2005
Switches, using body parts
When the 2 metal sheets are pressed, the lights light up! :)
And lastly, here are my two switches, involving a body part. The first one is a piece of metal wrapped around my finger with the inner part covered with plastic. As I swipe this switch up and down the bottom part of the breadboard, the LEDs light up accordingly.
The second switch is my own pressure/ push sensor. I put a piece of sticky foam between two sheets of metal and as the pieces come together, the LEDs will light up.
I want to experiment with another kind of switch, involving the motion of squeezing. The material I will use is wire mesh. I will post this up once I have it made.
I realized that wire mesh isn't the best material to work with, if I'm making a squeeze switch. However, I found a cool toy in the junk box. Pic to come soon.
Posted by min at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2005
Digital Input and output using the microcontroller
Second week of pcomp and we've moved on from the basic electronics.
Half way through Luck's explanation of Programming the PIC, the PicBasic Pro, we had a fire drill at TSOA... My first at NYU. And it was a drill... we didn't see any smoke~
We covered the following
Microcontrollers : what they are, different types, levels.
Intro to PIC and PIC programming
Digital Input and Output
For programming the chip, you need the board set up with your Pic Chip and the EPIC. hardware programmer. The programmer will talk to the chip and program the chip.
This is what the EPIC programmer looks like.
Basically, after you set up your board, there are two parts to programming. You first write all the programming on the MCS and then using this code, the Epic compiler will send the code into the chip.
I got my 18F452 way in advance and ordered extras from microchip.com. Free Pic microcontrollers! ^^ Order early in advance. People say it takes about 3-5 business days.
With programming, we can now make our own codes, use variables (similar to Lingo to execute certain loops)and to control the outputs on the board (the LEDs). I also found out that the best way to keep track of your codes is to forward them to your gmail account and keep them as separate codes.
So here goes my try... the lab assignment for this week
LED blinking
The code:
Define OSC 4 'clock speed at 4mHz
output portd.1 'output at pin, portd.1 electricity out
main:
low portd.1 'set pin RD1 low
pause 500
high portd.1 'set RD1 high
pause 500
goto main
First, since this is not a BX, with a built in clock, we need to define the crystal clock on the board (OSC). It's speed is at 4Mhz.
So, basically, whatever happens between "main:" and "goto main" loops in the program. This keeps the LED blinking.
Next step connecting a switch into the board to control the LED.
\
The layout of the board.
Between the switch and the microchip and 10k resistor is needed to prevent a short circuit. The switch becomes the input in this system since it will either allow or prevent the flow of electricity into the board.
Code:
Define OSC 4 'clock speed at 4mHz
input portb.0 'this is the switch
output portd.1 'output at pin, portd.0 electricity out
main:
IF portb.0=1 then 'if the switch is closed on pin RB0
low portd.1 'set pin RD1 low
else
high portd.1 'set RD1 high
endif
goto main
Using the IF statments, we are giving conditions to the program. In the condition that the swich is closed, it will either light up or turn off the LED in portd.1
I googled a few Picbasic Pro codes and saw some interesting ones... This makes a computer-like sound from a buzzer or speaker.
' SOUND Command
'
' Make random computer-like noises. More refinement might make sound effects
' realistic enough to convince your boss you're working when you're really
' just playing Doom!!!
Define OSC 4
output portb.7
Include "bs1defs.bas" ' Include BS1 variables
SND CON 7 ' Define speaker pin
loop: 'Random W0 ' Randomize W0
B2 = (B0 & 31) + 100 ' Generate notes [64..95]
If B2 >= 50 Then beep ' Make [64..68] silence
B2 = 40
beep: Sound SND,[B2,1] ' Generate sound
Goto loop ' Forever
' SLEEP Command
'
' Slowly Blink LED Using Low Power Mode Delay
define OSC 4
output portb.2 ' LED Pin
loop: Toggle portb.2 ' Toggle LED
Sleep 10 ' Sleep for 10 Seconds (or so)
Goto loop ' Forever
LEDs lighting up and down.
I went onto creating a variable in the code and creating a sequence of lights turning on and off, up and down the line of LEDs.
The code:
'using a switch, lights flickering up and down repeatedly
Define OSC 4
'this is my switch
Input portd.1
TRISB = %00000000 'all the pins on portb OUTPUT
pauseTime VAR WORD
pauseTime = 40
main:
if portd.1 = 0 then 'if the switch is closed on this pin
HIGH portb.2
pause pauseTime
low portb.2
HIGH portb.3
pause pauseTime
low portb.3
HIGH portb.4
pause pauseTime
low portb.4
HIGH portb.5
pause pauseTime
low portb.5
HIGH portb.6
pause pauseTime
low portb.6
HIGH portb.7
pause pauseTime
low portb.7
HIGH portb.6
pause pauseTime
low portb.6
HIGH portb.5
pause pauseTime
low portb.5
HIGH portb.4
pause pauseTime
low portb.4
HIGH portb.3
pause pauseTime
low portb.3
HIGH portb.2
pause pauseTime
low portb.2
endif
goto main
Here, I've used a variable and declared it before the main:.
pauseTime VAR WORD
pauseTime = 40
TRISB = %00000000 refers to all outputs on portb.
Posted by min at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2005
ikea, long island
I just came back from a day trip to Ikea. That place is FILLED with materials we could work with! :)
Cheap glass, large mirrors, fabrics, cushions, metal stuff etc...
If you are working on projects that need a lot of different materials, check this place out! There's a free shuttle that goes from Port Authority (gate #5) on Saturdays and Sundays, running every 30mins! Call 1800-bus-ikea.
Posted by min at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2005
First PIC program
Microchips
Posted by min at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2005
jason bruges studio
Interesting interactive spaces.
Posted by min at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
Morning with Noguchi
The visit to Noguchi was definitely a good mental break after a hectic start at ITP. A first- timer, venturing out into the area called Queens, I headed over there early on Saturday at around 10am.
Arriving at the museum at 10:58, I saw a few people waiting in line for the museum to open. At exactly 11 sharp, the doors opened and we all hurriedly made our way through the entrance.
I first noticed the amount of sunlight in the museum. The museum wasn’t enclosed at all, with wide openings near the top of all the walls. What do they do on a rainy day? Let the art pieces get wet? Shadows played a big part in the museum as the sunlight hit the sculptures and created a piece of artwork of their own on the floors and walls. Also, you could get really close to the pieces. It’s quite rare to see a museum with no barriers. As I passed the big- stoned sculptures, I was pleasantly surprised by the outdoor garden on my right. I walked past the piece, Spin-Off #1 from the Chase Manhattan (the wrinkly basalt stone piece by the entrance into the garden) and noticed that the water that had been sprinkled on the rock, made the sky-blue color reflect on it. I personally couldn’t believe that the piece was naturally wrinkled to such a form.
It's surprising to see how these hard stones could be shaped into aesthetic pieces of art. Stone is probably one of the hardest materials to work with for an artist. It definitely isn’t as tangible as computer art that we are used to.
As I walked through the museum, I noticed that there were simply too many art pieces everywhere. The second floor had some of Noguchi’s furniture and architectural models and more of his art.
I felt that the layout of the museum could improve. I couldn’t quite orient myself in the space because of the layout. It seems that the building of the museum itself is so beautiful and the pieces of art scattered without careful consideration, didn’t compliment the architectural structure. The pieces didn’t work together as a whole.
I wonder what the experience would be like if I were to visit at night.
My fascination with bathrooms
Light box
From this observing, I went onto make my light box and record on dv. I placed a black plexi with holes on top of the white box. The box had a sheet of mylar rolled up. As the lights came through the holes, this created some really interesting reflections on the back of the white box.
video.
Posted by min at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
Immersive environment
3 planes come together to create an immersive environment. Joo Yeon and I collaborated for this first assignment to create a “virtual-like” scene using three simple planes.
For the first plane, we used a piece of large mylar. The second, we used textures from these metal bars. The third, was moving images, created with continuous digital shots of the Bobst Library.
I always found the exterior of the Bobst really interesting. The red exterior is vibrant and the yellow cabs that pass by it, make the scene even more pleasant for the eye.
We documented the place first.
Bobst
Reflections off the mylar
vid
Posted by min at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
Intro to Electronics
First week of Pcomp was definitely intense and nerve wrecking to say the least for me.
I am so thankful to Carlie, who spared 2 hours out of her busy schedule to go over the material on Friday afternoon. It really helped me in the sense that it was a good review of our Thursday's class. I was able to confirm the ideas learned in class and was able to openly ask questions on site. I strongly recommend this class to everyone. It's like our little pcomp "study group" at ITP! :) The schedule for these mini workshops can be found here
So here it goes...
One LED
The important part here is the voltage regulator. Our power supplies are 12Vs. We are sending 5Vs throughout the breadboard. There are 3 pins in the bottom part of the regulator (IGO).
It's lit!!! I'm thrilled. :)
Using a variable resistor, the photocell, this controlled the brightness of the LED. The more the photocell was exposed, the brighter the LED.
LEDs in parallel
The brightness of the LEDs are the same. Same amount of voltage going into all the LEDs, when placed parallel.
Parallel and series on one board
Todd H helped me out in the lab one day and suggested that I use capacitors before the voltage regulator to smooth out the flow of the electricity. I used the 10uf before the regulator and 1uf that goes into the power of the board. Also, on the other end of the board, I put a single LED to confirm that the board is flowing with electricity. The black things are 2 buzzers that I tested out. Thanks Todd! :)
Board lit! weeee
The switch
I am still working on this. Switch = 2 conductors that allow / stop the flow of electricity. I found this breadboard stripped in the garbage bin, so I decided to use it. (Thanks again Todd!)The bare wires from the board are in contact with the stripped board. When you swipe the metal bolt up and down, the LEDs light up accordingly. I intend to push this idea a little further for our week 002 assignment. I will look into other forms of switches as well.
In action
Posted by min at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)