So, ICM is over with! Pablo Pescado Paints was my final, and his web presence lives on at fischschoolofthearts.tumblr.com. His actual presence lives on too, in fact he’s in my kitchen with me as I write this.

I think this project turned out pretty well. Basically, a webcam above Pablo’s tank tracks the color orange (which I would calibrate with Danny Rozin’s color-tracking click sketch) and leaves a trail based on where he goes around his bowl. That image was projected with a pico-projector onto a small canvas propped up by a mini-easel. The projector+easel had a really nice effect and I may just use it again. When I clicked spacebar on my computer, the canvas would clear, the old painting was entered into a “gallery” that was displayed on the computer screen, and the new painting would begin with a different color.

The galleries of paintings were perhaps my favorite result of this project. I’d love to set up Pablo permanently, but unfortunately I don’t have a spare webcam. Maybe it’s worth getting one though, so he can do live painting over the web.

A shot of Pablo’s retrospective:

Pet fish often seem bored with their meaningless lives. They have so much to say to us, but they have no way they can communicate. As simple humans, we find it hard to understand their swimming patterns alone.

I want to help these noble creatures, by transforming their patterns in to art.

OR BETTER YET!:

I’d like to track my fishes patterns (via cheapie webcam, I think) and bring that information into a processing sketch. Ideally, I’d like to have that sketch embedded on on a screen/ using a pico projector, mini canvas, and mini easel, in a sort of diorama. The fish will be able to see its creations, giving the fish the opportunity to have full artistic control.

I’d also like to incorporate a small button and possible some knobs onto the side of this box. The button would clear the canvas and upload it to a dedicated tumblr, and the knobs would control the color and size of the brush.

As of now, I imagine that I’ll use a simple color-tracking processing sketch to control a the brush. Doesn’t sound too tough!

I’d like to expand this project to allow the fish to make music and write poetry. But fish–especially goldfish–are visual thinkers by nature, so the choice to begin with a visual medium is only logical.

Lots of trouble getting my third processing assignment to work in javascript mode, then in actual javascript. Had issues with the color of the mold (still looked way more realistic in java mode because the center would darken to an almost black ewwwwww like real moldy mold ewwwwww), the pictures loading onto the page, and the timing of the last words coming up. HOWEVER, you know, it’s still clearly a visionary work of art based on true events, and I learned that it’s important to test in javascript along the way.

ENJOY:
MOLD!