Category Archives: Projects

Ecstatic Computation

Mike Allison

Ecstatic Computation is the union between human and machine (when thought becomes bit) explored through virtual reality ritual.

http://michaelpallison.com

Description

As I become a cyborg though corporeal and mental appropriations of computational tools, what then of my metaphysical relationship to these new “bodily” members?
Through my research I've encountered many religious, spiritual and scientific practices that seek to make sense of the relationships between our minds, bodies, spirits and the universe. Some practices contain the notion of ecstasy, which in existential terms means to achieve a state of being outside of one's self. Using virtual reality, my project explores the moment of Ecstatic Computation: the merging of consciousness and quantum energy in the physio-chemical registration of state within the computer's memory. The moment when thought becomes bit and electrons become ideas.

Classes

Thesis

Song Logger

Kina Smith

A solar powered autonomous audio recorder and weather station for bird research.

http://kinasmith.com/songlogger-final-presentation-energy

Description

This data logger is headed up to Alaska this summer to be deployed as part of a USGS study of migrating bird populations and how climate change is effecting the Boreal-Arctic transition zone.

The Alaskan arctic and boreal ecosystems provide important breeding habitat for more than half of North America’s migratory birds. Northern landscapes are projected to experience more pronounced climate-related changes in habitat than most other regions. Changing habitat conditions, in turn, may have significant effects on the distribution and abundance of wildlife in these critical northern ecosystems. Birds are useful indicators for climate change because they are widely distributed, samples are collected by similar methods, and they occupy a wide variety of habitats including wetlands, forests, and shrublands.

Classes

Energy

Gowanus Creek Nature Hike

Kathryn Adee

Research in urban ecology that resulted in a mobile web app for identifying, cataloging, and mapping the flora of the Gowanus Canal Area. By looking at current species, we can begin to imagine the future Gowanus as an ecosystem, not just an environmental disaster or real estate investment.

http://urbaneco.herokuapp.com/

Description

Gowanus Creek Nature Hike is a web tool for scientists, students, and Gowanus enthusiasts to explore the species that have managed to survive and thrive near our local Superfund Site, the Gowanus canal. Participation in the reporting process will hopefully increase knowledge and awareness of one's natural surroundings.

Classes

Thesis

NightWitches

Caroline Sinders

An interactive true transmedia story played on mobile and the web about the WWII female Russian fighter pilot Nadya Popva.

Description

It’s an interactive story built in Unity with a web page that looks like a wikipedia page but actually holds the next two levels of this story. I am interested in exploring the tensions between “video games” and “interactive stories” and taking the elements of a narrative, placing them in a game engine, but making a thing that is not a video game (repeat, NOT A VIDEO GAME) but has the interaction of a game but what the user is finding in the game are plot points.
The project is an interaction is an experimental narrative, where the only thing the user finds in this game like environment are plot points to a narrative. THe narrative is designed to be assembled in a non sequential way.

Classes

Thesis

Sukhavati

Yang Wang

An art installation that creates a virtual reality world for people to encounter and become spectators of themselves.

http://sukhavati.be

Description

Sukhavati is an exploration about the question “What is the true-self? Is that possible for people to live without ego?”

Using an Oculus Rift headset, Kinect and EEG sensor, Sukhavati creates a virtual world that allows the viewer to observe her/himself from an alternate angle. The viewer is immersed in a parallel reality that resembles the same physical room the viewer sits in, quietly observing his/her own image composed from thousands of pixel particles. When the viewer loses the state of deep relaxation, his/her self-image transforms into numerous particles that flows freely in the room.

Classes

Thesis

Tiya

Su Hyun Kim

Tiya is a mobile app paired with robotic ears that are programmed to deliver physical interaction when somebody sends you a message.

http://www.mytiya.com/

Description

Tiya is my experimentation towards finding physical manifestation of the emoji language usually seen only on screens. Tiya, the virtual messenger, works hard to deliver emotions between you and your close ones. Tiya utilizes graphic expression in conjunction with physical expression. My goal is to create a different interface other than verbal to find out if we can communicate emotions effectively.

Classes

Thesis

Play The Game – evolution

Mary Fe

A movements sampler fed by celebration dance moves and modified by the audience with a foam finger.

http://cargocollective.com/maryfe/Play-The-Game-NIME

Description

An evolution from my NIME project, now for Live Image Processing Class. A sampler instrument triggered by movement. I dress up as an NFL Player and play music doing celebration dance moves. Audience can play too, passing around giant index foam finger that will work as a mouse cursor and change the pitch.

Classes

Live Image Processing and Performance

JujuBox

Moe Shahrooz

The JujuBox is an intimate small scale virtual 3D theater that gives the audience control over a wide array of audiovisual effects.

http://thesis.itp.io/students/ms6699/progress

Description

The JujuBox is a unique interactive musical video theater. The user is initially given the option to choose between a variety of performers. Once each performance begins, the user has the ability through a wide variety of physical controls, to manipulate various audiovisual aspects of the performance. The box itself acts as a virtual stage. A flat panel LCD screen is nested at the bottom, facing up. With two sheets of clear glass carefully placed at precise angles inside, the reflections from the screen provide the illusion of three-dimensional imagery. Additionally, the dual glass sheets provide an added sense of depth.

Classes

Thesis

Kinetisynth

David Rios

Musical instrument and kinetic audio visualizer

Description

Kinetisynth is part musical interface, part physical parametric display. Participants use various controllers and sensors to make music together and simultaneously control a real-time physical visualization of that music. It uses analog circuitry and MIDI to generate soundscapes while simultaneously analyzing and quantifying audio signals to create a real time mechanical frequency spectrum that reflects the soundscape.

Classes

Thesis, Thesis

The Penis Wall

Peiqi SU

This kinetic sculpture consists of 81 erectable penises that respond to either a viewer's movements or to realtime movements in the stock market.

http://thesis.itp.io/students/ps2409

Description

The penis is so different! This is my initial motivation, to study one of the oldest and probably the most attractive thing that humans interact with.

The Penis Wall is made up of 3D printed penises that each have six segments driven by servo motors. Equipped with an ultrasonic distance sensor, each unit can respond to a viewer's movements. Moreover, the Penis Wall can also be used as a display to represent data, for instance, fluctuations in the stock market.

Classes

Thesis