linearMusic is an interactive installation that reacts to the presence of passers-by and turns them into performers. It consists of a camera tracking pedestrians on a street, a projection on a wall covering the surface tracked by the camera, and sound played through speakers.
When a pedestrian is seen by the camera a set of lines appears on the wall, following her and “wrapping” around her silhouette. As more people pass in front of the camera, the lines reform themselves to wrap around all of them. A soundscape plays as people interact with the piece, and each individual affects a specific quality of the sound by moving left to right and up to down.
There are two ways to interact with the installation. One can simply pass across the projection, or actively engage with it, seeing how the movements affect the soundscape.
linearMusic was tested in the hall at ITP, but the ideal setup for the installation would be a large wall on a warehouse in Chelsea.
The ITP Spring Show is taking place this Sunday and Monday and it’s going to be a good one. I will be presenting my Rats ‘n’ Bedbugs visualization.
ITP Spring Show 2009
May 10th, 2pm to 6pm
May 11th, 5pm to 9pm
@ 721 Broadway, 4th Floor
The Zoeprojectoscope is a mechanical toy designed to teach kids the main concepts of frame-by-frame animation.¬†Animation is a fascinating concept, especially for kids who watch a lot of it. It’s always exciting to understand how the shows they watch are made.
How it works
- Each frame is a piece of acetate which is drawn on.
- The acetate is sandwiched between two clear pieces of acrylic and placed in the wheel, which holds slots for 12 frames.
- To animate the drawings, the user turns the crank, which makes the wheel turn, and places the frames in front of the optics in the right order.
- A light shines through each frame at the right moment, powered using the energy generated by turning the crank.
- A system of gears attached to the crank spin a motor at high speed, generating enough electricity to power a set of LEDs.
- A contact switch is positioned in front of the wheel so that the light is only turned on when each frame is perfectly aligned with the optics. This simulates the shutter from a real projector.
Next Steps
- Fix the optics to make the projection work
- Add legs on the side to make the production surface usable
- Make the whole thing lighter by using a thinner wheel
- Add a base to increase stability
View the PDF
