If the sequence is repeated, it creates a seamless loop. Another module can also be created and it will follow this one seamlessly as long as it begins and ends with the circle frame.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I cut decorative designs on each face to make the object nicer looking. Each face is made up of a red layer covered by a clear layer. Each design is split into two parts, one for each layer. The opposing faces have the same design, but on alternate layers so as to complement each other. The inside of the cube is painted white to give an extra dimension to the object.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take the width of the laser into account and had to use some acrylic solvent to stick the faces together. This left some blotches on the faces so it is not as perfect as I would like it to be.

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The communication with the iPhone is done through OSC using Mrmr on the phone and OscP5 on the laptop. The 3D environment was built with JOCode for Processing, an OpenGL framework I have been working on with Mark Napier. We are in the process of finalizing the library and it will be available within the next two weeks.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Special thanks to Diego Rioja, Mustafa Bağdatlı, Nisma Zaman, and the rest of the video crew for the footage!

ITP Winter Show 2009
Dec. 20 2-6pm and Dec. 21 5-9pm
@ 721 Broadway, 4th Fl

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There is an intriguing interval between that which is noticed by passers-by and that which is overlooked. How can artworks best inhabit this space? How can they spark interest in and awaken its viewers without growing didactic? How can this new-found attention carry over into a spectator’s daily practice of alertness, awareness, and interest in the world around her? And how can the initial artwork provide a sense of whimsy and delight to its viewers?

Camera Obscura introduces no new content, but rather re-presents the daily world and attempts to explore this liminal space between in a very direct manner. A viewer on the sidewalk might catch a glimpse of herself walking through a world different from that she recognizes. A visitor to the museum might see something new about the surrounding sidewalk after seeing it projected on a white wall otherwise reserved for curated artwork. Intrigue is sparked when the viewer sees either herself or someone outside the building. This is a unique relationship: many of the people on the sidewalk are not consistent museum visitors and yet they are physically separated only by a window.

The idea is that seeing yourself, or seeing someone with whom you have this kind of relationship, through a distortion and high on museum wall will spark an interest in and an awareness of the visitor’s surroundings that will last beyond the interaction. In addition, nothing is more fun or unexpected than seeing yourself (or a neighbor), especially if you are upside-down, and in a museum.

Camera Obscura employs simple technology: a camera, a computer, and a projector. The camera catches daily activity as it occurs on the sidewalk outside the museum. The live feed runs through a computer program which manipulates the colors and images. Finally, the new image is projected from a projector onto a wall in the museum

The projected image is meant to correspond to that of an actual camera obscura. The image is upside-down and slightly fish-eyed. The colors and saturation are also changed and the effect is that of a home video from the 1980s. Viewing this mirror-like image lifts the otherwise daily habit of walking down the sidewalk into an altogether different experience. The viewer sees herself upside-down–a clear change from what is expected. She also, though, sees herself within a nostalgic framework and also inside a museum. Her simple act of walking down the sidewalk is suddenly worthy of documentation and public viewing.

In addition, there is a formal relationship between the particular shot of the sidewalk and the wall above the staircase. The lines from the sidewalk and the cross walk echo the lines created by the staircase and bordering columns. In this way, the image fits within the architecture of the building, emphasizing the link between sidewalk life and the culture of the museum.

Because Camera Obscura is positioned inside the Bronx Museum, but can be viewed from the surrounding sidewalk, the piece is meant for both the museum-going community and the community outside the museum walls. For both groups of people, Camera Obscura provides an opportunity to re-examine their surroundings. Inside the museum, the project sparks an interest in that which is directly around the building, but which can seem very separate. Viewed from outside the museum, Camera Obscura aims not only to bring attention and pave access to the Bronx Museum but also to provide a fresh look at the otherwise daily experience of walking along the Grand Concourse.

Camera Obscura brings together ideas of attention and a re-awakening of daily life while bridging a gap between museum-goers and the neighbors of the building itself.

A project by Sara Bremen and Elie Zananiri.

Click here to view the embedded video.