Risk assessment – Sheet Brooke Mckay-22vq4vw

Although we were asked to reflect on the most recent 3 studies, I find it difficult not to reflect on the semester as a whole as it comes to an end. I remember sitting in our first tute, introducing ourselves. We were asked to state our name, primary interest in media and our favourite type of cake. In this class we downloaded Max and sat looking at a program which made absolutely no sense. I didn’t even know what it was meant to create. 4 months later, whilst I definitely haven’t mastered Max in the slightest, i understand. I understand the basic setup, the shortcuts to different actions, the formulas and the capabilities the program has. Interestingly most classes at uni do not teach you something entirely new, they often build on existing knowledge. Lights Camera Interaction has created a completely new skill set.

In terms of the creative process, I believe that the most significant thing I have learnt is the need to be flexible. More often thannot, I have had a big idea and when implementing it, things have been put in my way which cause me to have to make decisions. Altering your outcome is not always desired, however it can make your piece logistically more successful or aesthetically better. Whilst we like to think that anything is possible, realistically some detours have to be made on the way to achieving our original goals. For example originally when creating my study “rain on me” I wanted physical rain to be falling and moving around the body in the shot. This however was too big of an idea, instead I have made the colours as similar to rain as possible and added the sound of rain in the background. Whilst this is not what i originally intended, it is a close simulation and my flexibility in the creative process allowed me to achieve a similar goal.

The techniques behind interactive art making vary greatly. In terms of motive, I have learnt that the best way to engage with an audience is to give them either control or a clear purpose. If someone has a goal they are trying to achieve, they will continue to work until they get it. This may be as simple as getting them to wave their arms about until they trigger a reaction or it may be that they need to complete a quiz in order to receive praise. Interactive art is about engagement and providing the viewer with the opportunity toparticipate. It doesn’t have to be digital. You could set up balloons on a canvas which are filled with paint. Viewers could throw darts at the canvas to make the balloons pop and splatter paint everywhere. Sometimes people just want to have fun with art, it shouldn’t always be about the philosophical meaning.

In terms of success, my final piece which was displayed at the exhibition was a success. It actively engaged viewers for an extended period of time. It also had an element of humour. Every person i tested it on prior to the exhibition smiled when completing the maze and laughed at the ridiculous song that played. The importance of laughter is forgotten in art. Look at the most expensive pieces in the world today. “Number 17A” by Jackson Pollock (see below) recently valued at $200 million. Pollock is an abstract expressionist and an extremely famous one, to me however the piece has no emotion. It has no story or subject. How is it that something worth

$200 million doesn’t provoke a single emotion within me. I think that art should be thought provoking and mesmerising. That is why when creating my work, I hope to get a reaction out of my audience, good or bad. All publicity is good publicity right?

Every element of my work could be improved on in some way. Personally I am not the most advanced at using Max, but i have tried all semester and have learnt a great deal. My biggest issue was that my laptop broke and put me a week and a half behind in my progression. It is because of this that my final piece is somewhat basic. I completed this without any assistance. Whilst I completed my other 2 outputs by myself, I had guidance and suggestions from my tutor and other students. Due to my laptop, my class time was limited and therefore when we had our last class I was still working on my 2nd patcher and had another to complete. It was a learning curve and challenged me to use a virtual desktop on a 2007 laptop. Therefore I admit that my last piece could have great improvement, I was simply unable to do so given the time and resource limitations I experienced.

This semester has taught me to experiment with my creativity and has increased my level of patience. It is important to remember that if one idea fails, it can simply lead to a new one. I have had a fantastic (if not always easy) semester in this class and have learnt a great deal.

Reflection 1: Study 6

Study 6 was designed to encourage students to discuss and reflect on the work of another student in our class. For this process, I chose Yuhans to draw inspiration from. Yuhan used voice recognition and “aka.listen” to make specific words change the brightness on the output screen.

In today’s society, voice recognition is everywhere. The most influential and common example is that of Siri and Google Home. Both having advanced technology to recognise words and have actions which occur as a result.

On a simplistic level, this is what I have done with my project. I have programmed my patcher to change the colour tint depending on which trigger word is said. The key however with my design is that I have chosen colours which corrolate with different meanings in the human mind. For example, we are trained to understand that the colour blue associates with sadness, red with anger or death and pink with love. Therefore I carefully chose each trigger word to relate to these emotions.

On a technical level, the process is as follows. Once turned “on” the microphone in my laptop will recognise any of the words listed, then moving through “aka.listen” each word is associated with 3 numbers. The combination of the 3 numbers are different areas on colour charts which combine to make a whole colour. This colour then appears on the screen as a tint over the viewers face.

My primary aim is for the viewer to connect emotions with colours and begin to understand the association at play.

Reflection 2: Study 7

Study 7’s criteria was that we must take an idea, concept, or technique used in a previous study, and develop it further. Focusing on keeping user interaction for 5-7 minutes.

During class a few weeks ago, we brainstormed things which can maintain our attention for extended periods of time. The primary thing I took out of this session was that we like to have a challenge in front of us to complete. We become “hooked” when we have a goal to achieve or a reward at the end. For me, doing a sodoku is both a therapeutic and frustrating activity. It provides a great sense of accomplishment when completed, however infuriating annoyance when you get stuck. This is what I hoped to achieve with my study.

I decided that the puzzle i would focus on was a maze. A simplistic, get from one end to the other type maze. The concept developed with the previously mentioned emotions in mind. I designed the study so that if you were to let go of the drawing when you hadn’t completed the maze, the computer would let off an annoying sound and the word “boo” would appear. On the contrary, if you were to complete the maze successfully, the computer reads “yay” and plays a funny, celebratory jingle.

On a technical level, I used “Loadbang” to make the setup automatic. When opened, the maze is immediately shown empty and the songs and triggers are turned on. The main difficulty i encountered was trying to have both sounds available to play depending on where the mouse was “unclicked”. The solution was found through the use of “gswitch2” which caused some issues initially, but was resolved.

Overall, my study “aMAZEing” successfully sustains user interactions for several minutes (depending on how quickly they solve the puzzle). When testing my product with friends, the fastest completion I saw was 3mins and the longest was 7.2mins. I would deem this study, a success!

Reflection 3: Study 8

Whilst study 8 may appear the most simplistic over all, i have a great deal of self accomplishment from it. I completed this patcher without any help from tutors or in class. The design whilst straight forward is meaningful on a conceptual level. It goes back to the first assessment from semester 2 I studied on Camille Utterback. Throughout the semester I have continued to develop the concept further. Whilst I wanted to originally put a simulation of rain on the screen to move around the body. This was something I couldn’t achieve so I did the best I could. I have used a recording of the sound of rain to add to the effect. I have also chosen a blue colour to represent the rain.

Throughout this semester we have learnt about messages, notes, buttons and formulas. Developing a sort of language to communicate with Max. It is knowledge that to me felt like it didn’t make any sense at all. However when it came down to it, I was able to combine all of the tutes to make something. Something small, but to me very symbolic.

Using threshold alterations to change the shape of the fill in, I have created a symbol which looks like rain. The study allows viewers to lift and move the rain when interacting with the piece.

Study 7’s criteria was that we must take an idea, concept, or technique used in a previous study, and develop it further. Focusing on keeping user interaction for 5-7 minutes.

During class a few weeks ago, we brainstormed things which can maintain our attention for extended periods of time. The primary thing I took out of this session was that we like to have a challenge in front of us to complete. We become “hooked” when we have a goal to achieve or a reward at the end. For me, doing a sodoku is both a therapeutic and frustrating activity. It provides a great sense of accomplishment when completed, however infuriating annoyance when you get stuck. This is what I hoped to achieve with my study.

I decided that the puzzle i would focus on was a maze. A simplistic, get from one end to the other type maze. The concept developed with the previously mentioned emotions in mind. I designed the study so that if you were to let go of the drawing when you hadn’t completed the maze, the computer would let off an annoying sound and the word “boo” would appear. On the contrary, if you were to complete the maze successfully, the computer reads “yay” and plays a funny, celebratory jingle.

On a technical level, I used “Loadbang” to make the setup automatic. When opened, the maze is immediately shown empty and the songs and triggers are turned on. The main difficulty i encountered was trying to have both sounds available to play depending on where the mouse was “unclicked”. The solution was found through the use of “gswitch2” which caused some issues initially, but was resolved.

Overall, my study “aMAZEing” successfully sustains user interactions for several minutes (depending on how quickly they solve the puzzle). When testing my product with friends, the fastest completion I saw was 3mins and the longest was 7.2mins. I would deem this study, a success!

Study 4 (200 word reflection): 

Ziggy, Isobel and I collaborated for studies 4 and 5. We chose the emotion of embarrassment to focus on. Embarrassment is a uncontrollable response which can flush your cheeks whilst making you laugh or cry. Luckily we didn’t cause any tears during this assessment.

We used Max to create an image of a lolly jar. By attaching this to a motion sensor on the webcam, we asked the audience to wave there arms around wildly to fill up the jar. What the viewer didnt know, was once the jar was almost full, the camera began recording a short 5 second clip of them waving there arms. A screen would then appear over the jar, showing this clip to the viewer. In turn, the viewer was surprised at seeing themselves on screen, having not known they were being recorded. This then triggered the embarrassment as planned.

When trialling this work on our classmates, it was evident that people were embarrassed based on their body language. Often the viewer would laugh and cover their face or turn away from the camera. However an issue we found was that once people had seen the effect and knew what to expect, they were significantly less embarrassed. This gave us a challenge as to how to progress the concept further in study 5.

Study 5 (200 word reflection):

Study 5 surrounded the aim for heightening the embarrassment caused during study 4. After brainstorming the issues at hand we found that there were two primary things we could change.

The first being the technical side of the project. Adjusting parameters and sensitivity to allow for the jar to be filled more easily. By increasing the sensitivity, we did not have to verbally suggest to the audience that they step closer to move more wildly.

The second thing we attempted to improve was the level of embarrassment.  To do this, we created a second screen which was linked to the video camera. By doing this, when the jar was full, the recording of the audience waving their arms would appear on all of the television screens within the classroom. By putting the video on a larger scale and multiplying it, we were surrounding people with their silly bodily movements.

Again unfortunately, the element of surprise was decreased as viewers saw what was happening before participating. However, due to the scale of embarrassment being increased we have a larger amount of viewers maintaining their true reaction.

Major Project (200 word reflection):

My major project takes me back to my original research project surrounding Camille Utterback. It was in week 1 that I was inspired by her work and the concept that your body as a viewer could lift and drop electronic objects on a screen. The prime example of this is her piece “Text Rain”.

On a conceptual level, I wanted the viewer to feel empowered when participating in this artwork. Their is something intriguing about seeing yourself on a screen and effecting the environment around you. As the artist, I have the ability to shape the users contribution by altering what object it is that they are moving. For example in this project I have used white lines. Giving the effect that they are the only thing in the room. The white works to black around all of the background and moves around the body as it moves.

My ultimate goal would be to simulate rain falling from the sky however avoiding the body. Giving the illusion that the human body is somewhat “untouchable” in this piece and we can have some control over something much greater than we have imagined.

To create this patcher, my primary issue was with altering the shape of the object. Originally the shape was a red cross, but this did not create my desired effect. So by adjusting the parameters in paintoval to $2 $3 $1 $8 I was able to cover the background. As seen in the picture attached, I began widening the object and it fell on top of my shoulders. This experimentation period allowed me to play with different elements and control the features accordingly.

Development and Reflection (800-1000 words)

The creative process is something which I find particularly interesting. I have always been quite a creative person. I completed numerous art subjects throughout school and have a personal interest in the design world. However when it comes to “Lights Camera Interaction”, I find that i don’t let myself think ‘big’. This is because I struggle with execution of plans when it comes to Max. The program feels like I am trying to learn another language, and in a way I am. Each button, object, comment and message communicate with each other in ways I cant fully comprehend. I continue to watch YouTube tutorials and visit the various discussion boards I have found online. Slowly my understanding increases, however i still feel limited when it comes to ideation.

I have drawn inspiration from artist Camille Utterback. Her work has allowed me to believe that I can achieve some of my goals because she has. Her piece “Text Rain” is precise, interactive and extremely refined. If I could make an artwork which is little as a quarter as successful as hers is, I would consider that a huge win.

Throughout this process I learnt a lot about techniques by interacting with other peoples artworks. My key takeaway was that the facial recognition on Max caused a lot of difficulty. Lots of groups aimed to trigger something on screen when someone would open and close their mouth for example. This proved difficult as the message also picked up things in the background of the shot taking away from the face. It would have been more successful if set in front of a white wall.

I have learnt that in the world of interactive art, a lot of success is based on human expectation. We aim to predict what the natural instinct is and if we are wrong, adjustments can be made or the entire project potentially crashes. Study 4 and 5 are based on two assumptions. The first being that people will follow the instructions on the screen telling them to wave their arms in a ridiculous manner. The second being that they will be flushed with embarrassment after seeing the video of themselves doing so. If no one waves their arms, the project appears literally just as a picture of an empty lolly jar. Luckily for us, we accurately predicted the reactions of viewers and our project was a success. We saw lots of silly arm movements and embarrassed faces as a result of this.

For me however, success feels like the smaller accomplishments as opposed to the final result. Successfully adjusting parameters on the first try, finding a forum which relates directly to the issue you are having or clicking save right before your computer crashes, all of which happened throughout this process.

As discussed in my artist statements. I aim to add to my major project by importing a simulation of rain falling. I am attempting to use the same techniques to have the rain fall around the human body. I am playing on the concept of being “untouchable” as a human and controlling something greater than ourselves. This will take extreme refinement when it comes to the parameters of the work. It will be a big trial and error process and I hope to test it on various people in and out of class in order to determine its success. It is also key to test in various settings which have different lighting. I have found that often issues arise when the sensors struggle with colours and light. Again this is a large scale goal and whilst my Max skills may not be exemplary, I aim to work with other students, Camille and the mighty web to achieve this goal.

When choosing my studio for semester 2, I was confronted with a great range of opportunities. After reading through the descriptions of each I saw that I had two options available. I could continue to work in videography and develop skills within an area I am already experienced or I could step out of my comfort zone. I chose Lights, Camera, Interaction with the understanding that I was providing myself with a challenge. I believe it is important to push yourself into things that you may not be as comfortable with. How else are you to discover new passions?

Throughout the development of studies 1-3, I have learnt a great deal about the creative process. Often when thinking creatively I can envisage an end product before having completed any research or strategic thinking. This can be beneficial and detrimental to the entire exercise. Setting a goal can allow you to have a clear vision and create motivation to work towards it. However, it can also cause limitations along the way. If I come up with other ideas during the process, often I find myself blind sighted by my original idea. Therefore overlooking concepts which could be better. It is important to be open to altering your plans as you hit bumps in the road and develop new concepts.

After downloading Max, I have struggled to wrap my mind around the technical procedures within. I believe that it is the type of program that is difficult to learn, however once you understand the terminology and systems, fantastic to use. I am not currently at that stage. Whilst I am beginning to see the links between different commands, it is not a skill that comes naturally to me in the classroom. This classifies as both an ongoing challenge as well as the opportunity to continually broaden my horizons.

In terms of the techniques I have learnt surrounding interactive art making, I place a great importance of understanding human response when creating a piece. Throughout the presentations in assessment 1, the majority of artists used human instinct in their work. Relying on the viewer to move in a certain way to then manipulate the art. Throughout studies 1-3 we have done the same thing. For example in my piece for study 2, we created a screen effect in which you could see yourself in real time as well as an overlay of the same video delayed by 3 seconds. This product played under the assumption that once the viewer realised what was happening, they would move in front of the camera in order to see the effect. When showing this to classmates, each student moved as predicted. It is key to base work of your own natural instinct and to further check if others have the same tendency.

My success thus far can be seen through the submission of my work on time. I have learnt that in a subject like this, it is important to remain up to date on projects. When completing tasks, it can take a long time to receive help from a busy tutor. It is therefore important to keep your creative juices flowing and always have something ready to get feedback on. Considering I have a timetable clash this semester, I have managed my time very efficiently.

I have also been successful in drawing inspiration from my artist investigation in assessment 1. After studying the work of Camille Utterback, I began to understand the manipulation of art available, when interacting with the human body. In study 1 I created an overlay of 3 videos, allowing the viewer to control what was being played through the use of a keyboard. This piece was inspired by Utterback’s “Shifting Time”. Her artwork allowed people to walk past a large screen and control the change of content. Whilst my technical abilities are currently limited, I drew inspiration from this when creating my study. Giving power to the audience as Utterback often focuses on.

My work so far follows simplistic formats. Whilst this has allowed me to further understand the basics of Max, it has produced very straightforward outcomes. As discussed in tutorials, later assessments allow the opportunities to revisit our earlier work and develop them further. I believe I could build upon this, attempting to combine study 1 and 3. Using the camera to view human movement and change the video on screen. This is much more technically advanced than my current projects, however a component I may be capable of progressing later in the semester.

I have learnt a great deal from my peers throughout these studies. Each student has created a range of outcomes which appear to reflect individual inspirations and creativity. Some have found the use of Max to be extremely straightforward however others struggle like me. It is important to remember that I chose this studio in order to push my media abilities. As my skills develop, I look forward to being able to represent the ideas in my head.

Artist statement: Study 1: “The chicken who went skating”

This study provides the viewer with the ability to control which of the 3 videos available will appear on screen. By using the keys v,c and spacebar, each acts as a switch turning videos on and off.

The videos are sourced from the Max date base to allow for simple communication between the Pitcher and the original video. They are displayed through the use of jit.pwindow and played via jit.playlist. Most technical difficulties I am experiencing surround the fact that I have never used a program like Max previously. This simply adds a learning curve and increases the time I must allow for each study.

I have drawn inspiration from Camille Utterback’s “Shifting Time”. Her piece featured in San Jose airport uses human movement to effect when her videos change. This is essentially what my Pitcher aims to achieve on a more simplistic level. In my piece the viewer has physical control on which clip is played rather than in Utterback’s in which they simply choose when they transition. Thus allowing the user to manipulate the work depending on which clips they like more or place in a sequence which they feel best.

Artist statement: Study 2: Group study “Delayed time”

Working in a group of 3 Isobel and I developed a study. This piece uses the camera in your computer to mirror what is happening in front of it. Essentially our goal here was to create a lapse in time so that the video would have an almost slow motion effect.

We managed to do this successfully, filming with two outputs. One which was live and one which was delayed by 3 seconds. Overlaying both streams and using the crossfade feature to blend the two together developed an eery time warped version of the video.

It is effects like this which can be used in scary movies and to illustrate a change in time. Sometimes used in flashbacks. Collaborating on a piece like this allowed for knowledge of different areas to utilised and alternate creative thinking to be used. However it was more difficult as physically only one computer can be used to complete to patcher.

Artist statement: Study 3: “Im on the screen”

This study allows the viewer to put themselves into the screen. Controlling when the camera is turned on, off and when it is cleared. This patcher users keyboard controls to give power to the viewer. The key “1” turns the camera on, “2” turns it off and “3” clears the screen.

The video is displayed through jit.pwindow and access of the computers camera is achieved via jit.grab. These two controls allow for a simple relationship to form and in addition keys to be added to manipulate the status.

I have drawn inspiration from Camille Utterback’s “Falling text”. In her artwork, viewers can control the movement of texts on screen through the movement of their bodies. I created this piece in order to start the development of my skills to move towards a similar outcome. I like the idea of recording or mirroring the viewer and allowing their bodies to change the art.  Ultimately in my mind i envisage rain falling within a large projection and the audience moving the rain with their bodies as they view it and interact. This is a much more technically advanced edition of my current piece, but essentially a goal. I have now learnt how to create this screen and will attempt to continue my development to get closer to my end desire.

Brooke Mckay-Assessment 4 Part 1

• Final reflection: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/22/assessment-4-pt-1-reflection/
• Final Video: https://vimeo.com/271089180
• Final Poster: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/24/assessment-4-pt-1-poster/ 

• Blog post 1: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/01/1-5-2018-assessment-4-pt-1/ ‎Edit
• Blog post 2:http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/07/3-5-2018-assessment-4-pt-1/ ‎
• Blog post 3:  http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/10/08-05-2018-assessment-4-part-1/ ‎
• Blog post 4:  http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/10/08-05-2018-assessment-4-part-1/ ‎
• Blog post 5: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/11/10-05-2018-assessment-4-pt-1/
• Blog post 6: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/17/15-05-2018-assessment-4-pt-2/ 
• Blog post 7: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/17/17-05-2018-assessment-4-pt-1/ 
• Blog post 8: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/22/22-05-18-assessment-4-pt-1/
• Blog post 9: http://www.mediafactory.org.au/brooke-mckay/2018/05/24/24-5-18-assessment-4-part-1/

500 word reflection:

Stepping into this assessment, my partner Alyssa Leo and I begun questioning the motives behind the buskers at Bourke Street Mall. Our previous investigations into their world whilst insightful, did not allow for a personal angle to be taken. Deciding instead that we needed interviews. Empowering the voice behind the lyrics, the face behind the microphone and the hands holding the guitar.

Focusing on the concept that each busker has a unique lifestyle and whilst they are linked by an art form, how much do they really have in common? Does every busker busk to make a name for themselves in the music world? Do they do it for money, for fame, for fun or for others? How do you enter this community? Constantly and repeatedly asking the question why.

Whilst surrounding our interviews with the same research, ideas and questions, the content remained private. We questioned whether if we were to go into a project with the exact same concept and interview two people whom perform on the same street, would we develop the same conclusions.

My interview with Posy Grace taught me that busking can be a link between music and a person. That for some people, they need an escape from the world to simply be by themselves in a moment. For Posy it appeared that each moment when performing was followed by another and another. Overtaking her body as nothing more than a passion. Whilst making some “coin” as she put it, the motive for her music doesnt involve monetary reward. She focuses on putting her time and money into her love as opposed to trying to make money out of it.

Following our presentation, the class provided insightful feedback. Focusing on the contrast between the two buskers, our audience suggested that we have accurately depicted the differentiation in lifestyle, motive and perspective. As a physical representation, this is found by the environments in which we interviewed. Lindsay is found in Bourke Street, in his element and comfort zone. In comparison, Posy has allowed me to enter another sacred place of hers. We are setup in her local park where she often practices. Illustrating her openness to the interview and that her expression is free to the public no matter what the location.

As seen in my final blog post, I have discussed the question of the feeling of safety within Bourke Street. I believe that the community which is formed from the both the buskers and the audience represent strength within our world. As so much hatred fills the world and so my pain, music is a method of illustrating the light. Buskers gather crowds made up of a variety of nationalities and no one questions their belonging. In that moment, when everyone stops to appreciate an art form, you stand as one body, one applause and one safe community.

Our investigation has provided an insight into the busking world and whilst there is always more to explore, we have provided a voice for an unspoken group. As much as they express themselves through music, it is not often that they can speak about what it is they are explicitly expressing.

Everyone has an important message within, sometimes they simply need the right question to be asked.