2005W





MAT 256 Visual Design Through Algorithms: Explorations of Visual Perception


Eunsu Kang (MAT)


Project: FM
   FM is a collaborative project by Brian Springer, Carlos Castellanos, Eunsu Kang, Sofia Larsson and Wesley Smith. FM uses interactive video to collapse two spaces into one. A participant enters one of two rooms and sees a video projection on the wall. The projection shows an image of the participant intermingled with the image of other participants in the opposite room. Through interaction, a third space is shaped by the overlapping movements of the participants "in between" the two rooms.

Participant's experience
   -First stage: Participant I sees blurred reflection of him/herself.
-Second stage: Participant I sees blurred shape of participant II in room II.
-Third stage: Participant I sees participant II in the overlapped area of two shapes.
-Fourth stage: When two shapes are unified, two images are intermingled and deformed.

Participants II in room II experiences the same.

Concept
 Each step of participant experiences represents that communication is altered and modulated in the space in-between interocutors. Human communications, face-to-face or mediated, necessarily involve various types of miscommunication and distortion. Medium, often invisible and imperceptible, shapes and alters the substance and structure of what is intended by an interlocutor.

Furthemore, FM suggests a visual communication as an alternative form of communication at the moment when participants realize that they are able to control the situation and to have a sympathy with the other. Written and verbal languages captured the main role even though the portion of them in modern human history comprises only five percent as a form of communication. Their importance therefore has been overemphasized. This biased attitude framed people into a linear form of mindsets. Consequently, those who have no skills in utilizing such form of communication --i.e., written and verbal languages--have been alienated from interactive relationships with people who use them. FM poses the potential of finding new forms of language for the neglected in our society. FM explores a new language, which can lead them to a new channel of communication.
Timeline and Components
FM has been developed for 3 weeks based on previous idea discussions and technical researches. The final installation for class presentation consists of MAX/MSP Jitter patch, a G5 machine, two projectors, two cameras and two sets of lighting for two rooms.
<Figure1:Timeline>




<Figure2: Construction>


<Figure3: Screenshot>
 


MOVIE (From Wes' webpage)

Contribution
   As a collaborator of FM project, I took a small or large portion of every part of this project such as idea discussion, concept development, technical research, installation design and installation labor.

-Idea discussion: Through several meetings, the idea collaborators are sharing was taken out.
-Concept development: After many conversations with team members, I took the main role who organized our concept and developed it as the above.
- Technical research: I learned MAX/MSP Jitter and made several prototype patches including "Foggy Mirror" and "Background subtraction". Some of them were further developed together with group members.
-installation design and labor: We had demonstrations for 3 times and most of team members including myself worked for it at night and weekend as well.
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<Idea sketch>



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<Test Patches>

Foggy Mirror: This is based on Carlos Castellanos's motion detection patch. I manipulated it and added image blurring effect.

- Screenshot


- Download version 1, version 2, version 3

  Background Subtraction: This is a patch for background subtraction that I made with Heawon Kang.

- Screenshot



- Download
Future development

Reference MAX/Msp Jitter
Tap.Tools
cv.jit

MaxObjects.com
Max/MSP Mailing List Archive
Lobjects
Max Object Gallery