PGPD Essay - Structure and Submission

In composing the Essay the structure is of primary importance! It very much has to do with how the phraseology 'works'... map out the connections and delineate the examination's parameters.
The question is to interrogate the notion of 'translation' and the 'morphing' of the gridded representation of the stitch structure into the knitted substrate. How is this represented in a Digital Art piece and what are the implications of this process / presentation?
1. Pose the question
2. Define the parameters [focus in]
3. Delineate the subject of the question to be interrogated.
It is important to map the context of this work and how it interacts with this context. Note these interrelationships as well. Propose a possible reading of the work in the conclusion.

Sixth Image

Fifth Image

Fourth Sample

Third Sample

Second Sample

Transformations

These images demonstrate the translation that takes place when the rigid gridded representation of the stitch structure is translated into the organic appearance of the knitted result.

CODING

The link between the knit and the computer commences with the notation of stitch construction and the coding used in computer programming.

Diagram of stitch structure executed on a Shima Seiki Industrial Double Bed Knitting Machine.

This pattern, when transferred to the machine, would then enable it to produce a Three Dimensional Fabric

Examples of some images to be used as reference

Examples of some images to be used as reference

Examples of some images to be used as reference

Tutorial with Andy

There is a concern that although there is evidence of theory and a thorough knowledge of ‘practice’ … there is no concrete evidence of Digital Art.
[Although it is acknowledged that the loss of a hard disk during the summer has been a bit of a set-back]
Suggestions:
Take a still simple image into After Effects and manipulate it.. use a library of effects – experiments. Build up a library of still images.
Moquettes….playing with video footage which may be treated like knitting.
Consider Footage as Pattern.
Think of pattern / repeat with variations… VISUALIZE IDEAS… do a little bit each week.
In terms of patterns… they are all around us… e.g. Bricks / Paving Stones / Roof Tiles
consider Grids / zeros and ones / Plus and minus /
Film = Movement of patterns
Pattern and rhythms of creation.
Think of architectural cross sections constructed, manipulated, superimposed..

I feel that this is the time to explore the constructional possibilities for 3D modelling offered by the 3D Studio Max program which will run on a PC.

REMEMBER THERE MUST BE A WORKING PROTOTYPE FOR THE FINAL SHOW BY THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER.

Symposium

Week 18

22/09/2005

Announcements:

1. The CALENDAR is on the Blackboard under Course:
2. We go in to build the show on Monday the 5^th of July and we have three days before the external examiners come in to assess the work on Thursday the 8^th of July.

Andy proposes that the bulk of the assessment is done the week before the show [log books, backup work, sketchbooks, blogs etc] to make the assessment more fair.

A list discovered by Paul on the Internet… to start us off.
What is INTERACTIVITY? A list of different kinds of interactivity

1. Object interactivity
2. Linear interactivity
3. Support interactivity
4. Update interactivity
5. Constructive interactivity
6. Reflective interactivity
7. Simulation interactivity
8. Hyperlinked interactivity
9. Non-immersive contextual interactivity
10. Immersive Virtual interactivity

Interrogation:

1. Where does work come from? ....where does it originate? Where is the artwork?

Examples: Interactivity: conversations / Story telling / Dialogue / Communication / Feedback.

2. Chat Rooms = Interaction… AN ACTION ELICITS A REACTION.
3. Interaction is a style of CONTROL…. Interactive systems exhibit that style… i.e. MANIPULATION
   CORE IDEA: COMMUNICATION.
4. Does an interactive presentation require some form of instruction / direction / description? or does the need for this indicate a failure of the piece to make a meaningful contribution?

We also addressed the problem of collaboration vs interactivity…
When does collaboration become interactivity?
Does the interactive element only enter the equation after the piece has been completed? When is a piece of work ever completed? How can you say the piece has reached a conclusion?

Then there is interactivity that occurs when the piece is being created…e.g. the performance piece that was mentioned by Peter who engaged in a confrontation that appeared to be on some footage when ultimately the other character entered the reality of the performance,….seemingly from the footage?

Collaboration can be serial or sequential… multi-tasking where each component in the piece is created by a separate individual according to his/her skill base.

Interactivity occurs after the piece has been concluded…but does it? If interactivity implies a change affected to/with/in the piece by the viewer…then the element of time changes completely and it becomes sub sequential.

Luisa mentioned the ‘law of physics’…that is “every action triggers an equal and opposite reaction.”

This must be the crucial component of interactivity.

Part of the defining characteristic of a piece of Art is that it is a form of communication… and therefore implies a receptor of some description. [one hand clapping in the forest?] The art piece surely triggers a response of some kind from the viewer… but this is not the same thing as “ interactivity”.

Look at www.rhizome.org ****

VRML – Similar to html… an open source 3d modelling language [Virtual Reality Modelling Language]

In Germany there are experiments to incorporate the HAPTIC sense [touch] into computer based work. Presently the senses that are accessed are sight and sound.
At this point the discussion veered off to the new technology associated with Mobile Phones.
Two examples encountered recently:

1. Comedian Jack Dee uses text messaging in his performances which are then presented on TV. At the end of the performance he reviews text messages sent to him on his mobile phone…this includes jokes, comments, etc.
2. In a recent production of ‘Playing with Fire’ at the Royal National Theatre [Olivier Auditorium] by David Edgar, the characters are constantly answering their phones which ring onstage [as part of the script] using the diversion to further/supplement the strategies of the plot.

Web Research: Googled ‘Interactivity’ =

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=interactivity&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

1. http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/interpres/ à http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/interpres/b.html
What's not interactive?
* Flash (and other forms of animated media)
* Shockwave (see above)
* JavaScript (rollovers aren't really interactive)
* Java
* Banner Ads (even those with Java games)
* Non-linear Narratives (simple choice isn't enough)
Technologies are not inherently or automatically interactive.
What else is not interactive?
* Almost every CD-ROM
* Interactive Television
* Content (Content is not king!)
* Reading a Book (it's not all in your head)
Other forms of new media have also suffered this confusion.
What's kind of interactive?
* Some Non-Linear Narratives
* Discussion Forums and Chat
* Some forms of Customization
* Video and Computer games
* MUDs (Multi-User Domains)
Interactivity is not what you think it is.

OK, so what is interactive?
* Conversations
* Most Storytelling
* (Productivity) Applications
* Playing Soccer
* Building and Decorating a House
* Games (of all kinds)

Interactivity is all around us and a deep part of our lives. It has been around for hundered of thousands of years. It is merely new to electronic media.

He maintains that the components of interactivity are: Feedback / Control / Productivity / Creativity / Communications / Adaptivity . Therefore Meetings / Conversations / Sports Playing are HIGH…and that examples from the Internet http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/interpres/d.html

are rare: including e.g.

http://www.monkey.com/lobby_flash.htm [cannot ‘go back’ from this site]

http://www.mousejam.com/ [for playing/making music]

http://www.stedelijk.nl/

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/?vt This is a thesaurus for people who think visually. The Visual Thesaurus is a dictionary and thesaurus with an intuitive interface that encourages exploration and learning. Available in both a Desktop version https://www.visualthesaurus.com/store/buydesktop.do [$29.95] and an https://www.visualthesaurus.com/store/subscribe.do Online Edition. the Visual Thesaurus is a marvelous way to improve your vocabulary and your understanding of the English language.

http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/interpres/d.html On this page there are further links to web sites that the author maintains are examples of Creativity and Productivity / Communication / Adaptivity

Resources for learning more about Interactivity:

http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/process/index.html The Interactive Development Process

http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/unified/index.html Unified Field Theory of Design

http://www.nathan.com/resources/index.html Interaction Resources.

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/interact/ Interactivity… A Forgotten Art? Rod Sims, Uts.edu.au University of Sidney.

http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci212361,00.html Word Search…definition? particularly related to computers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactivity Word Definition:

Interactivity is still under continuous debates over its meaning. There are several conceptual views of interactivity, one of the most acceptable have being the contingency view that examine interactivity as process related variable. According to this view,

Interactivity is similar to the degree of responsiveness, and examined as a communication process in which each message is related to the previous messages exchanged, and to the relation of those messages to the messages preceding them. Sheizaf Rafaeli, one of the cited authors regarding Interactivity defined Interactivity as "an expression of the extent that in a given series of communication exchanges, any third (or later) transmission (or message) is related to the degree to which previous exchanges referred to even earlier transmissions (Rafaeli, 1988).
This view defines three basic levels of interactivity:
* Non-Interactive - when a message is not related to previous messages
* Reactive - when a message is related only to one immediately previous message
* Interactive - when a message is related to a number of previous messages and to the relationship between them.
Human communication is the basic example of interactive communication. Because of that, many conceptualizations of interactivity are based on anthropomorphic definitions. For example, complex systems that detect and react to human behavior are sometimes called interactive. Under this perspective, interaction includes responses to human physical manipulation like movement, body language, and/or changes in psychological states.
In computer science, interactive refers to software which accepts and responds to input from humans -- for example, data or commands. Interactive software includes most popular programs, such as word processors or spreadsheet applications. By comparison, noninteractive programs operate without human contact; examples of these include compilers and batch processing applications. If the response is complex enough it is said that the system is conducting social interaction and some systems try to achieve this through the implementation of social interfaces

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Definition+of+interactivity&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official .Define interactivity:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&hs=6K4&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&oi=defmore&q=define:Interactivity Web definitions:

1. The characteristic of systems which accept user input as well as delivering output. Distinguishes, for example, conventional TV or video from multimedia or videoconferencing.
2. Interactivity involves two-way communications. Traditionally that two-way communication is live between instructor and student, but it may also be peer-to-peer communication in a collaborative learning environment. The communication may take the form of voice, data, video, or audio. See also, asymmetric and asynchronous.
3. reciprocal process of information exchange between two or more "players" in communication, or more specifically learning. "Players" can be pupils, facilitators, peers but also automated learner resources, like databases and other CAL devices.
4. There are several conceptual views of interactivity, the most general being the contingency view. According to this view, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactivity [see above]
5. http://www.interactivityconsultants.com/pages/resources/interactivity_definition_and_resources.htm Interactivity defined and explained, with helpful resources. The word interactivity isn't in the dictionary yet. Interactivity Consultants defines it as:
   interactivity n. an attribute or functionality, intentionally designed into man-made objects, physical, or virtual environments, characterized by the ability to sense accurately, then respond or react dynamically and intelligently to movement, gestures, expressions, or changes in human bodily or psychological states and intentions, changes in geographic location, changes in environmental condition, or any combination. Such dynamic intelligence may be achieved by the use of scripting or programming, embedded microcontrollers, sensors, GPS, haptics, and network connections to other systems and data. Ideas or concepts for new applications exhibiting interactivity are traditionally communicated to other people through user scenarios.Interaction / interactivity designers are experts at using interactivity tocreate objects and environments that are useful for uniquely human purposes; such environments range from web sites to "smart" architecture. This is "user centered design and computing."

Welcome Meeting

21/09/2005 Week 18 for Second Year Part Timers
Google World Map….google earth … curious world images from a satellite.
http://earth.google.com/ Want to know more about a specific location? Dive right in -- Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips. There is a free download for personal use.
Look up ‘myspace’ which is a music blog
See Matta Clark’s performance work

Troika seems to be a Network Storage Company, but a google search came up with
http://www.rhizome.org/ Diapason, gallery for sound and intermedia, presents
David Galbraith Composition 2005 No. 1: Two Straight Lines Displaced, Nudge and and Gently Spun A Sound Installation
Diapason, gallery for sound and intermedia
1026 Sixth Avenue, # 2S (btwn 38th & 39th St.)
New York, NY 10018 http://www.diapasongallery.org/

Isadora… a Google search came up with http://www.troikatronix.com/isadora.html
About Isadora®
Isadora is a graphic programming environment for Macintosh (with a Windows version now in public beta) that provides interactive control over digital media, with special emphasis on the real-time manipulation of digital video.
Because every performance or installation is unique, Isadora was designed not to be a "plug and play" program, but instead offers building blocks that can be linked together in an almost unlimited number of ways, allowing you to follow your artistic impulse.
Because we use Isadora to teach Troika Ranch's Live-I Workshops, it was designed to be easy to learn for those new to the world of real-time interaction. The titles and values of every actor are visible to the user (though they can be hidden if you desire). Help is available for all actors and their inputs and outputs from within the program. Isadora is accompanied by a complete manual that includes numerous tutorials and example files to get you started.
Isadora was designed by composer and media artist Mark Coniglio, and as such, it reflects over 10 years of practical experience with realtime interaction.
Features
Over one hundred basic building blocks, called actors, are available within the Isadora environment. Some actors perform simple functions like watching for a MIDI event, while others allow sophisiticated functions such as warping video imagery. By connecting several actors together you determine how the program will respond to a live performer or viewer. You can also combine a group of Isadora's actors into a custom User Actor.

First Meeting

15/09/2005

MEETING WITH ANDY STIFF

This term the outcomes are:

1. Look at work done comtemporaneously. Who is doing what and where is it being done?
2. Debate and evaluate the work [two larger seminar rooms have been booked for the process.
3. Fit MY WORK into the current scene…into a larger context.
4. Produce a prototype demo of the final show that is TESTABLE. Address the IDEAS behind the WORK.

Questions:

1. What is the place/relevance of INTERACTIVITY?
2. What is the relevance of INSTALLATION?

Write an essay that is due in at the beginning of December [first week] of 1500 words which is ‘based’ on the PGPD essay, but relates back to my own work and the progress of my research. Explore and engage in what interests me and how it impacts on my own work.

To ‘Contextualize’ the work: Look at the structure of the work. Remove all adjectives and look at the abstract of the work and how this can relate to other work… e.g. architecture / programming etc.

Do a ‘BLOG’ every week …a kind of running diary of the progress of the work. This will be a cross between a sketch book and a log book.

Course Web Site:

FTP: MADIGITALARTS.CO.UK

User name: MADIGITALARTS.CO.UK

Password: DIGITAL

[Any movie uploaded should not be more than 15MB [export it as a MP3 file, import it into Flash and load the Flash movie into an html page.]

Andy will try to establish a ‘Course Wiki’… a course web site.

‘Foreign Investment’ a group of artists [including sound] dealing with ‘resonance’… also ‘Orchestra of Anxiety’.

D-Fuse at the moment are involved in a project in China that may have an educational element. It is concerned with ‘Rivers’ and Cities. [Architecture-based] may pull in The Bartlett / Sunderland / and Camberwell.

22 September at 10:30 there will be a SYMPOSIUM for the Digital Arts Group in the Main Hall in Wilson Road.

12^th October DAMA Seminar 2-3:30 PGPD 4-4:45 with a lecture 5-6

19^th October. DAMA Seminar 2-3:30 PGPD 4-4:45 with a lecture 5-6

20^th October Digital Arts will give a FORUM about their work from 10-12 in the small lecture hall in Peckham Road.

Book a projector for the final show: NOW

From: Weds. 5^th July [Final assessment and Private View 11^th July]

Until: Finish 17^th July