Wednesday Remedios Works Sessions

I propose Wednesday works sessions for Remedios Terrarium.
1:30 in the TML.

The first one can be January 30.

Xin Wei

campfire notes jan 15 - 16h

Sorry for the late/double/makeup post... it seems like the first one didn't like my pasting.
Note that this is echoed on the forum thread for campfires, started by Harry:
http://web1.hexagram.ca/~mifortin/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=25

Most of this meeting was discussion about ideas for the Remedios Terrarium installation. Please post any ideas, sketches, etc. to this blog!



present:
j-c
ludwig
michael
xin wei
marine
tim
patrick
valerie lamontagne
felix
soo
morgan
j-s
desh

guest: christophe (sorry for maybe misspelling!)


introductions

mark and ayesha to work with puppeteers in the lab this semester for the upcoming small works festival in NY city in march.

touch
- physical structure more in place now in the lab for testing
- scheduling a booking for the imca space for the weekend of 26th-27th (?)

remedios terrarium
- ideas - kinetic sculpture w/ patrick's direction
- possible to use as standalone sculptures or lens-like uses
- overall, could be viewed as a sort of autopoetic system, in that it can take in data from environment and react to it

- also opportunity to showcase jitter/msp instruments
- suggestion of using cameras and displays to reverse the direction of the 'lens' - using security cams to take input data, and using displays to show the other sides of the walls of the space

- suggestion of using lighting systems to work in a choreographed logic over the course of the installation

- incorporating a narrative logic using several intermediate states as separate interacting entities via the 3 rooms available at the gallery
- this is an extension/implementation of the lab's existing topological model

- an invitation to invite people to contribute to and refine the structural concepts and implementation of the piece

- patrick gave an overview of his nycrome-wire*, polyetheline-skin geometrical structures
- possibility to use them like lenses
- patrick will be bringing his gear to montreal over the next few weeks to be able to work on them here, and give a workshop or two on the process
- discussing the malleability of these structures, mounting via the floor, and projection possibilities to get different lighting effects and distortion in the air and on the walls of the space
- potential of using liquids (with care!) with these structures

- valerie mentioned she may be able to lend her weather polling machines (need to be mounted on a roof within 100m) and expertise of patrice, a max programmer, to give pointers on how to set up and configure them. (can poll humidity, uv, rain, temperature, various averages, etc.)

- space has a 60lb./sq.foot grid

- xw: space as a vescicle

- two events roughly planned for the space
- vernissage in the first or 2nd week
- at the end, mark and ayesha may be able to show a work in progress in a made-up theater in the space

- **send suggestions/discussions to the blog at tml.morscad**

- presentation by christophe on his PhD research directions

Campfire notes, Jan 15 - 16h-17h45

campfire notes jan 15 - 16h

(please add/correct as needed)
(this text also exists in the campfire notes forum thread where future notes should be posted)

present:
j-c
ludwig
michael f.
xin wei
marine
tim
patrick
valerie lamontagne
felix
soo
morgan
j-s
desh

guest: christophe [(sorry, didn't get the spelling/last name!)]


- introductions

- mark and ayesha to work with puppeteers in the lab this semester for the upcoming small works festival in NY city in march.

**touch**
- physical structure more in place now in the lab for testing
- most if not all shooting will take place in the lab

**remedios terrarium**
- ideas - kinetic sculpture w/ patrick's direction
- possible to use as standalone sculptures or lens-like uses
- overall, could be viewed as a sort of autopoetic system, in that it can take in data from environment and react to it

- also opportunity to showcase jitter/msp instruments
- suggestion of using cameras and displays to reverse the direction of the 'lens' - using security cams to take input data, and using displays to show the other sides of the walls of the space

- suggestion of using lighting systems to work in a choreographed logic over the course of the installation

- incorporating a narrative logic using several intermediate states as separate interacting entities via the 3 rooms available at the gallery
- this is an extension/implementation of the lab's existing topological model

- an invitation to invite people to contribute to and refine the structural concepts and implementation of the piece

- patrick gave an overview of his nichrome-wire, Polyethylene-skin geometrical structures
- possibility to use them like lenses
- patrick will be bringing his gear to montreal over the next few weeks to be able to work on them here, and give a workshop or two on the process
- discussing the malleability of these structures, mounting via the floor, and projection possibilities to get different lighting effects and distortion in the air and on the walls of the space
- potential of using liquids (with care!) with these structures

- valerie mentioned she may be able to lend her weather polling machines (need to be mounted on a roof within 100m) and expertise of patrice, a max programmer, to give pointers on how to set up and configure them. (can poll humidity, uv, rain, temperature, various averages, etc.)

- space has a 60lb./sq.foot grid

- xw: idea would be to think of the space as a vesicle

- two events roughly planned for the space
- vernissage in the first or 2nd week
- at the end, mark and ayesha may be able to show a work in progress in a made-up theater in the space

- **send suggestions/discussions to the blog at tml**

- presentation by Christophe on his research

Remedios Terrarium March 17- April 4

Remedios' Terrarium
March 17 – April 4
Sha Xin Wei and the Topological Media Lab

Initial Proposal to Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery
Concordia University

Abstract (15 November 2007)

Remedios' Terrarium is about the circulation and transubstantiation of
matter in a built space. An installation-event springing from the
Topological Media Lab's recent work on responsive environments will form the
basis of the installation based on an alchemical homology between the
Gallery and the activity of the street and corridors outside. The artists
will create a site-specific installation with projections onto fibrous
material or screens that respond to the movement of visitors inside the
space, as well as the movement of passers-by outside. Visitors will be given
the opportunity to engage with movement artists in the responsive
built-space over the course of the installation.


Remedios' Terrarium is about the circulation and transubstantiation of matter in a built space.

We propose to exhibit a room-scale installation-event springing from the Topological Media Lab's recent work on responsive environments. We would like to create a small responsive space based on an alchemical homology between the Gallery itself as an protected chamber and the activity of the street and corridors outside.

We propose to create a site-specific installation with projections onto fibrous material or screens that respond to the movement of visitors inside the space, and perhaps also to the movement of passersby nearby. We've done a study that worked in the corridor outside the Gallery, last year, and have a series of installations from the Hexagram Blackbox to draw on. We use a combination of media: fibrous textile, scrim or screens, responsive projected video, responsive sound, sensor-laden textiles, theatrical lighting, and kinetic sculpture.


Events and Exhibit
We will have one opening vernissage and one closing event. A small number of movement artists will engage visitors in the responsive built space. In the typical setting, the responsive environment will evolve and respond quietly with no intervention needed by staff.

Technical needs:

1. The spaces
The installation will occupy the available footprint of the Main Gallery. It will be made of a combination of media, possibly sheets and strands of natural fibers, plastic or cloth sheet, some lightweight metal or plastic tubing, and small electronics.

(We probably will want the 4m "écran pivotant" swiveled flush with the main wall.)

We may produce prints for the vitrines (calligraphic work with dancers + painter/print-maker + responsive video)
We would probably want to store a couple of computers and accessory equipment safely in the Gallery's blackbox EV 1.721, with cables and power.


2. Grid
We may install our own camera(s) with no recording of identifiable features of passersby.
We will use the installed lighting, but may also supplement it with our own DMX controlled dimmers to be able to change the lighting in a controlled way.

3. Projectors
We ask to use the Gallery's projectors. (are there 2 or more than 2?)


4. Sound
We can bring our own powered speakers, probably a 4.1 system. It will be subtle, with occasional sonic "events." (It is not necessary, but does the Gallery have its own sound reinforcement system? PA speakers?)


To give an idea of what the installation could look like, here are some images from recent studies, and exhibits.

For example, the Ouija workshop:
http://www.topologicalmedialab.net/joomla/main/content/view/155/11/lang,en/

Note that this was a movement workshop, not an installation, but we will use some of the same media techniques in addition to physical, kinetic materials.


Sha Xin Wei, Ph.D.
Canada Research Chair, Media Arts and Sciences
Assoc. Professor • Fine Arts and Computer Science • Concordia University
EV06-769, 1515 Ste-Catherine West • Montréal, Québec • H3G 2W1 • CANADA
1-514-817-3505 (m) • 1-514-848-2424 x 5949 (art) • x 7801 (cs) • 1-514-848-4252 (fax)

MONDAY opening show and tell session

Patrick and Dedale have arrived, and are in the BlackBox to work with TML this week.
Welcome!

All folks interested in playing in the Soft Architecture / Dedale workshop:

please come to our orientation show and tell session

TODAY MONDAY NOV 5, 14h - 17h

in the Hexagram Concordia Blackbox, basement B2 of the EV building.

Today we will show each other the ingredients,
From TML:
Elliot with Arduinos, maybe the 6' WYSIWYG tapestry
JS, Jitter
Morgan
Tim et al, mic's, MSP and sound processing
Morgan
Harry, DMX, lighting
Everyone present should have a chance to show work
e.g. Flower, Elena, Josee-Anne

Dedale folks:
all creatures

We (Patrick, Xin Wei, Harry) will get together with everyone at this session to map out also the large scale proto-structure,
decisions on where to drop , hang "infrastructure"

See you all in the Blackbox THIS AFTERNOON :)


Patrick, Harry, Xin Wei



Topological Media Lab • EV 7.725
packages: 1515 Ste. Catherine Ouest, Montreal H3G 2W1, EV11.455
http://topologicalmedialab.net/ • topologicalmedialab.net/xinwei/ • sha@encs.concordia.ca
Calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=shaxinwei@gmail.com
+1-514-848-2424 x 4351 (studio-lab) • 514-817-3505 (m)

news eve of Soft Architecture Dedale workshop

Hi Patrick, Harry, Josee-Anne,
(Apologies to everyone else for redundancies, or omissions):

Greetings from TML where Tim and Morgan are preparing for the workshop.

Patrick is setting out the Soft Architecture Dedale workshop schedule in consultation with Harry and JA, Mark Sussman and Barbara Layne.


This is what little I know from the TML side:

lighting
I see here tonite that Harry's staged the gear needed for DMX controls.


Fri & Saturday, Tim, Ayesha, Morgan, got together to build some contact mics etc. -- so the sound circulation should be fun, too.

sound
Tim has been showing Morgan some of the sound environment.
Tim will be picking up sound gear at 2 PM, so needs help for that!

video synthesis
Morgan is now working on a new wrapper for Michael Fortin's timespace patch. I've asked Morgan to take this on as a real programming mini-project, with Q&A support from me & Tim -- and JS when he's recovered from Portland.

rest of Ozone team
JS and Mani are coming back from Portland today, so I would like to assume that they'll have at least Monday for R&R.
@JS or Mani: Patrick will hold our initial workshop overview probably Monday early afternoon, in case you are interested, and able, but you'll probably want to rest on some laurels after this US installation!

Monday schedule
I'm assuming that Patrick, (perhaps Harry), Josee-Anne will be able to start the workshop with everyone else, but without me in the morning.
Patrick said he plans to come in ca. 9 AM for the key from Cheryl Donison (thanks Harry for setting things up),
and the students will gather at 10 AM.



(I'll be dealing with immigration work in the AM, then the Hexagram grant -- thanks to Tim and Elena for video support, due 6 PM at the Hexagram offices.)

But please just let me know exactly when you're ready to gather everyone together for the workshop overview, and I'll be there, gladly.


Cheers,
Xin Wei

Dedale workshop: toward room-scale, diachronic, performative design imagination

See my post "toward room-scale, diachronic, performative design imagination"
on http://www.arch.umanitoba.ca/dedale/index.html

We should rough out some plans for the system, make room-scale sketches this weekend,
after the SLSA Panel 10:30 - 12 noon ET.

- xw

this weekend's prep for Dedale workshop

Hi,

If anyone else is available this weekend, e.g. Morgan, I will be able to come in to the TML to prep for the workshop.

For ex, I plan chat with Harry and Patrick (remote) about the overall event;
work with Morgan and confer with Tim & JS (remote) on sound, video processing.
The plan for the visuals is to modify Michael's wrapper of his ported timespace patch to a tool that can deliver squares of delayed video to user-specified locations.

Patrick's students should be working this weekend to get some toy data flowing through their Arduinos in Winnepeg into a local Mac, and ideally test shipping data over OSC from Max on a Mac there to a Max running on a Mac here in Montreal .

Flower, Josee-Anne, it could be interesting to see whether we can bring organic matter other than human bodies into such a space. (for later as well).

Next week, when Mani comes back from Portland, I propose that Elena and Mani compose a room topology as an exercise.

Cheers!
Xin Wei

staging projected images on floating panes in the air

I say we should reserve as many projectors for as many days as we can. Even if we do not mount the big one from the ceiling, we could use it planted hear floor level.

I think we should mount at least one, perhaps both smaller Sanyos from the ceiling firing down onto the floor.

I would however like to fire them down onto panels suspended at different heights,
say 2', 5' and 8' off the floor

Each panel can be a 2' x 3' sheet of white paper or lexan sheet (or other material that Patrick's students and Soft Arch folks would like to try out). 3 or more such "panes" can be suspended to intersect the beam of each Sanyo projector at these staggered locations in mid-air. Therefore we may need to suspend them using monofilament from trusses. I imagine putting trusses say 3-6 feet outside the cone of the beams, and run monofilament diagonally down to weights on the floor threaded through those panes. This way the images can appear suspended in midair . We should try to suspend these panes free of visual clutter so the images can pop out of thin air as much as possible as people walk close to them.

(I am including Mark Sussman in this discussion for thinking about staging this space of "circulating" images)

Soft Architecture Dedale workshop themes, documentation

What are some of the most interesting global aspects of this workshop (to offer alongside Patrick's interpretations)?

http://www.arch.umanitoba.ca/dedale/

As I see it, a major point of this workshop is to explore, architecturally, the flow of image, sound, data, and people through an activated space. We use circuits of toy-sensors, cameras, and microphones, to give the space its senses. We flow the data: sensor data, video, sound, through the data networks and deliver them, sometimes modified, sometimes delayed, always re-spatialized back into the blackbox space. In this architectural workshop, the fine-scale textural nature of the video processing is not as important as coarse issues like time-delay, and placement of images in the full 3D space of the black box. The sound diffusion can be more subtle, and should play a large role in thickening the voices in the void of the blackbox. The lighting (DMX) can provide a symbolic forest and direct attention. The challenge for the Dedale students is to exfoliate the sensing - response logics of the toys in multiple ways:

1. architecturally to occupy and activate the space;
2. co-activate the space with visitors
(which involves thinking "theatrically," performatively);
3. inviting elements: toys, lighting, video and sound instruments,
and people to respond to each other.

The challenge for TML folks is to ingest these new sensor-logics into the proto-CDRE media system, and deploy responsive media into the whole volume of the blackbox in a performatively interesting way.



And how should we document the work?

1. Still photo
The architectural, architectonic, aspects of these can be documented best in print quality still photographs.

2. Video
We ned video only to document flow, movement, some time-based media.
Be judicious, use video to capture salient movement, not static structures or tableau
(use stills for tableau). Do days end (or half-day) reviews of Firestore random-access
video to select the most salient hour (half hour) of movement --
done collectively, this can be part of the reflective practice of the workshop.
There are (1) tracking camera video, (2) documentation camera video, (3) video files direct from Jitter output

3. Sensor data
We MUST journal all sensor data in sync with some tracking video.
The is the best way to re-construct the media for an event, by running the inputs through our
media code.
(So the CODE and some seed texture files should be journaled into SVN as a branch labeled for this workshop.)

4. Web
Dedale workshop blog for dailies, etc.; (Patrick et al);
also TML WIKI page, later a TML page.

- xw

TODO general list

TML TODO's     Responsibilities, examples

---

Misc as Needed      Shared by TMLabbers

---

Space     

• space planning

• cleanup: teas

      Office admin       

• key requests, security access, etc                     

• office administration (ordering and stocking supplies, etc)     

• signature authority                                                

Media     

• Publicity        Elena, Josee-Anne

     Documentation   

•coordinate with project documentation        

•Event      

•Video production                                           

     Website content updates                                  

•TML        

•TML WIKI    

•TML Blog     

• document scanning                                              

Equipment         

• distribution/receiving/inventory                           

• maintenance tickets and workorders                  

• equipment booking                                             

Strategic 

• project coordination                                             

• specification  

• new lab member orientation                              

• tours, demos, etc                                                 

• grant preparation assistance                               

System admin   

• coordinate Hexagram user/network services with Paul Fournier  Harry

• ❑ servers        Michael                                     

• software installation                                              

---

Weekly   Harry, Josee-Anne

---

•    Financial Admin (Expense Reports, Journal Transfers, etc)       try to consolidate this to twice a month

•    Personnel Admin

                     prepare notice of hire forms, prepare bursary

                     request forms, account requests, regisration

                     requests, key requests, etc.

•    Equipment Administration

                     equipment check-in/check-out, inventory, management, work orders repair orders, spares management, new user orientation

•    Lab System Administration

                     account management, maintenance requests, software updates, backups, reports

•    Web Site Administration  Overall

•    Database Administration

                     account management, maintenance requests, software updates, backups, reports

•    Grant Administration and Reporting

                     purchasing, budgeting, progress reports

•    Lab Projects       various

•    Technical Research and Specification

                     as needed research for grants, special

                     projects, etc

•    Technical Documentation

                     documentation of admin procedures,

                     configurations, and setup

---

Monthly  Harry, Xin Wei

---

•    Grant Progress Reports                                           summary of weekly reporting

•    Grant Preparation     research grant proposals, review and

                     feedback, analysis, budget drafts

Patrick will talk about his work and studio Dedale on Tuesday after the campfire

Dear Everyone,

Tuesday after our campfire = clean-up of the old TML space,

Patrick will speak about his work, and introduce his studio DEDALE

http://www.arch.umanitoba.ca/dedale/

We hope to open up a videoChat with Patrick's students in U Manitoba.
His studio class at the School of Architecture is coming to visit ca. Nov 5, and seem to be doing fantastic creative work, so we should be prepared to "jam" with them when they come.

TODO

Bookings
Documentation
Event
Editing
Logging
Purchasing
Website
TML
TML WIKI
General maintenance
Housekeep
tea
Software installation
Equipment inventory
Publicity

TODO: inventory 8 stools

OK GREAT news -- you may have noticed that TML now have 8 cool stools.
Thanks to Harry for sourcing and getting all the new furniture through the pipeline. I think only one other TMLabber knows what a nightmare procuring stuff can be. So ...
they are very dear, in multiple senses of the word.

Would someone other than JA HS, Oxygen folks please inventory these critters before they get rolled away? Very simple matter. 15-30 minutes tops?

HS or JA can be consulted on what's involved.

- xw

Interactive Architectre

Here's a link to "contemporary" site Interactive Architecture

http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/seagulls.html

- xw

Hi Oxygen,

Here are a few links to chew on in the interest of modularizing in Max/MSP.

The max/msp list thread (first link) provides a lot of information about people's own solutions to managing larger systems. Arne's article is written more towards the beginner, but may provide ideas. The others are interesting in that they are relatively new, actively-developed libraries.


max/msp list thread on o-o programming in Max:
http://www.cycling74.com/forums/index.php?t=msg&th=25272&prevloaded=1&rid=0&S=cb0225f57e8bb724fdb6f0a8d25c50c0&start=0

cycling 74 article (arne eigenfeldt) on building complex patches:
http://cycling74.com/story/2007/2/5/142639/8843

pure-data montreal abstractions library:
http://wiki.dataflow.ws/PdMtlAbstractions

jamoma modular max/msp system:
http://jamoma.org/

State engine update

Reminder, Cosmicomics network convention :)
Sound machine ip: 10.o.o.2
State machine ip: 10.0.0.1
Video machine ip: 10.0.0.3

OSC udp port: 60001

tcp (for jit.net.send / receive)
Video tcp port: 60000
Sound tcp port: 60002

If their is a problem about the network you want to go check in the patch OXY.OSC_out you can access it by the Cosmicomics patch.

Ok now about the patches:

Motion:
The motion is the only patche for now that you have to go start, because of it complexity of selectioning the right adapter (not really, but didn't have time to modify it and it was working as it is) You will find it in Csmcmcs.Sens. Once tml.oxy.motion started, the video machine should receive the motion matrix and the activity under this naming:
Motion ##### (##### is the value)

State:

I have setup a preliminary state topologie:

Luna:
Escape-Eclipse
Generous-Shy-Playful

People:
No one-Few-Many

Universe:
Small-Large

OSC naming for the states:

/State/ Luna # # # # # (each # is a value the order is Escape Eclipse Generous Shy Playful, becareful because of the behavior of the prepend objec i realize now that their is a space before and after the word Luna)

/State/ People # # # (each # is a value the order is Noone Few Many, becareful because of the behavior of the prepend objec i realize now that their is a space before and after the word People)

/State/ Universe # # (each # is a value the order is Small Large, becareful because of the behavior of the prepend objec i realize now that their is a space before and after the word Universe)

Now the last Time:

you'll find the time in the patch Csmcmcs.Time it include the Time a cycle of a minute with three epoch equaly divided and 5 phases of the moon, for now.

the naming:
/Time/ Epoch# ## (Epoch# is either [Epoch1, Epoch2, Epoch3] and ## id a value between 0 and 1, 0 means we just entered the Epoch and 1 we are ant the end of the Epoch)

/Phase/ Phase# ## (Phase# is the phase we are in, Phase1, Phase2,... Phase5 and ## is a number between 0 and 1 0 means we just enter the phase and 1 we are at the end)

Everything start on it own beside the motion, so just start the patch!

If their is a problem email me, and i'll arrange it, It might be the only reason that i'll come before the thursday 26 april 2007. I couldn't test the netword, since the network was undone.

Voila
ciao
Have Fun i'll go study and write la report. :)

Re: a cheap solution for triple projection

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the Matrox 1 -> 3 video splitter
Good point re. reducing engineering complexity.

While I think the parallelizing the lattice computation is straightforward, we, well, Michael, may well not have time to implement it with me and test it in time for Elektra.

The test will be to see what is the maximum number of lattice points M x N on which we can do computation on our G5 (CPU + GPU), and see if M x N will split across the 3 plasmas at their maximum resolution, at more than 15 fps.

Do you have the numbers (max grid at say 20 fps) for the processes:
motion tracking
Mateor Shower
hi def video repos

Also, what if we run different patches on different G5s
eg one G5 per Epcoh, and using Mani's state engine
to orchestrate a blend across their outputs ?
At minimum the blend can be a simple fade, but each Jitter instrument
can have a more sophisticated interpretation of the state vector
eg rate, type of seed video texture, swirliness, matcihing texture & color palette etc
so that at t = 1/3 and visual outputs of Engine Epoch 1 = Engine Epoch 2, and
at t = 2/.3, Engine Epoch 2 = Engine Epoch 3 ,
if you get my drift.

Cheers,
Xin Wei

a cheap solution for triple projection

Hi Cosmics,

Harry and maybe others, you know about the Matrox dual-head VGA splitter device, but I just found out from this thread (on c74 about jitter triple projection):

http://www.cycling74.com/forums/index.php?t=msg&goto=99744&rid=0&S=914b10f00385449f8ae5f3bba84475a5&srch=synchronizing#msg_99744

that Matrox also makes a a triple-head splitter. People seem to report success with it. All it does it make itself available as a monitor with a 3:1 aspect ratio out of one output and does some fancy multiplexing to split this into three displays. I searched it on froogle and it's as low as < $300 US.

http://www.google.com/froogle?q=triplehead2go&btnG=Search+Froogle


JS and I were talking today about the use of 3 G5's to handle just video, and this of course affords us 3x the GPU processing power to handle, but managing the communication I fear will be a headache, even though JS I know you didn't have much fear :) Essentially this would involve each machine getting a set of points to compute, so three patches running rendering engines listening for coords from one brain.


Anyway I think we could seriously consider this option of running all the GL video on one machine. The fact that the Matrox box is cheap would make it a very useful addition to the lab for any other project, as well. Since we have one plasma display to play with, perhaps JS in the next couple days, we can see how much GL we can throw at the highest res possible.


Eager to hear what you guys think,

-Tim

Jitter, OpenGL and HD video

I want to thank Olfa and Josée-Anne for their great help/assistance/ideas/playfulness during the texture capture session, which was a real/palpable success. The results are so stunning, that we are thinking about having another session this week (probably wednesday the 11th).

The other good news is that I have been able to run high resolution video textures (1920x1080) with the particles flying around at ~25-30 fps, by mapping video to planes in GL, which ends up being about twice faster than rendering everything together into Jitter matrices. The next step is to add slab/shaders effects in GL. Once I am done with transfering the rest of the textures (probably tomorrow) , I will post image samples.

On a technical note, one important thing that we discovered today by digging the Jitter developement email list (I should say surfacing, as this answer/hint was posted today, without even asking the question) is that if one wants to use and scrub trough HD playback in Jitter, the video should not be encoded using HDV codecs, but should be preferably encoded using MotionJPEG @ 75% quality, which ends up being the best ratio quality/size that will provide skip-free playback. The reason for this is that MotionJPEG is keyframed at every frame, and this insure that all frames will be found on request, and that no searching will slow the process, as it would be the case using an HD codec. By following this hint, the size of the file will expand, but there will be a fair improvement in performance/response, and still keep the needed higher resolution.

I am really excited to see all the other works that will be produced using these textures. It is going to be impressively rich (Frida has already begun exploring...) . Olfa and I should do so over the summer.

incorporating high quality sampled / edited video into jitter ?

Thanks to Freida for so generously sharing the video footage she shot of flows and liquids that we might use for la Luna or the living sky. Does anyone have ways to actually incorporate high resolution video in Jitter? I imagined that as a person reaches for the projected video image, we would track the movement and make the video roil with the person's movement. It doesn't have to slavishly (boringly) track fine movement, just respond suggestively (thinking of the ocean Solaris), suggestive of life.

But the main technical bottleneck is that processing the hi res video (jit.repos, ) could chew up a lot of CPU. Another possibility could be to map the video onto a GL surface and then perturbing the surface, perhaps using a GL equivalent of jit.repos but on the points of the geometric surface. However this has two problems:

- it'll take a lot of extra GL level programming, which could be energy better spent on more experientially meaningful issues like the physical set construction etc.

- the GL effects generally look too cheesy (ie like a sci fi film effect) for my taste, which would undercut whatever richness and magic that your videos and Olfa's or the ones that JS and JA will shoot may have.

Compositing hi res with lower res simulated dynamics may help: maybe we can play a veil of hi res, video mapped onto subtly varying GL surface, together with lower res but more reactive Jitter -- maybe using particles as control points for the perturbation.

Processing in Jitter may limit the video to too coarse a resolution.

JS we should test to see what is the maximum resolution we can get on our plasma screen in the lab, and see what it looks like from say 2 foot distance.

Oxygen/Cosmicomics meeting notes

March 21, 2007 - EV11.435
Attendance: Sha Xin Wei, Emmanuel Thivierge, Josée-Anne Drolet, Michael Fortin, Timothy Sutton

Do post comments as you see fit to fill in the blanks..

Also, mp3 of the meeting is on the TML hexagram share in the Cosmicomcis folder. But the audio is rather quiet and cryptic..


-Tim

---------------------------------------------
Notes

SOUND

- to emerge in the 3rd epoch: textures that form the spaces that weave the fabric of previous ambience/space
- micro-percussive, stochastic, electric/nuclear sounds which are the representation of the "dark matter" that emerges visually

- first epoch: sounds of enticement (whispering, laughing, playful)
- transition: as she begins to move away, the size of the space is exaggerated with reverberation (artificial)
- perhaps earlier on, use of subtle, low frequencies to create the sensation of "ambient presence", fullness, and to emphasize opening of space with transition

- spatialization: polyphonic sounds clustered in particular speakers, and in third epoch, the sharp, high impulse sounds will spatialize well
- reverberation increase will spatialize accordingly
- flexibility in terms of speaker placement: space isn't symmetrical, speakers may be able to be placed in alcoves, turned around, some at head-level others pointing upwards/downwards...



CONTEXT

- contextualizing calvino: to use speech? decided to not include this, at least for now, because it is loaded
- in terms of the presentation, there will be a small flyer/handout or something, but no contextualizing using choice phrases, explanations, etc.



IMAGE/PRESENTATION

- phenomenology in terms of the image illusion - that the sky should not be interpreted like a picture, but rather like a window
- plasma screens create their own frame: this (if plasma screens are used) is resolved by cutting the lights

- la luna's trajectory should be able to go beyond the limits of the frame – so that the physical distance, by our illusion, is consistent with on-screen behaviour
- tracking for lateral movement should be able to accomodate this with wide-angle lenses

- to michael f.: is researching video depth processing, but this won't be incorporated into cosmicomics (at least in this incarnation)



LOGISTICS

- issues of video transport: with plasma screens, ideas on how to tackle output, distribution among cpus
- tim brings up harry's ideas of keeping things analog using s-video output – here, at least interpolation happens on-screen, but we agree that this would still be a very low resolution across a 60" screen
- hoping that we can keep all the video work on one machine
- or possibly running only math on a separate machine?
- performance bottleneck in the video code, now that it is running much more efficiently with javascript/openGL

- Mac Mini will not be powerful enough to run video analysis code



RICH MEDIA SOURCES

- possible involvement of Olfa Driss(PhD Media Arts UQAM) in terms of video material of the moon
- Freida's abstract video with fluid shapes: oil in water, rocks/water reflections, bubbles


STRUCTURE

- vectors: people, cosmos, luna.. and for each epoch (?)

- ideas for evolution:
- the moon has her own cycle
- there is ultimately a clock, but there can also be an "energy" clock which can be ticked by injection, and this can influence evolution
- several parallel "emotion" vectors, ie. happy, playful, hurt, etc.
- eccentricity: how closely la luna hews/deviates to a predefined path

- important to find ways to entice people to reach to touch the texture, for example the effect of something dripping onto the surface of the video
- can't rely on people doing some necessary trigger action - actions will still need autonomy


- tracking: having less sensitivity on the outer edges of the screen

- transition to "dark matter" (epoch 3): is it relatively quick?
- idea of the third epoch as being the moon fully 180 degrees in phase?
- so epoch 1 and 3 are "frozen" with respect to the moon's phase, but that the rotation can take place during the 2nd epoch
- or an eclipse takes place to transition into dark matter?
- the transition to epoch 2 is signalled by the sky becoming visible

- dark matter
- how to characterize?
- conceptually intertwined with physics..

- idea for the moon: she deconstructs into mist, and reintegrates into a solid
- analogy to cosmicomics: the supernatural gravitation to the moon, where people on the moon find it harder to leave
- the concept of travel/distance in calvino, vs. the installation


COLOR

- merits for giving visuals in monochrome?
- dramatic effect, contrast, less information to distract the viewer, diffusion of perception
- will depend on the contrast achievable by available displays (yet TBD: projector or plasma... likely rear projection)
- also, the black/white colour/clarity control afforded in Jitter?
- the effectiveness of monochrome objects, but with some tinting for emotional expressivity..


- perhaps JA to work with L-A F, J-S R on mockups for epochs/transitions?



CLOSING..

- ideas for interactivity in the 3rd epoch?
- booking of a plasma screen as a lab houseguest, if Elektra will give plasma screens

Installation sketches

Here are some quick and dirty renderings illustrating placement of the plasma screens. In this concept they are "ceiling" mounted to 2" lengths of pipe which in turn are suspended from the existing pipe running between the columns. The screens here are shown 7.5 feet(~2.3 meters) from the floor, which is about a hands width higher than a conventional door way.

..:: ATOPIA - the polylogic e-zine ::.. - home

..:: ATOPIA - the polylogic e-zine :: :
"a virtual archipelago sharing philosophy, literature, arts and politics."

comments from chris parks fuid paintings

These are just thinking out some moving image ideas using a video scrapbook, in this case "fluid paintings" by chris parks, used in D. Aronofsky's film The Fountain. I do NOT suggest that we use the same images, unless of course we need something in particular (which I doubt). Then I'll need to contact Chris Park for rights.

http://www.chrisparksart.com/movies.htm

6.1200K.mov
orange pill billows subsurface (but all of cp is subsurface)
like Solaris ocean

6.1200K.mov
dark blue against ink black, moonlight tendrils sweep whisps / spill out out radially from little moon in upper left quadrant

18.1200K.mov
orange yolk sun spilling out
coul;d be "dark matter" emerging into view


22.256.mov
could be colliodal matter like egg yolk, suspended in transparent oil
pour invisible transparent oil into the mixture to perturb the yolk

installation team: floor treatment

Josee-Anne and Freida had the same idea:

What about making the floor reflect the sky? This is very important becuase people tend to look down more than up. (On the other hand this piece will be successful if people become oriented to the sky.)

Josee-Anne suggested plexiglas. Slipperyiness is an issue.
It does not have to be slippery smooth.
Scott Snibbe's Boundary Functions used some sort of silica powder impregnated carpet, I heard vaguely, by rumor, second hand.

Even if that is not true, it's worth looking for carpets (or similar) that we can treat or are treated to reflect a bit. A job for Installation Team: JA, LAF, JL.

Xin Wei

plasma screens

Harry, everyone,

The more I think about it, the more I think we should go with 3 plasma screens
as large as our Mac G5's can drive them. 60" - 108"

Naming convention: Hexagram Plasmas, vs. Elektra Plasmas (the actual model that Elektra will provide)

We've got to test them in the TML of course,
so the media team dev schedule should include

Stages

1 Borrow & Develop on 2 Hexagram Plasmas

2 Test on Hexagram, and on Elektra Plasmas

3 Test on 3 Elektra Plasmas

4. On-site calibrate on 3 Elektra Plasmas
(local lighting etc.)

Thanks for taking on the tech rider !!! (JS or JA .... may be interested in acquiring this expertise as well.)

cracks and swirls and marbling...

Okay, Jean-Sébastien, I direct your attention to another one of the TML's store of secret arcane magic spells: "crack_and_swirl_3"

Just the math part.

Yoichiro Serita made, in a very sweet week we had creating a locla TGarden++ together back in Jan 2003,
a patch called "crack_and_swirl_3" which may give some ideas of how to create "marbling" action on video via something like jit.repos, with multiple centers.

http://www.suminagashi.com/dhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifecorative.html

http://www.marbling.org/
http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
http://www.show.me.uk/site/make/Art-and-Design/STO953.html



Freida, I cc you in case you have any ideas on how to create a marbling operator
(probably using jit.repos with very fancy fns, e.g. conformal map F: z-->z , where z = x + i y ?)

Cosmicomics

This is the first blog in awhile. We inuagurate a project called COSMICOMICS, inspired by Italoo Calvino's cosmological fable, but strongly tinted with visions inspired by Andre Linde and Guth's quantum inflationary cosmology.

See the TML's private WIKI:

http://www.topologicalmedialab.net/fields/tml/field.php?n=Projects.Cosmicomics

- sxw

TML Meeting – September 28, 2006

The following memorandum is based on the discussions held during the TML meeting, on the 28st of September 2006, which took place on the premises of the TML (EV.11-435).

People present:

Abtan, Freida (Master Student, UdM)
Assogba, Yannick (TML Technician)
Benovo, Mitchell (McGill)
Conrad, Erik (Doctoral Student, Concordia)
Fortin, Louis-Andre (TML Research Assistant)
Frantonova, Elena (Dream & Nightmare project)
Latek, Justyna (Master Student)
Lunn, Flower (Untitled Soft Architecture Installation in the EV 3.129)
Oussama, Mezher (Graduate Certificate, Concordia)
Rousseau, Jean-Sébastien (Undergraduate Student, Concordia)
Sha, Xin Wei (TML Director)
Smoak, Harry (TML Research Coordinator)
Sutton, Tim (Concordia)
Wozniwasky, Mike (McGill)

Place des Arts

People will be needed to babysit the Place des Arts installation (September 29-30, October 1). Harry will be making a schedule.

CIAM grant

The deadline is next Monday (October 2). Xin Wei proposes to bundle all the soft architecture projects together. Those wanting to apply should write a short project description with a basic breakdown of the cost involved.. Xin Wei will write the final proposition Sunday. The goal is to have the projects ready in time for Black Box.

Media Choreography

Freida with the help of people from McGill is presently rebuilding all the sound instruments made by the TML in the past 5 years. The goal is to have a toolbox of instruments (both sound and visual) readily avaialble to be used in installation.

25th anniversary of the Dance Department

Xin Wei suggests a possible collaboration. Michael Longford offers his ressources for projects. Also, he proposes to offer workshop on movement if people are interested (you can contact him at mgm@alcor.concordia.ca).

Movie Night

A movie night will be organized next week. Flower Lunn and Elena Frantonova are in charge of the selection. Themes suggested include ‘retro-future’ (old visions of the future) and experimental movies in general.

TML meeting, September 21, 2006

The following memorandum is based on the discussions held during the TML meeting, on the 21st of September 2006, which took place on the premises of the TML (EV.11-435).

People present:
Abtan, Freida (Master Student, UdM)
Assogba, Yannick (TML Technician)
Birnbaum, David (Master Student, Music Technology, McGill)
Conrad, Erik (Doctoral Student, Concordia)
Fortin, Louis-Andre (TML Research Assistant)
Frantonova, Elena (Dream & Nightmare project)
Gagnon, Charles (Doctoral Student, Concordia)
Gaultier, David (TML Technician)
Hameed, Ayesha (PhD Student, York University)
Latek, Justyna (Master Student)
Lunn, Flower (Untitled Soft Architecture Installation in the EV 3.129)
Malloch, Joseph (Master Student, Music Technology, McGill)
Rousseau, Jean-Sébastien (undergraduate student, Concordia)
Sha, Xin Wei (TML Director)
Sinyor, Elliot (Master Student, Music Technology, McGill)
Smoak, Harry (TML Research Coordinator)
Van Nort, Douglas (Master Student, Music Technology, McGill)

WYSIWYG
Freida states that the current aim is to produce a working prototype (which Eric is currently building) for October.

Soft Architecture
Harry Smoak and Flower Lunn give a brief introduction to Soft Architecture. Elena Frantonova gives more specific examples using her project “The Other” and how it discusses issues of agency, boundaries, built (as oppose to ‘wearable’) and inhabiting. Xin Wei gives the precision that not everybody has the same stance toward agency.

Research Clusters
Flower Lunn would be interested in forming a group concerned with ‘Social Tracking’. She sent a document to the TML mailing list detailing her interests.

Justyna Latek speaks of her interest in occupational therapy with a bigger focus on touch (instead of light as it is traditionally the case).

Ayesha Hameed proposes a ‘Gesture & Narrative’ cluster with an interest on how body and gesture can relate to narratives, body memories and textual practices.
People interested can contact her at ayesha@yorku.ca

Harry suggests putting a blog on the wiki for each cluster, as a way of making the conversations available to a larger public.

Events
Journées de la Culture (with Elektra)
September 29 – October 1
At Places des Arts
By Erik Conrad and Freida Abtan

Black Box
October 30 – November 19
Xin Wei cordially invites everybody to take initiative and make use of the large space available to them for this occasion.

Tickle

TML meeting, September 14, 2006

TML Meeting – September 14, 2006

The following memorandum is based on the discussions held during the TML meeting on the 14th of September 2006. The meeting took place in the atrium of the 11th floor between 17:50 and 19:10.

People present:
Abtan, Freida (Master Student, UdM)
Conrad, Erik (Doctoral Student, Concordia)
Fortin, Louis-Andre (TML Research Assistant)
Gagnon, Charles (Doctoral Student, Concordia)
Gaultier, David (TML Technician)
Latek, Justyna (Master Student)
Lilla Sergier (status?)
Lunn, Flower (Untitled Soft Architecture Installation in the EV 3.129)
Montanero, Michael (Artist/Researcher)
Rousseau, Jean-Sébastien (undergraduate student, Concordia)
Sha, Xin Wei (TML Director)
Smoak, Harry (TML Research Coordinator)

WYSIWIG
Freida Abtan, Eril Conrad and David Gaultier give a brief introduction to the project about wearable sounds gesture instruments.

Media Choreography
Emmanuel Thivierge (Undergraduate Student, UdM) is presently working on the engine. He is presently working at the TML as part of his senior project of his Physics Engineering degree.

The Other
Project by Elena Frantova (status?) and Liza Solomonova (status?) in collaboration with the Dream & Nightmare Laboratory of the Sacré-Coeur Hospital. They are presently looking for an office like space they could occupy in the long-term for testing. They plan to arrange the room in a living room type of space (probably bringing their own furniture). Flower Lunn offered to share her space with them. Somebody also suggests that the rooms left by the Communication Department move from the Loyola Campus could be used. This last option would not be practical since the space needs to be local to be accessible easily.

Calligraphic Video
Freida is presently developing two libraries of tools, one for sound (spatialization, composing and sound instruments) and the other for video (tracking extension). Also, Yannick Assogba (TML technician) is working on video instruments and Michael Fortin (undergraduate, Concordia) on particle systems. All these instruments will be part of the ‘Media Choreography’ core.

Journées de la Culture
Taking place from the September 29 to October 1, the Journées de la Culture features a responsive video installation by Elektra in which the TML is involved. Erik Conrad is in charge of getting the installation (fire/smoke video) up and running for this Thursday.

Soft Architecture: Troglodyte
Project by Justyna Latek, Erik Conrad and Josée-Anne Drolet featuring a maze-like structure in Mylar. Justyna announces that the project has been rejected by the Banff Center. The project’s team reaffirms its will to continue developing the project by exploring new materials and possibly publishing a paper on the project.

Soft Architecture: Untitled Installation by Flower Lunn
Project on micro-movement responsive environments with the theme of ‘living under a tree’. Xin Wei will lend his office space from the Computer Science Department (situated EV 3.129) for the installation.

Architecture Enchantment
Project involving Sha Xin Wei, Harry Smoak (and Meredith Davey?). Xin Wei presents the project that aims to re-introduce enchantment in existing spaces in the form of miniature playgrounds.

November Black Box
First three weeks of November, probably from October 30 to November 19, 2006.
Xin Wei suggests that participants start preparing their projects now for them to be ready in time.

Research Clusters
Flower Lunn brings the idea of discussion groups. Xin Wei extends on the idea saying that self-organized ‘Research Clusters’ should be formed. He also suggests that movie nights should be held. Flower proposes to assemble a movie list.

Flower Lunn expresses an interest in non-prescribed pieces vs. participants’ relationships and other unforeseen connections (for example, people who tries to trip the sensors in installations).

Michael Montanero describes his work in creating new structures for improvised movement using ‘forests’ of sensors.

General Public Open House
September 22, 2006 (from 17:30 to 18:30)
Xin Wei suggests that a rear-projected screen should be mounted in the lab (using the lexan sheet).

Hexagram Open House
September 27, 2006
The equipment used for the Open House will be the same for the ‘Journées de la Culture’ (the booking extends until Monday, October 22, at 11:00).

Other
Lilla Sergier offers to lend four ‘HDI pack’ (thumb-sized cameras) that she has in her possession.

improvisatory choreographic test of responsive light and video ?

Dear Livia, Reena, Harry, and people working on this week on responsive light and video,

Part of the purpose of this 2 week experimental period  is to discover legible and compelling ways to animate the  "low resolution" grid of 12 x 2  lights, and the high resolution jitter smoke/water textures based on camera tracking of one or multiple people.

(The primary technical goal this week has been to make the DMX control of the lights work, and to develop some legible, and potentially interesting response logics for the light grid (an extremely coarse grid, but dynamically responsive).   But since we've got the set up to project large fields of video generated from live video camera-tracking, we went ahead and got some Jitter instruments working as well, well enough to make this relatively impromptu call.)

We (Harry and Xin Wei) need moving bodies as "test subjects" for our  responsive lights and video textures.  However, it would be quite good to make this an artful exercise as well as an engineering test.   When Livia saw the blackbox last Friday, she re-expressed her idea of working with a dancer or two in concert with our large scale responsive textures.  It's an opportunity  to explore some ideas on movement and body gestures (such as in partner dancing or in the proposed movement studies with shared guidance) as a parallel expression to the responsive media.  This way, the movement study will explore temporal dynamics in space and texture, expressed in both the human and the computational media.

So I thought we could try inviting some of the movement artists back for a structured  improvisatory session informed by these ideas once we set up the smoke/water jitter instruments, and overhead tracking cameras.

Let me emphasize that the initiative must come from our "movement artist (choreographer) in residence" because the rest of us are too busy making the instruments work and do not have the experience to define a plausible choreographic experiment.

THE TECHNICAL SET UP

The set up as we (very few people: mostly Harry, Erik, Josee-Anne, Mark B.) have prepared it is

2 cameras overhead

2 cameras on a tripod for tracking bodies from the side

2 projectors onto the floor near the white wall

1 projection on the whitewall

1 extra projector on stand

DMX light grid, 12 amber/12 blue overhead, plus a few fixed ellipsoidals, with minimal control.  However we can map movement to the overhead lights.

ripple or other texture video on the floor and walls

possibly pre-recorded video, (depends on what you or someone else can supply to me/us in a digital Quicktime file)

I have texture of fire, and would,f or other work liek to find fields of water falling up, or building debris falling up,

which , if I find it, I'd  be happy to project to see what can be done with it.

Erik, Harry, Josee-Anne, Mark Baehr, and I have been working to set up the responsive light and video machinery this week, and now we're eager to test it, discover some more ways to animate it.  First we;ve just invite been doing the basic work, and now I trhink we're ready to open the floor to skilled movement artists and an experienced choreographer to come improvise in this environment with us.

CAVEATS

Please understand that this is entirely experimental and under preliminary development, and is NOT working -- it is under development so we can guarantee that NOTHING WILL WORK smoothly.   Please exxpect interruptions and waiting around while we fiddle, fix, re-calibrate, and creat new media behaviors.   (Since it can take months to create substantial new classes of media sinftware instructments, my ambition is not creat brand new classes of  responsive video or light in 24 hours, but to explore what we can do with the instruments already in hand.  On the other hand, these 24 hours could be an  opportunity to  imagine what _could_ be interesing for future lines of development.)    Also, since this is focussed on a specialized  line of (art) research, we are deliberately EXCLUDING the vast panoply of visual effects that we could project in this theatrical scale, for example, we are not focussed on creating pre-fabricated video to be projected, although we could if we find some readey made that augments the exploration of a  "living conversation" between contingent corporeal and media  movement.

So, we will be working intentionally with an extremely reduced palette of effects, becase we are focusing on movement, and response (of media), in fundamental ways right now in our very limited time here in the blackbox.  We are focusing on what sorts fo tracking,and logics require the unique combination of physical size/space, plus the DMX equipment built into this infrastructure in this room.

But even in this entirely makeshift experimental set up, I'd welcome trying to make some experiments that are already as expressive as possible.

WHO WHAT

Who's doing / available to do what in this impromptu experiment

    Livia : direct movement studies,  possibly working with Reena, Carlos and Marc

    Xin Wei (with Justyna as understudy)

    Harry is primarily now working on the DMX lights, an

    Xin Wei is putzing around with jitter

    Understudies?

    Justyna will be present for stills, understudy Jitter++  with Xin Wei

    Josee-Anne for motion video documentation of the work that TML, understudy on tech theater++ with Harry

Livia would like to also herself use the videocamera to record  from the moving perspective of one of the movers.    She also said that she'd like to try recording from a height, say 12-15'.   Maybe we can use a ladder.   Insurance forbid Mark B from letting us to use the genie.  Perhaps we could ask Mark to do some of the shots from the genie himself?   We would have to negotiate that with Mark for Thursday because this very likely falls outside of the scope of his job, and we would need to respect his call on that.

WHEN

GIven this, can we : Livia, Reena, Carlos, Harry, Xin We meet at

WEDNESDAY 4-5 pm

in the blackbox to look at what media is there,

and plan the video/light (possible sonic) scenography;

equipment needs

    (eg still, motion video cameras,

We need to set a time for the actual session THURSDAY,  say 2 - 7 PM?

(I, Xin Wei, have a meeting Wednesday 2-4, and Thursday 12 noon - 2.

Livia has duties with daughter Alba.

And Josée-Anne and Justyna and possibly Xin Wei have a Troglodyte meeting Thursday evening.)

Livia, can you come say Wed 4 PM?

Livia may invite Reena or other movement artists to join us later (at 5?), so this is a courtesy pre-alert...   Since all our video programmer students are away, I really don't know if any of the media will work, so I'm reluctant to risk wasting your professional time.

But if we do decide that there's something interesting to try, can you all come back Thursday for the real session (2-7 pm)?

FRIDAY is strike.

(Very likely I won't be able to be there Friday, but it's so good and important that Josee-Anne, Justyna, Mark B will be there, with Harry ! :)

Greetings from the black box.

Both Harry and I will likely be here tonite.

Xin Wei

PS.    Thanks to Erik for making the initial DMX logic and jit.netsend/recv patches, and to Freida for the blob tracking and sound patches (I've yet to employ them, but they may be useful !)

Topological Media Lab • EV 11-435, 1515 Ste. Catherine Ouest, Montreal H3G 2W1