Screenshot of footage during the first test experiment.
I carried out the first of the test experiments this week. A simple set up with a data projector displaying a Processing sketch, controlled by a Wii remote. The feedback I received from the 5 participants was interesting.
It seems most people were distracted by the relationship between the image and the Wii remote. Some were trying to understand what to do with it, whilst others were bored by its lack of opportunity. This response reminded me of seeing Brad Miller’s exhibition, augment _me last year. The subtlety of interaction was near to perfect for this work. Whilst it wasn’t immediately clear, it didn’t take long to realise that as you moved around the room, you were impacting the way video moved. The best part however, was that whilst it was easy to be involved, it was difficult (or even deliberately impossible) to master. This gives the work an excellent longevity.
This project could become much larger than I first thought. Image: Under Construction by David J. Nightingale.
Planning
I’m a bit anti public art. Well – not public art itself – but the ridiculous amount of consultation that’s required to go along with it. Starting to look at the layers of council and bureaucracy approval, frightening commercial hire rates and logistics of the project is putting a steep perspective on everything. That’s not to say the idea is not achievable, or worthwhile – quite the contrary – however, it feels like I truly am diving in at the deep end.
With my Digital Studio/Professional Portfolio project beginning to take shape, there’s now a little more direction for the first Professional Practice assessment. The task here is to create a project proposal and provide all the supporting documentation to go along with it. The business-orientated documents, like a business card, letterhead and resume don’t need to be project-specific, however the project summary, aims and methodology will provide an excellent opportunity to knead out some finer project details.
Package Design isn’t something we’re taught in Digital Media, but spoke about in class this week. It probably fits in with the visual ID topic of Professional Practice also, but it’s something we’ll need to consider for the second part of Digital Studio: Professional Portfolio (yes, the subject titles do get confusing). It’s not to package a product, but our own work.
How to sell interactive/installation/motion design as a product is going to be a difficult prospect. If someone can’t experience the work (for example, when canvasing for a job), how do you convey a physical, often site-specific event?
The obvious choice is through a DVD, or website link and whilst this idea has been host to some really thoughtful treatments, I would like to at least make an attempt at taking it a step further. I love when packaging is considered in a powerful way. Whether this is through graphics, materials (or lack thereof), paper mechanics, or flashing lights and dancing girls, it’s wonderful when something that most would see as a necessary evil is presented as something as compelling as its contents.
We looked at a wide gamut of visual identities this week. Self-promoting objects like business cards and logos find themselves in the visual ID camp, and these are going to be part of what we need to produce for this subject.
Obviously in the creative industry, your standard bone coloured business card isn’t going to cut it. There seemed to be an endless train of alternative solutions: etched razor blades, rubber, pop-up cards, stamps and so on and on and on and on… Clearly the message is to think outside the square and to create something that makes you stand out. My challenge will be to create something that doesn’t rely on a graphic to connect me to my work. I would prefer to remind potential employers/clients about my interactive, installation and motion work.
Having said that, I do need some kind of graphic element that will link parts of my visual ID together. A logo is the obvious place to begin and would be rolled out across several media types: business cards, stationary (letterheads, invoices etc), web sites, promotion and all the vehicles that I don’t have.
Officially, I don’t DJ these days. However, in one of my weaker moments, I agreed to play at the upcoming VOID night on March 26th. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, VOID has become the dubstep night to attend if you have even a passing interest in dancefloor bass music. I’ll be there playing an oldskool/roots/veteran/pioneer/novelty set. Come and say hi. Don’t make a request.
VOID – UK BASS SPECIAL
Friday 26th March - $10 entry
Kodama
Paul Fraser
Moriarty
Alf
Swindle
Preecha
Following on from what we did in Screen Culture last session, Digital Theory & Aesthetics takes a more focused look at some of the theory involved with creative practice in the digital arts.
Being one of those ‘course outline walkthrough’ classes, we did little more than that, with the exception of watching a couple of examples of technology-based artworks…
This is the big one. Digital Studio is the first semester lead-up to the final semester subject, Professional Portfolio, which together form our major project, not just for the year – but for the entire course.
Whilst much of the creation of the final work will happen during Professional Portfolio, it’s likely that Digital Studio will prove to be the most important class. It’s where we will develop our ideas, do research and create developmental designs. This was a point driven home in the lecture – the idea should drive the medium, not the other way around.
I think this is only true to a point. Of course, having a great idea, or at least excellent content is more important than using the latest and greatest technology, but as was also impressed upon us during class – this project is going to be a big chunk of our portfolio and how we will sell ourselves to prospective clients or employers. There’s no reason for me to spend 6 months with my head in Maya if I never want to see that program again. I need to present myself via the medium I want to work with in the future.
Whatever the project, we’ll be learning some important ‘real world’ skills during this class, and creating production schedules, mapping production costs and getting an idea of what our time is worth when working on a creative project – a source of confusion and frustration for anyone starting out in the creative industry.
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