Electronic Links

http://www.sparkfun.com/
http://www.futurelec.com/
http://www.Robotshop.us/

Boundries

It's about the boundaries, the boarders between one thing and another. The boundary between fiction and reality, the places where nature meets man made and the line begins to blur. Places were the true magic of the world happens such as the line where the water caresses the shores of the land. Sunset and sundown a time when the world is neither in light nor in darkness.

enter interlude into fantasy/
"Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin," she said, "why came you here to dwell?"
"The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell
And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to Hell
I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself
But tonight is Hallowe'en and the faerie folk ride
Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must buy
First let past the horses black and then let past the brown
Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down
For I'll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town
For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown
Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake
But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby's father
And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold
But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child
And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight
But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight"
/exit interlude into fantasy

Create a moment of magic a moment when two worlds cross and interact one with the other. I'm rambling again. That was the gist of the thought, I will leave it there for now. *disappears*

Polishing the Egg

The distinguishing feature between a dream and a nightmare is what one is scary while presumably the other is not. At least when you ask people what sets them apart that is the most given answer, "Well, duh a nightmare is well scary." However, I feel that with dreams what often scares us is the odd, the strange, the out of place or the unknown elements. Which is often what makes up a dream. Thus a dream can be a dream or a nightmare or both all at the same time.

So, I put forth that a dreams are rather like eggs. You see an egg, you think, "Chicken!", or perhaps, "Yum, breakfast."

Dreams are like eggs, we know what is on the outside of them and we believe that we know what is on the inside. Yet, in truth we can nether see nor determine what is actually inside the egg. Is it a chicken egg, a goose egg or did the fair folk sneak in during the night and put a dragon egg in there? Or something much more mundane is it a good egg, an egg with a double yoke or perhaps did it sit in the nest too long and begin to produce a little living thing in there.

Once the egg or the dream is broken we can not put it back together again, we are left with the pieces. The good or the bad.

Alright that's enough foolish word vomit from me for tonight. Image from here. *disappears*

Dreams vs Nightmares

What makes a dream a dream and a nightmare a nightmare? Are they mutually exclusive or can one become the other and vise versa? It all comes down to perspective and a persons perspective upon a thing can change; thus a nightmare can become a dream and a dream a nightmare.

Does this then make them the same thing depending on the viewers perspective?

One might argue that nightmare is frightening but then we are often afraid of that which we do not understand, that which is unknown to us. Thus the dark can be frightening even within the confines of our own living spaces.

So where does that leave us? I'm not sure, that's as far as I've gotten with the thought. Enough word vomit for tonight.*disappears*

Update, The Video

Alright after a few different things I did manage to get the video file to upload onto Facebook.

So if anyone is interested, here is the link to the video: Gray Video/Audio

Okay that's it for now. Long day. If I can find the time between crit on Friday and working/class all day today. I was thinking about sitting up half of this again and re doing a couple of things but we'll see what happens. *disappears*

Gray - Video/Audio

So I took a short video of the space right after I set it up. I attempted to cut down the audio file some what and put it together with the video file. Never tried doing anything like this, so it's probably not great.

Anyway it gives you a little better feel for things then just the images though. I apologize for the bad video, I just took it with my camera. Or I would if I could get the thing to finish rendering/saving or whatever it's trying to do. *sighs* Sometimes I really dislike technology, it's just more hassle than it's worth. So, video/audio thing another time.

I really do need to change the layout on here, I was never happy with it when I put it up... the more I see it the less happy I am with it though. I hope to get a chance to do that this weekend, among other things.

Gray Space – Augmented Space Project

The Gray project was an attempt to illustrate an invisible space that exists for everyone through the use of an imaginary space and an imaginary character. The space was supposed to feel familiar to those entering it and yet unfamiliar and unsettling as well. Familiar objects covered—as with a house left—though the coverings were meant to be sheer almost as well as if covered in a film of dust, and the edges of the coverings were dyed a gray to appear dirty. As if they and the objects had been there for some time, but had also been used; the coffee stain on the desk, the book on the chair, the fact that the fabric on the chairs had been sat on.

My original intent was to create a sort of critique on the large roll that technology claims over our lives and how that can be detrimental. However, I was not opposed to other readings of the space which is why I did not wish to specify that negativity; perhaps in part because of my own feelings towards technology. I feel that it can be detrimental, but I also feel that it can be a great tool that should be used in a wide variety of ways.

The other element that I wished to include was the fact that I view art and books as a form of augmented space or a tool that can be used. They create a space that is differentiated from reality even if they do come in physical projects, though that my own opinion though that connection is shakier and varies. There are shades of gray throughout, not everything should be cut and dry that would be boring.

While the space was meant to be ambiguous the sound file was meant to be negative. The intent of the sound piece was to be the sound of someone typing, talking on instant messenger while the speaker attempts to get the typer’s attention. Since Gray exists in an imaginary space and is an imaginary person he/she cannot respond; however the cadence of the typing increases with the intensity of the voice (or that’s what I tried to do with it.)


Things That Did Not Work:
-     Covering fabric was not sheer enough, especially not with the lamp light that I used.
-    Lighting did not work
-    Sound file needed work
-    The carpet did not convey the intended cohesion of space and in fact detracted from it.
-    Items and placement needed to be more thought out
-    Seeing more people inside beforehand would’ve been helpful. (In essence more trails set up's and more testing before hand would’ve been a good idea. Editing.)
-    Implied items were a good thought but not all implications will read the same to other people. Consider carefully before implying things.
-    Over complicated, remember simplify.
-    Consider the delineation of space and the purpose of it (inclusion of the audience or apart from, though I feel with this piece the audience was meant to explore the space though other aspects were not clear enough as it is meant to be an illustration of a familiar and yet fictional space.)

Things That Did Work:
-    The sheet walls worked fairly well though they needed to be higher.
-    Use of the light source from the window and the inclusion of that outside influence something affecting the space and the structure that was unpredictable. (Unseen presents?)

Well...

As I suspected a success only in that I tried something new. The thing that bugs me the most is a number of things I should've thought of and didn't and a number of things that I did which just didn't work.

Still I guess with anything you have to try and try again. It's about the trial and error process, as long as we're willing to work. I find it rather amusing how I can set out with an intention and a plan and it just doesn't come across.

The mental image in your mind is never what actually exists. Anyway, I'll post some pictures and more tomorrow I need to sleep now. Hopefully sleep. I haven't been sleeping well, this is a problem. *disappears*

On The Subject of Gray

Gray is a fictitious character that was created solely for the purposes of this project. Gray is meant to be neither wholly female or male but an androgynous combination there of; though of course the audience will probably identify more with the male or female aspect of Gray.

The character exists in a world between our own and augmented space, in a limbo world that is neither here nor there. Gray is in essence the link between the two, the place where people begin to loose touch with reality. While Gray can hear us and see us he/she can not directly interact with us only through the medium of technology.

Thus I picture Gray being essentially a ghost that sits between you and your computer screen, between you and the TV or right inside your ear when you're on the cell phone. He/she is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

Reasons Why You Test Things

Well I tried to do a test run tonight/today. It both succeeded and it failed.

I got all the fabric measured, cut and the edges dyed. The gray turned a little more green then I wanted it to; however, with the dimmed light I think it will work. Either way I don't really have time to re do it.

Lap top sound will not work. The speakers on my lap top are simply not loud enough. So unfortunately the sound check--the main reason I wanted to do this and spent all day trying to put everything up and together--failed.

Still, I have come to the conclusion that even if this project does not succeed the way I want it to, I have done what I set out to do with this class. I have tried something I never would've tried other wise. This project is of a scale and of a nature that isn't like anything I have attempted in the past. It's something I've wanted to do but I'm not sure my own initiative would've pushed me to do it--still who's to say what I would've done. It's rather a moot point now.

At least everything is on campus and mostly ready. I have the sound file in a wave format and an mp3 format so I can fuss with that at home tomorrow night some more. It is probably not the most sophisticated thing in the world but we all have to start somewhere. With those words of wisdom it's time for bed. *disappears*

Edit: On another note; however, I did figure out that I need to make the space smaller. The furniture that I have isn't going to nearly fill up the space enough. I think it won't be too bad though if I shrink the space somewhat.

Laugh, It is Good For you

So I was running around yesterday doing things that needed to be done. I left the MP3 recorder with my dad and asked him to record some sounds of him on the computer, since I got some of my sister and myself. Lol, I just said sounds.

*laughs* This is the problem of trying to do something when someone knows they're being recorded. I snuck it in on my sister. ^^:

I said I wanted something that was more feminine (my sisters games, make rather feminine sounds with her off and on in the background.) So I finally sat down to listen to what my dad recorded for me today. *laughs* This is how it starts out, well mostly: A Real Man's Computer

(So blogger has an image option and a video option but no audio option, silly blogger.) Lol I did get some stuff I could use off the end of the recording though so it works.

And then the very end after all that about a man's computer, "Well my computers hung up, locked up. I either need to hit it or just leave it. I think I'll just leave it."

Edit: Of course about ten minutes after I sit down to see if I can't figure out SoundBooth, CS4 decides it's time to update.

Alright...

So this project got put off until this coming Tuesday which was a wonderful thing. I have no idea how I would've finished it and gotten done with the piece for Nocturnal Accretions all at the same time.

Lotus is over with.

Nocturnal Accretions is over with.

Now it's back to work. Here is the plan thus far for the rest of the time remaining. To make use of it wisely (or to attempt to anyway.) Though the thought is often there, it is so easy to fail on the follow through.

1. Measure, cut and dye the fabric after turning things blue at Rowland's this afternoon.

2. Tonight/Sunday morning finish putting together the sound files. (Two tracks one more feminine and one more masculine, theoretically.)

3. Test run through Sunday early afternoon and then test run with Amy. Make sure everything is there for Tuesday; tall lamp, coffee table, books, small lamp

4. Monday final touches on sound files.

5. Tuesday do not forget computer.