09/10/2020 / richpath / Comments Off on EDP MA Thesis Project Proposal – packaged files
Here is the link for the ZIP package containing files for my MA Thesis Project Proposal (including the video version) for the Emergent Digital Practices program at the University of Denver. The ZIP file is password-protected.
09/10/2020 / richpath / Comments Off on EDP MA Thesis Project Proposal Video
Here is a video presentation of an abridged version of my MA Thesis Project Proposal for the Emergent Digital Practices program at the University of Denver. The full print version is available in a following post, within a ZIP package of all proposal materials. This video is password-protected.
This shorter essay describes next steps for the project’s development, plans for its implementation in a hospital setting, and other possibilities for sharing with and use by other healthcare institutions.
This essay provides an overview of requirements and considerations for the design of my MA thesis project prototype, as determined in a needs analysis meeting conducted with my site collaborators. I also cover some of my previous works and research that are relevant to this project, and discuss general hardware and software aspects for the project’s development.
The PDF is password-protected for viewing. If you are interested in access, please request via email – you’ll find my email address here.
In this essay, I explore other physical visualization works as inspirations for the emergence of approaches and ideas in my own design process, and consider issues of complexity in their approaches to visualizing data and the larger concepts they represent.
08/15/2020 / richpath / Comments Off on Essay: Research Focus, Prehistories and Imaginary Media
The project for my MA thesis in the Emergent Digital Practices program focuses on developing a prototype of a networked art object that will be utilized by hospital staff to rapidly monitor current patient capacity data. This essay describes the background for this project, presenting the case for replacing a manual capacity alert system at a local hospital with an automated, active physical visualization object. A brief look at the history of physical visualization objects is covered, along with an analysis of a current “commercialized” solution used in manufacturing operations.
The PDF is password-protected for viewing. If you are interested in access, please request via email – you’ll find my email address here.
Signals and Stillness was created in response to the bombardment of commercial media that we frequently experience from television displays in public settings. The piece reverses the relationship between the viewer and broadcast content that is intent on influencing and demanding the viewer’s attention. The large monitor in the piece “recognizes” and responds to the prolonged stationary presence of an observer – the rapidly switching excerpts of advertisements, news, sports and talk shows begin to morph into their abstracted visual and sonic essence. Multiple viewers observing in stillness influence the effect further, revealing deeper layers and patterns of abstraction. The piece explores choices of what we give our attention to – a stream of information overload, or our “present presence”.
Longer description
The centerpiece of the installation is a large television monitor (between 55”-65”), elevated 5-6 feet from the floor, or a large projected display. In its default state, the display features rapidly changing clips from current advertisements, news stories, daytime talkshows and sports highlights, each played at normal speed (with normal audio) for a few seconds before switching to the next clip.
Three circles, each around 24 inches in diameter, are illuminated on the floor in front of the display by LED spotlights suspended from the ceiling. When a viewer remains still in one of the circles, their presence is detected by the system, and the display’s visuals begin to change in reaction – the playback speed slows, and the original video images are gradually transformed into abstract scenes of ethereal light and color shapes and patterns. The audio morphs into synth-like musical chords through the use of FFT filtering, delays and reverb effects. The longer a viewer remains within a circle, the more pronounced these effects become. When 2 or 3 people are standing still in the circles, additional visual and audio effects begin to appear, encouraging an experimentation with group stillness.
The installation is operated by custom programs run using Max software on a dedicated laptop/computer. The audio portion can be presented either using near field active monitors placed directly on each side of the observation circles area, or through headphones provided to the viewers within each of the circles.