Brendan Paul: Context Mapping

For my final project in this course, I decided to do two different presentations. I did the first presentation in the main lobby of the ATEC building, and the other on the south wall of the lab room.

Context: 

For my first presentation, I had a lot of room to work with as I was projecting from a distance onto a large wall. I also had a lot of surfaces to work with, one of which was a door. I decided to use MadMapper to highlight these surfaces and make them stand out more than they normally would. 

For my second presentation inside the lab room, the south wall has a long stretch of cabinets that I could work with as well as other surfaces to add highlights to the room. 

Technique:

In the ATEC lobby, there was a lot of natural light, so normal effects would have a hard time being visible. In order to counter the bright light of the room, I used a lot of vibrant materials that are flashy and, even in a bright room, stand out. I used masks to box out the different surfaces on the wall and applied these materials to those surfaces. Some of these surfaces were paintings that, when mapped on, had a brighter appearance, and stood out more. There was also a door that I put a spiraling effect on to make it seem like a portal to another realm. 

On the lab’s south wall, I used the broad cabinets as a layer in my composition, boxing them off and adding materials to them that would contrast with the large, bright background. I also applied a material to the large column in the far corner, as I saw potential in it. The foreground, which is cluttered with computers and printers and the like, I put a material over in order to have it blend with the rest of the composition more. I made three different scenes, each mostly focusing on the large background. The first background being this cool reflective shape that has a camera panning around it, with its middle ground being these bright blue neon effects strown across the cabinets. The second background was this green effect that was described as "alien", with its middle ground being a mercury effect that I tinted green. And the third being a digital landscape background with some more techy looking effects for the middle ground. 

Interpretation:

I liked how this project was a way to come to a better understanding of my environment around me. I now can look around a room and think about what could be done in order to make each and every element within it pop and stand out. The piece I did in the middle of the ATEC lobby was fun and really helped me see what can be done with the environment around you. 

ATEC Lobby Presentation

 South Wall Presentation

Bonnie Abbott, Eli Slack, Chase Coleman, Bailey Lai: Context Mapping

For our final project in this course, we decided to map multiple areas of ATEC, unifying nooks and little rooms of the building in order to activate them for a larger piece.  Because we were working with a larger group, we created several dynamic pieces in three different locations. The locations are: the fourth floor projector room, the Motion Graphics lab poster wall, and the Motion Graphics lab column and window wall. 

Concept: 

We wanted to find less frequently travelled areas of the ATEC building that might be overlooked, and thus ended up in the projector room on the fourth floor. The pieces we put together were high energy and mesmerizing, with our key guiding words being "vibrant" and "continuous". We sought out challenging surfaces to use as our canvases, and build from there, allowing the architecture to inform our creative decisions.

Technique:

In the projector room, we were able to activate the space in a unique way, as the walls were paint splattered and pock-marked with tacks, so that when we hung up the hat to serve as something to mask, the room revealed a harmony of elements we hadn't even anticipated. 

Hat suspended on wall in projector room as we tested materials.

After we were satisfied with the cues with the hat, we began setting up to project on something harder to mask than a flat wall: an old projector in the room.

Old-School projector being mapped.

 We eventually masked the surfaces with some trial and error, and left to come back the next day to continue work. The chaos of being an ATEC student had other ideas, however, when the following day we came back to find the projection room like this: 

Projector Room the next day for some reason.

After this discovery, we relocated to the third floor motion graphics lab. The benefit of moving to this new area was exposure to new elements with the potential of being activated through MadMapper. We got to work first with the 'poster wall', masking off and adding quads appropriate to the space. 

Poster Wall in the process of being masked

We chose to include a corner this time in order to practice our mesh warping skills and get the perspective just right. After that, it was just a matter of creating content and finding materials that worked well together.

The last space we chose to use as our canvas was the window wall with a column adjacent to the poster wall. There were many architectural elements we were excited to incorporate, including through the window, where there is a metal accent with circles punched out that we knew would look incredible once activated.  

Window Wall Cue 1

The distortion from the window panes added an extra ghost layer, which, when combined with the outdoor metal architectural element, the column, and the right-most flat surface, we were able to have an effective foreground, middle ground, and background. This allowed for more complex compositions, and much more depth of field opportunities. Wanting to have an element that engaged with all planes, we made a short looping animation that matches the flowing momentum and energy of our piece that paid homage to what had previously been drawn on the whiteboard that we were projecting onto. 

Balloons Transparent Asset

Interpretation: 

This project encouraged us to explore the school and approach architecture through a new lens, which is impressive considering the collective amount of hours all of us have spent in the ATEC building. Our final video is a collection of the pieces that were created in the process of this project, stitched together into one. All of the spaces we calibrated ended up surprising us with elements we hadn't anticipated, all of which end up resulting in a better final piece. 

Relevant Files

Tately Diep, Rina Harrison, & Yvonne Yu: Project 5 - Context Mapping

Concept:

Synesthesia

The condition known as Synesthesia (more accurately labeled Chromesthesia) is the association of sounds or other stimuli with colors. For some, everyday sounds can trigger seeing colors. For others, colors are triggered when musical notes or keys are being played. People with synesthesia related to music may also have perfect pitch because their ability to see and hear colors aids them in identifying notes or keys.(1)

[Tately]

City Pop was the influence for my portion of the project as it is a popular Japanese music genre that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s and is known for its upbeat and catchy tunes. The song I decided to go with was “Sweet Love” by Junko Ohashi. I decided to go for a blue, purple, and magenta color palette as that is often associated with the genre and can be seen in the album covers and music videos of City Pop artists.

[Yvonne]

I chose the electronic, synth-pop song, Lonely in Gorgeous By Tomoko Kawase for my part of the compositions. While the song maintains a cheery, gorgeous feel, the lyrics are more representative of a lonely, sadness. I used many pinks and purples to capture the upbeat instrumental and match the early 2000s aesthetics of the song. I added visual elements of contrast through movement and color to capture the contrast in the lyrical mood.

[Rina]

My influence for my portion was “I F A Surfer” by Mass of The Fermenting Dregs. Known for their garage band hard rock style, they're mostly known for their World Is Yours and New Order albums from the late 2000s. For the compositions, I wanted to capture the intensity of the chords while also paying tribute to the Album cover this song was taken from, with Stark reds, yellows and oranges.

Techniques:

3rd Floor Hallway

2 Projector Set-up

Top Projector MadMapper Scenes

Bottom Projector MadMapper Scenes

For our project, we wanted to play with the dynamics of the hallway on the third floor. We used two projectors to ensure covered the top and bottom of the hallway entirely. To blend the two compositions together, we used Soft Edge to make it appear seamless and created a graduation effect. 

[Tately]

My process was entirely done in Madmapper as I chose a variety of different public assets that aligned with my vision for dreamy nostalgic imagery that would match the vibe of my song.

[Yvonne]

For my three compositions, I began by sculpting and animating the text "Lonely in Gorgeous" in Blender. I then imported my animation into MadMapper and used various public assets for my compositions. I employed many pinks and purples while contrasting them with black, white, and the chrome text. Movement wise, many of my compositions are slower to contrast the faster-paced tempo of the song, which can be seen visually through the Spectrum material.

[Rina]

My process was done fully in Madmapper, with a variety of patterns that emphasized ideas of water with waves, bubbles and ripples. I also wanted to show the Loudness of of the Rock music so I decided to use many Audio Reactive Elements, specifically moving out of the hallway toward the camera to give the illusion of the Sound blasting out of the area, too loud to be contained.

Interpretation:

[Tately]

For this project, I wanted to create a composition that would match the theme of our group and pay homage to a genre of music I admire. Overall, I would say this was a fun process to work with my fellow classmates and experience the challenges of setting up a light show in a new environment.

[Yvonne]

Working on a collaborative project where we calibrate, set up, and take down our work in one session gave me a lot of valuable experience in projection mapping as well as working in a group. I got to experiment with many new things in this project (using two projectors, projecting in a hallway, using Blender), which was fun. I was able to create compositions while also working with others to create one cohesive piece. I am happy with our overall piece, and I learned a lot!

[Rina]

Something about working on a team that you always have to consider is that everyone has an important job and they all bring something to the table, from the theming of this project, to picking the location or who runs the files to how you calibrate, its a wonder what you can do when you share ideas with others.

Source

1. "Absolute Pitch and Synesthesia | The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research". The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

Preston Wolfe: Project 03 Relief Mapping

Concept:

For the concept of this project I wanted to focus on using the individual panels of the artwork, as well as incorporate a topographical styled design. I also tried to create a build up in using pieces as the scenes progressed, I started with minimal things involved, then added the wall panels as a background, then added the circle and built off of this. It became more and more involved then less and less as I slowed the audio down. 

Technique:

I started with calibrating the 3-D object to the physical relief in madmapper. After this it was mostly all line work, I used few quads to light the eyes, the fist, and the background. I also went in and added a quads to almost every panel on the relief, as well as circles and squares to the panels and objects. Masks helped me create a lot of different effects and helped me keep all of the artwork contained to specified areas. All of this work was completed in mad mapper.

Interpretation:

I think overall the project came out better than how it started. At first I was struggling with direction of the project, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do exactly. After starting the process of creating individual quads for each panel on the relief my idea started to flow a bit more. Once I started a topographical map that's when I really started to enjoy the project and gained more confidence in the work and program. 

Stephen Jordan - Project 3: Relief Mapping

 Concept

    For our third project, I wanted to play with the inherent ideas presented by the Janus sculpture in the projection lab. Two faces or two people that share one brain, the nature of the brain as the control center of the body; constantly lighting up and firing on all cylinders. I went in thinking about the brain as the focal point of my display, relying on the faces as supporting players. 

Ultimately what I hope to get through is an element of turbulence to the display, a waxing and waning of harmony and disarray, eventually resolving itself in the brain and leaving the body.  

Techniques

    After importing the Janus model and its UV map,  I experimented with layers of materials and how they interacted with the shape of the sculpture, as well as how I could utilize the LED arrays to further support my imagery. 

I landed on materials that play as organic and psychedelic, which seemed fitting given the Brain as a conceptual cornerstone. Utilizing the Calico material as a base, I layered the Bioorganic Wall material over it and, using MadNoise on Multiply blending mode, cut through all of the layers to intermittently reveal the bare sculpture beneath, allowing the LED arrays to shine through at certain moments during the display. 

 

 I also use simpler materials at points during the display to emphasize storytelling aspects of the sculpture. SVG lines that outline the brain (traced in Illustrator using the Spatial Scan) change color and respond to the rest of the materials on display. To contrast the more pleasant and soft imagery, I used Mesh Warp on the Dunes material to create some funky zig zags. 

 A rainbow Plasma material unifies the faces and the brain at the beginning, later transcending the sculpture and painting the wall while I cue the Bioorganic Wall material to cycle its hue at the same moment. 

Interpretation 

I really enjoyed working with sculpture and thinking through the conceptual aspects of this display, especially the way the lights incorporated into the work, almost imitating a colorful lightning storm in the brain as if they were synapses firing. 

Technically, though, there are a lot of things I would like to work on, specifically cueing smoother transitions between scenes and tightening up my masking. I also think that my SVG linework was underutilized, as I didn't make use of the network of lines that make up the front faces of the brain.

Overall, I had a fun first experience mapping onto low-relief, but I think I could have activated the shape of the sculpture much more effectively and fine-tuned the flow of the animations.

Tately Diep, Rina Harrison, & Yvonne Yu: In-Class Assignment (4/17)

Caleb Wang Project 3: Relief Mapping

 

Concept:

For this project, I wanted to connect my projection directly to the art piece. I was immediately drawn to the peace sign in the middle and sought to create my piece around the dichotomy of war and peace. For my three scenes, I took three recent conflicts: The Rwandan genocide, the war in Ukraine, and the protests of Hong Kong. The idea would be that the forehead of the relief would show the conflict, while the peace sign in the middle would showcase a part of that country's culture in peacetime. 

Technique:

Using the provided spatial scan and template, much of it boiled down to creating the proper masks around the edges of what would become the eyebrows, eyes, and the mask for the middle peace sign.
I took advantage of the Gradient 3.0 and the Smoke material, using it on the eyebrows and eyes with intentional color picks. For the Ukraine scene, I put blue and yellow smoke materials to symbolize the Ukrainian flag. The same was done for Hong Kong, with red and white instead. In the Rwandan scene, I used a gradient on the eyes that depicted Rwanda's pre-genocide flag colors to signify the trauma from that time still reflected in the eyes of many Rwandans today. I then put a gradient on the eyebrows to depict the new colors of the flag, signifying a hopeful future. 

Interpretation:

I wanted to create something that was really upfront and held a lot of meaning, going for a more concrete interpretation of the prompt rather than abstract. I really wanted the meaning of it to be in-your-face and a little bit contrary to putting on flashy and cool special effects. It was also fun to be able to work in tandem with another art piece, and seeing them combined together to create something with more meaning is a cool experience. Overall, I think the end result was really what I was going for, and it was really fun to come up with the idea and follow through with a concrete vision.

Bonnie Abbott: Project 03 Relief Mapping

 

Concept:

The concept for this piece is based around the Christian Holy Week. It is divided into four different sections: a cosmic image of Christ, the walls in the Upper Room, the garden of Gethsemane, the judgement by Pilate, and an abstract visualization of the crucifixion. 

Technique:

I calibrated the 3D model to the physical relief map in the lab. After the model set, I took a screenshot of the warped map and used that as reference in After Effects. I imported the song, Crows, by Gray Havens, and began to animate it. I used effects such as sway, star burst, stroke, and glow. I created masks for the eyes to create a lid that could blink. For the most part, the calibration worked, but I struggled with correctly lining up the circle.

Interpretation

I know I could have better calibrated the video to model better, but I was limited in the time I could dedicate to the project. This was the first time I created a piece outside of mad mapper and brought it in, and though I liked it, I think mad mapper provides a more dynamic piece that pushes me out of my comfort zone. 

Michael Bentley: Project 03 Relief Mapping

 Concept

The concept is about a topic I've learned in therapy about the emotional and rational parts of the mind. How sometimes one part can go into overdrive and initiate self destructive habits. I wanted to depict rational mind as the go getter, the task handler, and the emotional mind as the chamber of the hard abstract feelings. For me leaning into this brings me a lot of pain and self hatred and finding that middle ground has been a challenge.

Technique

The first part of this project involved getting MadMapper prepped by calibrating the digital model to the physical object. I started with calibrating the top, sides, bottom, and a few detail pieces to really make the model fit. 

The next part was to import my media onto quads and masking them into the shapes that match the model. Both sides are made to be chaotic to emphasize the serenity in the center.

Finally Texture pieces are added for the final details as well as lines to assume the concept of a cage around the inner-peace.

 Interpretation

My interpretation of this piece is a summarization of the push and pull between mindsets. If there's any sense of peace it's brief and hard to come by but completely possible. The line work adds more intrigue to the center and adds an unease. If there's one word to summarize this project I believe it would be chaotic. 

https://youtu.be/w1HnS8r69eY

ReplyForward

Eli Slack: Project 4 Relief Mapping

 Concept:

I’ve been an artist for as long as I have been physically capable of holding a pencil. Recently, I’ve been feeling nostalgic and wanting to go back and look through my old art from middle and high school, sort of put all my pieces together chronologically and be able to actually see the progression of time as my skills improved. Artistically, I have a focus on the human form, so I thought it would be compelling to have my own face besides the documentation of my art, sewn together through family photos and selfies, to roughly match what I looked like when I drew the correlating sketch. I’ve done my best to compile images from photo albums, from the dregs of my grade school portfolio, and even old USBs that have turned up under mysterious circumstances. The purpose of this piece is documentation, and a sort of retrospective of my career, with a focus particularly on my younger years. I’ve grown and changed, my identity certainly has, and my art has morphed to reflect those changes along the way. 

Technique:

I chose to do the two heads, so that my art could be projected on one, and my face the other. With a photo of me at my first ever art competition as the introductory photograph, the heads then fade in, flickering impossibly fast as hundreds of images cycle through. Collecting and compiling all of the images took the most man hours, up until I ran into processing challenges. I calibrated the 3D shape, imported it into MadMapper, downloaded Blender and UV-unwrapped the .obj file, then imported that into Adobe Illustrator to make an SVG file of the lines. 

After I had done that, I uploaded those SVG lines into MadMapper and realized that it just was overlaid as another layer, and I couldn’t figure out how to make it read as the UV interpretation for the file already in the project. Another idea I’d had for this piece is to include speed-draws of my more recent work as tiles on the planes of the ‘art’ face, and then individual videos of myself that I have collected through the years as the planes of the ‘artist’ face. To make this happen, I used the triangle tool to map out a surface over every single triangle on each face, since the projector saw then from different angles, so that I could plug in a video into each individual segment. 

This idea, however compelling that it might’ve looked, has proved to be too high-concept for my laptop and has crashed the program many times. It is, to be fair, a lot of video files. My laptop is currently completely unresponsive and thus I fear I have to scrap that idea as well. Unfortunately, the lagging of my device has made it impossible to get a clean recording of the work, so I have provided what I am able. 

The first scene goes smoothly, and the second one starts to stall as it prepares to load scene three, which is the most taxing processor-wise. This causes it to skip and stop and then fully bypass the video scene as well as most of the comet scene following. I am looking into getting a new laptop. 

Interpretation:

I like the concept I was working with, but ultimately limits were established by the medium that I could not move past, at least on this device. I wanted the piece to have a legible meaning, but I'm unsure if that carries through in the state that it is in. The piece opens with me as a child at my first art competition, and closes with a much more recent photo of me, mirrored, at the last Spring Show held at the SP/N Gallery. I am still learning this medium, but I can still recognize the progress I have made. 

 

Yvonne Yu: Projection 3 Relief Mapping

 

Concept:

My concept for this project is centered around the song Alien Superstar by Beyoncé. I felt that while Alien Superstar represents Beyoncé as an artist, it also connects to the black LGBTQ+ community that have been pioneers in history. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community who are people of color are prevalent throughout history, but often forgotten. For example, the genre of the song, dance/electronic pop, originated in black queer spaces and were often used at drag shows. I wanted to incorporate that idea into my compositions by utilizing color, movement, and images to express my visual interpretation of the song. I decided to use the Janus relief model because I feel that the brain and faces would best depict my visual interpretation of Alien Superstar and the extraterrestrial vibe of the song.

relief model

Technique:

I begun by calibrating the Janus file to the model in the studio and connecting the LED's to my MadMapper file. After connecting the model to my file, I then setup my compositions. 

composition 1

In my first composition I focused on the rhythm of the beginning of the song. I used Strobe on the LED's to mimic an alarm and match the announcement-type sample being heard. I used Retro Lava, Voro Cubes, and Spectrum materials on the Janus model to create an abstract visual. I did not want to use imagery in this composition as I felt the shapes and colors would better match the energy of the music.

composition 2

 

In my second composition I used Ribbons on the LED's to match the change in pace in the music. I added Starfield to the head to go with the extraterrestrial, outer space vibe of the instrumental. On the brain I added an image folder with images of important queer activists (Marsha Johnson, Gladys Bentley, Bayard Rustin, Ernestine Eckstein, Stormé DeLarverie, James Baldwin, and Lorraine Hansberry). While some of the activists pictured were more open about their sexuality, other activists were more prominent in civil rights but nonetheless important members in queer history.

composition 3

I decided to create a third composition to match the change of pace in the song. For this composition I used Funkadelic on the LED's to signify a sort of otherworldly feel. The LED's also create a stained glass effect on the brain that can be seen through the images. For the head, I used Plasma_07 which I synced to the music to create bigger waves. I wanted this portion of my project to be very colorful and wavy. I kept the image folder on the brain so that it plays with the Black Theater sample used in the song.

 

Interpretation:

 

Overall, I am satisfied with the result. I had fun being able to calibrate on a more complicated model/sculpture and playing around with LEDs. I enjoyed trying out different materials and using an image folder for the first time in my projection. I also enjoyed messing around with the connection between audio and materials. If I went back, I would probably build more on my concept and images, but I am happy with what I was able to research and put together for this project.

references:

https://youtu.be/e_aT9pAGQo8

Tately Diep: Project 4 - Relief Mapping

  Concepts:

My concept for this project is Food On The Brain is to represent the relationship between food and the brain. This project is supposed to convey the idea of daydreaming cravings. I wanted to create a composition that allows the viewer to have a cute and fun experience by using visuals that are playful and colorful. 

Relief Mapping Model

Techniques:

I thought this project was just the excuse I needed to play around with another program. I have been wanting to try out Blender so I am glad I finally had the chance to. I created three different foods: a fruit sandwich, a dango, and a flan. After creating my Blender files, I applied my scenes to the calibrated relief model in MadMapper. For each scene, I tried to make compositions that would help match the designated foods.

Creating 3D Food Models in Blender

GIF Showcasing Models

Calibrated Model

Scene/Cue View

   

Interpretations:

For my project, I wanted the 3D-modeled food to be the main focal point of the projection. Overall, I would say I am quite satisfied with how it came out, as I am proud of both my scenes and 3D models. However, if I could change one thing it would be to add the LED lights to my composition (I forgot about them) and find out why my project lags a bit when projected.

Bailey Lai: Projection 3 Relief Mapping

Concept

The Dan Base model was the most appealing to work with and I was inspired by "Overthinker" by INZO because of how geometric and face-like the model was. I pulled references to my design with INZO's album cover color palette. I felt like the EDM genre would suit this concept.

Techniques

Using the provided Dan Base model UV file on eLearning, I was able to calibrate my composition during class, which was approved and accurate. Unfortunately, the projector was moved by someone else and I tried to calibrate the best I could from my previous work. My compositions included the Line Pattern and Strobe outlines with different effects. My color palette came from the song's album cover and other effects to match the song's energy.

Interpretation

I created about four different and short compositions instead of two long ones because I wanted to match the snippet of the song. Slower and darker compositions paired with the dialogue and calmer parts of the song, while fast and brighter compositions were during loud instrumentals with beat drops.

Brendan Paul: Project 4 Relief Mapping

 Concept:

For my project, I wanted to base my composition's theme around a electronic/futuristic idea. I chose to use the song 22h39 by DANGER as the core music for the project. The large class backdrop model would be good for my idea since it has multiple different shapes and a good wireframe. 

Techniques:

To start, I downloaded the backdrop UV model and imported to MadMapper. I then began the process of calibrating it. I ended up placing more than a few calibration points but I think I got the calibration down to a good level in the end. 
 

I then created lines for the piece using Adobe Illustrator and divided them into segments, mostly just a circle, and the background. After importing it to MadMapper I created multiple layers and masks for my various scenes I plan on creating. I then added a mp3 of my song and set the bpm to be automatically set by MadMapper analyzing the song. Would divide my piece into three scenes.

For the first scene: I set the backdrop objects texture to be a pulsing circle theme that I got from the community library, and the main emblem in the middle to be a cool virtual mountain range. I also put some sound bars behind them to add some noise to the composition. This is the beginning of the song, so it is calmer than the other two parts. 

 

For the second scene: I add more color to the sound bars and added a pulsing ring that I synced up to the bpm. The effect of the circular emblem is some interesting effect I found in the community library. This is the main part of the song so there is more color and more noise to the composition at this time.

 

For the third scene: The wireframe of the backdrop has a series of lines that I used to add noise to the scene. I had two different sets of lines, one white and one black. They were set up with controls where they would alternate their opacities to appear as if there is one line that is changing between black and white. This is the last scene of the composition so it fades to black after this. 

Interpretation:

I wanted to create something that would look cool with the paired music, almost reminding me of a rave or a laser-tag arena. This project was fun to work on since I got to become far more adept with MadMapper and its various tools.

Rina Harrison Project 4: Projection Relief Mapping

 Concept: The Environments of TRIGUN STAMPEDE

Early this year, an adaption of one of my favorite Stories of all time was released, an anime called Trigun Stampede. It follows the story of Vash The Stampede, The Humanoid Typhoon, the ultimate pacifist who despite this also became the most wanted man alive or dead on his desert planet of No Man's Land. This adaption is made using almost full CG animation by Studio Orange and it looks visually gorgeous, and something I think they worked with beautifully were the background environments. Trigun's setting is almost entirely a desert, comprised of rolling dunes, ramshackle towns, strange wildlife, and the sun beating down upon the inhabitants, but theyre beautifully rendered in ways that show the wonders and adventures of the Desert Life. 

Process: 

I used the Cyberboard set for my mapping for two main reasons. Trigun's setting is based around the ruins of a much more advanced generation of Spacefairers that fell to the planet, and the circuit board is a very good physical representation of that idea. The second reason is that I wanted to use the LED system in this model compared to Janus's system.
    The backgrounds are all scenes from different episodes of the show, showing the unique beauty of the desert environments, from the rolling dunes to the dieselpunk city ruins, to the natural wonders of the fauna lighting up the night sky. I arranged the clips in the order of the day, starting from the ground into a Morning, then afternoon, then early night, then Midnight to simulate the passage of time.

 Interpretations: 

My interpitation is that you should watch Trigun Stampede.
(I joke, but not as much as you think)

In honesty, I think the way the LEDs worked with this project was one of my favorite parts, not to say there werent challenges, but I think working with the systems in place on this model was a huge highlight. I also would want to reshoot the video with a better camera, I think my phone was unable to capture this in the clarity I would have wanted. Overall, fun project!

Cheyenne Vallier: Project 4 Relief Mapping

https://youtu.be/mRkw7k1laGA 

Cheyenne Vallier: Relief Mapping

Concept:

For this project, I ultimately decided on the concept of police brutality. I explored this concept through song first, noting a phrase of slang such as "catching strays". For those unfamiliar, the term has multiple meanings. The first being catching literal stray animals on the street to hand over for the ASPCA organization for "rehabilitation". Secondly, catching a stray can refer to stray bullets impacting an unintended person at any time. I decided to play with the multiple meanings because they are not too far apart from one another. 

In my personal experience, I have seen time and time again of my people ending up dead in many instances they were trying to help. More so, children like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Edwards met an early fate at the hands of corrupt and racist individuals.  On top of that,  numerous black citizens are targeted to fill up jails and ultimately be locked up like animals for the rest of their life over petty crimes. This itself posed a question when working on the project: Why does America treat people, who are often targeted and over-policed, similar to stray dogs? And why is the solution to lock us away, or shoot us and call for backup while we cry out for one more breath of air?

Technique:

I created the song ASPCA a few months ago. When watching the news, I overheard my dad say something about an unarmed black male stopping a fight, and was ultimately killed by a "stray" bullet. Without thinking, I heard "stray" and made a connection right then and there. I also observed and compared outrage to this story to another about mistreatment at an animal shelter. Guess which one was national news. 

Keeping this in mind, once I saw the two faces and the brain, I knew immediately what I was going to be doing. I wanted the brain to be insight on current events and thought processes as they occur. In the first scene, the brain is split into two sections and two colors. I did this by masking and playing with opacities along with syncing to the audio file. I wanted to offer a direct reference to the police/America's representation. Corrupt officers will see money and skin color before humanity. By putting the image of money into the brain, it seems as if money is the motivation when it comes to crime, when in reality it mainly stems from access to resources. On the other hand, these same people only see black people as animals with life behind bars. Also, I included the faces to both have synchronized eyes. Though the heads are faced in opposite directions ( representing Democrats and Republicans), they are both living in the country and are facing the same experiences. It is up to the brain to turn them for what they are (the truth) or to spin an agenda.

The second scene reinforces the idea of unjust assumptions. I used the background video as a more "in-your-face" method to the dynamic of American police and black people. Additionally, the dogs around the brain are Rottweilers. I chose to have this specific type of dog because they get a bad rap due to their "violent" nature. I changed their color to the American flag colors to stay on theme, and they additionally pulse at different stages of the beat. The perception, I find, is very similar to Black Americans because they are both stereotyped before any connection can be made; there is just an automatic assumption they are violent. Lastly, the inner image of the brain had the wireframing taken out because I felt the image became busy. I aimed to have anyone who does not agree to open their eyes and face the fact that these dogs suffer a similar fate; they are either leaving to go home, or buried in the yard for more to take their spot. The caged dog offers the sense of helplessness that even those racially unaware can sympathize to.

Lastly, my third scene brings back the eye on the right side. I matched up and warped the background so that the left side had an eyebrow in the form of a cop car. I did this to show how one side of the issue feels the frustration of the demonstration, whereas the other is seeing and actually living it out. The crow is flowing into the mouth of the right side, showing that the way that protestors are being treated in response to human rights may not be reported on, but they are seen and reported + posted. The brain image finally has more lines to it, as there is a disruption into the structure of the "mind" of America, but it remains in place regardless of inequality. I edited it to sync with music to give emphasis and meaning to the lyrics, along with showing that both sides have yet to agree, and probably never will.

Interpretation:

I am very pleased with this project because I could finally implement my song to something that made sense. The dual heads offered a lot of space to work on, although I aimed to keep it simplistic. I did try to make it more complex starting off, but I felt as if it took away from the overall message of the work. I did have to refresh on some concepts through YouTube, however they were simple fixes. I loved being able to experiment in a more literal way of my lyrics, and this offered me another way to add onto the concept.