Morgan Grasham Project 1: Background Mapping

For this assignment I came up with two compositions for two spots on campus that are in central locations but are often overlooked and underused. I also considered where the projector would be set up so that it wouldn't be in the way of passersby. For McDermott Library, I created a two-projector piece to raise awareness of the amount of trash and plastic in the ocean. On the tower, trash flows down the steps towards the whales below. I used lines as directional indicators flowing the trash towards and into the ocean scene. The idea is that over time, the footage of the whales would change into footage of animals trapped in plastic garbage. The second composition takes place in a lonely alcove along the Student Union building. Last semester, I found a dead pigeon in this spot, and over the course of several months I watched the bird decompose. I watched the maggots and ants carry off the bird until all was left was feathers. As morbid as it was, it reminded me of home in the woods of east Texas. So I used Madmapper to commemorate the bird and to turn a literally dead space into a meditative corner. Here I used lines to emphasize the upward motion of the drone video and create a feeling of elevating and transcendence.

I started by photos I had taken on campus, and uploaded them as backgrounds. Using quads I marked off surfaces I would project on. Then on each quad, I masked off areas I did not want projected on, including trees (I don't recommend this--just use Photoshop). I found videos on Youtube, imported them, and assigned them to quads. I found that an essential part of Madmapper is using the input screen to adjust what is shown. I meticulously rearranged my quads in the input screen until quad groups where seamlessly sharing one video. The last step was adding lines to add movement and directional emphasis.

This was my first time using Madmapper. I am coming from a background of little digital work; I mostly use Processing and Movie Maker to make videos. I found the user interface to be very friendly. The masking tool is limited but works for basic geometric shapes--Photoshop would make masking complicated objects much easier. Overall I enjoy the program and think there is a lot of potential for critical aesthetic work, especially in combination with videos and interactive capabilities. This is a great way to install a large scale piece with little investment. I would like to use Madmapper to make more interactive socially engaged pieces in the future.