Art In Your Pocket 3: Sensor Driven iPad and iPhone Art Apps
PXL, Rainer Kohlberger, 2012
As the iPhone just celebrated its fifth year on the market, artists have already made a substantial dent in the commercially lucrative world of Apple’s AppStore. Despite this success, artists are still pushing forward to build apps that further integrate with the device’s sensors and location-based capabilities. Rather than working solely within the context of software art as I have covered in two previous articles on the subject for Rhizome, there is a focus now on artists who are interacting with the physical world by using the device’s internal sensors, location capabilities, constant Internet connectivity, and built-in cameras.
“Konfetti”, Stephan Maximillian Huber, 2012
Using the camera as a sensor, “Konfetti” by German based designer Stephan Maximillian Huber visualizes the image of its subject into countless dots. In effect, the camera image is translated into virtual confetti that follows any movement and creates an ever changing images based on which camera is selected. The dot’s movement is correlated to the detected flow captured by the camera and by repelling other dots, which also move as you touch and drag them. Huber explains over email how the app works as a reflection based art tool. “The app started as an iPad-only app, and on an iPad the app acts like a mirror, showing an abstract reflection of yourself. You'll get a clear image of yourself only when you concentrate on the process of the app, and don't move too fast. It's like contemplating about yourself and the image of yourself. And as your thoughts and emotions aren't static the image the app generates is dynamic and adapts to minimal movements and new ...
Art in Your Pocket 2
In the summer of 2009, I wrote an article here at Rhizome about the burgeoning activities of media artists creating new works or updating versions of their older interactive screen-based projects for Apple's iPhone and iTouch mobile devices. As the article made its way throughout the blogosphere, comments surfaced ranging from criticism of the "closed world of Apple's App Store and iPhone devices" to a championing of the availability of inexpensive multi-touch technology now available to artists who had been waiting for a platform that could adequately display and allow for the type of interaction their projects demanded. A year after the article came out, the draw of these devices and their potentially expansive audience has become even more irresistible to artists enough so that several more "apps" have surfaced. The following article catalogs several new iPhone works which have emerged over the past year, works that are pioneering the next generation of portable media art.
Top 5 - 10
Jonah Brucker-Cohen is a researcher, artist, professor and writer. His writing has appeared in numerous international publications including WIRED Magazine, Make Magazine, Neural, Rhizome, Art Asia Pacific, Gizmodo and more, and his work has been shown at events such as DEAF (03,04), Art Futura (04), SIGGRAPH (00,05), UBICOMP (02,03,04), CHI (04,06) Transmediale (02,04,08), NIME (07), ISEA (02,04,06,09), Institute of Contemporary Art in London (04), Whitney Museum of American Art's ArtPort (03), Ars Electronica (02,04,08), Chelsea Art Museum, ZKM Museum of Contemporary Art (04-5),Museum of Modern Art (MOMA - NYC)(2008), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) (2008). He received his Ph.D. in the Disruptive Design Team of the Networking and Telecommunications Research Group (NTRG), Trinity College Dublin. He is an adjunct assistant professor of communications at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and in the Media, Culture, Communication dept of NYU Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development.
2009 was an important year for the Internet as a whole. The advent of web 2.0 and "crowdsourcing" initiatives has enabled a much richer array of content from users who might never have ventured onto the Internet in previous years. My top 10 sites for this year cover a wide range of topics from art made for mobile devices with iPhoneArt.org to evidence of both information saturation with Information Aesthetics and physical and pseudo intellectual abundance with This is Why You're Fat and There I Fixed It, to strange observances of mistakes in the public realm with Fail Blog. In addition to these crowdsourced content sites, I also see some ongoing potential with artist-created sites such as Brett Domino's lowtech approach to music making ...
Art In Your Pocket
As the niche genre of software art expands beyond the web and into mobile devices, media artists are finding ways to integrate their work into a new form of business model. Instead of giving away your work for free on the web, Apple's iPhone and iTouch devices provide an ample platform for distribution (through the Apple App Store) and hardware support for novel ways to experience screen-based work.
Report From FutureSonic 2009
Focusing on a wide array of themes such as the context of a rapidly changing planet, our evolving human / natural ecosystem, the growing global strain on natural resources, and the advancement of artistic methods on potential of technological infrastructures, the 10th edition of the FutureSonic festival spanning 14 years integrated a wide and impressive array of international speakers, workshops, exhibitions, and performances. Scattered around the bustling city of Manchester in the United Kingdom, the festival took into account both its local strengths and its global outreach to encourage debate and showcase a wide arrange of artistic projects that examined just how far we have come in these debates and how far we have to go to make sense of the evolving technological apparatus that surrounds us.
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design - Call for Students!
made up of some Ex-IVREA / RCA researchers and others. They are
looking for Masters students for their Pilot Year. Please forward
around to those who might be interested!
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Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
Call for Students - Pilot Year
http://www.ciid.dk/pilotcall/
Pilot Year
Building on the positive response that CIID has received from our
feasibility study and initial activities, we are now establishing our
own educational programme. CIID is looking for 15-20 students from
Scandinavia, Europe and around the world to join us in Copenhagen for
our first educational year, starting in January 2008. These students
will receive sponsorship for a full-time, intensive, but experimental
version of our Masters course. Working in a studio environment, they
will design and prototype new ideas for services, products and
software. Visiting faculty will lead investigations into a range of
topics related to their specific expertise in design, technology and
innovation, after which students will engage in a self-directed
research project. We will use the experiences of the pilot year to
shape the programme of the subsequent two-year CIID masters courses,
and expect some students to continue in the educational and research
activities of the institute. The funding for this programme has yet
to be secured and the launch of the pilot programme will depend on
this.
When will the pilot year occur?
The pilot year will span the whole of 2008. From January to June,
students will participate in the investigations and workshops that
form the foundation of the programme. No instruction takes place in
July and August, as CIID encourages and helps students to find
internships. In September, they will return to CIID to conduct a
self-directed thesis project with a CIID or external advisor.
Tentatively, we plan for the pilot year to conclude at the end of
2008. If there is enough interest and support, however, it could be
extended. In fact, we hope that some students will remain part of
CIID after the pilot year concludes: as researchers, instructors, or
in some other capacity.
Where will the pilot year take place?
The pilot year will take place in Copenhagen. We are currently
investigating possible locations, but believe that for a studio-based
programme like ours it is critical for each student to have dedicated
space for their work and materials.
What will I learn and do?
At CIID, students learn to apply design and technology to people's
lives and needs. We believe in a studio environment - students and
faculty working intensely on a project brief. We focus on hands-on
learning, meaning that students are given the skills to build working
prototypes of their ideas. A user-centred design process provides
inspiration and grounding. A multi-disciplinary approach prepares
students for careers in companies where innovation crosses product
areas.
The education is divided into three tiers. The first tier is an
initial set of short, skills-based workshops. The second tier
consists of longer design investigations. Finally, for the third tier
students pursue a self-directed research project. In addition,
students will participate in projects done in collaboration with
companies and take seminars in the practical and theoretical aspects
of interaction design.
For more information, see the CIID curriculum.
What is the language of study?
The official language of the institute is English. While many of the
faculty and staff at the institute are fluent in other languages, we
request that all communications and materials pertaining to
applications and admissions be in English. We expect all students and
faculty to have a high level of both written and spoken English.
Why is CIID conducting a pilot year?
We would like our programme to be shaped by its students and faculty.
The pilot year is a means of prototyping CIID's education with the
people who will be part of it. By running our first year in a
resource-light but content-intensive way, we hope to learn how to
refine our programme before investing heavily in a long-term
structure. Also, we hope that it will attract an eclectic mix of
students and faculty who are excited about creating a new institute.
What's in it for me?
We are offering students an intense one-year interaction design
education lead by experts in the field. It is an opportunity to meet
like-minded people, acquire skills, create a body of design work, and
help establish a new educational programme. Finally, we expect the
course to prepare students for real-world jobs at innovative
companies and institutions.
What type of certificate/degree will I receive?
Because this is a pilot year, we're focusing on the content and
people involved in the programme rather than formal accreditation.
Students who successfully complete the course will receive a
certificate acknowledging their accomplishments, but the pilot year
will likely not be formally accredited.
What does it cost?
Because this is a pilot year, we expect to offer full scholarships to
all students. You will need to cover all other expenses: flights,
accommodation, food, etc.
How do I apply?
This is an experiment - we're diving in head-first and hope you will
too. There's a chance it might not happen, but we're willing to take
the risk and we're looking for those daring enough to join us. If
you're up for it, check out the admissions page for information about
how to apply. If you have specific questions please contact us by
email: admissions@ciid.dk.
SimpleTEXT: June 5th @ EYEBEAM NYC (Tomorrow Night!)
SimpleTEXT: June 5th, 2007 @ EYEBEAM, NYC
* Below is information about the next SimpleTEXT peformance on
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 @ Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology
(http://www.eyebeam.org)
This event is in conjunction with the Upgrade NYC
http://www.eyebeam.org/upgrade/
Please forward to those who might be interested in attending the performance!
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SimpleTEXT
*a cell phone enabled interactive performance* by Family Filter
URL: http://www.simpletext.info
When:
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 (7:30 pm) - Beginning with a talk by Jonah
Brucker-Cohen, Performance at 8pm)
Bring your Cell phone and/or Wireless Laptop to contribute to the performance!
Where:
EYEBEAM
540 W. 21st Street, (between 10th and 11th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Web Site: http://www.oboro.net
Map Link: http://tinyurl.com/2qb28h
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THIS EVENT IS FREE TO ALL
About SimpleTEXT:
SimpleTEXT is a collaborative audio/visual public performance that
relies on audience participation through input from mobile devices
such as phones, PDAs or laptops. SimpleTEXT focuses on dynamic input
from participants as essential to the overall output. The performance
creates a dialogue between participants who submit text messages
which control the audiovisual output of the installation. These
messages are first parsed according to a code that dictates how the
music is created, and then rhythmically drive a speech synthesizer
and a picture synthesizer in order to create a compelling,
collaborative audiovisual performance.
To date, SimpleTEXT has been shown 13 times in 9 countries across
Europe and North America.
SimpleTEXT focuses on mobile devices and the web as a bridge between
networked interfaces and public space. As mobile devices become more
prolific, they also become separated by increased emphasis on
individual use. The SimpleTEXT project looks beyond the screen and
isolated usage of mobile devices to encourage collaborative use of
input devices to both drive the visuals and audio output, inform each
participant of each other's interaction, and allows people to
actively participate in the performance while it happens.Our purpose
with the performance is to create the possibility of large-scale
interaction through anonymous collaboration, with immediate audio and
visual feedback. SimpleTEXT encourages users to respond to one
another's ideas and build upon the unexpected chains of ideas that
may develop from their input..
SimpleTEXT is an example of an interactive piece that works well in
crowded public spaces such as social and unruly atmospheres where
heckling, irony, criticism, and sarcasm are common modes of
communication. The project is a large-scale piece in terms of scale
of audience interaction, where the communication between audience
members is tangible and direct.
Support/Sponsors:
SimpleTEXT is created by Family Filter, a collaboration between Jonah
Brucker-Cohen, Tim Redfern, and Duncan Murphy. It was originally
funded by a commission from Low-Fi, an new media arts organization
based in London, UK. This event is sponsored and hosted by EYEBEAM
and The UpGrade.
Eyebeam: http://www.eyebeam.org
The Upgrade: http://www.theupgrade.net
LINKS:
About SimpleTEXT including video documentation: http://www.simpletext.info
SimpleTEXT video on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/kd9yw
Jonah Brucker-Cohen - http://www.coin-operated.com
Tim Redfern - http://www.eclectronics.org
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Corrections to Report from Futuresonic 2007
FutureSonic 2007 - for the record:
1) FutureSonic is in is its 11th year, not 12th as I reported.
2) Drew Hemment organized the conference and speakers, and invited
Anne Galloway to be its 'host', and brief the speakers. I reported
that Anne organized it alone.
Sincerely,
Jonah Brucker-Cohen
