Reflection

Group Work

I believe our group work went well. Even thought we weren’t all there every lecture, we still worked together. Thanks to the wiki we were still able to access each other work and options. As the weeks went on we all had our own bit of work to produce. This made group work a bit simpler because we could all work at our own pace to get the visualizations finished. Everyone knew what they were responsible for thought every step of the project.

The space

I believe that the space we choose was a good choice. It was a big open space in a busy par of town that did not really have a use. There was lots of potential in the space. Even though we spoke to people promoting in the space and they told us that it was a really bad place to be. They felt that people just didn’t pay attention to them and just walked right by. However I do believe that this could possibly be because they were trying to sell people stuff. That if we put something fun and interesting in the space that it would get people attention and that it would get used. Of course this is just theory as we were unable to test it.

The installation

The installation is something that I probably would not have designed if I was working on my own. It is very much the product of group work. I did like the that fact that the installation had a purpose. It would come in handy for all those people who were searching for the best deals. If I was to do the installation again I would probably want to have fewer projections. So instead of having 6 little screen I would have two big screens (one on each side) each projection 3 shops offers. I am not 100% sure that the installation would totally work in the space. Because it is such a busy space and lots of people are just travelling though, I believe that the installation will not be eye catching enough to grip their attention and make them want to stop and have a go.

What I liked

What I liked about this project was that it taught me how to plan for an installation. It showed me many different tricks on how to capture ideas that I would have thought of normally. It also taught me that simple things can take a lot longer then expected. It also shows me how to look at spaces differently and to get the most out them. I liked having the optuntie to take photo, sketches, animations and videos. It allowed me to be very creative.

What i've learnt

I’ve learnt that I really enjoy planning installation. I am very much looking forward to the day when l finally get to make one. It has also back up that I am a very creative person. This project has helped me know that this is definitely what I want to do as a job because it is something I enjoy doing and that is very rewarding.

Deployment

Where will the cables run? -We will run the cables from the back of the seating area on top of the ground to the generator in waterproof cable protectors.

Setup time – Considering the area has little housing around it, we would be able to install the project early in the morning.

Vandalism – The projectors will be placed into boxes with protective properties to stop vandals. We will also have extra boxes, projectors and logo encase damage is too great. The projectors boxes will be fastened to the floor so people can not pick them up. As the material used to project onto will be fastened to the wall. The installation will also be put away every night to stop it being vandalised by drunks.

Water damage – Hopefully do to the protective boxes around the projection there won’t be any water damage. But if there is water damage in a projector and the projector or a sensor stops working we will have backups to replace it. If the logo get damaged by water damage we will replace these with new ones.

Weather proof – The projector will be in boxes and this will stop water getting in and affecting the projector. The screen will be made of water proof material. The cable will be protected by cable protectors. The logo will be stuck to the floor and will be made of water proof materials.

Maintains – Everything that we will use will be easy to clean and even replace if we need. Also we will have 2 backups of everything just in case wear and tear takes hold.

Security – The projector will be secure in boxes that are fastened to the floor. The material over the seats will be fastened to the wall. All the plugs will be in waterproof plug protector that again will be fixed to the floor.

Health and safety – Everything that are using will be fastened securely to the floor, which will lower the risk of people falling over it.

The cable could expand out into where people are working, we will make sure that they are brightly coloured so people notice them.

The logo could possible get slippery when wet, this is something that will need to be tested before. If they are slippery we will have to do something to make sure there not.

The boxes will be stuck to the floor and therefore people could walk into them and hurt themselves. We would have to make it that the boxes where easy to see and the people walking by where aware of the risk. This could me achieved by the having signs up and having bright coloured side of the protective boxes.

Deployment time table (set up)

5:30am Get to space.

4:45am Set up lights to see by (will be dark).

6:15am Set up both screens.

6:45am Place the projectors (fix the projective boxes to the floor).

7:30am Plug them into the generator.

8:00am Check that they work.

8:30am Leave the space.

Deployment timetable (pull down)

7:00pm Get to space.

7:15pm Set up light (if it is dark).

7:30pm Disconnect the projectors from the power(unfix them from the floor) .

8:30 pm Put them away to one side.

9:00pm Take down the screens.

9:30pm Pack everything away.

10:00pm Leave the space.

Equipment list

• 6 up wards projectors.

• Protective cases for all the projectors.

• Plugs for all projectors

• Waterproof cable protectors.

• Screws.

• Screwdriver.

• Extra bulbs.

• Extra boxes (2).

• Extra projectors (2).

• Extension leads.

• 6 pressure pad logo.

• 2 sheet to create the screens.

• 2 bits of wood (to make the seats square).

• Duct tape to secure the screen.

Mock ups

We decided that we would create a installation where the seats are in the space. Most people use the space to walk from one shop to another. So we decided that we would create a installation that would allow people to see what offers they had on in the shops in town.

Below is a detailed sketch of what the installation will look like. It shows how we will box in the seats and make it into a big screen. It shows how the projections will look and where they will project. It also shows the pressure pad logo on the floor where people will stand.



This is a computerized drawing to show how the installation will work. It similar to the drawing above but goes into more detail. It shows the pressure pads and how they work.

This is a bigger version of the box in the corner of the drawing above. It describes how the installation works and what hardware we are going to using.


This is a 3D animation of what our installation is going to look like and how it will fit into the space. It also shows what technology we will use to create the installation.

This a movie demonstrate how the the installation will work when people interactive with it. It will have 6 different logo on the floor and when someone stands on the logo, the offers for that shop appears on the screen in front of them.

Requirements

Below are the requirements for the insallation. We decided these requirements from both our environmental survey and contextual study.

• Flat – The installation must be flat, this is to avoid injuries from people tripping and falling over the project.

• Safe – The installation must have appropriate health and safety measures covered, such as

• Projection – the projection must be bright so that it can be seen in the daytime.

• Small – the installation must be small so that it doesn’t bother uninterested passers by/area inhabitants?

• It must be able to work throughout the day till the closing hours of the shopping centers.

• It must not damage or harm any of the local wildlife; it must also be easily cleaned, as there are a lot of pigeons around the chosen area.

• The installation must be a correct volume so it cannot be heard in nearby shops and cause too much of a distraction.

• Sensors must not ne over sensitive?!?!?

• It must be interactive, this means it must work when a person walks up to the installation and not be operated in any other way.

• It must be waterproof, to avoid any health hazards and damage to the actual project.

• It must be easily stored, this means the components of the installation must be small enough to store and take apart at the end of the day/installation time scale.

• It must be vandal proof to avoid damage and further costs in terms of repair to the installation.

• It must be wind proof this is to avoid any accidents due to high winds .

The Brief

Brief breakdown

• Plan and design an interactive installation.

• Installation should integrate into the space.

• The space has to be accessible at different times of the day.

• Has to be draw people attention.

• It has to have a reason/use.

• Has to be easy to use.

These 6 points are the most important things the installation has to do. It should be usefully in the space. Something where it gives use full information back to the user. It should also be easy to use and need no explanation.

Contextual Study

When we first went to the space there was a sky van parked right where our installation is meant to be. This effected the way people moved around the space but it also gave us the opportunity to see how people interact with something in the space. Most people just walked straight passed, in the hour we were there only a couple of people stopped to talk to the man. This maybe a issue that we have. However I think it will be different because our installation is going to interactive and is not try to sell anything to anyone.

We spoke to the man working in the sky van and asked him what he thought about the space. He said that it was a really bad place to be. That everyone just walks right passed him.

This is the busies we saw the space. Everyone in the photo was just passing though the space. There does not seem to be a pattern of how they are walking.

Almost everyone moving around the space has shopping bags. This indicate that people only use the space to get to other shops or where they want to get to. This is one of the only time we saw anyone stop in the space and this was to free his hand up so he could sort out his phone.


May different thing move though the space. As you can see below there is a women pushing a pram though the space. This is something that we are going to consider and make sure that the area is accessible to prams ect. We also have to thing about damage to our installation.

This is the only time I have seen someone sit in the space and use it for more then a pass though. These two women stop with there prams to eat there lunch. This shows that the seats do get used, even if not very often.

We didn't think there was any power on the cite. But we noticed that the sky van had power. It had to come from somewhere? So I followed the leads from the sky van to see where they were getting there power from. Turns out there is a power generate hidden in the bushes. This is good new means we can do something that needs power.


This video shows how people move around the space. If you watch it you see a lot of different things and people moving around the space. Of course how people move around the space is effected by the sky van. There is even a van that drives over our installation.

This is a diagram of the space. The red lines indicate how people moved around the space and how they pass thought it. I took the paths from the video above. That is why I have put the sky van in the diagram. This is a good diagram because it allows us to see which the busy part of the space is (in this case where most people work). As you can see the top part the space is the busiest. This mean that this would probably be the best place for a installation, as most people would pass thought here.

Even though there was a sky van in front of the seats. I do not believe that it would change the path people took across the space. Around the outside of the circle (behind the sky van) is where the stone seats are. Which would stop people walking there anyway.

Environmental Surveys

Simon says that 'you look at a space but you never really see it' this is really true. I didn't realise how much this is true till we went to the space and looked at it. You see things that you wouldn't normally see.

When I first got in the space it seemed a lot bigger then I expected. If we did the whole circle it would be a really big installation (Insert measurements).



The centre of the circle (measurements). One of the idea we had was making the centre of the circle interactive.


We also have to take in to consideration the other thing that are going to be in the space. We observed that there were pigeons landing in the space. There are also leaf falling from the trees. It is very open space so it has to endure all different types of weather.



Another thing that we noticed was that there were 3 drains in the space as well. This in turn would cause us issue in using the whole space. As we would not be able to cover the drain because they would still need to be accessible. This could possibly change our whole idea for the interactive installation.


The circle almost takes up all the space that in available to walk on. Depending on the installation we put in this could be a bad thing or a good thing because most people have to walk on it. I think that we will need to come up something that can still function with lots of people using it at once. We would have to create something that was flat and easy to pass by else it might cause problems for people walking though town. This is made clear by the fact there isn't much space to walk around the whole circle. Which leads me to think that it might not in practical to do the whole circle.


On one side of the circle there is a stone seat along half of the circles. They are separated into to parts by a bit of wall.


There is a plaque in the middle of the seats. We would have to work around this. It wouldn't be something that we could change. It does however look very old and not very well up kept. So I did have the idea that maybe we could create something interactive in the space to honor the same thing as the plaque. Of course this would take a lot of research into the person the plaque is representing.



One of the biggest thing we noticed about the area is that it is not up kept. It has been left for a really long time. Some of the brick that made up the floor are very loose and some you can even take out. Not only does this look bad but can be dangerous. One of the things I did relies is that we would have to replace the whole floor. This makes think if we wanted to build a installation here that it would problem be welcome as long as we tie it into the environment already established.


The area can only be viewed by two ways. Two side are looking at green foliage.




The other two side you can see down and up the high street.

This is a video of the sound around the area.

This is a simple computer generate diagram to show how the space would look from a birds eye view. It clearly shows the space which we have to work with.

These are two detailed sketches of what the space looks like. The bottom sketch give the measurements for the space.

Rolighetsteorin

Rolighetsteorin

Another digital artist I came across is a guy called Rolighetsteorin. There isn't much information about the artist himself. But he promotes something called the 'fun theory'. This is the idea that by getting people to do thing they wouldn't normally by making it fun.

Piano Stairs

They took the normal stairs in a tube station and turned them into a working piano. The idea of this project was to encourage people to use the stairs instead of the escalator, by making the stairs more fun. Below is just a screen shot of a point in the video.

I really like this piece of work. I believe it has a good reasoning behind it and is showing people that we can use technology in a positive way to help us all kept fit. I think this kind of interactive display can have a great impact on the people who use them. 66% of people who would normally use that escalator, used the stairs. This in return is making them fitter and having a positive effect on their lives without them even realizing it. I think this project has really opened my eyes to the impact digital art can have.

Full video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IXh2n0aPyw

Arcade bottle bank

They took a normal bottle bin and made it into a arcade. The idea behind it was that if they made it into a game, more people will want to play. Which in return means more bottles are being recycled. Below is a screen shot of people using the bottle bank.

I really like this bit of work because it has a very good purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSiHjMU-MUo&feature=related

Random Thought

My name seems way to normal for me to be a digital artist.

The research

During my research for interactive display in shopping malls. I found some very interesting digital artists.

Jason Bruges

I came across a Digital Artist call Jason Bruges. I look though his projects that he has word on and he has done some really amazing stuff.

Panda eyes

One of his most recent pieces of work was a exhibition in a museum. As you can see from the picture he took 100 of the Charity (WWF) collection boxes and made them interactive. The panda rotate automatically to track visitors movements throw the space.

I really like this interactive display. I like the fact that there is a purpose behind it. A lot of digital art is made to look pretty or represent something eg data flow. With this display it is being used for a cause (raise money and promote awareness).

http://www.jasonbruges.com/projects/uk-projects/panda-eyes

Data flow

This is another piece of digital artwork from Jason Bruges. This one represents electronic data follow (emails, on-line videos, e-commerce) within a company.

This display look very visually good but the point of the display is not very clear. Unless you know what the colours are meant to represent, it will just look like a pretty colour building lit up. Which may be what they were after. It is also not clear how the data flow connects to the colours. I have very mixed feeling about this project the reaso

n for making it seems to be very fuzzy.

http://jasonbruges.com/projects/international-projects/data-cloud

Choosing a space

The Brief

Last week my group was given a brief to fulfill. As I was not there last week due to illness I was playing catch up. The brief was, we have to pick a place in Plymouth to set up a interactive display. My group picked a busy spot in the city centre. Below is a picture of the area that they choose. We are going to constrate on the circle design and how to make this interactive in some way.



The ideas

• One of the idea we came up with was that the different section on the circles would make different sound then people stood on them.

I thought this was a very good idea and would be a very fun and interactive for everyone in the city centre.

• The second idea we has was making the circle a interactive screen. So there will be a screen underneath your feet and when you walk on it you will triger thing to happen. Such as make ripples, move balls out the way, fish come around your feet ect.

However even though I thought this was a really good idea, I did feel that with how busy the space is this might be a problem.

• The third idea was that if people walked over the middle of the circle that it would glow up different colours.

I also thought that this would be a good idea. Made not as interactive as the music (seems it allows you to play different tunes) but still a good idea.

So we have three idea's we are still unsure which we are going to choose. We desided to do research into 3 key area of the industre. Socialism, Technology aviable and example of digital art already in place. From this research will will choose which idea is best or come up with a completely now one.