Final Project

These are my first and second drafts for my final project proposal. I do not doubt that there will be a few more along the way. As for the color palette, I notice it was cut off when I initially scanned it, however, I'm not sure if I will be using it after all. Also, here is a copy of my proposal...

Perception

My original interface design was to eliminate the boundary between man and computer in such a way that the technology and user essentially become one. The technological component would be so intuitive that the wants and needs of the user are presented completely and without flaw, tailored to the exact specifications of each individual user. This is achieved by tapping directly into the brain of the user and using his/her experience and personality in the portrayal of the interface within a virtual reality environment, entirely within the mindscape of the user. In my personal presentation of such a VR world, it was very technological and futuristic in appearance, however, that environment can change with any other user. Someone might use this device and his or her environment would be a tropical rainforest, a kitchen, or possibly even a desktop computer (although in my opinion, that would be somewhat limiting).

In my original presentation, I indicated that all that happened within the VR world was completely metaphorical and no actual action was being taken, but rather, thought was all that transpired. One would ask how I intend to present mere thought? The same can be said about how to present sound or time within a piece. Well, thought has many different meaning to many different people. Not everyone will have the same response to that question, while similarly, not everyone will have the same interface environment. It is simply a matter of perception. Whatever a viewer envisions their interface design to be, will be visualized within the scope of the piece I intend to present.

My project will consist of a triptych presentation of abstract paintings meant to elicit different responses according to each viewer. As I mentioned, thought and the interface environment are entirely dependant on the perception of the particular user or viewer, so, the whole point of using abstraction as a tool is to see exactly what a particular viewer sees within these paintings. In essence, these are the person’s thoughts, and subsequently, their interface environment.

I intend to use a similar methodology originally used for the exercise of visual punctuation (used in one of the lectures) in order to find some “sub-categories” of thought to better visualize this idea. Once I have a basic framework of what I want to present, I will proceed in creating the final paintings.

The materials I intend to use for these paintings are canvas and acrylic paint. I was considering using some other media to add more conflict to the piece, but haven’t quite decided on that yet.

MAC Report

Alexandre Castonguay: Elements

This piece is an interactive installation using old cameras, projectors, and circuit boards. Basically, a video camera photographs your image as you walk by, and this image is then shown onto the wall through a projector attributing a specific effect, whether it is a water ripple, crystallizing effect, etc, etc. The digital images projected onto the wall change with every action or inaction you make, thus making the piece interactive and terribly interesting when you analyze it in the several different levels the artist intended (or at least the levels I believe he intended).

The first point I wish to address is the fact that this particular installation had several different projectors, as opposed to just one. I’m sure the artist could’ve achieved the technical results with only one set of a camera and projector, but the piece would then be lacking in what I believed to be one of the crucial elements, which is several points of view. The fact that you can view the room from several different angles is important because everyday people often view the same set of variables in different ways, or rather from a different point of view. Because one is standing in a different part of the room, he quite literally has a different way of seeing things, and thus of interpreting information.

Furthermore, the different visualizations also accentuate the idea of different perceptions of the world around us. One camera and projector deals with the image of me walking by in a much more different way than another set of a camera and projector. These cameras can be interpreted as the optical scope of a given person and the digital images on the screen can be understood as how this optical scope interprets the visual information presented before it. Although the basic camera function is the same, or rather a person’s optical nerve, the perception may be different when running it through a different set of computational parameters, or rather being interpreted by a brain that has had much more varied experiences and cultural background than another given person.

A person’s perception is paramount when dealing with matters pertaining to personal preference. Within the realm of my final project, I will be dealing with how a person creates they’re virtual world around them from the base of mere thought. The presentation of my abstract triptych paintings will force the viewer to develop a personal interpretation of what they are viewing, and conclude what it means to them. This conclusion is a base process for discovering what reality they will be soliciting when “logging on” to their personal interface.

Color exercises

I know this is a little late, but here are my color exercises. I wasn't able to find the one I made for anger, but as soon as I do, I'll attach it to this blog.

The sequence of these pictures is happy, melancholy, and hungry. I didn't exactly stay within the initial parameters of the exercise because I just wanted to experiment a little more. Surprisingly, I don't have much to say this particular posting, probably because I have moved onto working on my final project and am focusing more on that right now.

Color

Color has always been a great mystery for me, especially from a design standpoint. (Consequently, much of my better works have been in black and white.) I was never able to fully explain or understand why a certain design piece "worked" based on the color scheme, but I was able to say if it "worked" or not. (The only reason I use the term "works" is because of a certain design teacher I had who never took the time to explain these fundamentals to me, despite my repeated efforts to ask him about it. The only thing he ever told me was, "...it either works or it doesn't. That's all there is."

I guess what is inherent in every human being is a fundamental consensus that certain colors work with others so completely that there is no question to the contrary. I, however, require more than that. I want to know why it works. This would take light-years off the development of projects rather than having to experiment in every color combination that I think may "work".

In any case, the lecture in class with Joey's friend (I can't remember his name and it isn't on the course syllabus), significantly complicated my life. There is so much more I hadn't considered when dealing with color that must now be dealt with. First off, the idea that the human brain can't remember color as well as music is troublesome. No matter how much you would want to engrave a "work" into a person's mind, the colors will still vary from individual to individual. Also, the very important fact that colors are contextual, where one red won't operate on the same level with different colors. Furthermore, the exercise on the color scales made my head hurt. I wasn't able to accomplish it as well as I had hoped. I new it wouldn't be easy from the start, but I still thought it would turn out better. I started off the darker portion of the scale with too much subtlety and then, because of a lack of squares, I jumped too much from dark to light. It was decent but could use improvement.

In any case, I think more study is required into the color theory field, and I believe I will start by picking up a copy of that book by Joseph Albers.