Blogging Assignment 8

Kevan Mann

ISTA 301 Blog 8

Passage by Jason Rohrer - A Discussion

In the beginning, you are alone

      "Passage" is a very interesting piece of interactive digital media with a subjective and highly interpretive message hidden within it's narrow 600x96 pixel letterbox. One might be quick to call it a video game, since it does have interactive controls and a playable character like all video games do, however, it is best that we do not view this creation as such. Even Jason Rohrer, the creator himself, advocates that Passage should be viewed first as an interactive piece of art (complete with all the open-interpretation, themes, and messages as such) rather than a riveting video game. 

       This fact is made abundantly clear to us pretty much right off the bat when starting the game, because literally all you do in it is walk up, down, or to the right. That last one is key, because when (and only when) you walk to the right, your score in the top right increases. This is the only way to increase this score. Hence, it is to be believed that walking right is the means of progressing through the game. As you do, though, the scenery changes, obstacles present themselves that you must maneuver around, and, perhaps most interestingly, your characters age. 

       One of the first things you do in the game is acquire a lover. When you do this, you find that you now walk together, one in front of the other. This presents its own challenges, as you two now cannot fit into spaces that you could previously. Thus, it creates a greater challenge for the player as he has to maneuver upwards and downwards to find a space wide enough to fit two people. You continue this pattern rightward until, eventually, both of you age enough to die. The game then ends at this point and presents the title, "Passage".

      With the game now being summarized and completed, my interpretation of this creation is simple: it is a message about life and death, and the journey you take through life when you're with another person. It's quite plain, really: the obstacles you have to maneuver around in the game are representative of the same obstacles you meet in life. When you want to move forward in life (aka, to the right in the game), you first have to move around the obstacles in your path. When you do this with another person, sometimes you find that they are harder to move around, or that you simply cannot move around a certain obstacle as a pair when you easily could have if you travelled through life alone. Then, alas, as you age with this person and get further on in your life, one of you will eventually die. Once this happens in game, the remaining character immediately slows down. Perhaps representative of him/her feeling less headstrong and forward-driven now that he suddenly has to take the path of life alone after traveling with another person the whole time prior.

The world rolling out ahead of the characters in the beginning 

      My thoughts and feelings while playing the game were basically immediately what I outlined above. It didn't take me a significant amount of time and thought to realize what Rohrer was getting at here. It affects me, too, because I think this is a decision everyone will face at some point in their lives. Do they want to find a girl/guy, marry, and grow old and die together as one? Or do they want to travel the path of life alone, perhaps achieving more along the way? Most people will choose the former, as society shows, because it generally leads to a happier, more fulfilling life. It really comes down to a personal choice on a person-by-person basis, but as for me I think that the former choice is definitely the life for me. 

     On a slightly different, concluding note, I'd like to point out that Rohrer did this all in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Pixel art may not be the most detailed form of artistic expression, but Rohrer pulled off expressing his themes in an effective way to the clever use of progressive visual shifts and some unique visual effects. In the beginning of the game, the world seems to roll out ahead of you on the right, as if to say "You've got the whole world at your feet", but later on, that "unrolling" visual effect shifts from the far right side entirely over to the left. With this visual shift, one can interpret that this is expressing the idea that your path in life is ending: you can't see very far ahead anymore, your vision is narrowed, and what you've conquered already is rolling back up behind you. Your character too, for example, has hair that begins to get grayer and grayer (and bald!) as you progress rightwards. Towards the very end of the game, your view of the character will occasionally go fuzzy for a second or two, as if to further indicate that the lifespan is nearing an end. Really, in conclusion, this game can be described as a strangely beautiful and interpretively impactful look at the "passage" through life. It's brilliance, in the end, will be measured by each individual viewer's takeaway...

The two characters growing old, with the man balding on the left

  

Blogging Assignment 7

Kevan Mann

ISTA 301 Blog 7

Opto-Isolator - A Discussion

Opto-Isolator by Golan Levin

        Opto-Isolator by Golan Levin is an interactive art piece that explored the idea of reverse-spectatorship; what if the art piece observed you? The creation is a mechanized human eye replica which, using a variety of sensors and cameras, stares its viewer directly in the eye and reacts in unnervingly human ways. As you look at it, it appears to be studying the viewers face with subtle but intent eye movements. It can also react by breaking eye contact if it is stared at for too long, and perhaps most surprising, blinks precisely one second after the viewer does. Yes, it even BLINKS.

I think one style of art that describes this piece would be the concept of Cybernetics, which is an art form focused on the study of systems (both their functions and structures) from all areas, including mechanical, physical, biological, cognitive, and social. 

In a few ways, this one simple piece contains Cybernetic elements from each of these categories. First, it is exemplary of mechanical Cybernetics in the way it mimics the mechanical function of the eye with its' movements (up/down/left/right) and blinking. In addition, it contains the physical and biological aspect of the eye with the Sclera (white part), the pupil (black part) and the iris (colored part). Finally, it covers the cognitive and social aspects of Cybernetic art and theory in the way that the eye reacts realistically to the viewer. Looking away coyly when the viewer stares too long, rapidly moving eye around different parts of the face, and blinking after the viewer are all cognitive and psychosocial reactions to eye-to-eye human interaction. You probably don't realize it, but we all do this every time we make eye contact with another person.

I would even compare this art work to Avant-Garde issues in the art world, for I would definitely say this creation fits under the Avant-Garde definition umbrella of "experimental and innovative". It fulfills these requirements simply because of the fact that I don't think anyone has tackled these themes of spectatorship before from the other side. Since when has an art piece ever observed you as you observed it? 

      My personal opinion and take on the Opto-Isolator is very positive. I think this is an extremely interesting and unique take on spectating that most people don't even think about. It allows us to get a glimpse of what we're doing when we're observing. We obviously can't see what our eyes are doing when we look at people, and this piece provides a kind of window into this unseen facet of human psychosocial actions. I also find the way that it is made from a mechanical standpoint to be interesting. Standard Robot Company was responsible for the mechanics and robotics that make the eye blink and move, for example. All in all, the Opto-Isolator is an art installation that I want to experience myself, because I feel that each viewer will takeaway a different feeling from having this small mechanical eye stare directly into their own.

Blogging Assignment 6

Kevan Mann

ISTA 301 Blog 6

Processing

Part 1 - Processing's Active vs. Static Modes:

     Within the Processing programming language and environment, there are two modes known as active and static. Basically it boils down to a simple, obvious distinction between the two: Static mode is when Processing creates a still image on the screen that does not move, while Active mode is when you create an image with the ability to have interaction, motion, and animations. In order to take a Processing code from Static to Active, we need to override (aka rewrite) the draw() and setup() functions. 

Part 2 - Code Consideration

      In order to create 100 ellipses, the first thing I changed right off the bat was the "20" in the "for" loop. This 20 was to indicate when the loop should stop looping (aka after drawing twenty ellipses), so I changed the 20 to a 100 in order to tell the loop to draw 100 ellipses. Next, I added code to both fill the ellipses with a color and make those colors random each time the for loop looped.

Part 3 - My Processing Sketch

Blogging Assignment 5

Kevan Mann

ISTA 301 Blog 5

Glitch Art & Processing

Part 1: Glitch Art

"Glitch-ty Shades of Cactus"

Glitch art is defined by Wikipedia as the creation of art through digital or analog errors by either corrupting code or manipulating electronics. With my image of the cactus, that is exactly what I've done. I liked the outcome of my glitch because it distorted the original image just enough to give me a creative and unique piece but not so much so that the image is unrecognizable. As for what this image means to me. I think the various distortions and color glitches have created a rather accurate depiction of the different shades of color the Arizona sunlight can cast upon a cactus such as this one. I took this picture a few weekends ago in Phoenix, AZ, and as a Phoenix born-and-raised local, this image to me contains the various shades of AZ sunlight from different times in an Arizonan day, even though the picture was taken at only one time in the day. The upper areas of the image show what the cactus would look like in the morning sunlight while the lower sections show what it would look like at sunset. The image evokes a sense of homesickness in me, for I miss the mornings I would wake up at 5am to go to work outdoors and be surrounded by cacti just like this one. I would experience the 5am shades in the morning and the 4pm sunset shades in the evening on my drive home. This is a pretty evocative image for me, indeed. 

Part 2: Still Life Drawing with Processing

Apple Tray

Blogging Assignment 4

Kevan Mann
ISTA 301 Blog 4

Part 1:

a.)
      I think it is definitely an interesting concept to think about how everyday actions and processes can be compared to computations with their own inputs and outputs. When Rucker compared some real world processes to Wolfram's 4 Classes of computation, it gave me some of my own ideas as well. For example, a Class 2 computation in the real world I can think of is a tiled floor. There is a clear pattern with the way the tiles are placed, it repeats over and over again, and there are no surprises (usually). On the other hand, a Class 4 computation in the real world could be a brick fascia of a building wherein the brick pattern is not uniform. Meaning, there are some plain red bricks and some off-placed darker or lighter bricks. This architectural design technique is used to create a pattern that doesn't look so boring as simply Red/Brown but rather is much more complex and exciting, and is appears to not repeat.

b.)
       I would say that basically anything that's trial and error is a feasible and unpredictable computation. More specifically, for example, changing inputs/rules/parameters in a cellular automaton setup randomly, not being able to predict how the output will be affected, and then watching the surprising output unfold before your eyes.

c.)
      The differences between a Class 3 and a Class 4 computation are rather apparent, and it simply comes down to the fact that one produces patterns while the other doesn't. A Class 3 computation produces output that is messy and random and maybe even a little ugly, with little to no order or reason to be seen for the creation. On the other hand, a Class 4 computation is extremely complex looking, but the output DOES contain patterns. For that exact reason, I think it makes it easy to distinguish clearly and easily between the two classes.

d.)
       The biggest difference between normal ECA's and this new continuous-valued Cellular Automata is that the latter allows cell states that can carry a range of integers rather than simply two (0-1) in other ECA's. Whereas the Game of Life only has two states per cell, a continuous-valued CA could have something like 4 billion states per cell.

Blogging Assignment 3

Analyzing Cellular Atomata Art

Art Piece 1: EVIL/LIVE by Bill Vorn

       "EVIL/LIVE" by Bill Vorn is an interactive sound and light art installation that is based on the cellular automaton principle. It is a structure (approximately 2m x 2m) composed of 64 halogen lights in grid formation with 4 speakers located behind the lights. The lights are constantly changing and lighting up in patterns derived by the "Game of Life", which is controlled by a computer to respond to different sounds played out of the structure's speakers. The piece can also respond to the input of humans viewing it, for an 8'x8' matrix on the floor is programmed to make the halogen lights respond to the movements of people about the room. This piece clearly uses the concept of "The Game of Life" and Cellular Automata, for this piece generates pattern that evolve and change over time. The key word there is time, because as it passes and more input is given, the structure continues to evolve into something greater and greater. In this case, the patterns appear and disappear with time, but each time they do appear they are something different. As for my opinion, I think that this generative art piece is very simply due to the fact that it is just that...generative and interactive. Being able to control the way the art looks just by where a viewer stands and the sounds he/she makes is somewhat empowering, and the results given are incredible. 

Art Piece 2: LiquiPrism

       "LiquiPrism" by Alan Dorin is a cube of cellular-automata wherein each face of that cube triggers MIDI notes to play when its' "nodes" are activated. It follows a certain set of rules and patterns: certain cyclical patterns are more likely to occur than others in order to ensure that there is rhythmic balance and continuity. Each face of the cube runs at a different pace, which means that counter-rhythms are easily established between the cube faces. The way in which a user interacts with this cellular-automata is that they click and move the mouse over the cube. With this being said, this piece clearly follows the cellular-automata and Game of Life guidelines because the "nodes" of the grid are based on the concept of "cells" in the aforementioned concepts. It uses the neighbors of each cell to determine which pattern/node activation will come next. For example, a line of code from this piece basically translates into English to say "If there are exactly three neighbors of this cell, then 'nextState' will be 'ON'". Looking at examples of this piece in a completed state, my opinion on it is rather positive. It surprised me how good the musical rhythms created on this MIDI tone bank could sound this appealing, and the visuals that went along with it were eye-catching. See an example below!

Blogging Assignment 2

PART 1:
       For assignment 1, we were to write an algorithm that would generate some kind of creative creation. For my instruction set, I decided to write something that would create a kind of mirrored drawing. 
       When developing this idea, the first thing I drew inspiration from was the "Copied Lines" art piece example from lecture. I really liked the idea of the artistic creation being a team effort, so to speak, for in that Copied Lines image, a different person would draw the next line in the image whilst trying their best to copy the way the last person drew their line. The result was a slightly skewed but fascinating image, for it was as if you could see how a different person contributed to every aspect of the creation.
       So when I began brainstorming my idea, I took this concept straight with me. I knew I wanted to make a mirrored image, because whenever I had seen a mirrored artistic creation in the past I always thought it looked very interesting. However, I wanted to do something more unique and challenging than just one-reflection mirrored image, so I made one with four reflections. I accomplished this by asking the user to fold a piece of paper into four pieces, then take turns (solo or with a group) drawing figures and shapes in each of the squares, making them mirror each other off the central point of the paper. The result is a cool four-reflection mirrored image wherein the figures all appear to reflect off the center of the paper.

PART 2:
       
        1.)
             The Fluxus movement is defined by artists who wanted to break down all the walls of rules and regulations of traditional art by trying to bring art to the masses and, essentially, blurring the line between art and life. There had previously been a stigma that one had to be educated to appreciate art, and that different art had different values associated with it. The Fluxus movement wanted to eliminate all of these assumptions and guidelines about art. Nam Jun Paik, a Fluxus artist, was keen in incorporating these ideas into his own art. One piece I found, titled "Electronic Superhighway", shows off these ideas. 

In my opinion, this art piece is a great example of Fluxus art that attempts to be understandable and relatable to as many people as possible. It's got an image of the USA which should, hopefully, be recognizable to anyone who sees it. But then behind it we see what is a series of televisions and monitors. This is the part that is supposed to be open to interpretation by the masses; by all different kinds of people. The fact all kinds of viewers of all different education levels and societal groups will have a chance to interpret this image in whatever way they feel is right is exactly what characterized a Fluxus piece of art, and Nam Jun Paik nailed it here.

       2.)

These two pieces of Paik art I think are good examples of his Cybernetic style. Cybernetic art is defined as studying systems and the ways the work. Both of these pieces play off this idea, for they both depict what are clearly humans, but they are comprised of parts that are inhuman (attempting to symbolize a studying of the cognitive or physical systems of the body). On the left we have a man made of televisions and horns, while the left has a man riding a bicycle made out of what appears to be copper, arms made of flexible tubing, and a lit up diving helmet for a head. What do all these different parts of the body symbolize? That is up to what the viewer decides.

      3.)
          It would appear that a big influencer of Paik's work was led by John Cage, who is credited as the source of the Fluxus movement. Since most of his works involve televisions of some kind, it would appear that he was captivated by the ways in which you could create electron interference with TV sets. Reading about Paik's history however, while he did go though different phases of interest (orchestra, cello, telecommunications, etc.), his fascination with televisions and monitors remained constant among all of his works.