Voodoo Doll Harry
An interactive entertainment system consisting of a physical voodoo doll and its digital equivalent on a TV or computer screen. When something is done to the digital representation, the physical doll reacts and vice versa. The means of interacting with both dolls will be specialized pins and/or knitting needles, lighters and other forms of torture (digital and physical) that the user can use to take out their revenge on poor Harry.
User Interaction
A physical sculpture that will morph and change its state through user interaction. The sculpture will be made out of metal (possibly using an Erector Set and found objects) and will have several appendages (possibly spider-like). Motion and light sensors will be used to track the users' actions. It will have the ability to move around in a limited area and shut itself off/go to sleep when there is no user interaction.
Ant Farm 2004
Artificial intelligence (AI) system consisting of small physical ant-like sculptures enclosed in a glass/Lucite box. The box will be filled with a sand-like filler (possible shavings or small ball bearings), and the ants will move the filler around to create a colony. The user will have the option of disrupting the ants at any time. When they are disturbed, the ants will throw a bit of a temper tantrum, i.e., they start to cuss and bitch at the user. After a few seconds of venting, the ants will get resettled and start to rebuild again.
Dental X-Ray
Installation consisting of a white or glass head on a mannequin and a simulated or real dental x-ray machine. The x-ray machine will be able to move through 360° and will project images onto the head. The images will change relative to where the projector is located and will be montages of images, video clips and sounds.
Metal Brain
Here the user will be presented with a Lucite or opaque plastic bust onto which various facial expressions will be projected. Motion trackers will be placed throughout the room to monitor the user's actions. This information will ultimately affect the behavior of the projections onto the bust. When the user approaches, leaves or motions near the face of the bust, the expressions on the projected face will change.
The top of the bust's head will be removable and the user will be able to remove the working brain. When the top of the head is removed and the brain is taken out, the environment within the room will change completely. Instead of the serene peacefulness that was present when the brain was encased in the bust, the user…through the use of images, sounds, words and colors…will experience the chaos that was previously hidden within the bust. The user will be immersed in this extremely chaotic environment until the brain is placed back into the bust and the top is put back on.
The brain will be composed entirely of metal and will include some sort of projection device encased in the metal. (There will be an additional projector to project more of the chaos onto the walls of the room.) This projector will enable the user to look inside the brain and see the chaos, though on a much smaller scale in a much smaller environment. A small camera (possible an i Sight) will also be present within the brain. This camera will observe the user and place their image inside the chaos. When the user looks into the brain, they will be presented with a chaotic display of images, words and raw emotional fervor.
Merriam-Webster defines a dream as a strongly desired goal or purpose. As of yet, I haven't discovered my true calling. As an undergraduate, it took me five years and four majors to ultimately realize that I was very intrigued by the fields of multimedia and interactivity. Unfortunately, I was exposed to only a very narrow view of what the field encompassed. This lack of knowledge came back to bite me on the first day of my master's program when I was asked what my ultimate goal would be after graduation. It was then that I realized I had a lot to learn.
This question has been posed every semester, and I find myself answering it differently each time. My dreams, hopes and aspirations are still dynamic and ever changing. When I think I have finally found my true calling, something more intriguing sparks my interest. The only thing that has stayed consistent throughout my three semesters has been my desire to ultimately end up in the realm of commercial art. I want to be a part of the creative force that will ultimately lead to the creation of a product that others will enjoy. It may take a lifetime to achieve this goal, but as for now, I am taking it one Web site at a time.
As I mentioned yesterday, I have been thinking a lot about video games and their target audiences. The following links are prime examples of why only catering to girls could be an eminent disaster. More recently, i.e. today, I have been thinking more about video games as a more inclusive genre. Games that could potentially cross genders, ages, backgrounds and preconceived notions, i.e. interactive entertainment that can be enjoyable to everyone.
Two other potential thesis ideas I have been tossing around are an immersive installation about my relationship with my grandmother (including smell) and a new way of digital promotion within the music industry. These have not really been flushed out yet, but I am still very interested in both.
LINKS
girls and games
http://www.gamegirladvance.com/archives/2003/04/16/genderplay_successes_
and_failures_in_character_designs_for_videogames.html
http://www.gamegirladvance.com/archives/2003/11/07/getting_grrl_gamers_the_future_of_gaming.html
http://www.herinteractive.com/prod/index.shtml
http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1997/12/cov_10feature.html
http://www.womengamers.com/articles/gamesforwomen.html
educational games
http://news.zerovision.net/articles/1066416217.php
http://www.stanford.edu/~ttorres/GREAT/
http://www.educationarcade.org/
digital music promotion
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/biztech/12/22/digital.music.reut/