green t fu

and now...... i will attempt the improbable, the unplacable, the irretractible, the unfathomable. i will attempt to turn this image of my own self into a moving, kick assing, drunken master.!!
i will do this by using Animata, MAX/MSC and by physically interfacing with the computer. sounds tech huh?

....stand by for action!!!

roboanalysis

We put a large amount of work and refinement into this 'roboperformance'.

The setting looked good and projected the message of the original Gathering Clouds. Our decisions were based on solid research. The video intro was made with footage from and English drug raids but projected the right message (we used thisfootage as we could source no NZ Dawn Raid footage). The dummy runs went swimmingly.

Despite all of the positive energy we put in we came unstuck on a little detail; We changed the batteries for fresh ones just before the final performance. This gave the robots too much power and accentuated their movements to a point where our characters just fell over.

...As a final performance it was a failure. Also, the lighting didn't lend itself to videoing the performance.

VictimBot

VictimBot was designed to look less threatening than the other two. We gave him a smaller body over the top of the similar base design. The main problem we had throughout the construction and refinement process was giving him the ability to fall down (be pushed over) and pick himself back up fluidly. To overcome this we dedicated one servo to picking him up and touch sensors -front and back- to help him react to being pushed over. VictimBot needs to be physically pushed over by one of the others. When he is pushed (from behind) the rear sensor activates and tells him to lift his arms to facilitate the fall. When VictimBot hits the ground the front sensor activates and he picks himself up again to carry on with his dance. We tried many different construction styles for the "arms". The problem we confronted here was the playoff between power of the servo and length of the arms. We shortened the arms so he was able to pick himself up. Then we had to change the shape of the arms so they could rotate 180 degrees on their axis. We couldn't achieve all of these elements without a stabilising brace that runs between the "arms".

Once we had found a functional "arm" system we refined it for aesthetics and to make them look similar to the "arms" on the OppressorBots. VictimBot has similarities to the other robots that show that they are all of a common group (just like the fact that all dancers from Gathering Clouds are human - alike), however, VictimBot has obviously unique physical attributes. He is smaller, has no claws, and has an ultrasonic sensor situated like a head. His physical differences show Victimbot as somewhat different. This emulates the message from the original Gathering Clouds - that one (the Pacific Islander) is different, and suggests that this difference is why he is being oppressed.

Below is a collage showing some design stages and the final product;

BLACK GRACE DECONSTRUTED

Black Grace is a New Zealand based dance company that addresses issues of cultural mingling and assimilation in Aotearoa.
Gathering Clouds addresses the oppression of Pacific Island people in New Zealand. The dance focuses on conflicts arising from the “Dawn Raids” in the 1970’s. The dancers portray two conflicting societal groups – Pacific Islanders and the oppressive, New Zealand establishment of the time.
The dancers use lots of linear, angular movements in the upper body to show conflict and tension between the subjects. They flow around one another, bumping and jostling for position.
The setting is very dark and minimalistic so audience focus is drawn to the dancers. Visual messages are portrayed uninterrupted, by the dancers, through choreography and expression. This allows the audience to create and perceive their own meaning of the performance while still being instilled with a sense of turmoil.

Building Characters

The straight lines and angular movements of robot dancers suits the awkward message of Gathering Clouds perfectly.
We chose to use very similar base construction for all three robots so that the audience could identify them as all being of a common group.

One robot (VictimBot) is smaller and represents New Zealands' minority Pacific Island community. He gets pushed about and engages his oppressors. He is often shunted onto the ground and has to rise again each time.
The two larger robots are very similar in appearance with slightly different aggressive movements. Their size and gestures let you know they are in charge.
All three robots are designed to move around one another and interact to change levels, emulating the struggle within our society and our history. Also, they all have affixed light sensors so that they start dancing in sync, when the spotlight is pointed at them.

Related Links;
Here is a link to a video of dancing robots by SONY; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vwZ5FQEUFg

Here is a link to some background info and a website about Black Grace; http://www.blackgrace.co.nz/about/

Below is a link to a Fight Science capoeira video that we found interesting; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oADky00ahFk

get with the programming

our objective was to emulate our chosen character (NZ Chess Peice) through movements and physical characterisics.

we brainstormed how we would showcase 'New Zealand' visually, but came up short. So we refined our direction. The idea to display qualities of NZ stereotypes was a winner.

finally we decided to go with the iconic buzzy bee;

below is a picture of our New Zealand Icon Robot. it is depicting a small child running around towing their Buzzy Bee and getting very excited. how Kiwi can you be??

bct situational shuffle

shuffle

we were given a set of random command cards that we had to carry out starting from WT block on Wakefield St in downtown Auckland.

when we received a command we could not complete, we shuffled it to the back of the set and completed it later.

each person in the group took on the role of a different part of a system. one "did" (passively recieving commands), one issued commands (from cards) to the "doer", one recorded our progress, and one mapped the pathway we had taken. it seemed as if we were emulating software or a simple machine of some sort.

...i feel as if i am only just scratching the surface.

we compiled a video from footage and renderings of the day; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3obTTjnOwu0

optimus prime eats corn on the cob

unexpectedly my kitten took a liking to corn on the cobb.

get with the programming

mindstorm. day 1

using the protocol from our chess experiment (two squares forward and one square to the diagonal left) we tryed to navigate from the door of WT Block on Wakefield St, to the front door of our class, deep inside the darkest chasom of WT.

unlike Zoolander, we could go left but not right. this meant that we had to program our robot, NZBOT, to sense walls and make the choice (and I only use the word 'choice' because we are trying to personify him and make him relatively autonimous) to make a right angle turn to avoid trouble.

NZBOT reacted well to the protocol but we had to refine him by changing the physical configuration, tweaking the programming (sequence of commands was crucial), and adding a touch sensor to help him percieve obtacles to his left.

our final robot looked a bit ungainly, was unstable when he hit a wall, and did not make it to the goal.

as a group we worked ok together but did not achieve syncronisity and cohesion, which I believe is the main reason we failed.

too many cooks spoil the broth!!!

...

pimp my bum

i just read that there is a homeless man in the US who is using internet marketing to reivent himself. ...wicked!!!
people from all over have started donating money to help Tim get back on his feet and many people have communicated messages of support via digital communication methods such as podcasts and emails.
i wonder what things there is in store for this hairy american?!



just goes to show; the internet and the global information sharing thereof, is an indispensable medium for interacting with a global community. that means you...

you can visit Tim to see how he's going at:
http://www.ascendgence.com/pimpthisbum/index.aspx

i need some sugar, where is my neighbour?

social networking

what connections are there between us, how can we use this knowledge, and how does this affect our relationships and creative outcomes?

social networking helps us to draw connections between nodes (people, places, things) that without looking at data as a big picture -in relation to others- we might miss. we can use this information to help us interact and make sense of the virtual and material worlds that we live in.

below are images of us constructing a physical representaion of a social network using postits, wool and staples. the data was collected from the year 1, Creative Technologies students at AUT.

the most apparent commonalities are; the use of 'facebook', dogs for pets, and a surprisingly low number of bloggers. The latter changed almost immediately!!!

how do we fit in with the world at large, and how do/can i influence those around me by what i say and do? ...

onefish, twofish, redfish, bluefish

innitial, superfical musings on the beginnings of my course....

...the 1st week of the my Creative Technologies course started (after innitial embarrassment) with a hiss and a roar!!!
thinking in new ways, using various technologies, and forming ties with the other humans who are to be my peers for the next three years.

two things made me gulp and scratch my head in quizical fashion;

*the scope of the coding, programming, and tech jargon I am going to have to get my head around. I was aware that such things as FTP's, http's and URL's existed, but was unaware of how to interact with them, what they are, and how vital this knowledge will be for me on this new path.
-What the hell is a Proxy?

i suspect that my digital success so far is due largely to the free availability of so much intuative software, and less to the fact that I was isolated from lots of new technology until the relatively late age of about nine or ten, when we finally got a permanent, stable power system for our home. i didn't even get my Sega Master System II until I was 11. it was amazing!!!

*the demographic of my class. -by interactions, visual appearance and the social networking project (that we did on the first tuesday of the course), I have experienced a wide range of styles, perspectives, preferences and interests within the group. There I met people with similarities to myself, and people who are wholy different to me.
I look forward to learning with/from my peers and tutors, and am interested to see the relationships we form and how we relate to one another throughout the coming days, weeks, months and years....

nice pond...

day one and no saliva!

day one and no saliva!

...my first day of school was not entirely terrifying. I brought my lunchbox from home, stocked with one apple and a Marmite sandwich. In my bag was a partially refrigerated can of carbonated whatever-it-is-the-young-people-drink-these-days.
My brand new Biro hummed and buzzed in between my right thumb and index finger, itching to press up against the selected victim.

On rounding the final corner to what I thought should be my new classroom I realised something had probably come unstuck, but I held true.

Dawning realisation - An unfortunate sequence of intelligence and counter intelligence had lured me into turning up two and a half hours late to the course introduction. This meant that I missed out on my intended first impression of my new classmates and the moderately priced biscuits that I imagine they may have shared.

Scolding myself, I turned and took flight.

Not a terrifying first day. But uncomfortable...