VJ Fleet is back in business and this time we are headed to Pullman Washington to represent the Vancouver campus of Washington State University in a university wide research showcase. Faculty, alumni, and undergraduates come together on the 27th of March to show off recent work and talk academics and advancement.
After submitting an abstract, the DTC's latest endeavor of the VJ Fleet was accepted to represent the WSUV DTC in the Liberal Arts category, an overwhelming achievement for the students of the program who worked hard and long hours to get this project off the ground, running, and all the while keeping it a success. A select group students that participated in the original performance are attending the showcase. Their help is greatly appreciated in setting up the booth, the sensors and equipment, and helping discuss and explain the notions behind sensory based art to our fellow colleagues of WSU. The next stop is the Vancouver, WA showcase on April 9th.
Interactivity & Sensory Based Art: VJ Fleet
In what way can sensor and GPS technologies be used to produce innovative and interactive art? That is the research question that framed our project, "VJ Fleet," created in FA 435 Interactive Media. "VJ Fleet" was a sound and video performance involving a fleet of customized cars equipped with interactive, audio-video technologies. During the performance, video of Vancouver and audio aspects of the engine and passenger areas were manipulated by interactions between the car and driver to create a live cinematic display. The event took place at three different locations in Vancouver, WA on Saturday, November 22.
As students of the Digital Technology and Culture Program at Vancouver, we found that the use of sensor and GPS technology in art research expanded our understanding of this technology beyond traditional disciplines of science and engineering and demonstrated the dual relationship of research and practice inherent in the creative act. It allowed us to engage with the urban landscape and investigate public space, resulting in a critique of car culture as it plays out in the largely suburban area of Vancouver, Washington, and called into question the sustainability of such a lifestyle in contemporary society.
March 27th: Research Showcase
March 27, 2009, 12:00:00 AM by Zachery Jepsen
November 22nd: Performance
November 23, 2008, 02:24:08 AM by Donald Hawthorne
Preparation
Four minutes later, we inside the garage, and quickly called to briefing by Julie. We were handed a VJ Fleet briefing sheet that contained a quick breakdown of the workflow, setup, and breakdown procedures involved in assembling the cars and Julie went down the list.
It had been decided that Simon would perform some last minute content swaps on the Mac Powerbooks to be used on the performance, and we would use this time to perform a trial setup of the cars. I retreated from the garage, sitting again in my Ford Taurus, as I knew the garage would now became a flurry of activity in which a diarist could only impede, as the students jumped to work.
By 4:00pm, the three cars had been backed up from their positions in the garage and their screens and projectors assembled. The projector on Car #2 and #3 was ready substantially earlier that Car #1's which still had ongoing issues with the inverters. At 4:08, Car 's projector was running at last, pending minor screen adjustments. Simultaneously, a meddling Bryce accidentally set off one of the car alarms of the students cars parked nearby.
At about 4:20pm, the press arrived in the form of a WSUV gonzo news journalist. I asked her name and she told me she was Sandy Clam from Shameless Press Productions. Alas, a bedraggled diarist such as myself could not be trusted with the truth in this matter, it seems. She and her extensive press package would be accompanying me in the fourth car as it made its way behind the VJFleet in progress.
At 4:27pm, dark clouds overhead, Julie ordered a teardown of the equipment. The VJFleet was to be ready to move on to our first performance location, the WSUV administration building.
First Performance
Upon arrival at the first location at 4:45pm, I offered to go over to the WSUV library and update our online presence. Micheal had already taken care of vjfleet.org, so I simply uploaded an entry indicating the VJFleet is currently performing to my own blog. I then returned to the front of the WSUV administration building where setup was proceeding.
At 5:03pm, the performance stuttered to life, all three screens broadcasting an the two speakers at the side of the car receiving their last minute volume adjustments. We had an audience of about two dozen, formed of several students, staffers, and perhaps a few people who enjoyed traveling about the beautiful WSUV campus.
At one point during the performance, one of the projectors that was being worked on lost suction where it was fortunately caught by Bryce. This would result in the leftmost screen losing picture for 5 minutes while functionality was restored. Aside from that, the performance went relatively well, and we received our applause.
Second Performance
Assembly at the second location went significantly better than the first, with the exception of one of the car alarms going off from which a friendly Vancouver police officer was able to resolve with a single sentence of their legendary street smarts. By 6:37pm, the cars were ready, early test runs pumping out our performance.
I had briefly stopped by the nearby Panda Express to catch a bite, It was partly a cowardice move to justify the use of their restroom, I somewhat regretted by the time Dr. Grigar returned with a bucket full of cold 16 oz sodas and mention that pizza was on its way. Said pizzas arrived at 6:50pm sharp in the arms of the generous Dr. Grigar. As usual, the University students were more than happy to exploit an offer of free food, and I personally scored two slices, one supreme and one cheese. Per usual, the vegetarian choice was the last consumed.
Though the parking lot in Grand Central was packed with cars, most of the patrons of the various stores and restaurants were afraid of cold. However, a brave father and his two children as well as a few off-duty office women ventured into the cold and were treated to a flawless VJFleet [Redux] performance, overall about a dozen spectators. During the performance, our reporter friend experimented with some interesting camera shots using a improvised shopping-cart mobility system. At the end, we were once again treated to a rousing applause. The second performance concluded at 7:35pm.
Third Performance
It was a short drive to the North Bank artist gallery, which turned out to be next to the Kiggins. The actual gallery itself was currently displaying, Pussy, a piece by Kathi Rick. It turned out to be a daring performance highlighting womens' misery that included a fabricated corpse as the centerpiece. More than once that night I would pass that grisly reminder on the way to the restroom there. The performance cars were parked just across the street from the gallery, and the black construction paper taped on the windows of the gallery seemed like not enough a buffer to me to protect my poor male soul from the message within.
At 8:30pm, as we munched a bag of Kiggins popcorn in the cold, once again provided through Dr. Grigar's generosity, the VJFleet [redux] performance began for the final time that night. We received several gawkers from cars who passed up the middle of the street, as well as an interruption from a passing fire engine, but aside from that the performance went largely flawlessly. We received an audience both from WSUV supporters and some people from the nearby Kiggins who were wondering what was happening.
Given that it was 8:30pm in the cold night, no horde of admirers dared venture to view our pocket of artistic brilliance. However, an admiring a passerby had mentioned to Julie during the performance that if more performances like this happened, the world would be a far more interesting place. I am inclined to agree.
Disassembly
It was a successful trip, the VJFleet [redux] operation concluded well. After diligently restoring the cars to their previous condition, Julie called us about for a high five and a thank you. She admitted there was doubts at points, but we pulled through. This kind of art cannot be done alone, and without the involvement of the DTC475 students it would have been impossible.
We could return home that night with a feeling of a job well done, with only a regret that this would be the last time many of the students would see the courageous Julie Andreyev and Simon Overstall, as they were to return to their native Canada. It would be a couple weeks before I had adequately collected my thoughts and attention to properly finish a journal entry about our performance, but this was not out of lack of gratitude. It was a fascinating experience and I, as well as perhaps the rest of the DTC475 class, could not adequately word our thanks for being a part of it.
Four minutes later, we inside the garage, and quickly called to briefing by Julie. We were handed a VJ Fleet briefing sheet that contained a quick breakdown of the workflow, setup, and breakdown procedures involved in assembling the cars and Julie went down the list.
It had been decided that Simon would perform some last minute content swaps on the Mac Powerbooks to be used on the performance, and we would use this time to perform a trial setup of the cars. I retreated from the garage, sitting again in my Ford Taurus, as I knew the garage would now became a flurry of activity in which a diarist could only impede, as the students jumped to work.
By 4:00pm, the three cars had been backed up from their positions in the garage and their screens and projectors assembled. The projector on Car #2 and #3 was ready substantially earlier that Car #1's which still had ongoing issues with the inverters. At 4:08, Car 's projector was running at last, pending minor screen adjustments. Simultaneously, a meddling Bryce accidentally set off one of the car alarms of the students cars parked nearby.
At about 4:20pm, the press arrived in the form of a WSUV gonzo news journalist. I asked her name and she told me she was Sandy Clam from Shameless Press Productions. Alas, a bedraggled diarist such as myself could not be trusted with the truth in this matter, it seems. She and her extensive press package would be accompanying me in the fourth car as it made its way behind the VJFleet in progress.
At 4:27pm, dark clouds overhead, Julie ordered a teardown of the equipment. The VJFleet was to be ready to move on to our first performance location, the WSUV administration building.
First Performance
Upon arrival at the first location at 4:45pm, I offered to go over to the WSUV library and update our online presence. Micheal had already taken care of vjfleet.org, so I simply uploaded an entry indicating the VJFleet is currently performing to my own blog. I then returned to the front of the WSUV administration building where setup was proceeding.
At 5:03pm, the performance stuttered to life, all three screens broadcasting an the two speakers at the side of the car receiving their last minute volume adjustments. We had an audience of about two dozen, formed of several students, staffers, and perhaps a few people who enjoyed traveling about the beautiful WSUV campus.
At one point during the performance, one of the projectors that was being worked on lost suction where it was fortunately caught by Bryce. This would result in the leftmost screen losing picture for 5 minutes while functionality was restored. Aside from that, the performance went relatively well, and we received our applause.
Second Performance
Assembly at the second location went significantly better than the first, with the exception of one of the car alarms going off from which a friendly Vancouver police officer was able to resolve with a single sentence of their legendary street smarts. By 6:37pm, the cars were ready, early test runs pumping out our performance.
I had briefly stopped by the nearby Panda Express to catch a bite, It was partly a cowardice move to justify the use of their restroom, I somewhat regretted by the time Dr. Grigar returned with a bucket full of cold 16 oz sodas and mention that pizza was on its way. Said pizzas arrived at 6:50pm sharp in the arms of the generous Dr. Grigar. As usual, the University students were more than happy to exploit an offer of free food, and I personally scored two slices, one supreme and one cheese. Per usual, the vegetarian choice was the last consumed.
Though the parking lot in Grand Central was packed with cars, most of the patrons of the various stores and restaurants were afraid of cold. However, a brave father and his two children as well as a few off-duty office women ventured into the cold and were treated to a flawless VJFleet [Redux] performance, overall about a dozen spectators. During the performance, our reporter friend experimented with some interesting camera shots using a improvised shopping-cart mobility system. At the end, we were once again treated to a rousing applause. The second performance concluded at 7:35pm.
Third Performance
It was a short drive to the North Bank artist gallery, which turned out to be next to the Kiggins. The actual gallery itself was currently displaying, Pussy, a piece by Kathi Rick. It turned out to be a daring performance highlighting womens' misery that included a fabricated corpse as the centerpiece. More than once that night I would pass that grisly reminder on the way to the restroom there. The performance cars were parked just across the street from the gallery, and the black construction paper taped on the windows of the gallery seemed like not enough a buffer to me to protect my poor male soul from the message within.
At 8:30pm, as we munched a bag of Kiggins popcorn in the cold, once again provided through Dr. Grigar's generosity, the VJFleet [redux] performance began for the final time that night. We received several gawkers from cars who passed up the middle of the street, as well as an interruption from a passing fire engine, but aside from that the performance went largely flawlessly. We received an audience both from WSUV supporters and some people from the nearby Kiggins who were wondering what was happening.
Given that it was 8:30pm in the cold night, no horde of admirers dared venture to view our pocket of artistic brilliance. However, an admiring a passerby had mentioned to Julie during the performance that if more performances like this happened, the world would be a far more interesting place. I am inclined to agree.
Disassembly
It was a successful trip, the VJFleet [redux] operation concluded well. After diligently restoring the cars to their previous condition, Julie called us about for a high five and a thank you. She admitted there was doubts at points, but we pulled through. This kind of art cannot be done alone, and without the involvement of the DTC475 students it would have been impossible.
We could return home that night with a feeling of a job well done, with only a regret that this would be the last time many of the students would see the courageous Julie Andreyev and Simon Overstall, as they were to return to their native Canada. It would be a couple weeks before I had adequately collected my thoughts and attention to properly finish a journal entry about our performance, but this was not out of lack of gratitude. It was a fascinating experience and I, as well as perhaps the rest of the DTC475 class, could not adequately word our thanks for being a part of it.
November 19th: Rehearsal
November 19, 2008, 09:41:08 PM by Donald Hawthorne
Thanks to the diligent efforts of Ryan, our custom VJFleet T-Shirts had arrived today, and considering the temperature outside I had no reservations about wearing it over my existing shirt.
Simon again explained that, upon arriving at location, the public interface people (Michael and Jeremy) will immediately disembark along with the car jockey (Zach). Their goal was to properly welcome the audience yet prevent them from inadvertently impeding setup and the performance.
As the diarist, I did not have a designed position in one of the cars, and I was asked if I would mind bringing my own car. It would hardly be a part of the performance, but it would nonetheless perform a valuable service in case we have extra people and things to carry.
It was stressed that we must be at the garage by 3:30pm on Saturday. Julie said it would be a failing grade should we not be there. Was she joking? I would not recommend testing her: anyone arriving later than that may place the whole project in jeopardy. Thus, it would be ideal for us to be there a little sooner.
If possible, we should try to wear black on Saturday. If not, at least the top half (which would likely include a jacket) should be. As we would be outside for a half hour at each location, and our cars' air conditioners likely disabled to allow more power for the inverters, dressing warmly would be highly advisable.
At 4:40pm, we were ready to move to the garage. Simon and Zack made a trip to Dr. Grigar's lab to pick up the speakers on the way, while the rest of us moved directly to the garage. On the way over, before we went out separate ways, Simon confided in me that the VJFleet is a bit like a friendly campfire, where the community is invited to gather around the embers of our performance. That may or may not have been said tongue-in-cheek: considering how it integrates factors of the local community flavor, I could very much see bringing the community together as being a role of the VJFleet.
At the garage, the lights were in power saving mode when we arrived, but a vigorous hunt eventually revealed the light switch, and we were ready to work. I could certainly use the light, as I had opted to take out my Moleskine notepad under the rationale that today the activities in and about the cars would be too hectic and of too high of import for me to sit somewhere to take notes on my laptop.
Now, the last day of class we had prior to our actual performance on Saturday, everything that needed to be done was at mission critical status.
The cars were well-marked with the position of where the suction attachments would need to be placed. However, we had to eyeball the angle of the attachments themselves to assure the correct ones went on the proper cars.
(Ryan sets up one of projector stands.)
The projectors needed to be securely fixed to the attachments. This took a considerable amount of painstaking effort to successfully accomplish.
Car #1 needed its inverter replaced, as it performed poorly during our Friday drive.
Laura and Ben needed to finish rendering the videos that would be shown during the performance, and were working with their Mac Powerbooks running Apple Final Cut to accomplish this.
I was handed a walkie-talkie, which I deposited in the passenger side of car #3: radio communication played a vital part in coordinating the performance.
Julie and Simon discovered we needed more audio cables, and asked where they might find some high quality ones they could use. Zach recommended Ape Over Music, a locally-run music store.
Car #1's footage would be on the center screen, car #3's footage would be played on car #2's screen, and car #2's footage would be displayed on car #3's screen. The cars would be parked in such a way that this would be a good representation of the footage during the performance.
While Michael was not available at the beginning of class due to a student body meeting he needed to attend, he promptly returned during our time in the garage and showed great interest in his public relations role during our performance. Jeremy, our other individual with a public relations posting, was not in attendance today, but no doubt he will be brought up to speed when the time comes. After his briefing, Michael's considerable energy and focus was harnessed in removing any unsightly residue that may have come from any source to the outer surfaces of the cars.
I left the garage, to the WSUV cafeteria where wireless Internet access was readily available, to investigate VJFleet.org to assure that an unfortunate typo of diaries past was obliterated. By the time I returned to the garage, the preparations were mostly complete. The cars were fully outfitted and our videos were on their final rendering runs. At 5:56pm, Julie announced we were good to go.
We needed a person to watch the garage while the cars were gone. It was after-hours and so there was a possibility we could be locked out of the building or our tools burgled while we were gone. Though I was in the important position of the diarist, I was not actually a member of the performance, and we were here to rehearse. Thus, I gladly volunteered for sentry duty.
At 7:11pm, the cars returned, and Julie and Simon mustered the students for a debriefing. Laura's video render was not quite finished, but aside from that everything was relatively ready to go. We could afford to improve our setup time, but fortunately Saturday's first performance will offer more time than we had today. The projectors take awhile to warm up, so in the event that the inverters fail to provide power for them the screens will lose their picture for quite some time. Julie and Simon then released the class to work out between them any remaining matters of that may inhibit the finesse of a solid performance.
We (the students) would again meet at 3:30pm on Saturday at the garage. Then, it would be showtime. By 5:00pm, we would be in front of the WSUV administration building. By 7:00pm, we'll be at the Grand Central Retail Center. By 8:30pm, the North Bank Gallery. Though fate intervened and prevented me from seeing the rehearsal, I hoped to be there to document the performance as it happened.
Simon again explained that, upon arriving at location, the public interface people (Michael and Jeremy) will immediately disembark along with the car jockey (Zach). Their goal was to properly welcome the audience yet prevent them from inadvertently impeding setup and the performance.
As the diarist, I did not have a designed position in one of the cars, and I was asked if I would mind bringing my own car. It would hardly be a part of the performance, but it would nonetheless perform a valuable service in case we have extra people and things to carry.
It was stressed that we must be at the garage by 3:30pm on Saturday. Julie said it would be a failing grade should we not be there. Was she joking? I would not recommend testing her: anyone arriving later than that may place the whole project in jeopardy. Thus, it would be ideal for us to be there a little sooner.
If possible, we should try to wear black on Saturday. If not, at least the top half (which would likely include a jacket) should be. As we would be outside for a half hour at each location, and our cars' air conditioners likely disabled to allow more power for the inverters, dressing warmly would be highly advisable.
At 4:40pm, we were ready to move to the garage. Simon and Zack made a trip to Dr. Grigar's lab to pick up the speakers on the way, while the rest of us moved directly to the garage. On the way over, before we went out separate ways, Simon confided in me that the VJFleet is a bit like a friendly campfire, where the community is invited to gather around the embers of our performance. That may or may not have been said tongue-in-cheek: considering how it integrates factors of the local community flavor, I could very much see bringing the community together as being a role of the VJFleet.
At the garage, the lights were in power saving mode when we arrived, but a vigorous hunt eventually revealed the light switch, and we were ready to work. I could certainly use the light, as I had opted to take out my Moleskine notepad under the rationale that today the activities in and about the cars would be too hectic and of too high of import for me to sit somewhere to take notes on my laptop.
Now, the last day of class we had prior to our actual performance on Saturday, everything that needed to be done was at mission critical status.
The cars were well-marked with the position of where the suction attachments would need to be placed. However, we had to eyeball the angle of the attachments themselves to assure the correct ones went on the proper cars.
(Ryan sets up one of projector stands.)
The projectors needed to be securely fixed to the attachments. This took a considerable amount of painstaking effort to successfully accomplish.
Car #1 needed its inverter replaced, as it performed poorly during our Friday drive.
Laura and Ben needed to finish rendering the videos that would be shown during the performance, and were working with their Mac Powerbooks running Apple Final Cut to accomplish this.
I was handed a walkie-talkie, which I deposited in the passenger side of car #3: radio communication played a vital part in coordinating the performance.
Julie and Simon discovered we needed more audio cables, and asked where they might find some high quality ones they could use. Zach recommended Ape Over Music, a locally-run music store.
Car #1's footage would be on the center screen, car #3's footage would be played on car #2's screen, and car #2's footage would be displayed on car #3's screen. The cars would be parked in such a way that this would be a good representation of the footage during the performance.
While Michael was not available at the beginning of class due to a student body meeting he needed to attend, he promptly returned during our time in the garage and showed great interest in his public relations role during our performance. Jeremy, our other individual with a public relations posting, was not in attendance today, but no doubt he will be brought up to speed when the time comes. After his briefing, Michael's considerable energy and focus was harnessed in removing any unsightly residue that may have come from any source to the outer surfaces of the cars.
I left the garage, to the WSUV cafeteria where wireless Internet access was readily available, to investigate VJFleet.org to assure that an unfortunate typo of diaries past was obliterated. By the time I returned to the garage, the preparations were mostly complete. The cars were fully outfitted and our videos were on their final rendering runs. At 5:56pm, Julie announced we were good to go.
We needed a person to watch the garage while the cars were gone. It was after-hours and so there was a possibility we could be locked out of the building or our tools burgled while we were gone. Though I was in the important position of the diarist, I was not actually a member of the performance, and we were here to rehearse. Thus, I gladly volunteered for sentry duty.
At 7:11pm, the cars returned, and Julie and Simon mustered the students for a debriefing. Laura's video render was not quite finished, but aside from that everything was relatively ready to go. We could afford to improve our setup time, but fortunately Saturday's first performance will offer more time than we had today. The projectors take awhile to warm up, so in the event that the inverters fail to provide power for them the screens will lose their picture for quite some time. Julie and Simon then released the class to work out between them any remaining matters of that may inhibit the finesse of a solid performance.
We (the students) would again meet at 3:30pm on Saturday at the garage. Then, it would be showtime. By 5:00pm, we would be in front of the WSUV administration building. By 7:00pm, we'll be at the Grand Central Retail Center. By 8:30pm, the North Bank Gallery. Though fate intervened and prevented me from seeing the rehearsal, I hoped to be there to document the performance as it happened.
November 17th: Pre-Rehearsal
November 17, 2008, 07:46:35 PM by Donald Hawthorne
Briefing
Julie then set about the work of discussing what we would be doing over this next week. Even by the most optimistic forecast, clearly the weather would not be as forgiving on upcoming Saturday as it was during our last Friday test drive. Today, most of us would be in the garage, while select few of us would remain in the classroom to edit the footage we collected last Friday.
Simon then described to us how the actual performance is done. When arriving at the location, we needed to park the cars in formation. We would all jump out of the car, with HR people informing inquiring people what we're doing, while the remaining people quickly assembled the screens on the cars for presentation mode. In addition to the projectors and the screens on the cars, there would also be speakers which needed to be set up and a fourth computer (in addition to the ones already coordinating the video displayed in each of the three cars) to manage the audio.
There would be a network start button so everything - all three cars and the sound system - started in sync. While the videos were not live, the audio would be, so there was a certain performance aspect to it. We would need to be properly dressed in our VJFleet shirts as much as possible.
We were planning three performances on Saturday. One in front of the Washington State University Vancouver Administration Building, one at the Grand Central Retail Outlet, and last (but certainly not least) the North Bank Gallery in Vancouver. Thus, every moment of time taken to assemble and disassemble our equipment at each location was essentially be considered multiplied by a factor of three.
(Simon preps the screen attachment parts on the table prior to their assembly and placement on the cars.)
Each performance of the VJFleet was different, not only because of all the data collected from the location to be integrated, but also because of the type of the cars being borrowed. Thus, today we tested the screen supports, which may straddle other cars when assembled, and if we would be able to safely store the screens in the trunks of the borrowed cars as opposed to bringing extra vehicles for the task.
Julie then opened up a file containing about 26 minutes of edited footage taken from Friday's drive. As is part of the VJ Fleet design, the video recorded was not merely video but rather video that had been distorted by the patching software based off of various things such as the car's orientation and which pedals were being pushed at the time. The footage shown here was from the side-based cameras, so it included a large amount landscape, pedestrian, and cars. Highlights included two trips highlighting rotundas, a great view of Officer's Row, and a compilation of red barns.
At this point, the majority of the class was dismissed to go with Simon down to the garage for further work. A small number of students, those on video editing duty, remained behind with Julie where (predictably) they would be editing the video).
Screening
By the time I had arrived at the garage, cafeteria-purchased cookie and tea in hand, Simon had already put the students to work on the next major leg of the VJFleet operation: the assembly and installation of the suction-cup mounted projector stand and screen stand. Once assembled, we would then mark the most ideal locations for each stand on the outer body of the car so that we would be able to quickly place them when the time comes.
(The cars are driven outside of the garage and placed in performance formation.)
The cars were then backed out of the garage and into the small lot in back. Here, we would organize them in a compact formation with the hoods close enough together that we can form the three screens into a single powerful scene. With cold black sky overhead, the crew worked tirelessly to assemble the screens in proper operational condition. It would be the first real practice we had for our performance; an early motion of exactly what we would be committed to performing on Saturday.
Editing
I felt I had a pretty good idea what we would be doing in the garage today, so I decided to return to the classroom computer lab and spy on what our video editing people were doing. In addition to being a way of getting the other side of the VJFleet activities at WSUV today, it would be an excuse to get out of the cold, and a busy diarist steals whatever advantage he can find.
I arrived, tea in hand, to find Laura and Ben hard at work over their Mac Powerbook Pros with Julie supervising. Laura and Ben both were using versions of Apple Final Cut where our footage collected from the drive on Friday was being carefully mixed on the integrated timelines for ideal highlighting of the best parts of the collected footage from all three cars.
Catching them in between rendering runs, I broached the question of the kind of criteria that Julie gave them to edit with. They explained that they were given storyboards that Julie had decided upon on in which certain kinds of things should appear, for example, "strange cars," and where they should appear in the timeline of the finished video. Julie could not know ahead of time just how many of those things were available out of the footage. Thus, Ben and Laura were to surf through the extensive number of collected video files from all three cars and locate these things, then place them at the times Julie had provided on the script.
Ben and Julie were given enough freedom to decide how many of those things and how long each would be shown within the period of time allotted for those things, but not to actually apply effects which would distort the footage. Theirs was a role to help the artist realize a fruition of the project, not to be the artist themselves. This was a little disappointing because DTC students enjoy an opportunity to showcase their work whenever possible, but nonetheless it was an honor to do.
(A projection screen in fully assembled form mounted on the front of a car.)
Seeing two videos next to each other, I noticed that some of the video was much more overexposed than others. Laura explained to me that this was due to some initial issues with the settings on the DV cameras through part of the drive. Fortunately, part way through Friday's drive, Matt was able to save the day by jumping out of the car and performing a quick tweak to the affected DV cameras. Thus, a great deal of footage was salvaged.
Anticipation Builds
Having collected a good picture of what everyone in the class was doing today, I decided to take the remaining 20 minutes of the allotted class period to assure rapid upload of this Blog entry. We would next be meeting on Wednesday to perform our rehearsal at last. As rehearsals often are, for the students it would be a interesting time punctuated by a plethora of awkward learning experiences. Fortunately, Julie and Simon had done this a number of times, and would be on task to show us how it was done.
Julie then set about the work of discussing what we would be doing over this next week. Even by the most optimistic forecast, clearly the weather would not be as forgiving on upcoming Saturday as it was during our last Friday test drive. Today, most of us would be in the garage, while select few of us would remain in the classroom to edit the footage we collected last Friday.
Simon then described to us how the actual performance is done. When arriving at the location, we needed to park the cars in formation. We would all jump out of the car, with HR people informing inquiring people what we're doing, while the remaining people quickly assembled the screens on the cars for presentation mode. In addition to the projectors and the screens on the cars, there would also be speakers which needed to be set up and a fourth computer (in addition to the ones already coordinating the video displayed in each of the three cars) to manage the audio.
There would be a network start button so everything - all three cars and the sound system - started in sync. While the videos were not live, the audio would be, so there was a certain performance aspect to it. We would need to be properly dressed in our VJFleet shirts as much as possible.
We were planning three performances on Saturday. One in front of the Washington State University Vancouver Administration Building, one at the Grand Central Retail Outlet, and last (but certainly not least) the North Bank Gallery in Vancouver. Thus, every moment of time taken to assemble and disassemble our equipment at each location was essentially be considered multiplied by a factor of three.
(Simon preps the screen attachment parts on the table prior to their assembly and placement on the cars.)
Each performance of the VJFleet was different, not only because of all the data collected from the location to be integrated, but also because of the type of the cars being borrowed. Thus, today we tested the screen supports, which may straddle other cars when assembled, and if we would be able to safely store the screens in the trunks of the borrowed cars as opposed to bringing extra vehicles for the task.
Julie then opened up a file containing about 26 minutes of edited footage taken from Friday's drive. As is part of the VJ Fleet design, the video recorded was not merely video but rather video that had been distorted by the patching software based off of various things such as the car's orientation and which pedals were being pushed at the time. The footage shown here was from the side-based cameras, so it included a large amount landscape, pedestrian, and cars. Highlights included two trips highlighting rotundas, a great view of Officer's Row, and a compilation of red barns.
At this point, the majority of the class was dismissed to go with Simon down to the garage for further work. A small number of students, those on video editing duty, remained behind with Julie where (predictably) they would be editing the video).
Screening
By the time I had arrived at the garage, cafeteria-purchased cookie and tea in hand, Simon had already put the students to work on the next major leg of the VJFleet operation: the assembly and installation of the suction-cup mounted projector stand and screen stand. Once assembled, we would then mark the most ideal locations for each stand on the outer body of the car so that we would be able to quickly place them when the time comes.
(The cars are driven outside of the garage and placed in performance formation.)
The cars were then backed out of the garage and into the small lot in back. Here, we would organize them in a compact formation with the hoods close enough together that we can form the three screens into a single powerful scene. With cold black sky overhead, the crew worked tirelessly to assemble the screens in proper operational condition. It would be the first real practice we had for our performance; an early motion of exactly what we would be committed to performing on Saturday.
Editing
I felt I had a pretty good idea what we would be doing in the garage today, so I decided to return to the classroom computer lab and spy on what our video editing people were doing. In addition to being a way of getting the other side of the VJFleet activities at WSUV today, it would be an excuse to get out of the cold, and a busy diarist steals whatever advantage he can find.
I arrived, tea in hand, to find Laura and Ben hard at work over their Mac Powerbook Pros with Julie supervising. Laura and Ben both were using versions of Apple Final Cut where our footage collected from the drive on Friday was being carefully mixed on the integrated timelines for ideal highlighting of the best parts of the collected footage from all three cars.
Catching them in between rendering runs, I broached the question of the kind of criteria that Julie gave them to edit with. They explained that they were given storyboards that Julie had decided upon on in which certain kinds of things should appear, for example, "strange cars," and where they should appear in the timeline of the finished video. Julie could not know ahead of time just how many of those things were available out of the footage. Thus, Ben and Laura were to surf through the extensive number of collected video files from all three cars and locate these things, then place them at the times Julie had provided on the script.
Ben and Julie were given enough freedom to decide how many of those things and how long each would be shown within the period of time allotted for those things, but not to actually apply effects which would distort the footage. Theirs was a role to help the artist realize a fruition of the project, not to be the artist themselves. This was a little disappointing because DTC students enjoy an opportunity to showcase their work whenever possible, but nonetheless it was an honor to do.
(A projection screen in fully assembled form mounted on the front of a car.)
Seeing two videos next to each other, I noticed that some of the video was much more overexposed than others. Laura explained to me that this was due to some initial issues with the settings on the DV cameras through part of the drive. Fortunately, part way through Friday's drive, Matt was able to save the day by jumping out of the car and performing a quick tweak to the affected DV cameras. Thus, a great deal of footage was salvaged.
Anticipation Builds
Having collected a good picture of what everyone in the class was doing today, I decided to take the remaining 20 minutes of the allotted class period to assure rapid upload of this Blog entry. We would next be meeting on Wednesday to perform our rehearsal at last. As rehearsals often are, for the students it would be a interesting time punctuated by a plethora of awkward learning experiences. Fortunately, Julie and Simon had done this a number of times, and would be on task to show us how it was done.
November 14th: Test Drive
November 17, 2008, 02:44:48 PM by Donald Hawthorne
Julie laid out the plan. Phil, Ryan, and Julie would be driving cars 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Laura, Ben, and Bryce would be working the video input from the respective cars, with car #1's camera pointed forward, car #2's camera to the right, and car #3's camera to the left. Simon would be working the sound in car #2. Jeremy would be providing backup navigation. Matt would be performing video documenting. I would be providing textual documenting.
Car #1 was primarily in charge of forward observation and navigation, Car #2 contained the majority of the audio equipment, while Car #3 was largely in a support role with backup navigation.
(Last minute map decisions are made.)
Various garage happenings occurred prior to our setting out. There was much discussion between Phil and Jeremy as well as Simon and Julie as to what our final course would be. I asked Simon if I were to be using one of the laptop stands, to which he replied that largely sedentary hermits like myself were more than qualified to do without. Bryce recounted his experiences on the television the previous night to which Julie said that she heard he did a fantastic job.
Before we left, Simon provided tips to the video editing people using the VJFleet software, explaining to them how to use the software as well as some things that have worked well for them in past shoots. Aspects covered included the desired frames per second (25 or greater) how to adjust the sensor interpretation to eliminate distortion and other issues with the video. Which device should be used in the software as well as when to stop and start recording. Things like that.
We set out later than we planned because of technical difficulties. Fortunately, these kinds of potential interruptions were kept in mind during the planned 5-hour span of time allocated towards this drive in what would, in an ideal world where everything went according to plan, require a significantly shorter period of time.
Finally, at 12:30pm, we were about ready to set out. Immediately, a test recording was done, in which we recorded for a minute and stepped in the nearby parking lot to verify a proper recording was done. So far, so good.
(Before setting out in car #3, Simon sat at the video recorder's position and explained what to do to Bryce (outside the car to the right)).
The first thing we recorded was a trip through the local Salmon Creek Taco Bell. I would have preferred Muchas Gracias myself, it is considerably more local, but the Salmon Creek one did not have a drivethru. In any case, it was free food generously provided by Julie and Simon for the students, and for a student free food is always outstanding.
There was an intent to have a compilation CD ready to play in car #2 during the recording, but somehow that fell through the cracks. An improvisation was to tune into 89.1, a popular local radio station. We would continue to remind car #2 of this throughout the trip, something that once required we actually pull them over as they were so very aware of what would be recorded that at one point the walkie-talkie in car #2 was turned off. Towards the end of the trip, a CD of some of Bryce and Ryan's favorite metal music was playing.
The question was broached if we were ever given the finger during earlier performances, and the answer was oh yes, and they used it. After all, if your goal is to capture the spirit of the location, it would hardly be appropriate to omit these instances.
We stopped in Esther Short Park to verify that our movies have been recorded and are not just still images. Here, Jeremy from car #2 switched with Matt from car #2 so that we would have a different voice in the recording car. It was here that I noticed one enthusiastic Northwest resident drive by honking the horn of his pickup truck, smiling, and waving to the VJFleet. Capturing the spirit of downtown Vancouver: mission accomplished.
Overall, the trip set out from Washington State University Vancouver, traveled down highway 99 and into downtown Vancouver, where we passed through Officer's Row and into Grand Central where a brand new mall was waiting. (We plan to do our performance here later.) We then split up the VJFleet, traveling down Andresen, Mill Plain, and Fourth Plain on the way back to WSUV.
As a local resident myself, I rather approved of the choices, as this route very much captured the lifeblood of the area just across the Columbia river north of Portland, OR. I could now look forward to meeting again on Monday to see what we would do with the data we've taken today. Our actual performance would come at the Saturday at the end of next week, right before the University launches into Thanksgiving vacation.
Car #1 was primarily in charge of forward observation and navigation, Car #2 contained the majority of the audio equipment, while Car #3 was largely in a support role with backup navigation.
(Last minute map decisions are made.)
Various garage happenings occurred prior to our setting out. There was much discussion between Phil and Jeremy as well as Simon and Julie as to what our final course would be. I asked Simon if I were to be using one of the laptop stands, to which he replied that largely sedentary hermits like myself were more than qualified to do without. Bryce recounted his experiences on the television the previous night to which Julie said that she heard he did a fantastic job.
Before we left, Simon provided tips to the video editing people using the VJFleet software, explaining to them how to use the software as well as some things that have worked well for them in past shoots. Aspects covered included the desired frames per second (25 or greater) how to adjust the sensor interpretation to eliminate distortion and other issues with the video. Which device should be used in the software as well as when to stop and start recording. Things like that.
We set out later than we planned because of technical difficulties. Fortunately, these kinds of potential interruptions were kept in mind during the planned 5-hour span of time allocated towards this drive in what would, in an ideal world where everything went according to plan, require a significantly shorter period of time.
Finally, at 12:30pm, we were about ready to set out. Immediately, a test recording was done, in which we recorded for a minute and stepped in the nearby parking lot to verify a proper recording was done. So far, so good.
(Before setting out in car #3, Simon sat at the video recorder's position and explained what to do to Bryce (outside the car to the right)).
The first thing we recorded was a trip through the local Salmon Creek Taco Bell. I would have preferred Muchas Gracias myself, it is considerably more local, but the Salmon Creek one did not have a drivethru. In any case, it was free food generously provided by Julie and Simon for the students, and for a student free food is always outstanding.
There was an intent to have a compilation CD ready to play in car #2 during the recording, but somehow that fell through the cracks. An improvisation was to tune into 89.1, a popular local radio station. We would continue to remind car #2 of this throughout the trip, something that once required we actually pull them over as they were so very aware of what would be recorded that at one point the walkie-talkie in car #2 was turned off. Towards the end of the trip, a CD of some of Bryce and Ryan's favorite metal music was playing.
The question was broached if we were ever given the finger during earlier performances, and the answer was oh yes, and they used it. After all, if your goal is to capture the spirit of the location, it would hardly be appropriate to omit these instances.
We stopped in Esther Short Park to verify that our movies have been recorded and are not just still images. Here, Jeremy from car #2 switched with Matt from car #2 so that we would have a different voice in the recording car. It was here that I noticed one enthusiastic Northwest resident drive by honking the horn of his pickup truck, smiling, and waving to the VJFleet. Capturing the spirit of downtown Vancouver: mission accomplished.
Overall, the trip set out from Washington State University Vancouver, traveled down highway 99 and into downtown Vancouver, where we passed through Officer's Row and into Grand Central where a brand new mall was waiting. (We plan to do our performance here later.) We then split up the VJFleet, traveling down Andresen, Mill Plain, and Fourth Plain on the way back to WSUV.
As a local resident myself, I rather approved of the choices, as this route very much captured the lifeblood of the area just across the Columbia river north of Portland, OR. I could now look forward to meeting again on Monday to see what we would do with the data we've taken today. Our actual performance would come at the Saturday at the end of next week, right before the University launches into Thanksgiving vacation.
November 12th: Preparations Continue
November 13, 2008, 04:30:14 PM by Donald Hawthorne
Despite the dreariness of our weather, spirits were high, as the project seemed to be going well. Amongst the faculty, Julie was sporting her new "Black is the New President" T-shirt, perhaps not coincidentally in the black and white of the VJFleet project, while Simon was hunched over a table integrating the VJFleet software with the Mac PowerBooks select students were able to bring.
Dr. Barber paid us a brief but welcome visit, assuring that we were aware that Bryce was to join him on a Channel 11 broadcast that night, while congratulating me for overcoming my self-professed procrastination sufficiently to complete the earlier diary entries with distinction. I'm nothing if not brazenly honest about my faults, but inwardly I lamented that brilliant professors often have good memories.
Briefing and Decisions Made
In the classroom, announcements were to be made, and we were to decide more than one matter as a group.
Vestments Finalized
One of the things we needed to decide on right away was the T-shirt order, which would be given to the printers today so it will be ready on time. We decided that a centered, 7 size logo would likely be most ideal shape to apply to the T-shirt, as this would allow the logos to be seen through any jackets we would likely be wearing. Grey on Black would be the most likely color scheme, as that matches the vinyl decals on the cars. Last minute changes to individuals' orders were decided, and the order was on its way.
The North Bank Artist's Talk
It was then announced that there would be an artist talk tomorrow (Thursday) at the North Bank Artist's Gallery, and Julie mentioned she would reward our attendance. The talk was at 6:30pm until 8:00pm, after which we'd be invited to grab a bite.
VJFleet [Redux] Performance Times Finalized
Our schedule sheet was brought up, and the new addition of our performance time pointed out. On November 22nd, at 5:00pm, we would meet at the University, in front of the administration building. By 7:00pm we'll be at the Grand Central Retail Center. By 8:30pm, the North Bank Gallery.
The VJFleet [Redux] Route
Our GoogleMap page was opened, and routes were discussed for VJFleet [Redux]. We decided to attempt to incorporate as many peoples' ideas of ideal locations to film as possible, including many of Portland's majestic bridges. Ben brought up, and it was confirmed, that at this point we've decided to disregard our initial 50 mile limit of the project.
Decisions made, our time in the classroom was finished. Subconsciously, the murky weather induced us to drag our feet before leaving the warmth of the classroom for the inky wet between us and the garage.
The Hands-On Work Of The Night
Immediately upon arriving in the garage, Simon went to get some parts while Julie told us what our duties would be to day. There were additional assignments based off of who would apply the remaining decals, and this honor of applying the decal to the front of car #2 went to Jeremy and Michael which Jack, Bryce, and Ryan attended to the side decal of car #3. Laura, among other things, diligently worked to remove the vanity plates from the front of the cars.
Painstaking styling
(The decal applied to the front of car #2 proved a most daunting adversary.)
A great deal of effort was spent on the front decal of car #2, something that nearly every one of the students were involved in at some point. Michael and Jeremy began the initial work of peeling off the protective layer to apply the decal, but it did not go flawlessly. After working to finish applying the decal to the side of car #3 with Zack and Ryan, Bryce came to see about applying his mathematical expertise to the difficulty of attaching the bottom of car #2's front decal. When Bryce had to leave to attend his Channel 11 spot, Matt took over, but his perfectionism was kept in check when Julie said to simply attach the bottom of car #2's front decal and get it over with. It ever remains an artist's struggle to balance perfection with time constraints.
Most of the trouble with this front decal came from pushing trapped air bubbles out from beneath the decal, something that Michael claimed to have done over 100 times with an aching hand to show for it. Upon asking Michael if it is possible he feels trapped in a bubble, he felt more than qualified to expound on armchair quantum theory.
(Michael's hand, he assured me, bore the brunt of a thousand suns in his painstaking removal of bubbles from beneath the decal.)
Technical details both overhead and underfoot
Regardless of the path taken, the styling work was largely finished today, but that was not all. Though the work predominantly done by Julie's team in styling the cars was some of the more painstaking, from another perspective it could be argued more expedient progress was coming from Simon's technical team.
(These laptop supports actually possessed a double-role, claimed Simon, that after a long trip of photo taking they're also quite useful for cooling the seats of exhausted digital interactive artists.)
As I sat in the comfortable back seat of car #2, Simon stopped by to carefully hang a small construct of rubber band and bobby pin. This construct utilizes the rubber to safely absorb and diffuse the sound of the cars' motion so as to allow an attached microphone to collect sound cleanly. Per usual, this was done in a non-invasive manner, mostly hanging from between the cracks in the car skylight so that it could be removed with invisible evidence when the car is returned to the loaner.
(Simon demonstrates to Ben and Myself how the Laptop stands are used.)
After assembling our laptop stands, Phil moved on to building projector stands, which (like the other external attachments) would be attached to the cars via suction. Zack went about from car to car finalizing inverter installation and iCube components. Tony was tasked with attaching the sensors to the pedals and other controls whose data was needed by the virtual mixing software. Though Tony was doing an excellent job, when I pointed out the ceiling microphone, he confided in me that he would feel nervous about riding in such a heavily wired car.
(Ben and Simon, left to right respectively, going over the software to be used during the performance.)
At the end of the day, it was clear we still needed a few things:
Rehearsal Soon
As our schedule indicates, many of us would be meeting to do some rehearsals on Friday and possibly (though the schedule does not yet show it) Saturday. We were expected to meet at the garage from 10am to 3pm - an ideally ample amount of time to help finalize things.
Dr. Barber paid us a brief but welcome visit, assuring that we were aware that Bryce was to join him on a Channel 11 broadcast that night, while congratulating me for overcoming my self-professed procrastination sufficiently to complete the earlier diary entries with distinction. I'm nothing if not brazenly honest about my faults, but inwardly I lamented that brilliant professors often have good memories.
Briefing and Decisions Made
In the classroom, announcements were to be made, and we were to decide more than one matter as a group.
Vestments Finalized
One of the things we needed to decide on right away was the T-shirt order, which would be given to the printers today so it will be ready on time. We decided that a centered, 7 size logo would likely be most ideal shape to apply to the T-shirt, as this would allow the logos to be seen through any jackets we would likely be wearing. Grey on Black would be the most likely color scheme, as that matches the vinyl decals on the cars. Last minute changes to individuals' orders were decided, and the order was on its way.
The North Bank Artist's Talk
It was then announced that there would be an artist talk tomorrow (Thursday) at the North Bank Artist's Gallery, and Julie mentioned she would reward our attendance. The talk was at 6:30pm until 8:00pm, after which we'd be invited to grab a bite.
VJFleet [Redux] Performance Times Finalized
Our schedule sheet was brought up, and the new addition of our performance time pointed out. On November 22nd, at 5:00pm, we would meet at the University, in front of the administration building. By 7:00pm we'll be at the Grand Central Retail Center. By 8:30pm, the North Bank Gallery.
The VJFleet [Redux] Route
Our GoogleMap page was opened, and routes were discussed for VJFleet [Redux]. We decided to attempt to incorporate as many peoples' ideas of ideal locations to film as possible, including many of Portland's majestic bridges. Ben brought up, and it was confirmed, that at this point we've decided to disregard our initial 50 mile limit of the project.
Decisions made, our time in the classroom was finished. Subconsciously, the murky weather induced us to drag our feet before leaving the warmth of the classroom for the inky wet between us and the garage.
The Hands-On Work Of The Night
Immediately upon arriving in the garage, Simon went to get some parts while Julie told us what our duties would be to day. There were additional assignments based off of who would apply the remaining decals, and this honor of applying the decal to the front of car #2 went to Jeremy and Michael which Jack, Bryce, and Ryan attended to the side decal of car #3. Laura, among other things, diligently worked to remove the vanity plates from the front of the cars.
Painstaking styling
(The decal applied to the front of car #2 proved a most daunting adversary.)
A great deal of effort was spent on the front decal of car #2, something that nearly every one of the students were involved in at some point. Michael and Jeremy began the initial work of peeling off the protective layer to apply the decal, but it did not go flawlessly. After working to finish applying the decal to the side of car #3 with Zack and Ryan, Bryce came to see about applying his mathematical expertise to the difficulty of attaching the bottom of car #2's front decal. When Bryce had to leave to attend his Channel 11 spot, Matt took over, but his perfectionism was kept in check when Julie said to simply attach the bottom of car #2's front decal and get it over with. It ever remains an artist's struggle to balance perfection with time constraints.
Most of the trouble with this front decal came from pushing trapped air bubbles out from beneath the decal, something that Michael claimed to have done over 100 times with an aching hand to show for it. Upon asking Michael if it is possible he feels trapped in a bubble, he felt more than qualified to expound on armchair quantum theory.
(Michael's hand, he assured me, bore the brunt of a thousand suns in his painstaking removal of bubbles from beneath the decal.)
Technical details both overhead and underfoot
Regardless of the path taken, the styling work was largely finished today, but that was not all. Though the work predominantly done by Julie's team in styling the cars was some of the more painstaking, from another perspective it could be argued more expedient progress was coming from Simon's technical team.
(These laptop supports actually possessed a double-role, claimed Simon, that after a long trip of photo taking they're also quite useful for cooling the seats of exhausted digital interactive artists.)
As I sat in the comfortable back seat of car #2, Simon stopped by to carefully hang a small construct of rubber band and bobby pin. This construct utilizes the rubber to safely absorb and diffuse the sound of the cars' motion so as to allow an attached microphone to collect sound cleanly. Per usual, this was done in a non-invasive manner, mostly hanging from between the cracks in the car skylight so that it could be removed with invisible evidence when the car is returned to the loaner.
(Simon demonstrates to Ben and Myself how the Laptop stands are used.)
After assembling our laptop stands, Phil moved on to building projector stands, which (like the other external attachments) would be attached to the cars via suction. Zack went about from car to car finalizing inverter installation and iCube components. Tony was tasked with attaching the sensors to the pedals and other controls whose data was needed by the virtual mixing software. Though Tony was doing an excellent job, when I pointed out the ceiling microphone, he confided in me that he would feel nervous about riding in such a heavily wired car.
(Ben and Simon, left to right respectively, going over the software to be used during the performance.)
At the end of the day, it was clear we still needed a few things:
- More Gaffer Tape
- Rechargeable AA batteries for the walkie-talkies used to keep communication between the cars.
Rehearsal Soon
As our schedule indicates, many of us would be meeting to do some rehearsals on Friday and possibly (though the schedule does not yet show it) Saturday. We were expected to meet at the garage from 10am to 3pm - an ideally ample amount of time to help finalize things.
November 10th: The Hands-On Work Begins
November 11, 2008, 07:13:05 PM by Donald Hawthorne
Once again, the GoogleDocs chart was brought up, and assignments were made. Our positions within the cars are determined, where once again I'll serve as a Diarist in car #3. In the event we're unable to fulfill our obligations here, some potential makeup aspects included 1-3 students to work on video editing. Wednesday, we need 3 students to check out DVD cameras. Matt happens to have one of those with him today, although it is complaining loudly and being generally uncooperative. Tapes were also requested.
Michael showed our website at http://vjfleet.org to the class, highlighting the various parts of this web page. The Diary portion is ideally where these entries will appear in Michael's vision, and so I quickly registered an account which was properly enabled with the necessary access methods.
The matter of VJFleet aligned wardrobe was broached several times this day. We'll be able to wear T-shirts with a logo with a jacket to help deal with the tough weather lately. We were all asked what size we wear.
Preliminary business finished, we were grouped two teams:
Simon's team was going to look at some hardware and will test the actual setup of the projectors and screens, test the projector cables for length, determine the hardware work flow, install inverters, and test for heat.
Various non-invasive car attachment components laid out on a table, ready to be installed.
Julie's team was to involve decals, test cameras, head cleaning, walkie talkie batteries, documentation methods, and digital SLR. Matt and Jeremy mentioned they can both help with Digital SLR.
Briefing finished, we head off to Dr. Grigar's lab in the VCLS basement to pick up the parts and moved into to the garage where we were introduced to the cars we would be using for the first time: three Honda CRV SUVs on loan from Dick Hannah. We felt the SUV would be an ideal reflection of this Pacific Northwest location, but we were wondering if perhaps these cars would prove too curvaceous to hold the mounting equipment.
My group with Julie unsealed the Decals from the cardboard box they came in and lay them on the floor of the garage, marking upon the back of the paper containers where they would likely be placed based off of demo pictures from previous performances.
Meanwhile, Simon's group set about the painstaking work of seeing how to attach the various related support rods to the vehicles. Fortunately, only one of the three vehicles came with a ski rack on top, which we puzzled on how to remove if needed.
The first step undergone by Julie's team was to first cut the pieces of paper containing the decals so that the separate pieces could be taped in the appropriate places on the cars. The process was completed with minimal fuss, with only a few foot prints on the opposite side of the decal templates leaving evidence to anything that had gone wrong.
Simon's team quickly assembled the screen upon the front of the first car. So far, so good.
The assembled screen at the head of car #3.
I went to grab a cookie and a tea, and by the time I came back I discovered the doors were locked. Fortunately, someone was kind enough to let me in upstairs. I came back to find that most of the decals has been applied.
I was able to assist Jeremy with one of them and see how the process done. The protective layer was removed from the back of the decal paper and the sticky surface carefully applied with minimal bubbles trapped beneath, like a giant sticker. Hard flat surfaces were then used to rub the portion of the decal paper that contained the actual decal to apply.
The decal paper, taped to the car but not yet the stage where the protective paper is peeled off so that the decal may be rubbed off upon the car.
At the end of the day, the decals had mostly been applied and much of the preliminary electronics were hooked up inside the car and out. However, it was clear that we needed we more things:
Tuesday, the next day off, was a faculty work day in which no classes were held, and it was this day that Will Leurs (the previous artist in residence) had scheduled the walk to be performed. However, students who had adeptly checked their email this night would discover that due to complications with the software involved, the walk would not be held that day.
Michael showed our website at http://vjfleet.org to the class, highlighting the various parts of this web page. The Diary portion is ideally where these entries will appear in Michael's vision, and so I quickly registered an account which was properly enabled with the necessary access methods.
The matter of VJFleet aligned wardrobe was broached several times this day. We'll be able to wear T-shirts with a logo with a jacket to help deal with the tough weather lately. We were all asked what size we wear.
Preliminary business finished, we were grouped two teams:
Simon's team was going to look at some hardware and will test the actual setup of the projectors and screens, test the projector cables for length, determine the hardware work flow, install inverters, and test for heat.
Various non-invasive car attachment components laid out on a table, ready to be installed.
Julie's team was to involve decals, test cameras, head cleaning, walkie talkie batteries, documentation methods, and digital SLR. Matt and Jeremy mentioned they can both help with Digital SLR.
Briefing finished, we head off to Dr. Grigar's lab in the VCLS basement to pick up the parts and moved into to the garage where we were introduced to the cars we would be using for the first time: three Honda CRV SUVs on loan from Dick Hannah. We felt the SUV would be an ideal reflection of this Pacific Northwest location, but we were wondering if perhaps these cars would prove too curvaceous to hold the mounting equipment.
My group with Julie unsealed the Decals from the cardboard box they came in and lay them on the floor of the garage, marking upon the back of the paper containers where they would likely be placed based off of demo pictures from previous performances.
Meanwhile, Simon's group set about the painstaking work of seeing how to attach the various related support rods to the vehicles. Fortunately, only one of the three vehicles came with a ski rack on top, which we puzzled on how to remove if needed.
The first step undergone by Julie's team was to first cut the pieces of paper containing the decals so that the separate pieces could be taped in the appropriate places on the cars. The process was completed with minimal fuss, with only a few foot prints on the opposite side of the decal templates leaving evidence to anything that had gone wrong.
Simon's team quickly assembled the screen upon the front of the first car. So far, so good.
The assembled screen at the head of car #3.
I went to grab a cookie and a tea, and by the time I came back I discovered the doors were locked. Fortunately, someone was kind enough to let me in upstairs. I came back to find that most of the decals has been applied.
I was able to assist Jeremy with one of them and see how the process done. The protective layer was removed from the back of the decal paper and the sticky surface carefully applied with minimal bubbles trapped beneath, like a giant sticker. Hard flat surfaces were then used to rub the portion of the decal paper that contained the actual decal to apply.
The decal paper, taped to the car but not yet the stage where the protective paper is peeled off so that the decal may be rubbed off upon the car.
At the end of the day, the decals had mostly been applied and much of the preliminary electronics were hooked up inside the car and out. However, it was clear that we needed we more things:
- Lighter fluid and rags to remove the residual blemishes left by removed decals.
- Longer cables to extend from the battery to the inverters, as well as hardware instructions to remove the ski rack from car #2.
Tuesday, the next day off, was a faculty work day in which no classes were held, and it was this day that Will Leurs (the previous artist in residence) had scheduled the walk to be performed. However, students who had adeptly checked their email this night would discover that due to complications with the software involved, the walk would not be held that day.
November 5th: Day 2 In Class
FWDrift [remix] performed at Pace Digital Gallery, New York, 2005
FWDrift [remix] performed at Digital Art Weeks, Zurich, 2006
In the past, Julie chose a vehicle that somewhat represents the city. For example, a Cadillac for New York, a Volkswagen for Zurich. The choice of vehicle was important, as it was used as a performance piece to use as a device to represent the data. This trend would continue for the Vancouver, Washington performance.
Another flurry of information followed as we were given another presentation discussing some of the thought that went behind the use of the word Drift. The following tidbits made it into my notes:
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] performed at Elektra Festival, Montreal, 2005
An example was shown involving a video sound performance in Zurich known as FWDrift[Remix]
They had a guide who was a photographer who spontaneously decided where to drive as they kept driving. The guides' voice between a part of the narrative during the performance. When driving, they asked the guide to provide music, so a CD is being played and this becomes part of the performance.
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] live video performance
3 maximum screens were being played, but FWDrift[Remix] has the ability now to use 3 videos on one screen. It allows us to use clips beside each other to create visual content. There's a whole bunch of other effects that can be manipulated in the VJ catch.
The point of us seeing this video is to provide a good example for us to consider. What would we want to do during our performance? The important thing is to think of them as three separate screens and devise means in which they can interact with each other and select what we want to show, and that's a good thing about how we design it for this class.
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] live video performance
Planning on how to trick the cars
We then went into examining possibilities of decals when placed on a car. Note that there's a difference in terms of where we place these decals. It's good to think of them in terms of what other supplementary styling we'd like to do to add to this.
We examined from of the various sensors and attachment that would be used. It is all very portable because these parts need to be pulled out when they go to different locations when they're performing. There's often little things that might go missing if you are not careful, and that is why having hardware people to work on them is ideal. There will be a task for some of us to put the instructions together with the parts.
Plunderphonics, John Oswald
We then moved on to discuss Plunderphonics, and some examples of the mutations of popular dialogue that were done through painstaking manipulation of audio tapes by John Oswald. (Pfony.com)
John Oswald is greatly admired by Julie and Simon, and his work was mentioned as an example of early digital sampling methods.
MaxMSP: Hands On
We then opened up the MaxMSP environment and did a little little demo with it. This is a programming environment with a highly developed GUI that involves connecting blocks with lines. Each block contains machine instructions, and you can use code to write new blocks to connect them. In the past, it was built to work with MIDI, and it retains much of this functionality as it has continued to evolve increased multimedia capacity.
We're were not expected to do much with MaxMSP because of time constraints, but fortunately the VJDrift software is already pretty much set up. This introduction primarily served so that, if we have an interest in it, we'll be able to investigate that later. We then went into overtime discussing various logistics that may be involved with the VJ Fleet management. On Monday, we would actually get our cars and permission to park them in the parking department facilities.
November 11, 2008, 07:12:35 PM by Donald Hawthorne
FWDrift [remix] performed at Pace Digital Gallery, New York, 2005
FWDrift [remix] performed at Digital Art Weeks, Zurich, 2006
In the past, Julie chose a vehicle that somewhat represents the city. For example, a Cadillac for New York, a Volkswagen for Zurich. The choice of vehicle was important, as it was used as a performance piece to use as a device to represent the data. This trend would continue for the Vancouver, Washington performance.
Another flurry of information followed as we were given another presentation discussing some of the thought that went behind the use of the word Drift. The following tidbits made it into my notes:
- Drifts, or more specifically the four wheel drift, was once a somewhat illegal motor racing strategy involving deliberately losing traction in order to make corners faster, and has evolved into a legitimate motor sport.
- Drift also refers to drive, a Situationist International practice involving a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances.
- Initial D, a Japanese manga character, uses drifting to assist in delivering tofu.
- The movie, Fast and the Furious, is based on Tokyo Drift.
- One can think of drifting in terms of losing control of a project a bit in order to make some progress.
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] performed at Elektra Festival, Montreal, 2005
An example was shown involving a video sound performance in Zurich known as FWDrift[Remix]
They had a guide who was a photographer who spontaneously decided where to drive as they kept driving. The guides' voice between a part of the narrative during the performance. When driving, they asked the guide to provide music, so a CD is being played and this becomes part of the performance.
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] live video performance
3 maximum screens were being played, but FWDrift[Remix] has the ability now to use 3 videos on one screen. It allows us to use clips beside each other to create visual content. There's a whole bunch of other effects that can be manipulated in the VJ catch.
The point of us seeing this video is to provide a good example for us to consider. What would we want to do during our performance? The important thing is to think of them as three separate screens and devise means in which they can interact with each other and select what we want to show, and that's a good thing about how we design it for this class.
Screen shot of FWDrift [remix] live video performance
Planning on how to trick the cars
We then went into examining possibilities of decals when placed on a car. Note that there's a difference in terms of where we place these decals. It's good to think of them in terms of what other supplementary styling we'd like to do to add to this.
We examined from of the various sensors and attachment that would be used. It is all very portable because these parts need to be pulled out when they go to different locations when they're performing. There's often little things that might go missing if you are not careful, and that is why having hardware people to work on them is ideal. There will be a task for some of us to put the instructions together with the parts.
Plunderphonics, John Oswald
We then moved on to discuss Plunderphonics, and some examples of the mutations of popular dialogue that were done through painstaking manipulation of audio tapes by John Oswald. (Pfony.com)
John Oswald is greatly admired by Julie and Simon, and his work was mentioned as an example of early digital sampling methods.
MaxMSP: Hands On
We then opened up the MaxMSP environment and did a little little demo with it. This is a programming environment with a highly developed GUI that involves connecting blocks with lines. Each block contains machine instructions, and you can use code to write new blocks to connect them. In the past, it was built to work with MIDI, and it retains much of this functionality as it has continued to evolve increased multimedia capacity.
We're were not expected to do much with MaxMSP because of time constraints, but fortunately the VJDrift software is already pretty much set up. This introduction primarily served so that, if we have an interest in it, we'll be able to investigate that later. We then went into overtime discussing various logistics that may be involved with the VJ Fleet management. On Monday, we would actually get our cars and permission to park them in the parking department facilities.
November 3rd: First Contact
November 11, 2008, 07:12:04 PM by Donald Hawthorne
First, Julie and Simon asked the students to introduce themselves and mention something of their skill set.
Introductions finished, it was back to the task at hand. We lightly touched on MaxMSP before launching into a full fledged presentation on VJFleet proper.
VJFleet seeks to be interactive through participation with the local community, joining the communities together, being the kind of platform for local participants to remap and visualize their city. It's a pubic art project but also one that highlights our concept of mobility and temporal nature of cars. One thing that plays quite heavily is the social spheres that involve our environment.
VJFleet [redux] performance, SIGGRAPH 2006, Boston
The press of knowledge was such that even my fast typing fingers and inquiring mind could not catch all the details. However, my notes included aspects of VJFleet presented included:
We were advice we could go to www.fourwheeldrift.com to see the other projects available.
We then had a brief break, and returned to discuss logistics.
Our outlines provided a good syllabus, a work in progress where things would likely change. (For example, on Wednesday Nov 19th it was planned we would have a rehearsal.) Julie then brought up a GoogleDocs VJFleet spreadsheet and began to assign the students to various tasks that needed to be done. It was then that I volunteered to be the Diarist.
We were then sent home with an assignment: to be ready to present a one-minute presentation that answered these questions.
1. How can VJF operate as a critical vehicle in the context of Vancouver, WA / Portland, OR? Identify one aspect of the city that needs highlighting in the project.
2. How does your role present an opportunity for expansion of knowledge? How does your role contribute to the team and overall project?
- Phil - He had been working with computers for 31-32 years, doing business development of warehousing software. He was currently looking to broaden his technical knowledge such as with database-related applications.
- Jeremy - On his third semester here at WSUV, he was comfortable working in photography or with Adobe PhotoShop. It was mentioned that he has a background in automobile mechanics and maintenance.
- Laura - Also on her third semester, time based media (such as VJFleet) really interested her. Her skill set included photography and video.
- Michael - One of our more proactive members, as evidenced in his participation with the WSUV student council, Michael had taught himself a bit of programming, including C++ and Perl.
- Ben - Though once a music dedication major, he reconsidered his direction and decided to go for a more computer science focus without the mathematical overhead. His skill set included C programming, HTML design, and teaching himself how to use Maya. He wanted to do a lot more video production work.
- Ryan - Tired of his old professional niche, he was currently at school to broaden his skill base. His skills included video editing.
- Bryce - Well-known about the DTC program as an excellent writer and a one-man band. In addition, his work often took on an interesting Nordic influence.
- Zack - Though he said he doesn't know what he does anymore, Zack tended to do a bit of everything. His participation during the FA435 project was largely responsible for bringing together an Adobe Dreamweaver-built site to be served over iPhones.
- Tony - Tony's interests were primarily music-based in nature. He was a professional DJ, sometimes spinning the turntables for clubs and parties.
- Matt - A multimedia guru in the making, Matt was fairly proficient in music, photography, film, and video.
- Donald - (Myself) I had burned out from a job I held about 4 years ago and had been pursuing a less math-intensive computer science degree. Weened on computers, I felt I had some level of familiarity in all aspects of their operation.
- Zane - Sitting in with us tonight was this senior in the Biology department who was interested in the idea of creating a rolling piece of art. He could program GameBoys.
Introductions finished, it was back to the task at hand. We lightly touched on MaxMSP before launching into a full fledged presentation on VJFleet proper.
VJFleet seeks to be interactive through participation with the local community, joining the communities together, being the kind of platform for local participants to remap and visualize their city. It's a pubic art project but also one that highlights our concept of mobility and temporal nature of cars. One thing that plays quite heavily is the social spheres that involve our environment.
VJFleet [redux] performance, SIGGRAPH 2006, Boston
The press of knowledge was such that even my fast typing fingers and inquiring mind could not catch all the details. However, my notes included aspects of VJFleet presented included:
- How VJFleet is 'relational' to public space and architecture.
- The car as a mediating device - camera obscura, associated with the origins of photography early 18 century, from Latin 'Dark Chamber.'
- The idea of mobile panoramas. A myriorama was a picture made of up several smaller pictures drawn on separate sheets so as to allow a variety of combination of scenes to be displayed. Caravans could take these pictures out of their wagons set up a scene.
- Car cultures: de-branding corporate identifications, re-branding as colonization.
- Max/MSP/Jitter software patches are used to produce the software VJFleet runs on. The result is a physical representations on the visual and audio performance as a result of braking, accelerating, turning, and other aspects.
We were advice we could go to www.fourwheeldrift.com to see the other projects available.
We then had a brief break, and returned to discuss logistics.
Our outlines provided a good syllabus, a work in progress where things would likely change. (For example, on Wednesday Nov 19th it was planned we would have a rehearsal.) Julie then brought up a GoogleDocs VJFleet spreadsheet and began to assign the students to various tasks that needed to be done. It was then that I volunteered to be the Diarist.
We were then sent home with an assignment: to be ready to present a one-minute presentation that answered these questions.
1. How can VJF operate as a critical vehicle in the context of Vancouver, WA / Portland, OR? Identify one aspect of the city that needs highlighting in the project.
2. How does your role present an opportunity for expansion of knowledge? How does your role contribute to the team and overall project?
