APD Week 5 - Play and Forces: Sound and Inceraction

Theme: 

In response to the theme of Play and Forces, I created an interactive work that changes with the frequency of sound vibrations.

Context:

Constructive Play is typically characterized by George Forman (2015, pp. 135-142) as finding a new way to portray something of the existing definition, combining any and all materials to create a new structure. Simply Psychology (2018) defines constructivism as "building upon human previous experience and understanding to construct a new understanding." 

I was impressed by Matt's demonstration of these outstanding interactive works in class. I've chosen to concentrate on sound and interaction, as well as the definition of forces, in order to build a dynamic and relational system that generates work and is constantly changing and dynamic.

I'd like to construct a sound-based visualization shape. In the works of diverse artists, the expression of numerous shapes that can be created by changing sound is more widespread. For this concept, I chose a fixed shape to which I applied some color effects. The color coverage changes as the volume changes and the amplitude of the vibration control whether or not the shape rotates.

Shiloh's sound interaction graduation design "The Look of Sound." Creating varied lengths of lines based on the timbre and loudness of personal voice (https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1DJ411j74P/) "Laser + mirror + sound" by Steve Mould is also outstanding. Some magnificent random lines and varied dynamic shapes can be observed, attributed to the use of a laser and vibrating sound, as well as the use of a high-speed camera to capture the entire process. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-V1uXeyGmg&t=39s)

Method:

This work was mainly created by using Max Live. The program code is based on Masato Tsutsui shared on Github. (https://github.com/masato221/example-max/) The tweak the color and shading random settings so that the 3D model may randomly create the angle of rotation, color, and light angle. In the last step, as an effective demonstration, choose music that incorporates the amplitude of sound vibrations. In my first outcome, I chose Santi Carcasona's Clapping Music for Five Performers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2-GP6LV8DM) However, I think the outcome lost some of its randomnesses because the music was so rhythmic. As a result, I decided to present it in a few different ways in the final outcome. 

The first mode is a rhythmic play with a 3D color gloss effect. The vibrant colors along with the shifting shapes with beat are ideal for rhythm play.

The second mode is a black scattered form that changes shape as sound is detected, with an external light appearing on the edge. With the Micro-Film PURGATORY Award-Winning Domestic Violence Short Film (Gaslighting, Coercive Control, Abuse), from Blue Muse Productions. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVTyu1CfVpw).

The last mode is a transparent heart-shaped form that was created to match the micro-film episode I selected. The female protagonist in the film is caught in a toxic relationship from which she is unable to free herself. She has become accustomed to verbal and mental aggression, and only physical violence will cause her emotion to shift. As a result, a change in sound volume will only affect the brightness of the light projected outside the shape; only the true physical vibration will alter the shape.

Reflection:

"Visual stimuli exercise more influence on emotional perception than auditory stimuli." By A. Freitas-Magalhães (2012). Vision is a crucial tool for humans to recognize and comprehend the world, as well as a very important part of human cognitive functions. Powerful visual stimulation combined with sound often has more impact and provides a more immersive experience for the audience.

In the process of my research, I view and learn about many various kinds of interaction work. Masato Tsutsui's sound-based interactive work is one of my favorites. His work is full of life and color, and the tension it creates is palpable. The overall effect is one of fluidity and naturalness. (https://www.instagram.com/masato221/) His other interactive works delivers that almost human element that makes technology enjoyable and pleasant to interact with. 

On the other hand, I am aware and know the impact of randomness. Randomness is divided into two categories by author Keith Burgun (2015): input randomness and output randomness. It's also been deemed that randomness is only random within a certain range and isn't truly random. My first outcome is skewed towards randomness within a narrow range. (https://youtu.be/kaD7Vz1b57g) Initially, the concept was that the ear had an "eye" inside of it. The highlights on the ball resemble pupils. The vibration will alter the sphere's size and color (the previous test section tested). Similar to the dilatation of a person's pupils when an object suddenly approaches their eyes, this reaction is also pretty similar. The original goal was to keep the work’s coherence and cohesion, but if it could be more random, it might come up with more unexpected and creative ideas and final outcomes. 

However, after watching the initial outcome, I discovered that this outcome specially with clap music is really repeating. Specific thanks to Matt for suggesting that the impact be enhanced with some concepts and special shapes. There are also some highlights that can provide this work with meaningful significance. Because the initial work lacked some concept, I concentrated more on the specific meaning of the final outcome. In order to get better results, a little bit more undefined might be workable. In fact, Matt's suggestion about ignoring this is a digital production had a huge impact on me when I was brainstorming the concept. It jolted me out of my preconceived notion of creating "work". This is more of a perceptual and conceptual influence. I can focus more on what kind of story, or concept, or meaningful thing I want to do in the future rather than on how to accomplish the weekly theme. Then I got this final outcome. Due to timing concerns, my plan to add a glowing shine visual effect to the first mode died. Because there were so many flaws and bugs in the process, I didn't have enough time to repair all the bugs. I want the effect to look fancy and cool instead of some messy flashing line. 

One reason for choosing film clips instead of music is to avoid the repetitive rhythm that leads to too much repetition of the outcome. The other reason is that I'd like to use this theme to emphasize the importance of people opposing existing domestic abuse. Even though everyone understands that domestic abuse should be condemned, most people who are victims of domestic violence find it difficult to leave their situation. Chronic verbal and physical violence makes it difficult for people to break out of a state of mental control. Many of them believe they "deserve" the situation because they believe they are truly doing something "wrong", or have chosen to self-sacrifice out of love, or for the sake of providing a stable family environment for their children, or for whatever other reasons. This does not just apply to women; many men are also deeply involved in it. Unfortunately, many victims of domestic abuse struggle to exit abusive relationships. They still continue to endure this agony until the worst-case scenario occurs. These victims are unable to speak for themselves, despite widespread condemnation of domestic violence. However, many victims believe that seeking aid would result in even more horrendous abuse. Prolonged physical, verbal, or psychological abuse. This leads to certain psychological diseases getting worse. So, to portray this shattered relationship, I chose some broken forms in my shape selection. 

The final product reached my expectations, despite my lack of previous experience in sound or interaction design. It's common to run into lots of errors throughout the whole process, and the tiniest of differences in numbers can have a significant impact on the finished product. The final adjustments to the small details took a long time. But altogether, it was a very enjoyable journey. I plan to continue experimenting with similar interactive work in next week's Play and Sound production.

References:

Eysenck, M. W. (2018). Simply Psychology, London: Routledge

Fromberg, D. P. & Bergen, D. (e.d.)(2015). Play from Birth to Twelve: Contexts, Perspectives, and Meanings, New York: Taylor & Francis

A. Freitas-Magalhães. (2012). Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Second Edition)

Burgun, K. (2015). Randomness and Game Design, [online] Available at <http://keithburgun.net/randomness-and-game-design/>

First Outcome: https://youtu.be/kaD7Vz1b57g

Final Outcome: https://youtu.be/ktqM-4__jPw