Arduino Circuit Board/Isadora

Over the past few months I have been experimenting very lightly with Arduino and the Isadora software whenever I get the chance. As I have had other projects to be considering for other modules in my course, I have been lucky enough to encounter Isadora a fair bit.
This has given me the chance to become more familiar with the programme in the build up to creating the stage of processes that will inevitably bring functionality to the interactive side of my installation.
I was provided with an Arduino experimentation kit by one of my tutors early on in the module once we had discussed ideas of how I was expecting the interactive element to engage with users.
Every now and a again I would sit down with my Mac and the Arduino kit whenever I had some time to spare and just experiment with all the different functions and components.
Inside the kit you are provided with an experimenter's guide which gives you a tone of examples to try out, ranging from simple things such as flashing LED lights or spinning motors to relays and temperature sensitive triggers.
If you go to http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software you can download all the software you will need to connect the Arduino circuit board to your computer. In this software package all the codes for the examples are already set up meaning that you don't have to worry about writing them. The only thing you have to do is make sure the board is set up correctly, and there are diagrams and instructions to help guide you, which makes the process relatively simple.

I was dreading this part of my project as I am not the best at writing codes or getting things like this to work the way that I intend for them to do so. Surprisingly though I found it a very enjoyable and less complex stage.
After spending so much time practising with the examples I found myself beginning to have an understanding the coding. I could then see how I could then begin to alter some of the previous codes I had come into contact with to then make the components I intended to use work the way I wanted them to.
Here is the circuit board I am going to use as the engaging factor of my project. It containts a 10mm LED light and a photo resistor which reacts to the amount of light that it is recieving.

 

It's a fairly basic board and in the future I will need to solder wires to the photo resistor and the LED so that they extend further, making them able to run through the tree and connect to the Arduino that will be concealed inside the tree trunk.
Also I have to purchase a red 10mm LED light as I only have blue ones at the moment and I want the LED to be inside the clear cast that I have created of a heart. Obviously I want everything to tie in together so a red light is the most suitable to use.
The LED light will constantly flash on it's own, having no connection with the photo resistor. I attempt to make the flash a ressmeblance of a heart beat. This light will be 1 of if not the only the source of light that will be featured in my room, and will act as tool to draw the user into the key place where the interaction takes place.
The photo resistor will also be encased in the organ cast but will be visible and touchable on the exterior of the cast. It will be set to trigger off the Isadora to play the visuals when a certain value has been reached depending on when the user touches it,  permitting light from being seen by the surface of the photo resistor.
Getting Arduino and Isadora to work together was my biggest task during this stage of the project. Having no idea how to get the two to cooperate with each other I scoured the Internet for relative information that could help me.
Unfortunately not many people have written about using the two together, but I did come across this one blog that offered me the key information that I needed for my Arduino to work. It is very poorly written because the person who's blog it features on is Swedish so their English isn't entirely great, but you get the gist of what they are saying after a few reads and some guess work. 

http://art-research2010summer.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/tutorial-01-isadora-and-arduino.html

On their blog I found a piece of code that proved valuable to me, as it would ensure that the photo resistor would interact with Isadora. The way that they have written the code is so that any type of sensor will work with Isadora depending on whether or not the USB serial port is receiving information and of course if the Isadora serial ports are all set up properly.
Once I had constructed my code all I needed to do was make sure it was working properly by simply checking the USB serial port information that can be located through the tabs at the top of the Arduino software.
Below is a screen shot of the values that the photo resistor is sending out depending on how much light it was receiving. As you can see it was a constant state for the time I wasn't touching it but then each time I placed my finger on it, the values would increase.
This meant that the structure of my code was a success and it was all ready to act as a trigger for the visuals for when users come into contact with it.
My next job was structuring an Isadora stage that would allow the photo resistor to act as a trigger within the software. 

Below is the code I constructed for the LED to have a double beat that closely reassembles a state of a heart beat, and for the photo resistor to trigger the Isadora to play once a person has come into contact with it.

The Arduino Code

int val; //Declare variables. any words are fine.

int ana = 0; // Value must be same as a number of the analog pin
int led = 13;
 

void setup()

{

Serial.begin(9600); //Setup serial speed (it is important in a later step)

// initialize the digital pin as an output.
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);   

}

void loop()

{

val = analogRead(ana); //get data from analog

Serial.print(1,DEC); // discuss in later
Serial.print(val); //Send a value to computer.
Serial.println(); //Send a value to eom
delay(500); // Regulate a frequency of connection.

 digitalWrite(led, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

 delay(130);               // wait for a second
digitalWrite(led, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(180);               // wait for a second

digitalWrite(led, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)

 delay(130);               // wait for a second
digitalWrite(led, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(170);               // wait for a second

 }

Isadora
With having used Isadora previously over the past couple of months in other modules, and from watching the only set of tutorials that are featured on Youtube I found most of my stage easy to set up.
The idea was to have a constant black screen being projected on the wall at all times. Once a user has touched the photo resistor it would trigger Isadora to play 7 random clips and then loop back to the constant black screen, waiting for the user to engage with it again.
I used a serial port watcher to monitor the value of light that was being radiated onto the photo resistor. Also it acted as a tool for telling me how much light was in the room. This then helps me to figure out what value I would need to set the Isadora to for it to work coherently with the photo resistor.
Using a value watcher that was connected to the serial port watcher I could then type in a certain value that had to be reached before it would trigger the videos to play. This stops the trigger from constantly going off and activating the videos.
The challenge that proved most difficult was getting the videos to loop back to a constant black screen. I was able to get the videos to play once someone had come into contact with the photo resistor, but the videos would just continuously loop, showing no sign of going back to the start.
It was becoming an infuriating task.
After consulting with one of my tutors we figured a way around the problem that was more complex than we though. Through a range of loops and gateways I was able to construct a pathway that enables the videos to play randomly once they had been generated and then eventually loop back the black screen.
The loops and gateways act as a way of catching the looping videos after a certain period of time and then closing gates that restrict the videos from continuously playing. This eventually resets itself to a constant state and takes you back to the starting point.
I will be posting a demonstration video on here at a later date that shows you how it all exactly works and hopefully it will give you a better understanding of what I have tried to explain.

Organ Cast

The other day I obtained a pigs heart from my local butchers at the market in town. That night I created a mould of the pigs heart whilst it was in my hand. I can't say that it was a pleasant experience, but an experience non the less.
I created the mould the same way as I have with previous one by using the Body Double Silicone and then creating a modroc cast to act as a casing for when the mould is being created.

Rather than use plaster this time I decided to use a clear water Casting Resin. I came up with the idea during the end of one of my tutorials.
I thought I could make the sensor more eye catching by creating a transparent cast which would not only hold the light sensor inside of it, but also a red LED light and possibly a little motor.
The LED light will flash constantly, like the constant beat of a heart, acting almost like a visual metaphor in a way I guess.
This added visual gives another dimension and aesthetic to the sculpture, and at the same time makes the interactive part more appealing, hopefully drawing in the user more to take a close look.
If I do end up putting a motor inside the cast as well, then the motor will trigger a slight vibration which will respond to the user touching the light sensor.
The Resin has very precise measurement requirements that shouldn't be strayed from, and just a little word of advice, if you intend to use Resin make sure you do it outside because it carries a very strong odour that is very hard to get rid of.
Here is how the cast of the heart turned out.

StumbleUpon/Tumblr/Pinterest - Part 2

 

Construction Process Part 3: Trunk

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working tirelessly on the build of the trunk, which has been a hard and gruelling tasks but it has been completely worth it.
I have been trying to keep costs to a minimum during the course of this project, yet at the same time I have been trying to use materials that will have sustainability.
There have been more changes in my idea which I will be discussing throughout this entry. Just a quick note so you understand what I am writing about, there is no longer 4 main branches with 4 organs that act as sensors. There are no other additional branches that extend off the top of the trunk. There is only now 1 main branch with 1 main source of interaction. Again I will be explaining more during the course of this entry.
The frame work of trunk has been constructed entirely out of chicken wire, ensuring that all the measure requirements are met so that when the time comes the projector can fit neatly inside with enough space between it and the walls of the trunk.
Giving this spacial divide together with the ventilation access will give some reassurance of there being less chance of any kinds of over heating/fires.
The trunk has been made in two sections, the first part consisting of the base which is were the roots of the tree lie, working its way up just surpassing where the projector will rest. This part stands just under 6ft tall.
The second part is a lot smaller as it is only a connection between the trunk and the branch of the tree where the organ sensor will be displayed.
It has been made in two individual parts so that it makes the process of connecting the projector and the circuity of the Arduino kit through the branch of the tree a much simpler job. Also it means I don't have to have a projector constantly inside it, or be working around it. That would virtually be impossible because it's the University's equipment that I will be using.

Section One
Section one (as I will be referring it to as) started off with me making 3 individual circular shapes from the chicken wire. I gave each shape 2 layers of chicken wire so it was more durable and less flimsy when it came to building up the layers of plaster/modroc.
All 3 parts where then stacked upon one another, each being slightly inserted to the one it was vertically adjacent to so that they could then be connected securely.
With copper wire I began to tie the parts together, and then for extra support I inserted wooden beams into each connecting sector.

 

Once this had been completed I rapped the chicken wire frame with cellophane, this was to seal off the holes of the chicken wire and create a much smoother and workable surface for me to be able to add the modroc later on.

 

 

My next step was to add a wooden board underneath the trunk that I had built so far. This was to create a work surface for me to be able to start creating the roots of the tree. Not only that but it would act as a supportable way to be able to pick up the structure and transport it with ease.

For the build of the roots I began by making another circular frame with the chicken wire, then cutting sections out which I could then mould into separate shapes that I thought would reassemble the characteristics of the roots of a tree.

Once I had made them and secured them with copper wire I then inserted my feet casts, and then started to bend and shape the chicken wire around the cast so they would form some fluidity between the cast and the wire.

 

 

Each root was then filled with crumbled up news paper to give volume to the hollow shapes, then they were covered with cellophane in the same was as the rest of the trunk. So far everything had merged together to create this almost transparent tree like object, with roots that seemed to morph into human feet.

 

 

It was a milestone at this point to see everything coming together finally.

My next task was the enjoyable part, covering the whole thing in modroc. I decided to encase it all in modroc first not only to give it that added layer of strength, but also to act as a better surface for the plaster to be added.

 

I gave the the whole thing 2 layers of modroc and then left a day before I started adding the plaster and face casts just to ensure that it had fully dried out.

This was the moment I had been waiting for, the part where I would finally see what I had envisioned in my head come to reality. It was an exciting yet slow moving process when it came to adding the plaster/face casts.

I had my friend Ashley Walker to help me out during this time as it would have been at least 3 or 4 days before I had finished this part of the project if I had done it on my own. Together we completed it all within the space of 2 days.

We started adding plaster to the bottom first and worked our way up. The faces were added by applying No More Nails to the back of them, then any crack or gaps around the edges of the faces were sealed up with the appliance of more No More Nails or modroc if needed (this depended on the size of the gap).

 

We would work our way around, using each individual circular shape as an boundary to work from. Once we had come full circle we would begin adding the plaster around the set of faces that we had just set to the structure of the trunk.
Whilst Ashley applied the plaster I would use my spatula to scrape away any excess plaster, and try my best to merge the two together to make it look like a more realistic transition of the faces pushing their way out of the trunk of the tree.
Obviously I had to create a space for the projector to rest and be able to peer out so earlier on I had created a shelf within the trunk that sits on the wooden beams I had used to connect the chicken wire together.
The hole was cut out to suit the measurements of where the lens it situated on the projector itself. Again I made it that much bigger than the actual measurement so that there is room for error/movement.
The face cast I had created for this section had to be split in half, separating the jaw and then re-plastering it back to the face. I did this so that the space the projector would have to use to showcase the visuals would be larger. I just wanted to make sure the projections would not be obstructed because I felt the size of my mouth on the cast was too small.

After nearly 2 weeks of non stop work and a lot of dedication that was driven by the passion to create something beautiful I was left with what you see below as the completion of section one.
I don't think in my whole life I have created something artistically that I have been pleased of before. I have always felt that I have these great ideas but my execution has been awful due to the lack of dedication, the sloppiness of my work and my sheer laziness.
However this is something I have been really passionate about. It is a work of art that I have been wanting to do for such a long time, and after quitting my art course in a previous University I thought I would never get the opportunity to do this. Fortunately I have been given the chance and I have put my everything into it, and I am pleased to say that I am proud of what I have made.

 

Now comes the tragedy!

My project is an installation piece so that  means I need a room for my work to be exhibited in, but also constructed in as it is in 2 separate pieces and can only really be put together in the room it is going to be shown in.

So since September when I first pitched my idea of what I wanted to accomplish with this project to my tutors, I have been telling them and asking for a room. Even if the room was temporary that was fine, I just needed a room for it to go in and be put together and worked on slightly.

They told me not to worry about rooms and they'll come back to it at a later date. Well I have to worry because having a room is a major part of this project. Plus I have no room in the house I am currently doing my project to start the build of the second section.

So I persisted and EVENTUALLY they offered me a room for me to be able to put section one of the tree so that I could then begin the next part.

The only thing is the room they have offered me is for storage use only! This means once it is in there I am not allowed to work on it at all.

Now I know rooms are hard to come by at this time of year due to other people doing projects and exhibitions, but I just think if they had looked for a room for me when I first asked then there potentially could have been space for me to not only store my work but also be able to work on it.

To add insult to injury I was then told it would then be marked in this room, the room where I am not allowed to do any further work on it once it is in there, meaning it won't even be put together when it gets marked!

They say they'll find me a proper room when it comes to my exhibition but I just feel slightly gutted that it will get marked UNFINISHED in my eyes.

I obliged and accepted this room in the end because I have no other option really.

It gets worse though!!!

When transporting the first section to University the roots of the tree cracked during the car journey and also when carrying it around, and a foot came loose and fell off which was so disheartening. It made the whole structure of the tree less sturdy because they had cracked quite substantially.

I felt like being sick. It was as if my whole world was collapsing in on itself. I had finally put all this work and effort into creating something that I was proud of and it was all falling apart in front of me.

To be fair it is easily fixable but the fact it is sitting in a room where I can't do anything to it, a room where it will now be marked BROKEN, it just really bums me out.

I feel as though my motivation to complete the work as been sucked out of me in one in one fell swoop. However  I must persevere, be patient, and not let these events steer the direction of my hard work in the wrong direction.

Video Content Ideas

My friend Robert Myler, currently a temporary runner for channel 4, has been helping me out with the videoing process of this project.
Now I have many years of media experience with shooting all kinds of footage but I felt like I could use some professional help and Robert was more than willing to help me out.
I have explained my idea to him and we have constantly been converging with each other through Facebook and over the phone, coming up with ideas of the visuals that could be used in the films that will be shown once interaction is made with my sculpture.
My goal is to make a minimum of 20 short clips, any more than that is a bonus. I feel as long as I can demonstrate my idea and how it works well than that is an accomplishment for me because with such little time to complete all the ideas I have in mind, it may be too ambitious to do all the visuals I think of.
Obviously if I had longer to complete this and not other projects for other modules to worry about then I would go all out and create as much as possible. However I have to think realistically, therefore not all my ideas will be used.
I want visuals that are going to display very mundane things that we all carry out/do in our lives, and at the same time I want there to be hints of very significant moments or what people see as significant, but I want them to be very subtle.
Like I've stated before I want these visuals to portrait a very different aspect to how a person's life may flash before their eyes.
Below is a list of possible ideas me and Robert  have discussed over the past couple of weeks.

1) Putting toothpaste onto a brush
2) Laying some flowers on a grave
3) Being picked up from the cot
4) Slamming hands on steering wheel as car doesn't start.
5) Woman's hands undoing mans belt
6) Coughing up blood onto hands
7) Opening a 60th birthday card (or wedding/ baby shower etc)
8) Falling down stairs
9) Filling in a form for a funeral home process
10) Taking first steps
11) Jogging through park
12) Getting down on one knee to propose
13) Pouring wine into a glass at sunset
14) Putting mail into the mail box
15) Tying shoelaces
16) Receiving keys for first car
17) Looking at window, looking at hands against light
18) Flicking through a property magazine
19) Hiking through somewhere nice
20) Putting a toy in the toilet
21) Looking inside a CD cover, old folks album choice
22) Putting your degree diploma on the wall.
23) Looking for the TV remote in the coach.
24) Throwing up into toilet (tastefully done)
25) Stroking a cat
26) Buying a newspaper
27) Getting money out of the ATM
28) Flushing the toilet
29) Spraying deodorant
30) Looking at a message on phone that says 'my water has broke'
31)CPR being administered

Now  Robert has all his own camera equipment which means I don't have to worry about availability.
We have been meeting up when ever we get the chance to start shooting some of the footage. Everything we have been shooting has been done with a shoulder camera mount or even just an ordinary tripod fixed in a certain position to create that illusion of the camera being from the perspective of a person.
We have kept actors minimal so that it doesn't cause any interruption with the filming process. We don't want there being any delays due to actors pulling out or there being no available actors to participate. Therefore myself, Robert and his girlfriend Olga have been the only ones featuring in the videos.
Here is a link to my Youtube channel where I have upload all the clips we have shot thus far. Scroll down and you will find them. They are all entitled "Video Project" and then the name of what they depict in the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/user/c0wb0iHissayJay?feature=mhee

StumbleUpon/Tumblr/Pintrest

I enjoy going on StumbleUpon from time to time. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of StumbleUpon, it basically a sort of search engine that randomly generates websites that you maybe interested in depending on your hobbies/interests that you have listed.
I  also love scouring Tumblr and Pintrest daily, I think I have a bit of an obsession. I have accounts set up on both sites to store collections of things that I am interested in or may find use for in the future. They almost act as a treasure trunk of ideas and inspirations, mixed with general things I like.
Here are the links to my Tumblr and Pintrest if you are interested;
http://xmrxcx.tumblr.com/
http://pinterest.com/xmrxcx/
I find these sites great tools to use to expand the variety of material that I consume and see on the Internet, revealing content to me that I would have never been able to find or even think about searching for.
Here are just a few images that I have "StumbledUpon" during my sessions. These images I have saved because I feel like they spark some influence into my design. Unfortunately the artists and the names of the pieces of work are unknown, but I felt it was necessary to feature them in this blog.

 

I may add more images of artwork or other relevant content in the future that I come across during my many browsing sessions if I feel they have had any influence into my work.

Storyboards - Interaction

Organ Preservation Techniques

From the beginning it has been my sole intention to use real organs as a part of the human tree that I am creating.
I feel that by using real organs I can draw in some essence to the graphic nature of humanity and create a sense of realism. I wouldn't be doing it for the purpose of gore or to be grotesque in nature. I would just like the tree to encompass the reality of what people are made up of, a way of intertwining the reality of who we are physically with who we are externally. A complete structure and representation of the concept behind my idea.
I know that there are some risk to be considered if I am to carry out using real organs within my sculptural piece, as I am sure there are many health and safety regulations I would need to abide my.
Therefore some tests would need to be carried out before pursuing the use of real organs.
If through my research I come to the conclusion that they are suitable to be used I will obtain them from either a local abattoir or a butchers depending on availability.
My experiment will consist of me coating small pieces of raw meat with three different substances to see which one has sustainability.
The three substances I have decided to investigate with are PVA glue, latex and resin. By using three various coating materials I will be able to distinguish to positives and negatives of each one in comparison to one another.
I will be looking for the speed of deterioration in concerns to the raw meat, the encasement of odor, texture, and durability.
Even after carrying out this small test I will have to finalise the functionality that I will be using in the interactivity of my project, and then take into consideration the adaptability between the two.

Tutorial Feedback - Three (Projection/Touch Sensitive Methods)

On the 29th October I had my third tutorial session. Continuing on from our last meeting we continued the discussion of interaction. My tutors were interested in my thoughts of how I was actually going to make my tree interactive.
I mentioned how Isadora was going to act as the main piece of software I would be using, were all of my videos will be stored.
A black screen would constantly been on a loop until a user activated a video to play through touching one of the interactive organs. The organs would act as triggers which would be executed through the use of 2 small cameras being attached to the ceiling. Through the use of Isadora they would act as "Listeners" that would be set to trigger off a video when they see a person touch an organ.
My tutors said that this is a possible idea but it can be very flimsy. Also nothing could be attached to the ceiling therefore they would have to be secured to the walls but at such a height that they are able to capture the area needed for when interaction is possible. Problems were arising already.
I stated that it would also look very cluttered with wires coming from underneath it and also above it which to me would make it aesthetically unappealing. They agreed on the matter.
If only I could have something inside the organ to act as a sensor like I originally planned when I set out to do this project. Then my one of my tutors perked up with an idea. He suggested using something called an Ardunio Kit. Now this kit is all different kinds of sensors which I would have to code, telling them how I want them to be used, then through Isador they could act as "Listeners" and trigger the video content.
In my head I was just thinking "Why haven't you mentioned this sooner?!"
After all the talking we have done over the interaction of my project and something like this being my initial idea that I wanted to use, I just didn't understand why they hadn't mentioned that they had access to these kits in the first place.
However we talked for a while about the Ardunio Kit and it seems like a very interesting piece of equipment. They mentioned that it can be a complicated piece of equipment to use but seeing as though I only want it to act as an "On", "Off" switch then it should be fairly simple.
To accomplish this I would have to either hollow out an organ then encase it in resin to make it sold or cast an organ as an alternative. Inside then I can place an LED which would peep through the front of the organ through a small whole which I would have to drill. The LED would then be linked to the Ardunio kit, acting as a switch which would activate once it has been covered/touched.
I felt enthusiastic about this idea, almost elated that there was a possible way to make my work look tidier and to also be reverting back to my original idea.
I am thinking about 4 different triggers, which will be 4 hearts that will be settled in the hand of 4 different branches. These 4 triggers will link to 4 different sets of videos, but will all be one narrative of a person's memories.
A thought my tutors left me with was "how many users would be able to use it at once?"
Now for the installation to work sufficiently only one user at a time would be able to interact with it, otherwise the projection of the video content wouldn't work. This means I have to think of ways of restricting the flow of users, almost making an enclosement so that it enables one person at a time to come into contact with the tree. Storyboarding out the possibilities will be my next task.

Construction Process Part 2: Face Casts

On the 22nd of October I began the face casting process, which followed the same principles as the foot casting. Using the Body Double Release Cream/Silicone again to create the moulds which had to be applied thickly and carefully around my nostrils so that my breathing wasn't obstructed.

 

 

Once applied a Mod Roc cast had to be made over the top after 5-10 minutes, giving the Silicone enough time to dry. Again with the Mod Roc case the material had to be applied carefully around my nostrils. Straws can be used, being placed in the nostril so that there is no chance of your breathing being obstructed, but I thought that I may lose some of the detail around the nose if I did this so I trusted my friend Lauren to apply the materials cautiously around my nose.

 

 

 

Releasing yourself from a cast of your face is a lot easier than one of your foot, or any that you are trying to create a fully dimensional form of. As the cast is hollow it is easy to just peel and pull away without any struggle or hassle.

Having saying that I did have a painful experience with the first mould we did because at the time I was sporting a beard. This meant even with a thick layer of the Release Cream on bits of my beard were being pulled out as the mould was being removed.

Sadly I had to shave but hey I guess it's a small price to pay for making art!

It made for some interesting casts though, as each one that was casted in the mould in which I was sporting facial hair, pieces of hair were captured in the plaster and appeared in the cast.

These little bits of scattered hair make the faces that more creepy, but it's a nice feeling to know that apart of me is actually in the cast. Weird I know! It just makes the essence of the tree that more realistic and meaningful I guess. Making something that is meant to be a representative of person's physical features, their temporary vessel that acts as a tool for their being. A storage device of their life. And capturing those final personal details such as bits of hair adds to the concept I am trying to portray.

Below are a couple of pictures of various face casts that I have created over the past few days. In total 30 face casts have been made. Not all may need to be used, and if some are left over it is always good to have spares left over just in case anything happens to the others when transferring them onto the trunk of the tree.

 

One difference needed to be made for one of the casts that I wanted to create. The trunk of the tree is going to conceal a projector, which is going to need an area big enough for the lens to be able to project the video content. Rather than just having a gaping hole in the tree that made no sense, had no relevance and drew away from the visual aspect of the sculpture, I decided to do a cast of an open mouthed face.
Having a face with an open mouth will make it possible for the video content to be displayed whilst hiding the projector from the public. It will not draw away from the visual aesthetics of the tree, and will almost be acting as a metaphor for looking inside a person to see what they're about.
This was a difficult mould to make as my mouth needed to be open at all times, with as minimal movement as possible so that the mould could settle properly. I needed to keep my mouth extended as wide as possible also so that I was enabling enough room for a projector to be able to project out of it.
To do this I sliced an orange in half and held it within my mouth for sustainability. It was a real effort to hold that orange in my mouth for half an hour whilst I waited for the Body Silicone and the Mod Roc to both be applied and set properly.
I'm not going to lie, I nearly had a slight panic attack at one point because I almost chocked on my own saliva and the orange juice that had been building up within my mouth. Luckily when this incident happened it was time for the moulds to be taken off. A major case of lock jaw followed shortly afterwards but as I said before, it's a small price to pay.
I also had the safety of my friends there helping me in case anything went wrong, so precautions were taken.

Below are a few pictures of the Silicone casts sitting in the Mod Roc cases that were made during this process. I have uploaded these just to show the sort of detail that is captured with the use of the Body Double Silicone.
Through these visuals you can see by the amount of dried up plaster left over inside the casts just how much these casts have been reused. Even after multiple casts neither one has lost a glimpse of detail or shown signs of tearing/degrading.

Storyboards - Specifications

Films/TV Influences

In this post I would just like to take some time to shine some light on a few relevant influences to this project from the worlds of TV and film.
The TV programmes and films that I am going to lightly talk about have had some impact upon myself at the point of viewing, and have acted as a resource for me to refer back to at some point during this project.
All of them reflect on the media side of this project and have helped me structure a visualisation of the narrative I am trying to create.
Most of what I will refer to use the form of filming from a first person perspective making the viewer feel as though they are seeing through the eyes of the character. It is my intention for all my media content to be filmed in the same way to reflect the concept of seeing your life flash before your eyes. I want the viewer to have this feeling of seeing from the character's perspective, but also there being a possibility that the user's connection with what they are seeing transcends to a becoming a much more personal experience. As though they begin to feel like they are seeing through their own eyes, the memories they are viewing are their memories.
The camera shot/angle is an important element in accomplishing this goal, but the action within the shot is just as important to creating the illusion of the characters eyes being the cameras. For the shot to fully influence the user into thinking that they are seeing through a set of eyes there must be some use of the characters hands to show that they are not holding a camera. These two elements combined together create a continuity between the intent and the narrative.
Even though I want the memories that will be displayed to reflect every day life, I still find it hard to carry out something that looks natural. If the performance looks too forced throughout the story then connection between the visuals and the users becomes frayed and loses the audience's attention/engagement.
Most of the stories in these TV prorammes/Films reflect that of every day life and have given me the know how of what to do and what not to do when carrying out the filming of my media content.
Having no dialogue in my videos should help drastically as well because if the dialogue is not written or spoken well it can come across poorly and then impact the effectiveness of visual content.

Black Mirror - The Entire History of You (2011)
Black Mirror is a TV series written by Charlie Brooker with each episode being set in a different time and place, with there being no connection between any of them.
When asked what the drama series was about Charlie Brooker was quoted as saying "they're all about the way we live now – and the way we might be living in 10 minutes' time if we're clumsy".
Black Mirror has been compared to other popular TV classics of the same genre such as The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected as it takes the viewer on a short journey of uneasiness, giving us an insight into the possible world we could be living in one day.
My favourite episode of the first series of Black Mirror is called "The Entire History of You", a story about the future of technology and how a certain device called "The Grain", a chip that is implanted on a hard drive within the brain allows us to record every single thing that our eyes see making it playable at our discretion.

The Tree of Life (2011)
Directed by Terrence Malick and Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life revolves around the origins and meaning of life as depicted through the childhood memories of a middle-aged man.
Through his memories we get to see his younger years and what his life was like growing up in a 1956 Waco Texas. We begin to witnesses the man reflect back on how he lost his innocence and coped with the struggles of his parents' conflicting philosophies.
The first 10-15 minutes of this film is purely built up of black screens bursting with subtle explosions and blends of colour that are elegant and stunning to view. These visuals are an abstract representation of the birth of the universe, "The Big Bang Theory".
These scenes gave me the idea that I could possibly take a more abstract approach with some of the visual ideas I want to create for the memories. I could blend mundane reflective experiences of life with ambient and tranquil sets of colours that set off emotions or feelings with the viewer.

The Final Cut (2004)
This film is written and directed by Omar Naim that looks into the concepts of subjectivity, memory and history.
Set in the near future in a world were memory implants can be purchased and implanted into babies when they are born so that their entire lives can be recorded, Robin Williams plays a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories.
The job of the cutter is to edit people's memories into a feature film length piece once they die so that it may be viewed by their loved ones.

Peepshow (2003- )
A renowned British sitcom broad casted in the UK on Channel 4, Peep Show follows the lives of two roommates, Mark and Jez, who have nothing in common except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal.
One of my favourtie comedy series, Peep Show uses great use of the visual technique of viewing from the character's perspective. The entire show is shot so that the viewer sees exactly what each character is seeing, therefore it is a particularly good source of media to research into.

Tutorial Feedback - Two (Idea Development)

My next tutorial was scheduled for the 15th October and basically carried on from where we left off last time. My tutors read over their notes that they had made last time, and whilst they did so I began to just reacquaint them with my idea.
I brought one of my foot casts in to give them an idea of the types of body casts I will be making for my project, and also a hand cast that I had made very quickly as a tester with the last bit of Alginate I had left. It was basically moulded and casted within an empty 2L bottle of Coke that I had cut in half.

They seemed very enticed to want to touch and feel the casts, and this is the exact reaction I want from users when they come into contact with my tree.
My tutors were asking how was it going to draw people in to interact with it, and my answer was simple. When people go to see art, they immediately have this urge to touch or engage with a piece of art, it's human nature. However due to restrictions people are always forced to stay at an arms length of a piece of work.
With my sculpture though the whole point of it is for people to get personal with it. To explore it's surface, it's texture and nature, hopefully coming across the interactive triggers to then set of the projector to then create this narrative side to the piece. That's when it becomes a lot more dimensional, and almost gets the user questioning what's going on? What did they do to trigger that image? Is there more?
The tutors reacting the way they did just to me displaying a simple cast of a hand and foot was how I see reacting when they come into contact with my tree.
We discussed mainly the interactive media content side of my project this time around. I mentioned how I would be having help from my good friend Robert Myler creating the video content as he is amateur film maker who was very interested in getting involved in my project. Also he has his own equipment which means I don't have to book equipment out from the University itself and compete with other students at getting a piece of equipment out.
In my mind I initially pictured the tree having a full set of organs dangling down from the branches which would act as the interactive part of the sculpture. Users would then either have to bump into or touch the organs to activate the projector.
My tutors were still kind of questionable about the set of organs being the idea for my interaction. They thought I should keep it small and maybe instead of having a full set stray my focus onto just one organ. I could see where they were coming from and as they talked other ideas were sparking in my mind of how to make it seem less cluttered and also reflect the essence of a real tree.
They suggested that I come up with some storyboards of all the different ways that it could be interactive before I settle on one idea. Seeing as it's still early days it's possible for me to still be juggling about with various ideas.
My tutors were really still focused on my casts that I had brought in and kept mentioning how the hand seemed to be drawing them in, more so than the feet. This again acted as almost user feedback because the feet are acting as the roots of the tree so will be situated at the base meaning very little interaction will be made.
The hands though will be on the branches at the top of the tree where the organs will sit/dangle meaning that there is a chance that people should instinctively be drawn to the interactive parts.
I began to re-imagine the design of the interaction the more they talked about the hands.
They kept trying to almost sway me to keeping my whole project small, stripping it back and instead of doing a tree made out of human body parts just do various body casts that are interactive.
This suggestion just reminded me of Bruce Nauman's work that I have featured in my blog and had showed them before. I didn't want to replicate someone elses work. I was happy sticking with what I was already doing.
They admitted that they were worried about the work involved but after showing them how much I had done so far, and the fact that every little part of risk that needed assessing I had already assessed they became tolerant that maybe I could pull this off.
I started to think that if I wanted it to reassemble a real life tree then maybe certain aspects would need to change. I mean what exactly dangles from a tree?
I thought it maybe worth working around this focus that they have around the hands. So I started to imagine what if the hands themselves held an organ, almost like a branch clinging onto an apple. The attraction of the hand then would hopefully draw people into wanting to touch the organ which holds the key to it all becoming interactive. This was a possibility I thought up whilst they were talking amongst themselves.
They added other suggestions such as using QR Codes on the hands, even having the fingerprints themselves acting as a QR Code. This way instead of having a projector hidden within the trunk of the tree, the users would have to use their smart phone to gain the video content.
Not that I have completely dismissed this idea but I just hate the fact of using QR Codes. In my past experiences with QR Codes I find them just to be very cheap and unreliable sources of activating content.
Again I left on a high note at the end of the tutorial, full of inspiration and motivation.
My focus now should be the continuation of building my tree at a steady pace as well as concentrating on creating storyboards that display various forms of interactivity. I can continue building before I finalise on my final form of interaction, but obviously only so far. Therefore it is crucial that I weigh out my options and pick an appropriate form of interaction as soon as possible so that construction can progress.

Construction Process Part 1: Feet Casts

Before I could begin constructing my tree I would need to find a place were I could store my work as I progressively continue the development of it of the course of the next couple of months. Luckily my friends Ashley Walker, Claire Lancaster, Lauren Ainsworth and Jessica Hunt have offered me their basement, a fairly large work space area, to store my work.

Not only have they given me a place to work on my project, but they have openly volunteered to help me out in the creating process as I will need more than one person at various stages to lend a hand. They also have some experience/knowledge coming from Fine Art backgrounds that will help influence the shape of this project. They will be a great asset for when it comes to assessing situations and specifications, coming up with alternative routes that I myself may not have considered, or even have knowledge about.       

On the 12th of October we began casting the body parts that would feature on my "human tree", starting with the feet as they will act as the support for the structure, located at the base of the trunk. The idea is to work from the bottom upwards, building up the support of the structure before I reach the top were there will be a considerable amount of weight that has the potential to cause collapsing issues.

Before casting commenced we made sure to watch as many tutorial videos on Youtube as possible, involving different body parts being casted so that we had gathered enough knowledge to be able to create the casts without wasting materials.

I have been buying most of my materials off Ebay to reduce the impact in cost as it seems to be the cheapest place to obtain the materials needed for the project, compared to the art store websites that I have scoured.

The main materials I used for my foot casts where;

 

- Alginate, a compound used for making body moulds.

- Herculite Plaster, to pour into the mould to create the cast.

- A plastic container big enough for my foot to fit in, but small enough to not waste valuable Alginate.

- Vaseline, to act as a lubricant to release yourself from the mould.

 

After I had lathered my foot with Vaseline, I placed it into the plastic container as the girls poured the Alginate in, making sure my entire foot was consumed so that it will make an effective impression.

The method we were using to make the mould was the simplest form as it doesn't involve creating a Mod-Roc support shell over the mould to make it durable enough to withstand the pouring of the plaster.

The Alginate is a quick setting compound, so once added with the right amount of water there is only a 90 second window for you to apply to the body part you wish to cast.

Now on each 454g packet of Alginate it clearly states that one back is enough to create a foot or hand impression. On our first try we did not stray from what it said on the packet, so worked to the guidelines given to us.

As the girls poured the Alginate into the tub we soon realised that there was clearly not enough to consume my foot. They franticly tried to scoop the compound over my foot as it quickly dried to see if it could create a suitable mould. Unfortunately the layer of Alginate was so thin that when releasing my foot from the mould it split.

Although the first mould had failed we could see that the impression had worked perfectly, and we now had a better idea of the correct measurements we would need to carry out to create the cast.

 

On our second attempt we used 2 packets of 454g of Alginate, again coming up short due to the size of the plastic container, but this time we were able to create a much thicker layer.
Once applied you can see the change in the Alginate as it turns from a pastey grey colour to a pink, indicating that it has dried.
After only 5 minutes I could feel my foot begin to release itself from the Alginate, which then enabled me to slide my foot out without splitting the impression. With the success of our second mould it was now time to create the cast.

The Herculite plaster isn't as fast setting as the Alginate, therefore if there if any error is made in the amount needed it can be quickly rectified. We carefully measured out the Herculite, mixed it with the correct amount of water and then proceeded to pour it into the mould.

 

 

Within the space of 5-10 minutes the plaster is hard enough for the surrounding mould to be stripped away, leaving the plastered cast of the body part. The final outcome can be seen below.

The detail that can be captured through the moulding/casting process is outstanding, which creates effective realism perfect for my project.
The cast itself is fairly heavy in nature, so will act as a great foundation at the base of the tree to create sustainability and sturdiness.
Over the course of this primary cast I have already been met with some minor hiccups. It seems that the Alginate is only good for one mould, one cast, as it breaks down far too quickly. With the amount of casts that needs to be done, using Alginate will not only be a long process but also quite costly.
I reverted back to some of the Youtube tutorials we had watch previously to see watch materials they  used/recommended when it came to making casts. Alginate is highly recommended when it comes to making only one cast, but when involving multiple casts Body Double Silicone is the product of choice.

This product is expensive to say the least, but when calculating how much Alginate I would need to construct my whole tree the cost of the Body Double Silicone out weighs the cost of the Alginate by a clear mile.
The specifications of the Body Double Silicone are far better than the Alginate. The Silicone can create moulds that can last years and be reused multiple times to create casts, which means rather than constantly casting a body part over and over only one cast of each body part would be needed. This impression could then be filled with plaster to create the cast, be carefully peeled away and then used again. This will cut not only my costs down but also the time it will take to create all my casts. Not only this but it is a lot better for capturing fine detail compared to the Alginate.
The duration of casting all the feet lasted over a period of 7 days due to waiting for new materials to arrive.

The applying method had to be changed due to the amount of Silicone that is supplied in a  pot, so a tub could not be filled and my foot submerged. This time my foot had to be painted with the Silicone, ensuring that all areas were completely covered, and then a Mod Roc casing made to support the mould for when the plaster is being added to create the cast.
Covering the heel with the Silicone would obviously cause as an obstruction as to removing the mould, but it really wasn't a necessity to have it covered anyway because the heel wouldn't be seen once the feet are merged into the tree's roots which I will be constructing at a later date.
Using the Silicone in the way I did meant it could be easily removed, almost like a sock, and then this mould could be continuously used for multiple casts. This is the beauty of the Body Silicone.
It is a necessity that Body Double Release Cream is bought with the product and added to the area you are casting, applying as thick as possible so that the removal of the mould is easy and doesn't risk potential damage/tearing.
In my head I thought there could have been potential risks due to the fact that I had changed the moulding process, and with trying to cast something that in the end is going to be a three dimensional object it meant that there was more potential for failure applying the Silicone this way.
Having a low quantity of the product meant that if anything did go wrong there wasn't much room for experimenting, even though from the first time applying the material you can kind of judge how things are going to turn out and how you will need to improve them instantly.
If anything did go wrong with the first mould of my right foot, then I would do another right foot and continue on without moulding a left foot, to insure that materials were not wasted. Luckily both moulds turned out great.

The only problem that we hit was trying to get the moulds back into the Mod Roc cast, this proved to be a struggle that could not be overcome. Therefore each mould just had to be propped up and filled with the plaster, which inevitably caused a few misshapen feet at first. This meant that once the plaster had started to dry and became not so loose, we were able to manipulate the moulds to ensure that the final casts were more foot shaped.
I was highly impressed with the Body Double Silicone, a product that is definitely worth future use within this project.
Seven casts in total were made ready to be adapted into the roots of the tree once I begin construction of the trunk. I love how each cast is different in its own way even though the same mould may have been used for multiple casts. Misshapen toes, lumps and bumps in certain areas. The fact that each one is different in its own right, yet it's the same foot is a aesthetic that I much love about this piece so far.
Seeing the project progressing and seeing it progress in such a timely manor is getting me excited about moving that step forward to the final outcome of my "Human Tree".