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".

Tutorial Feedback - One (Initial Idea)

I will be having regular tutorials with my tutors to discuss my project idea, how I am getting on during the primary stages and it's progression, converging over ideas that could shape and steer my project, and also getting an opportunity to get general help from them.
These tutorials will be weekly if said otherwise by tutors, either way they will be a great convenience for me to discuss my future plans and get second point of view.

8th Oct
My first tutorial consisted of merely pitching my idea for my project to my tutors. I talked to them about where my inspiration for this installation came from, artists and other forms of media that I had been referencing over the years that I have had this idea, and how now I had suddenly developed an interactive side to it due to the influence of this course.
I must say it wasn't easy at first to talk about the concept, I think some of them got lost in the way I was trying to describe my vision but they eventually caught up with me and started to develop an understanding.
Some of the tutors had issues with the grotesque nature of parts of my sculpture, mainly the organs that would dangle from the tree and act as a sensory trigger. Others had problems with it's being a complicated and overwhelming task to construct in such a short time.
After informing them that I had all the bases covered, that I knew what I was getting myself in for  but with a great deal of support behind me the task wouldn't seem such a struggle. It's an idea I have wanted to pursue for so many years, and now that I have the opportunity I wasn't going to let it slip by.
I seemed to have convinced them and brought them slightly on board to the idea, although they still have issues with the interactive side to it. They feel like it may be too literal, and as most of the artists I reference draw people in with the simplicity of their work, they feel like I may be over complicating it.
I am willing to work on the nature of my project and morph it into the simplest possible form it can be without it losing any of it's meaning or physical essence.
I brushed over the idea of having some kind of touch sensor inside the organ that when pressure is applied or even simply when it's touched it triggers the projector to play. Gaining such equipment to accomplish this may be cost effective, so my tutors came up with the idea of using a computer programme called Isadora as the main work space for my video content and through that using cameras to act as sensors. These sensors can be set up through Isadora to play the video content when a person comes into the vicinity of a certain area that I have customised.
I left the session feeling good about my project and how I was going to attack it. The Isadora software was weighing heavy in my mind as it seemed like an exciting piece of software to use, and conveniently I was going to be using it in other modules for other projects. This gives me the advantage of having some experience with the programme so that when it comes to implementing it into my sculpture, I won't be going in totally blind and unaware of what I am using.
I have this new found sense of wanting to build something beautiful and meaningful to me, and almost prove everyone wrong by accomplishing the task I am setting out to do. This is only because I still get a slight feeling of uncertainty from my tutors. I am hoping to shock them!

Video Mapping

I'm exploring all different avenues, searching for a suitable/effective way for the visual aspect of my project to be displayed.
My first idea, which has been the only idea I had generally thought of once changing my idea from an art project to a media installation, was to use cameras as sensors.
I could make web cameras that are attached to a projector and secured to walls within the room track peoples movements, working almost like the motion sensors on the Nintendo Wii or Xbox Kinect (obviously not as sophisticated though).
Once people come within a certain distance of the cameras this could then trigger the projector to play. However this doesn't involve any user interaction and my idea really consists of there being a heavy influence of user participation between them and the tree.
If it is some how possible I could maybe have the web cameras focus on the organs that I want the users to interact with, and once they become in a close enough proximity with the organs the cameras could pick this up and activate the projector. Almost giving the illusion to the user that somewhere within the organ is some kind of sensor that works together with the projector.
I think this could be a tricky and clumsy process as it may become too awkward for the cameras to only act upon the users coming into a certain distance with the organs.
There is quite possibly a more functional and smaller scale piece of technology out there that is more suited to adapt to the functionality I am trying to incorporate into my piece of work. I obviously just have to keep searching.
I nice idea that I came across through the course of my research that could send my installation into a whole other direction was video mapping.
Video mapping if you are unfamiliar with it is a projection technology sometimes referred to as projection mapping that is used to change two or three-dimensional shapes into a form of canvas where visuals can be displayed.    
Through the use of specialised software objects are mapped out in a virtual environment. With the information gathered the software can then work together with the projector to fit a desired visual or design on to the surface of the object.
If I was able to obtain this software for a reasonable cost and implement it into my work I could envision my project taking a drastic change of direction to what I had previously imagined.
Rather than just having the memories of a persons' life being simply displayed on a wall I could have them mapped onto the surface of the tree itself, and then maybe try to form some kind of interactivity based around this.The visuals could be constant or activated by the organs to project onto the tree.
It is definitely an idea to give some consideration to. However with every idea there are risks and factors that need to be worked out before even pursuing further development.
I will look into costs, attainability, functionality and dependency before I give this idea any more thought because I'm really set on the original way I imagined my installation to be.
Here is a short documentary I watched  to gain a little more insight into the methods behind the technology used to create a video map. Directed by Dane Luttik this short video reveals the ideas and functions behind  projection mapping, specifically for the use of VJs (Video Jockeys) as they are commonly known for using this form of technology.

NEW UPDATES COMING SOON!!!

Don't think I haven't been updating my blog with the progress of my project, and neglecting my work. I have merely been keeping the documentation of my work in drafts, as I have been that busy with the development of my work that I have so much to talk about!!!!
I keep dipping into posts that I have started writing, talking about different areas of what I have been doing and not really completing what I am actually trying to talk about. I am hoping by the beginning of next week to be up to date with all my blog entries so that you can clearly see were I am up to in the construction of my "Human Tree".