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