Artists Statement

Six Squared

Six Squared is an interactive audio visual application which explores notions of fragmentative intimacy. In an intense recording, participants were invited to express their greatest fears and the accompanying memories associated with them. These fears are divulged in the application itself; a grid of squares conceal snippets of performers as they reveal a part of themselves. A subtle juxtaposition of the exposed and the obscured is created in a linear dialogue between audio and video. Fragments of all performers fears and face ultimately culminate in a grotesque human visage, a multitude of faces and fears. Faces can be clicked by users to further explore combinations of features and highlighting of dialogue.

Images and documentation of final project

Project in action

Prototype

Finalized

Progress Update

Done:
- Filming video
- Basic Processing framework
- Video splicing and Editing
- Audio Recording
- Audio Editing


What's left to be done:
- Implementation into Processing



Timeline

Class 12 (April 2)
Implementation with Processing

Weekend before final class


Finalize Processing work


Fix any remaining bugs.
Testing & troubleshooting

Class 13 (April 9)
Final presentation

Final Project - Update

Done:
-Filming video
-Basic Processing framework



What's left to be done:
-Finish recording audio
-Video editing 
-Implementation into Processing



Timeline
Class 10 (March 19)
Finish audio recording (voices)

Class 11 (March 26)
Video editing

Class 12 (April 2)
Implementation with Processing

Weekend before final class


Finalize Processing work


Fix any remaining bugs.
Testing & troubleshooting

Class 13 (April 9)
Final presentation

Ideas

What will the people in the video be saying?

• Line from a speech
• Lyrics
• Secrets
• Clichés
• Sayings

• Different languages
• Different dialects

Themes:

• Culture
• Religion
• Art
• Politics

To be cont.

Problems in Processing

We have identified some problems which might occur during the processing implementation:

->maintaining audio syncing
->video playback versus memory usage
->layering of video(tied with the playback depending on the method we use for it)

We have a solution for the audio. We will separate all audio from the videos and have the voice clips play continuously right from the start of the sketch. The only thing that need be controlled is the volume of each voice which depends on the number of videos showing of one particular face. This would mean a range of 0-6 (7 levels of volume). This could be done one of two ways, either controlling one sound clip at 7 different volume levels or muting/unmuting 6 repetitions of an identical voice clip.

For the other two issues we have not yet found a solution, or rather a method.

Progress report - Week of Feb 10

Revised Concept
After further discussing our project, we've managed to narrow down and set out what our concept is. Going along with our initial idea, we are making a sort of video board that involves filmed video and corresponding audio.  

Once assembled together, it will make an interactive experience where the user can switch between different videos and audio on a grid that will create a sort of musical composition depending on the combination of videos they choose.

Six individuals will be filmed and each video will be cut into six pieces making a total of 36 sub-videos.

The videos will collectively form a portrait. The six videos represent 6 notes on a scale and the user will hear these notes played in some kind of beat. Each video of one section will have the same beat and note from the scale, making the only difference  be the tonal quality of the subjects voice between videos of said section.

We are also planning to have the subjects in the recorded videos say something, each subject would say the exact same thing and it would remain in perfect sync throughout the whole piece. The volume of each individual speaker will be affected by how many videos of their face is visible on screen.
  (To be cont...)

Prototype 
See processing sketch


Timeline & To do
-Film 
-Edit footage
-Edit audio
-Implement into Processing



Mock timeline

Class 7 (Feb 26)
Finish filming

Class 8 (March 5)
Finish editing video

Class 9 (March 12)
Finish creating/altering/editing audio (to go with video)

Class 10 (March 19)
Implementation with Processing

Class 11 (March 26)
Finalize Processing work

Class 12 (April 2)
Finalize Project

Inspiration
A combination of our three best ideas.

• Cold War Kids interactive concert

This is a piece where the user controls what happens on screen, to a certain extent.  There are several options and combinations that the user can alter between.  In this example the page displays four band members who can be "switched" on/off.  By doing this, it is the user who is making the music and each time there can be a different outcome.  Click above.

Sketch

Further refined sample.

Preliminary Sketch of Project

Preliminary Sketch for the project:

Preliminary sketch demonstrating the general direction of the project.