Artists
can express an idea or message through different objects and create a
work of art from those objects explaining those ideas. The two
artists I chose to research were apart of different projects
including, Lumarca and Mary Mack 5000. These two artists have a
different style and representation of art, but both have similarities
the way they express their ideas through different objects. Albert
Hwang and Kaho Abe were two artists I quickly found an interest in,
and wanted to research a lot more because of their creative and
different style of art that I have never seen before. They both have
an interest in using technology for the creation of art and allowing
the audience to interact with those creations. Not only do these
artists have similarity, but both major differences that really
defines them based on those differences.
Albert Hwang
The
first artist I researched is Albert Hwang, an Honorary Resident of
eyebeam.org. Hwang is a 3d information artist, a performance artist
and designer who, according to his profile on eyebeam.org, has
participated in many different projects including Lumarca, Spatial
Computing, Wire Map, and many others. Hwang uses a lot of technology
and even his special dance skills to provide ideas and basically
create a work of art that people can watch.
The
first work that I found by Hwang is called, "Spatial Computing."
This is a video series that he uploaded on YouTube that portrays a
new way of interacting with home computers and one that uses direct
control of digital 3d objects in real space with just the use of our
hands. He explains his ideas and physically shows them during the
video. He believes that with spatial computing, instead of just
sitting back watching television, people will be able to move around
the environment and see the world from different perspectives.
According to Hwang, these ideas are new forms of expression, and,
hopefully, new types of experience. Of course, Hwang mentions a
disclaimer, “What was built here was 3d modeling programs, and
clever video editing.”
What the idea of home entertainment will look like
In
his most recent video, he explains that we will be able to engage in
home theater and literally shows us, using his computer and programs,
what that would look like; kind of a sketch, or an idea of it. He
explains how you could control that environment, how you could fast
forward, rewind pause, lower sound and other tools like watching a
two-dimensional television screen. Besides controlling the
environment, he also explains the other uses for it, like wanting to
see things from a different perspective, using a football game as an
example. Also, Hwang showed a way of listening to audio while
presenting a visual of it. Kind of like windows media player, except
it would physically be all around you.
Mentioned
earlier, Hwang uses a lot of technology for his projects. It was
explained that he uses 3d modeling and computers to create a
perspective for Spatial Computing, giving audiences and idea of home
entertainment with such future technology. Other projects using video
techniques are 3d movement for video, 3d technology from the stage
and Lumarca. For his 3d movement projects, he shows videos of actors
on stage, but instead of physical actors, they are digital actors
interacting with live actors and other real world objects. In his
other project, he explains that a computer tracks the movement of an
audience member's hand in 3d space. He creates a first video
explaining and showing the viewer and idea, then creates the actual
idea using lights and technology. “This computer then uses this
information to control a set of 12 moving head lights to create a 3d
visual feedback system.”
Camera Throwing
Another
interesting project he created was 3D movement for video, which is
having an alternative to viewing 2D video with communicating with 3D
movement. For example, he uses liquid dance, which is rave dancing,
and moves the camera with the same motions of his hands, or moves the
camera in whichever way he is moving, giving the audience a
perceptive of one moving part of the body. Another example is Camera
Throwing in which he explores the range and stabilizability of the
viewers point of attention. Hwang films himself dancing and the video
employs camera motion and the malleability of digital time to
experiment with ways to fling the audience’s attention around in a
3d environment, according to his website, albert-hwang.com.
The Lumarca Project
Another
project he recently completed was in collaboration with two other
artists, Matt Thompson and Elliot Woods. Again, another project of
his working with 3D images and motion. This project was created with
computer software, a projector and basic items found at a hardware
store, including fish wire. Beautiful lights move throughout the wires creating colors to music or different sounds. This project was inspired by another project by Hwang called Wire Map, with similarities. In an interview, Hwang explains what the
project is actually about,
“The
projector throws its beam on an array of vertical wires. From the
projector’s single-point perspective, all the wires are evenly
spaced from one another. However, due to the randomized dimension of
depth, from any other perspective, the wires create a 3d map… The
result is a floating, glowing 3d object made entirely of light, ”
said Hwang.
Lumarca,
which was featured on eyebeam.org, is visually pleasing, with lights
and sounds, and interests a lot of viewers.
Kaho Abe
The
second artist I chose to research is Kaho Abe. She is an artist who
is interested in improving social and personal experiences
through the use of technology, fashion and games, according to her
website, kahoabe.net. Some of her projects include Mary Mack 5000,
Nina Shadow Warrior, Ticket Machine, and Hit Me! She uses many
different type of resources for her projects, giving a wide span of
creations instead of just focusing on one area. She even does some
crowd sourcing projects as well as video game projects. As an
Honorary Fellow on eyebeam.org, Abe provides links and descriptions
of her projects showing her creations to the world. According to
kahoabe.net, she's obtained a MFA in Design and Technology from
Parsons school for design, she teaches classes and workshops
designing and building alternative physical game and controllers. Not
only does she teach, but she researches and builds games that utilize
technology to bring people together face to face at the Game
Innovation Lab at New York University-Poly.
The Mary Mack 5000 Project
One project called
Mary Mack 5000, is an interactive game designed to encourage
face-to-face interaction, according to Abe. The person playing uses
gloves and a vest, which is connected to a laptop and projector. The
player plays the schoolyard hand clapping game, Mary Mack, but it is
enhanced with the use of technology giving the player something more
enjoyable to play by showing off speed, accuracy and style. The game
is like any other video game, it has different levels and challenges.
Like the Kinect from Xbox, this is giving the player more of a way to
interact with the game physically along with the other players too.
The project was made in collaboration with Lina Fenequito.
Abe uses a lot of
videos to present her projects and creations. This allows the viewers
to see how exactly the technology works even when the viewer is
hundreds of miles away.
Ninja Shadow Warrior Proje
Another one of her
more known projects was another type that people can physically
participate in. This is more of a crowd sourcing project like, Post
Secret, for example. Just like her other project, this too uses
technology including the Xbox Kinect, a computer and lighting. Also,
the project allows people to interact, not only with the game, but
with each of the other players playing in the game. The project is
Ninja Shadow Warrior and the idea is to hide behind objects in which
they appear. For example, if an elephant shows up on the screen, you
would literally have to make the silhouette shape of an elephant with
your partners in order to hide from the enemies. If any of your body
parts are out of the shape, you lose.
Abe has many other
projects that are game-like and allows the audience to interact with
her pieces. These pieces have been shown in various shows and
conferences in New York, Boston, Tokyo, Osaka and Beijing. Kaho's
projects have also appeared or been discussed in I.D. Magazine, NY1
and Asahi Shimbun, according to her profile on eyebeam.org.
Nina Shadow Warrior
Abe and Hwang both
have a similar style when it comes to interacting and technology, but
they are both two completely different type of artists. Like Hwang,
Abe wants to connect with the audience and have them engage in their
projects. They use computer technology from flash to 3D modeling
programs for their work, like Abe's Mary Mack 5000 project and
Hwang's Spatial Computing.
In fact, both have used the Xbox Kinect for different projects. Hwang
used a Kinect with his Lumarca
project, which allowed the person interacting with it to make the
light movements in the fish wires. Hwang needs videos to present his
creations because they are all designed with computer programs, they
are of camera movements and engaging with the presenter, or they're
videos of his Lumarca
project. Abe, on the other hand, does not necessarily need video for
her works, she simply records what they are meant to do and what they
look like. That's not the only difference between these to fine
artists. Abe creates pieces that the viewer can physically
participate in, while Hwang creates ideas of future technology that
in hopes people can eventually physically participate in. But for
now, he designs ideas though the simple technology we have in our
time.
NINJA!
Both artists to
continue their works and enjoying their free time doing other
activities. Abe's most resent presentation was her Nina Shadow
Warrior Cabinet at Game Innovation Lab Demo Day on May 3, 2012, where
she presented her video game idea and created the entire unit for it.
Hwang recently came out with his third installment of Spatial
Computing which came out on May 3, 2012.
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