For Digital Art History 4482, we the class were given the option to coordinate a research blog covering a digital artist or theory in digital art, or to create a digital project of our own. I chose the latter of the two options and created my own digital art installation.

My digital art installation was a fully interactive project that relied on participation from an audience. The basics of the installation were participants would draw on a wall or some sort of public surface using a computer. The image was displayed on the surface via projector. I was hoping to give the participant a feeling of creating graffiti in a public place, digitally.

The first step was to see if the whole concoction worked like I had imagined it would. I had the projector already, but I had never used it for anything. I wasn’t even sure if it worked. I started out in my living room with my laptop (MacBook Pro) and the projector sitting on milk crates. The projector was plugged in and facing the wall. I hooked it up to my laptop using a monitor plug (and a Mac adaptor) and voila! It worked! Since that was taken care of, I wanted to test out drawing on it to see if it was even an interesting concept. I knew if it was going to depend on interaction from an audience, it had to be fun enough to hold their attention. I plugged in a Wacom Bamboo pen tablet and I scribbled around some paintings hanging on the wall, drawing stick figures in the paintings and creating elaborate frames around them. I discovered it was entertaining enough for me! I chose to use a pen tablet so that participants would have more of a tradition type of drawing feeling rather than using a mouse, which is more ‘computerized’ in my opinion. I also wanted to give people another option that may be easier for some.

I knew if it were going to be a public display I was going to want it bigger than my living room wall, which meant I was going to need some distance. I took the whole concoction outside and set it up facing my fence. My worry was that the farther back I went, the dimmer the light would be. The prehistoric projector proved me wrong with its mighty ray of light. I proceeded to make doodles on my fence and my boyfriend, Max, came out to join me and add some creations. I set up my camera to document the process and to make a short explanation clip of how the project worked. I’m a very visual person myself, so I thought it would be nice for my blog readers to be able to see what I was doing rather then just using their imaginations with what I write.

Since the installation setup went so smoothly, I thought up a great idea to complicate things a great deal more. I wanted to involve the Internet. I learned that involving the Internet is not an easy task to do. My plan was to set up the installation at a location as originally intended, but instead of relying on participants to come to the event location, I was going to broadcast the installation live via a live-streaming video website. To do so I needed to connect a camera (my dSLR Canon 5D Mark II) to a laptop which was online and on a live-streaming video website. Then I needed to record the wall on which the projection was being displayed so that viewers at home could see what they were drawing. The projector needed to be set up on a separate computer system that was displaying only Adobe Photoshop. This is because I felt the live-streaming website needed to be monitored so that if something went wrong I would know about it immediately. I would not be able to monitor it on the same computer that the projection is on because whatever would be on that screen would be projected onto the wall.

I found a live-streaming website without a problem and registered for an account. Then I learned how to tether my camera to my computer for the first time, which also was no problem. The problem arose when I tried to use my dSLR camera on the website. For some reason, still not known to me, it would not register my camera as a webcam. Even though the website said it was possible to use a regular video camera with their services, it was not “seeing” my camera. I did a lot of research on how to live-stream from a 5D and came up with nothing. I asked every technical savvy person I knew if they knew how I could fix it. It was recommended I get a webcam, but that would not have worked either since the videoing was going to take place at night. Regular webcams do not have the capability of filming in low light conditions. Unfortunately I had to scrap the idea of connecting the installation to the Internet. I was really disappointed that I was not able to put the installation within grasp of more people, especially the online community. The idea of having people possibly from around the world participating in an installation was invigorating, but it would have to be done at another time.

It was decided then that I would have to hold an event for my installation, and I needed a location. From the very beginning I had LSU’s campus in mind for several reasons. It would be easily accessible for students to participate so if I spread the word I would get a good crowd. Not to mention there’s art students on LSU’s campus, so that would be a plus for the creative aspect. The main reason I wanted to use LSU’s campus was the allure of ‘graffiti’ on campus…legally. I went to Rod Parker, the director of the School of Art, and asked permission to do the installation on campus. I briefly explained the installation and he agree. After setting a date I went to the one site I knew I could promote the event well on, Facebook. A friend of mine, John Chauvin, made flyers and helped me post them around campus to spread the word also.

The night before the event took place we did a test run to make sure the lighting would be right and to get the appropriate distance I would need to be from the building. Max and I carried all the needed equipment to the Quad and set it up. It worked beautifully. Several people passed by and asked what was going on, which was quite reassuring to see people interested.

The plan for the installation was to set up and to have a friend of mine get it started. The participants would be given free reign to draw or write whatever they wanted to convey to the public. I had given some thought of having a specific topic for participants to work off of, but I decided against it. I felt that if I chose a topic it would reflect me in the work and I wanted the piece to be completely interactive with no barriers or guidelines. I was interested in making this piece about the viewers and what they had to say when given the chance to display it in the eye of the public, like graffiti. I was interested in seeing how much what people had to say resembled their own personalities, and how it differed from one person to the next. In all honesty, I had no idea what direction to go in for a topic. I of had to choose a topic it would probably be something along the lines of environmental concerns or peace. I wanted the installation to appeal to everyone, and not everyone cares about the environment or peace, sadly enough.

DIGITAL GRAFFITI – THE INSTALLATION

Digital Graffiti was intended to be interpreted a lot like graffiti, without the aspect of vandalism. The definition for graffiti as found on Wikipedia is
“The name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings.” [1]
Each graffiti artist has something that he or she wants to get into the eyes of the public. The messages vary from social and political, religious, gang related, messages of hope, peace, and love, to artists just trying to get their name and art out there.

The subject matter displayed at the Digital Graffiti installation showed all of the aspects of the varying types of graffiti artists. There were social and political references drawn in the form of a Nazi church adorned with a swastika, upside down crosses and a fist symbolizing white power. The upside down crosses as well as a later drawing containing “666 YOUR GOD IS DEAD” is a blatant statement against religion. Another participant drew a peace sign with the words “PEACE” and “LOVE” written over and under it. Several participants just drew their own art, abstract art and swirls, faces and stick figures, a centaur hunter, flowers, etc. There were also participants who just wanted to sign or draw their name on the wall to see it huge.

Digital Graffiti was in some was similar to Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s piece Displaced Emperors (Relation Architecture #2). Displaced Emperors consisted of a projection that transformed the façade of the Habsburg Castle in Linz [2]. Rafael’s piece, like Digital Graffiti, relied on participation from the audience to make the installation ‘work’. Instead of having pre-determined images to project onto a surface like Displaced Emperors, Digital Graffiti was completely interactive in the sense that the images being projected onto the surface were made up entirely by the participant.

Another installation Digital Graffiti resembled is Blinkenlights. Blinkenlights was an installation developed by Chaos Computer Club [3]. Lights were installed in the windows of a famous building in Berlin. Participants used their cell phones or computers to create animations (or to play a game). Both Digital Graffiti and Blinkenlights are interactive and use the surface of a building to display participants art.

The interaction that took place among the viewers and the current drawers had a direct reflection on the images being drawn on the wall. There were suggestions and comments from nearby friends on what the draw should draw. The artist would either take the suggestions to draw what was being asked of them, or the suggestions would spark other ideas.

Originally it was planned to separate the drawer from the viewers. The drawer would be 150 feet from the building and the participant were intended to sit on benches around the fountain close to the wall the projection was being shown on.
This was to ensure that the viewers did not hinder what the drawer had planned on drawing. Having the viewers separate from the drawer would ensure that more of the drawer’s personality came out through their drawing, which was a psychological point intended to show in the installation. It did not work out as planned because of societal standards. Friends or groups of people stay together and feel more comfortable staying together. Having the participants swayed by the viewers did not turn out to be a fault in the installation. It still turned out to be successful.

An interesting aspect that showed up in Digital graffiti was censorship. A participant and his friends were discussing ideas of what to draw when an idea came up that he assumed was not suitable for the projection. He was reassured that it was “ok, there are no limits or boundaries to what can be drawn or written.” The group seemed shocked that on LSU’s campus it would be ‘ok’ to write or draw anything they wanted. It was an idea that was not yet thought about for the installation. Censor –
“1. an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio and television programs, letters, cablegrams, etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds.
2. any person who supervises the manners or morality of others.” [4]
It was interesting that without being told they could not write or draw things deemed offensive in society, the participants automatically took it upon themselves to make it an unspoken rule. It reflects on how much society is naturally being censored in today’s times. It was a moral censorship. He was afraid to offend someone, or of getting the installation shut down for offending someone.

The Digital Graffiti installation brought together diverse groups of people. Most were students from different majors, some attendees came because of the event on Facebook. Altogether about 25 participants took part in the installation.

In conclusion, Digital graffiti was an interactive digital art installation that gave participants the chance to express themselves publicly. It touched on societal aspects as well as psychological ones. It also showed how our minds and the way we express ourselves have automatically become censored.
1. Wikipedia. Graffiti. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti
2. Christiane Paul, Digital Art: Second Edition. Thames & Hudson world of art, 2008, 72-77.
3. Edward Shankin, Art and Electronic Media. Phaidon Press Limited, 2009. 114
4. Dictionary.com. Censor. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/censor

It’s basically the same concept as my Digital Graffiti installation, completely iterative, projection onto buildings, etc. But they had much cooler hardware. I’d love to get my hands on one of those touch pads!!!

It turned out 7:30 was still too bright outside for the projection to show up on the building. Around 8ish it became more visible. Participants had shown up at the starting time, and thankfully were very patient and understanding of having to wait. The event got started a little slow, participants weren’t really sure as to what they wanted to draw. But once it got in motion, they were coming up with a very wide variety of drawings and writings! I’ve included a video from the event that shows the set-up as well as the actual event taking place.

The set up : Max (my boyfriend) and John Chauvin helped me with the setup. We had A LOT of stuff to bring into the quad from the parking lot! We used two table, laptop, monitor, projector, 2 extension cords, a radio w/ iPod, 2 cameras and 2 tripods, and a mouse. Oh, and 2 chairs. I wanted to have a pen tablet available for those who preferred to use it, but I forgot mine at home. Thankfully, John had his in his book sack and he let me use it for the event.

We set up the two tables, one in front of the other, with the projector on the one in front and the laptop, monitor, mouse, tablet on the table behind it. I wanted to use two tables so that in case the participants shook the table while drawing, it wouldn’t move the projected image. The monitor was set up as the main screen for the drawing and centered on the table. The only thing that was displayed on the external monitor (15″ in case you’re wondering..) was a Photoshop window set to full screen. The projector had a split cable coming from it plugged into the external monitor and the laptop. The laptop had the tool bar for photoshop displayed on it and my regular desktop. I had two reasons for the toolbar staying on the laptop. 1. The main reason is because if it were on the monitor then it would show up on the projection which would take away from the piece. 2. I didn’t want the tool bar to intimidate or confuse participants who were not familiar with Photoshop. Oh, the radio… the radio was set up connected to Max’s iPod playing Nine Inch Nails. Whew… so that’s how the setup went. If you have any questions about that or if I missed something let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to fill you in.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have any technical difficulties at all (aside form the sun being too bright, of course, but that was hardly technical). I knew I was prepared for the installation, I practiced it previously to make sure everything worked. I was still half expecting for something to go wrong. Once everything was hooked up and plugged in, it just… worked. Smoothly.

I’m working on putting together an analyzation of the event. It turned out to be very interesting to see not only how the participants interacted with the installation, but with each other as well.

Stay tuned for more on that!

Here’s a video!

I have been posting notices on facebook the past few days trying to let friends of mine know that I am planning to do the Graffiti LSU art installation tonight and that I need their help so join me and to pass along the installation details to their friends.

As a result I got a phone call.

A New Orleans non-profit organization, NOLA Rising, was interested in my project!!!

For some background information I am quoting from their website. “NoLA Rising is a non-profit art campaign that promotes accessibility to art regardless of socio-economic status and aims to broaden perspective and opinion on public art. The organization encourages and helps artists and residents to publicly display works of art for the purpose of rebuilding and restoring the human spirit.”

The organization started in the wake of Katrina and started posting artwork in devastated areas as a way of bringing comfort to those returning to the city.

They asked me about my digital graffiti project and mentioned that they were going to come out to check it out but they were interested in having me come to New Orleans to work together with NOLA Rising to do something in the city sometime in the near future!!

This is very exciting. It was a huge surprise that a local gallery had asked me to display the project at their gallery during art hop, but now I’ve got a NON-PROFIT organization is also interested in working with my project!!!

It’s really great to see that Digital Graffiti has grown more than I had expected. It has reached outside my circle of friends and continues to do so. I’m really looking forward to the first actual installation!

nolarising.org

At first I had the “Show must go on” mentality because I didn’t want to let down my participants. I tried to think of other places to do the installation that would be sheltered from the rain. All I could think of were places that would be inside, and the installation just wouldn’t have the same effect. If it were moved inside, it would seem more like a projector on a screen rather than a public display of ‘graffiti’ out in the open area of outdoors. It was important to me that the installation be seen by the general public passing by.

The installation will now take place Tuesday, April 27. I did a test run of the installation last night at the location and everything ran as smooth as butter! It will be at the fountain in the quad (behind the John J. Audubon building). The projection covers the whole building and fountain!!! It’s even cooler than I thought it would be! I made a short video that I’m going to post as soon as I get it put together.

My first introduction to Hemmer was in Susan Ryan’s Digital Art History class. We went over an interactive piece called Displaced Emperors (Relational Architecture #2). This piece was done in 1997 at the Habsburg Castle in Linz, Austria. Hemmer used wireless 3D sensors that could track where a participant was pointing on the facade of the castle. A projection of a large hand followed wherever the participant pointed, much like a mouse works with a computer. As the hand moved across the building it revealed the interior of rooms at the Habsburg residence in Mexico City, Castillo de Chapultepec. If a passerby wished to interrupt the interaction, for a fee they could press the “Moctezuma Button” and a huge Aztec headdress was projected onto the castle, followed by rows of jewels from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. This interruption was soundtracked by lively Mexican music.

Digital Graffiti is similar to Hemmer’s Displaced Emperors (Relational Architecture #2), as both pieces use a projection on a building and both rely on participation from people present at the site of the installation. Digital Graffiti also differs from Displaced Emperors in a sense that it relies solely on interaction from participants to create the artwork. Whereas Displaced Emperors uses previously created images that are displayed on the buildings surface that can be manipulated. Digital Graffiti allows more manipulation of the scene and Displaced Emperors is more focused on the meaning behind the images.

My introduction to Rafael Lozano-Hemmer was just the beginning of my fascination with using a projector to create art. I was had a projector that was just lying around the house not being used and had toyed with the idea of using it for a project. I had no idea what to do with it though. Even after the class discussing Hemmer I still didn’t know where the projector could lead me, but it was engrained in my brain that I wanted to use it for something.

*For more information on Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Displaced Emperors (Relational Architecture #2), and for photos, videos, and project descriptions, go to the website : http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/english/projects/displaced.htm

See ya there!

Gallery N
137 Alello Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70806

http://galleryn.net/

Long story short: streaming a video online, while using the same computer to project incoming live data through the same internet connection onto a wall via a connected projector is not technologically possible without a very powerful (and probably extremely expensive) computer that I do not currently own. Using a second computer to transmit the live feed through turned out to not be possible as well. Apparently people aren’t too comfortable with giving their computers up for any period of time. Who would’ve thought?

So due to technical problems beyond my control, I will not be able to stream the project via the internet… bummer.

I am going back to my initial plan of using people, in a live scenario to interact with a “creation station” (my computer) on which they will be able to create artwork. The computer will in turn transfer their artwork into digital graffiti via live projection. I like the thought of people being able to experience the environment of the installation, so I’m not too terribly bummed about the web version of it not working.

Oh, I forgot to mention. I did learn to tether my camera to my computer… which is very useful information that I will be using again in the future. So I did get something out of the attempt!