“What can be gained by learning to express yourself through the creation of personal games in uncertain times?”

Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157714247579186

Week 1

My interest in this course?
3 reasons:
1) recently turning my hands-on materials workshops into boardgames.
2) during a games residency last year i got an idea for a game about “becoming material” that i would really like to make!
3) curious to be on the receiving end of a workshop, and to be in contact with people interested in games & play as fun and meaningful ways of sharing ideas.

1) The Boardgame as Remote Teaching Tool?
The last weeks I’ve been turning my otherwise hands-on materials of electronics workshops into boardgames that students can play with the materials. Resulting in less screen-time and more time to focus on the materials at hand. I’m calling them Making Adventures.
And have tried to write a bit about the process of making these games on our university blog: “The Boardgame as Remote Teaching Tool?“.

2) Every project begins with a walk in the woods
Last year I spent one month at a Game Residency playing games, discovering what I like, and thinking a lot about how to translate my current ideas into a playful experience. I learned to use Unity and made some character animations, scripted some movements and built some worlds… I was impressed by how easy it was to get classic game behaviors to work and the level of control I had over the aesthetics. While I really liked the idea that I could export whatever I would make to run on everyday devices and be able to share my idea with many people, I was also put off by the screen-based nature of these devices. One month was too short to finish a game, but I have a strong sense for the story/experience I want to tell and some ideas on how to continue….

Week 2 Marie Flanagan: A Kind of Play

zine that lead through the 2 hour session and was both means of sharing knowledge and getting us to put to paper ideas that could lead us to a personal game.

Homework/Assignment
1) pick an idea or topic from the list you made last week (or a pre-existing idea)
2) take 15 minutes to write or draw in your zine about your idea. Doodle or write a little about the core feelings and playful mechanics you might consider
3) take 5 minutes to write out the steps you might take to make a game. what key things need to get done?

1) my personal game idea?

After completing Marie’s zine, I was a bit torn between thinking further some of the new ideas that emerged and keeping with a pre-existing idea. But am now deciding that I will stick to my previous idea of Becoming Material. The origins of which came from a very personal experience – a rather strange accident!
You can read about it here: Becoming Material.

2) core feelings and playful mechanics?

feelings:
*joy* in collecting interesting looking materials/things (like seashells on a beach)
*intense focus* during a period of making things with the collected materials
*surprise* when something happens to make one realize that one is also a material

mechanics:
* somehow collecting materials
* somehow building
* the twist/realization/surprise that everything is not quite as it seems…

3) what key things need to get done?

* decide on a format, type of play, type of game? combinations?

* decide on an interface?
i would like the game-play (interface?) to be physical/material and involve being in the world, not in front of a computer&screen….

some ideas to get more physical:
** use a microscope as interface. looking through the scope at a part real, part virtual world. using the knobs on the scope to navigate or control a character through terrain, through the story.
** the game takes place in different parts/levels. one part is a screen-based game other parts include guided tour, making-workshops, walks through woods in search of materials…
** use camera tracking/recognition and drawing black lines on white paper as interface or making objects to have certain shapes….
** using camera to take high-contrast black/white images that then become the worlds one plays in.

*TITLE? subtitle… something in support of the core/key surprising/twisting moment….
** becoming material (we already are material)
** humans are forgetful materials
** the headless pin
** a walk in the woods

Week 3 Lorenzo: Tools

tools for making and sharing visual games.

notes:

Homework/Assignment
Make a small game
Can be just one room big and be playable in 2 minutes
Theme: Breakfast
How you like breakfast, why you have no breakfast, what do you do during breakfast, Sunday breakfast, the Breakfast Club
Tool: Bitsy
If you tried Bitsy before and want to try out a new tool that’s ok
Put it on itch.io
You can set it to not public, but you should share it with us

breakfast game idea:

breakfast games:

in bitsy…
i tried making a prototype of the game in bitsy and was really impressed by the playful-simple-selfexplanatory-constrained interface. quick and inspiring to use! especially love how the 2-frame animation is done.
but i could not befriend the graphics style…..
and the limits it put on my ideas for interacting with things….

Feeding Hunger (Bitsy) >> https://plusea.itch.io/feeding-hunger

in processing…
so then i continued in processing.

Feeding Hunger (Processing) >> https://plusea.itch.io/feeding-hunger-processing

first prototypes the movement and behavior:

then added in the illustrations and text:

here screenshots of the final version:

here the material illustrations:

the other idea that emerged:

lines
drawing writing making controlling navigating tracing walking going following leaving talking speaking saying
lines

inspired by this note from my game residency:

maybe the electrons can also travel through the lines:

my line attempts in processing:

and of course it has been more nicely and properly by somebody else who has shared their code (thank you!):

generative-gestaltung >> http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/
http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/sketches/?01_P/P_2_2_6_05
http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/sketches/?01_P/P_2_3_3_01
http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/2/sketches/?01_P/P_3_1_2_01

so am already looking forward to my next attempts!

Week 4 Bahiyya Khan: Personal Games – A horror story in three parts

Bahiyya shared in detail all that surrounded making her personal game After Hours. Besides the act of exposing a personal topic and being so involved in the process of producing and enacting the content, I took a lot from the creative journey/struggle that she shared. Her presentation brought me back to the actually personal experience behind the layers of story that grew around my own personal game idea.

But how exactly to unpack and the personal behind the Becoming Material idea…..

Some good tips on free writing……

Some attempts to

Getting (distracted?) building some sensor insoles to control my game….

Sole Sensing >> https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=8305
Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157714365556578

Week 5 Our Personal Game Presentations

BecomingMaterialV2

on p5:
>> https://editor.p5js.org/plusea/full/U-ovyOgz2

on openProcessing:
>> https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/909639/

Controlling

“What do art and medicine have in common? How can an investigation of the inner-workings of our bodies and its depictions in early art/anatomy/medicine dialogues inform our view of the current state of the world, our own art practice, and our selves?”

Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157713887712846

Week 1

notes from the first meeting

Pay attention to a part of your body that you rarely observe.
Maybe because it is out of sight. Use a mirror or a camera to be able to see it. Observe and draw it over time and see if you can observe change.

many ideas for things to try
not only WHAT to observe but also HOW to draw to observe
tools i could use

to draw on the body and use photography to expose the drawing

tracing lines that are already there

playing with exposure
to expose just the lines

a digital microscope to view the ink on the skin up close

[imgs]

placing my hair on a sheet of paper and using it to draw with

drawing a part of my body that i am currently fascinated with
because it will also soon produce material

Week 2

I. Adopt a curious natural object throughout these next 4 weeks
II. Observe and document your object from life as a way of getting to know your object. Work from the outside- inside. It is advised to start by drawing your object from life, however, you can use the medium of your choice as you go along if you think it will convey other aspects of the object or it will help you understand its form and function better
III. Dissect/deconstruct it and document with your material of choice

i want to get to know the tress of berlin
maybe first the horse chestnut tree because it’s seeds are conkers
and i like them

so i walk around berlin looking at the trees
amazed that i know so little about these massive plants that are all around me

trying to make sense of what i am seeing
different kinds of trunks and bark
leaves and blossoms
branching patterns
and smells

collecting some parts of the tress because i want to get to know them
feeling guilty about picking fresh green leaves
weighting the importance of my knowing against their growing

pressing the leaves to preserve them

cleaning and keeping the seeds dry

observing differences in shape

sitting down to draw
hesitant to dissect

preferring to explore with my senses
of sight

of touch
and pressure

and imagination

// other sensations to explore:
temperature
texture
use other body parts (not hands and fingertips) to feel the conker with

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

>> Flickr set
>> http://www.instructables.com/id/Manual-Meshing/

“Check if your material is sewable” and if not, then make holes in it. Using a soft line (thread) to hold together hard planes (sheet material).

>> Instructable
>> Flickr set
>> Flickr set

Links:

Flickr set >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/sets/72157648904843592/
DIY Cellphone >> http://web.media.mit.edu/~mellis/cellphone/

Notes for improvements…

– have analog counter for number of unread messages (turning bead with numbers written on it)
>> http://www.meggrant.com/movementstudies.php
– much longer battery life

Notes on use…

– does not store SMS
– does not let me read last line of sms
– does not show phone entries for calling numbers or sms
– not very loud ring melody (possibly because no case/resonant body)
– makes no sound when receives sms
– display is shit
– no indication of battery level
– battery life is roughly 1 day, just on (locked), no calling or sms
– time and date not saved if battery dies

Making a leather case…

>> Project page
>> Flickr set
>> Arduino code on GitHub

Video

Looking up at the night sky, Richard always feels so small and insignificant. But when Rachel rides by on her bicycle he is reminded of his purpose in life.

Rachel on her bicycle:

View of Richard on the hilltop:

Diorama:

Video:

Performance

Video

Collaborative work

Front and Back

Close-ups of process

Installation

It Works was created during the E-Textiles Summer Camp in collaboration with Isabel Cabral, Meg Grant, Marjan Kooroshnia and Mili Tharakan

Project website >> http://hlt.media.mit.edu/workshops/ENSAD_2011/?page_id=16

The Conversation is a project developed during a one week workshop collaboration between ENSAD and MIT, that took place in Paris, France.

This work was created in collaboration with Yonah Riollet, Lucie Casali and Martin De Bie

How to clone sheep, Instructable >> http://www.instructables.com/id/Cloning-Sheep/

Materials and Tools

– 1 sheep volunteer
– 3D scanner
– 3D printer
– Mold casting material
– Plater of paris or other casting materials
– Casting equipment: mold release spray, cups, sticks, newspaper….

3D Scan

Get your sheep subject to sit still while you 3D scan them. Sheep tend to get super excited to representations of themselves and are easily distracted.
Once you have a clean 3D scan, you still might need to clean up the data, close all the holes and prepare it for printing.

3D Print

From your 3D scan you can now print out the first replication of your sheep. You will need to keep your original sheep close at hand though, to make sure the 3D print bears a close resemblance.
After 3D printing the first sheep clone must undergo a horrible etching bath to remove support material. Be nice to them and reward them for undergoing this process. It is not fun.
And, as the original, also it’s clones are fascinated by representations of the self and are easily distracted by them.

Mold Making

3D printing is not a cheap process, so in order to make multiples of your 3D printed clone sheep it is best to make a mold from it so that you can cast multiples.
Build a rig from lego and submerge half of the clone sheep in liquid polyurethane, which becomes rubbery when cured. Once one half was ready apply Vaseline to the surface and fill up the other half. This way the two halves do not stick together and you can open up the mould to safely remove clone sheep.

Casting

To make replicas of sheep you need to prepare the mold for casting. Make the hole in the mold (the result of how you mounted your sheep when casting the mold) cylindrical so that the casting material will flow in nicely and that it is big enough for air-bubbles to escape.
Use mold release to insure your casting materials will not stick to the mold. Use rubber bands to hold the two mold halves together.
Prepare your casting materials. Pour into mold. Let Cure. Remove.
The clones of your clone resemble your clone much more than your first cone resembles the original. This can lead to tensions and might require some effort on your behalf in making them all feel comfortable around each other.

Mass-Cloning

Now you’re all set to replicate your sheep as many times as you want. The casting process does not always run smoothly so do not worry if a few of your clones turn out different (missing parts of the body, or miss-aligned mold halves…) you should still love them and count them to your army of sheep.

Sheep Lights

Once you have mastered the art of sheep cloning, you can move on to making all kinds of sheep…

Video

Camera Vision Motion Capture Costume

Video

Textile Sensor Motion Capture Costume

Video

Pictures on Flickr

This project is part of the KOBAKANT Secret Life of Cows series. The radio featured in this particular example is a re-design of the Fab FM radio by David Mellis and Dana Gordon. It uses transparent materials to expose the secret life of cows within.

Front and back views of radio

Inside view of radio

Opening up transparent technology

This work is part of the KOBAKANT project The Secret Life of Cows.

Team members: Yi-Chun Lu (Sasha), Cetus, Kao Chieh, Ming-Chun Liu, Cheng Ru Li (Kim), Lisa Hsieh, Jen Hisn Ying, Sarah Hirschman, Ho Kwan Yip (Mavis) and Hannah Perner-Wilson

ICEBREAKERS – Connecting the Masses in Transit

Icebreaking interventions on Taiwan’s MRT public transit system. Every day Taipei’s MRT mass transit system transports one million passengers (40% of the population), but despite boasting 94% customer satisfaction (compared to San Francisco 65%, Chicago 80%) the routine act of being transported from A to B is perceived by many to be lost time, a hole in their day. The Icebreakers believe this absence presents a unique opportunity for social activism on the most basic scale. The Icebreakers believe in the positive benefits of breaking the social ice that exists within the public space of mass transit.

Project website >> http://scumiticebreakers.wordpress.com/

The MRT Brown Line is a unique platform within the overall Taipei transit system. Narrower cars, above-ground travel, and a variety of program destinations mean that the Brown Line attracts a wide section of the community, and contains it more compactly than on any other line. This is an ideal site for public activism to promote interactions of any type.

Icebreaking agents are activists. They are upset with the lack of interaction happening on the MRT and take initiative by creating, installing and hacking the space in order to facilitate communication among the masses. We distribute our endeavors via how-to instructions that detail how to make, install and administer these interventions.

Three example installations demonstrate various levels of intervention. All of them aim to break the ice within the MRT. Ideally, interventions are located such that they will be encountered in routine acts of holding on to the handles and poles already present in the MRT, on the windows, and on the ceiling, where the eyes might wander in an attempt to avoid direct eye contact in a crowded car.

Beginner: Hand Puppets

This project is suitable for beginner Icebreakers. It involves buying puppets and modifying them to fit the handles of the MRT car.
The project situates itself in the realm of intervention, offering a quick and easy way for anybody wishing to break the ice to act. Existing puppets are simply modified to fit the handles within the MRT car. few or almost all handles may be covered. The intention behind this project is to offer passengers an avatar through which to engage in interactions with fellow passengers. Drawing upon the power of dress-up and theatre to bring people out of their usual set characters, this project offers them an alternative persona through which to ‘break the ice.’ This project also subtly plays on the fact that in the digital age, we all have our online screen names through which we fluently interact with strangers almost every day on the internet.

Intermediate: Piano Pole

This project is for intermediate Icebreakers. It involves hacking a toy piano and sewing a textile electronic interface that can be attached to the poles within the MRT car.
Installed by wrapping it around the poles within the MRT, this textile musical installation occupies space intended for holding tight. Standing passengers need a place to hold on, and might first experience this installation by accident. Once encountered, they can then decide whether to engage further in the musical experience. The choice to map a very concrete musical score to the pole creates not only the initial shock effect of accidentally triggering a first note, but also offers the opportunity of playing with it as an instrument. Unlike a game there is no concrete goal, but there is a wrong and a right way to play a song and this can create a certain incentive to continue playing beyond the initial surprise of discovery.

Expert: Give Me A Hand

This project is for expert icebreakers. It involves programming interactive animations that can be displayed on the MRT LED screens (currently being proposed to the MRT for advertising purposes) and promote interaction among and between passengers. These interactive animations will not be triggered unless five or more handles in any one carriage are being held.
Occupying the ceiling space of the car, this project situates itself where one usually focuses in a crowded car to avoid direct eye contact. This installation makes way for a range of different applications that, in the context of icebreaking, aim at connecting individuals. The handles in the subway car act as collective input devices.

Workshop documentation

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 8

This work was created in collaboration with Yi-Chun Lu (Sasha), Cetus, Kao Chieh, Ming-Chun Liu, Cheng Ru Li (Kim), Lisa Hsieh, Jen Hisn Ying, Sarah Hirschman and Ho Kwan Yip (Mavis)

>> Project website

Select Projects

Something (almost) Big

Something Press-fit

Something Composite

Something Final: Hanging Conversations

Two hanging scales that converse about the weight of the objects they hold. The scales are made from knit wool tubes that have a resistive yarn included in part of their structure, which allows them to sense weight through stretch. At the bottom end of the tubes the knitting is composited into a semi-rigid container, by drenching the wool in epoxy and then inflating a balloon from within. Openings in these containers allow for objects to be placed inside of them. The top ends of the knit tubes are strung from wooden rigs that double as their communication platforms. The communication happens via visible light and photo-resistors. the circuits are vinyl cut from adhesive copper foil and applied directly to the wood of the structure. Once both hangings recognise that they are weighted they begin a conversation about who is heaviest. Their goal isis for them to reach a decision which they both agree upon and then to communicate this to a human audience.

Video

Instructable >> http://www.instructables.com/id/Barnicle-Button/

The Limpet Pushbuttons trigger a variety of events, some simply turn on an LED light or vibrate a motor, others play the sound extracted from a toy or greeting card.

Video

Pictures on Flickr

Pictures on Flickr

This scene plays in my head when I imagine putting on my jumper but then pulling it all the way down to my ankles and stepping out of it like a pair of pants and repeating the action round and round in circles. I created this short animation to visualize what I see.

Animation

When editing the drawings of the animation I noticed that I could give the jumper a pattern by filling it with content from the preceding image. This way, the jumper works as a sort of window into the past.

Selection of images from animation

Animation video

Flickbook

To make the flickbook I had the sketches developed as photos, emphasizing the fact that they were inspired by pictures of my imagination. The photos are bound together by two screws that are mounted through an old handle that I found on the street.

Front and back of flickbook

Details of flickbook

Flickbook video (3:4)

Flickbook video (4:9)

More pictures on Flickr

>> through my jumper Flickr set

The flickbook was first shown in June 2005 at the Daumenkinofestival in Linz, where is was voted to be among the favorite three. In September 2005 the animation was shown at the WOLKE7 shortfilmfestival in Vienna, where it won second place. In March 2006 is was aired at the Frauen Film Fest in Linz, Austria

>> www.recipetable.andreaszingerle.at

The recipetable is an interactive workplace built into a kitchen counter top that enables a user or several simultaneously to intuitively and interactively search for recipes. The user places products upon the workplace surface, and these are then recognized by the system. The position and the quantity of the selected ingredients result in recipe suggestions, which the user can navigate through by rearranging the products on the workplace surface. These recipe suggestions are also depicted graphically as finished dishes on the interactive workplace. The interactive search for recipe suggestions is unique in that the search results involve using only those products that the user has selected.

For the installation prototype camera vision and abstract symbol tracking were implemented with the future of RfiD tags replacing Barcodes in mind. We obtained a fully working vision engine written in c++ and implemented it into our navigation written in Java. We created a recipe-database containing about 70 recipes which resulted from the limited number of ingredients chosen for exhibition purposes.

This work was realized as part of the team:
Andreas Zingerle, Thomas Wagner, Istvan Loerincz and Hannah Perner-Wilson