design applied to multimedia installations

Posted on March 4, 2012
by medul.la

from the 13th to the 15th of march, i’ll be at the trackers cultural center, in são paulo, brazil, to give a short workshop which purpose is to provide an intense and productive space for the study and production of multimedia installations that include the use of projection techniques. this workshop is based on previous ones i have given on the subject, but this time we’ll be focusing on design thinking and models applied to projects that address the use of projected images.

we’ll be using three main tools in order to experiment with this sort of media: vpt – a well known opensource projection mapping tool developed by hc gilje -, lpmt – also an opensource projection mapping tool, a very nice option for linux users – and google sketchup, in order to sketch and analyze possible projection situations.

projection mapping has become a well known and creative use of visual language applied to unusual contexts. the technology calls the attention of a wide variety of professionals, enthusiasts and researchers, with different knowledge backgrounds. hence, a proper design model is important, considering the diversity of disciplines and techniques such projects usually require. it is interesting to understand how a projector works, what are its components, how does the image “fit” the projection support, how should a video be formatted in order to suit specific projection surfaces, how can a projection mapping situation be properly calculated, and so forth.

therefore, the program of the workshop is proposed as the following:

day 1 (13/03): introduction to design thinking applied to projection technology

what sorts of knowledge are related to projection mapping technology? what is a projector, and how it works? what sorts of equipment should be considered in such projects? what about video formatting? these common questions will be addressed while we introduce a methodology that can be used in several kinds of projection situations. we’ll do a little exercise in which the participants will be invited to create an installation and sketch it on google sketchup.

day 2 (14/03): vpt and lpmt - adapting images using software

this is the day in which i’ll introduce the two projection mapping tools, and explain a little bit about certain coherences and differences between virtual and “real” world texturing. we’ll be going through typical mapping techniques, such as vertex distortion, masking and frame blending. as an exercise, the participants will be invited to adapt images and videos of their choice to the support they have chosen in the previous day.

day 3 (15/03): wrapping all up

in the last day, participants will be able to finish their installations and have time for specific questions that eventually could not be answered during the previous days.

to apply for the workshop or to get more info, click here (only in portuguese).

hope to see you there!

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a feedback on augmented architecture

Posted on May 23, 2011
by medul.la

here’s a few images from the workshop augmented architecture, which took place earlier this may. the workshop introduced a few concepts on projection techniques/language in order to experiment with visual perception concerning objects and environments.

augmented architecture on flickr

augmented architecture

i would like to thank eduardo ricci for the pictures, and also everyone who has participated in the process of these workshops, it has been a great and constructive experience

here’s the presentation i’ve used to talk a little about the history of projection, and contemporary aspects of what André Parente calls the ‘flee from the black box”, process in which i argue projection mapping is inserted in.

i’ll probably be posting a text i’ve already written concerning the subject, with a few revisions (and a translation to english and spanish). you can download the pdf with the original version here (in portuguese).

stay tuned.

augmented architecture

Posted on May 2, 2011
by medul.la

i would like to start the activities in this blog by announcing i’ll be at the espaço cultural trackers, in são paulo, during the 11th, 12th and 13th of may, working on the workshop arquitetura aumentada (augmented architecture), from 8pm to 11pm. the purpose is to provide an environment of reference sharing and experimentations about projection techniques concerning spatial perception. as a digital tool, we will be using the open source software VPT.

for inscriptions, please send mail to video@trackers.cx. more information at the trackers blog.

as a ‘warm-up’, below are images and videos from the last workshop i’ve worked on there, in december/2010: