UNWIND
UNWIND is an interactive installation that aims to promote a sense of calmness whilst the user is continuously interacting with the piece by sending data as OSC messages through TouchOSC.
produced by: Ana Catarina Rodrigues Macedo
Introduction
The graphics in UNWIND are controlled by different parameters set up on TouchOSC. Besides altering the size, width, height, and other parameters, I included an option to let the external sound change the ratio of the spheres, for instance. In the demo video I used the sound of a singing bowl, commonly associated with a state of meditation and relaxation, to modify the graphics on the screen. When the loudness of the singing bowl increases, so does the width ratio of the spheres.
Concept and background research
I was inspired by elements from nature, such as images of Siphonophore (the longest organism in the planet) and the blue lava of Indonesia's Kawah Ijen volcano. The colours in UNWIND range from purple to dark blue, which evokes a sensation of relaxation and stillness associated with the twilight hour, just before sunrise and sunset.
1. Images of Siphonophore; 2. Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia; 3. Ophiuchus galaxy; 4.Photograph by Lee Jeong Lok; 5. The Pleiades
Technical
This project was developed in openFrameworks using the ofxOSC library and the TouchOSC iOS app. The graphics are formed by two layers which are connected through lines, which are formed by a ‘start’ and ‘end’ point.
I set up a new template GUI on TouchOSC and customised it to have only the controllers I wanted so that the graphics were affected by the commands sent. The controllers are:
- Circles: if selected, circles will appear on screen.
- Rect: if selected, rectangles will appear on screen.
- Height: it affects the height of the ‘start’ point the circles or rectangles.
- Width: it affects the width of the ‘end’ point of the circles or rectangles.
- Sphere: it alters the ratio of the spheres.
- Alpha: it alters the alpha of the colour.
- Speed: how slow or fast the graphics run.
- Sound: having it selected allows the sound in the room to alter the ratio of the spheres or the height and width of the rectangles.
Future development
I would like to go further with the visuals and improve them using 3D libraries, as I think it would give them a better immersive spacial sensation. One of my main aims would be to go from a screen interactive installation to a projection-based installation, where I could project the graphics and make the installation more immersive, especially by taking into account how immersive the sound from the singing bowl is.
Self evaluation
As previously mentioned, I think the graphics would immensely benefit from 3D libraries, thus I should have spent more time experimenting with it. When planning this project I knew that I wanted to work with a piece which could evoke elements associated with moments of stillness, therefore I think the colours helped me to achieve that sense of relaxation. If I were to take this project to the next level, I would work more with the sound aspect of it as it changed the graphics very rapidly when the bool Sound was on. Overall I’m satisfied with the project, although I’m aware of the many elements that I could improve. I hope to continue further developing the concept of UNWIND to make it into a more immersive projection-based interactive installation.
References
- “Waving Lines” code reference by a1kageyama (Available at: https://github.com/a1kageyama/WavingLine)
- The use of sin wave to change colour was inspired by the example given by Zach Lieberman on his presentation Poetic Computation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmztlO9_Wvo&t=364s
- “Constellation Control” code reference by Lewis Lepton (Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBkvusKre8Q)
- Code examples from Workshops in Creative Coding Week 15, OSC Messaging
- “audioInputExample” code reference from the Examples - Sound folder on openFrameworks