In last week’s seminar with Asad, we discussed some preliminary ideas. After a comprehensive discussion, our main direction is to create an impactful audio-visual interactive installation.
(Pic 1: Our ideas recorded by Asad during the seminar)
I am particularly interested in Ming Du’s idea that “time is distance.” After class, I continued to discuss this idea with him. He wants to use four projectors to construct a “place,” arranged in the front, back, left, and right directions. The vertical axis represents space, which is distance, and the horizontal axis represents the flow of time.
I think sound has great potential in expressing time. Starting from the most direct aspects, we can think of the sounds of clocks and watches from various eras and styles. Extending further, we can also think of the sound of flowing water, as it is always moving in a directional manner, just like time. If we expand our thoughts further, perhaps we can associate it with the auditory memories of time in different regions, cultures, and eras.
What I’ve mainly discussed above is the aspect of timbre, but time also has a very significant characteristic: rhythm. At the most basic level, we can change the sound performance on a one-second basis, like constructing an alternative clock. If this stable rhythm is disrupted, it will lead to a shift from an objective to a subjective perspective. People’s current experiences cause their perception of time to change. Such a transformation is highly emotional and can produce some dramatic sound effects.
Regarding the artistic representation of time, I also want to recommend an independent game I recently played, which lasts about 10 minutes. It allowed me to attentively feel the flow of time.
The Shape of Time: https://yezi.itch.io/time
There was a minor setback this week. The staff responsible for LiDAR training is temporarily unavailable, so we couldn’t borrow the LiDAR equipment. Fortunately, they arranged a training session for us next Monday, and we’re very thankful to the uCreate staff!
After learning about this situation, Asad recommended that we first use Scaniverse on an iPad/iPhone to create miniature point cloud models of target locations. Scanning an entire space with a phone is somewhat challenging, so I tried scanning my York Ghost.
(Pic 2: Using AR functionality to take a photo of the scanned model alongside the original)
It feels quite novel to see objects around me recreated in 3D form on my phone. I am even more excited about what interesting spaces we will be able to record once we get the LiDAR equipment!
Asad also shared with us how to import Scaniverse data into Touchdesigner. However, the video only introduced the steps without explaining the principles, which is somewhat challenging for someone like me who has never used Touchdesigner before. Perhaps I should start by understanding some of the basic functions of Touchdesigner.
