Rafael Lozano Hemmer /  by Sebastian Morales

I can no longer tell you when exactly it was that I fist discover his work. I have been trying to remember but I cannot tell you what piece it was either. I can tell you however that I was deeply moved and that he has been a rich inspiration since. Perhaps it was Pulse Room, a piece he did in 2006. 

Last year I finally was able to see many of his works live at the MUAC, in Mexico DF. 

Best Practices for Conservation of Media Art from an Artist's Perspective 

This past Monday I had the chance to attend a talk at NYUs Institute of Art given by Rafael himself. The talk was focus towards Conservation of Media Art and the challenges artists, preservations and collectors often have to face. 

Like many, if not all media artists out there, Rafael's work eventually stops working, perhaps it is the computer that died, a hinge that broke, or simply a lightbulb that needs replacing. Some of these problems might sound easy to fix. The problem really grows when you consider that his artwork includes technology, technology that in just a couple of years will go obsolete and perhaps difficult to fix. 

To address this Lozano and his team prepare a set of detailed instructions, anything from CAD drawings, source codes, assembly instructions to a list of suppliers and acceptable guidelines for replacing or fixing components. He says that this details are so descriptive that if they were shared one could build the artwork from nothing. At this point he made reference to Sol Lewitt, mentioning that his artwork is nothing but a set of instructions, this had led him to the challenge of creating un-replicablecertificates to ensure collectors or museums that they have an original work.

These thoughts more and more made me think of his work appropriate for this class, reason why I am choosing him for this week's assignment.

Tape Recorders

Tape recorders is a piece that they did back in 2011 for the MCA Sydney. It includes the use of a computerized tracking system (kinects), computers, cameras, a thermal printer and custom hardware and software.

http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/showimage.php?img=Sydney_2011&proj=257&type=artwork&id=2

As people walk through the gallery, the Kinects pick up the location of the expectators, map their position and project the measuring tapes upwards.  

http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/tape_recorders.php

Eventually the measuring tape collapses on itself, point at which it recoils back to its initial position. 

Finally, every hour, a statement is printed with the total time spent by the audience looking at the artwork. 

Here a video:

Lozano-Hemmer has a website where you can find all of his works as well as projects that he and his team are working on. However, I find that Bitforms has a much cleaner page and it is a nicer experience if you want to explore and discover his work. 

Finally, I couldn't finish this blogpost without showing the picture to the right, Melissa, Sejo, Rafael and myself.

Populating the Board /  by Sebastian Morales

Creating the solder stencil

Once the board has been printed, milled or etched. Once the board is ready to be populated, there are a couple of steps that one needs to do first. 

In order to facilitate the process, it is best to apply a uniform layer of solder paste in all the pads where components will be solder. To do this a good practice is to laser etch a sheet of acetate to make the mask.

The settings might vary depending the film used as well as the laser selected. The recommended settings where 10 power 10 speed and seemed to be working fine for my first tests. 

Applying the solder mask

seconds prior to applying the solder paste

seconds prior to applying the solder paste

Before you even start this make sure all your components are out, once you apply the paste you don't have much time so you don't want to waist it looking for that 1uF capacitor.

It is best if the board is constrained while the solder is applied, that way you don't risk the stencil to move and the solder will be applied on the pads.

After locking the board and positioning the stencil, apply some solder paste at the top or bottom of the stencil. In one uniform (maybe two, max 3) movement apply the paste by gliding a plastic spatula (credit card) over the board.

Carefully remove the stencil, carefully to not smudge the solder paste on the pads.  

 

If everything went according to plan you should have something that looks like this!

Placing components

Perhaps one of my favorite steps in the process. If you followed the instructions you already have everything you need out. Using the manual pick and place make sure to delicately place the components in the right location and orientation. Don't worry if they are slightly crooked, they will magically aligned once the solder flows. 

Melting the solder

Here a picture of the settings used in case they are useful. 

I guess the only other thing to mention is to allow for the machines to heat up before using them.

 

 

I think it is ideal practice to heat all the board a little before focusing on one specific area. Move the heat gun around the entire board, soon you will see the solder change color, transforming from a matte gray to a very shiny silver. You will also see how the solder groups together.

Test before you power

To my naked eye, the board looks great, there seems to be some two resistors bridging (top left). This is not really a problem since they are where already connected in parallel in the schematics. 

Perform some basic continuity tests to make sure only what is supposed to be connected is connected. This can save you some severe damage to your computer (in case you would connect this to your computer).

Programming the board

So you did everything right?

Congratulations, you are almost there. The class website has some great resources, as well as links to more resources. Go there and learn how to properly use the burn the boot loader to later be able to upload arduino sketches. 

Structured Glitch art /  by Sebastian Morales

Instructions:

1. Open facebook and download both your profile picture and your cover picture.

2. Open both pictures side by side in a text editor

3. Scroll down a random amount on the second text and copy a chunk of text. Scroll down a random amount and past (or replace) the text.

4. Check the original image and evaluate changes.

5. Repeat process

6. If the change is too drastic or undesirable simply undo the changes in the file and save again.

7. Again, if the change is too dramatic it might happen that the computer no longer recognizes the file. Simply undo changes and save. 

8. Continue the process.

9. Once the image has been modified to your taste save one last time.

UPDATE:

This is a response by the comments:

At the beginning I had stricter rules of what to change or what to remove. I first started searching for specific letters or dates and removing them. This made the image way too corrupted and I could no longer open it. It is clear that I don't understand what the code means as I am modifying it, therefore I take a more exploratory approach. 

Here a video of me redoing it and getting a very different result.

I am making decisions as of where to add/subtract/change code, as well of if continue that path or go back. Still since I don't understand what I am doing I really don't have any real control. Often my goal in the process is to see how far I can go before the computer tells me I went to far and refuses to open the file. Not sure if I am cooperating with the machine or against it.

 

Finally, something strange that happened to me was that even that my computer was able to properly display the image, once I uploaded it to my website it could't be displayed. In another moment my glitch actually got unglitched...

There are other methods I have used to generate glitch visuals. One of my favorites cannot be found.

Expressive Words /  by Sebastian Morales

From top to buttom. Serif: Cinzel,Cutive Mono, Cardo.  Sane Serif: Bungee, Confortaa, Baumans

Also, I used this tool to compare different fonts: https://typezebra.com/

This week assignment is divided into two sections, the first half are expressive words, this are words that by using font and cleverness define themselves. 

The second half is more an exploration on fonts, in particular the assignment challenged us to find three serif and three sans serif fonts with which we feel identified.  

Visual language- Signs /  by Sebastian Morales

Having spend many hours in fabrication shops I have seen many warning signs. From pinching fingers to very loud noise signs. They often tend to be a little gory, I guess it is part of the processes of explaining you why you should or should not behave in certain way.

Out of all of them, the Haas caution sign for their lathes is my favorite. 

Yes it is a little explicit, do you really need flood squirting everywhere?

The reason I like it is because it illustrates something not particularly obvious, having too much unconstrained stock can be fatal.

I am sure that if you are the operator and saw the sign, next to your exposed stock, you would think it twice before powering the thing on. 

With shops in mind I decided to go take a look at our own ITP machine shop...

Entrance to Shop

Ten feet away and the experience starts becoming overwhelming... Not sure what is going on but it looks like there is even a crying baby! Aragorn is also trying to tell me something, most be important. 

Safety Goggles... Got it!

What is on that sign half way falling apart?

Is there someone bleeding inside? Can't really tell, can't see through all the signs.

You get the idea...

 

 

 

 

Shop Signs

After gathering the courage to walk inside my fears materialized once again. 

Is there really a sign behind the blinds??

Lets just focus on the machine for a minute. 

Just as you walk towards it you are presented with an ocean of information. What should you focus on? I guess that if you have time you might read them all...

I have time, so I did, turns out the diagram repeats what the instructions at the top say. You also have some info on what materials to cut on this machine, that is useful. 

They also tell you not to feed the material too fast... but what is too fast to begin with? 

Ahh! Almost forgot... Turn the dust collector on!

Lets be a little constrictive here, how can we share all this important information in a way that is more efficient. Here a stab at it, not saying it is perfect but might be a place to begin. 

Other thoughts on what makes a good or bad sign.

The Skull and Crossbones

Early-Skull-Image-GraphicsFairy.jpg

The Skull and Crossbones, perhaps one of the most recognized symbols for keep out, danger, poison...dead.  A couple of years ago I was listening to Roman Mars in his podcast series 99% Invisible. For those of you not familiar with the podcast, Roman Mars and his small but amazing team share incredibly crafted stories, mostly on topics of Design and Architecture. 

On episode 114, they share the seemingly impossible task of waring future generations about the dangers of a radioactive waste dump. The challenge being that they have to warn them for the next 10 000 years!

They first start talking about language and how it changes so fast through generations. How we have such a hard time trying to understand Shakespeare, that being just from 200 years ago. Now imagine how meaningless our language might be in 10000 years. 

Then they start looking a symbols and diagrams. They soon realize as well that this also are victims of time and culture. For example, the Skull and Crossbones. Once a symbol for resurrection, then a symbol for dead and danger. No a meaningless symbol that you can find on basically anything:

I won't spoil the end of the podcast because the story is quite amazing. 

The reason I included this as relevant is to show the importance of context in design. How something that previously was good design is no longer so. In other words, how it has lost the ability to transmit a message clearly.

If good design can stop being so, is there such thing as good design?

 

Raining Pianos /  by Sebastian Morales

This blogpost started not with pianos but with Fluxus. Through one of the links shared I came across Fluxus.org, and there a brief interview with George Maciunas, the founder of Fluxus. More than an interview it was an introduction to the beginings of the movement and what it really is about.

Sooooo... what is Fluxus? I'll paraphrase here: something like a band of people (often avant garde artists) that came together to liberate us from our monotonous lives. Fluxus is not just an art movement, more like a release of creativity into our daily lives. Bukoff defines the beginnings of Fluxus as a movement trying to challenge the social standardized notion of what is good, what is normal and, what is appropriate. Who is Bukoff you ask? In his own words: "The coolest person you've never met". 

At some point during the audio (15:28), Bukoff starts talking about Al Hansen and how he threw a piano out of a window and called the sound produced by the impact music. There was something about this scene that really caught my attention. Immediately, tons of memories of falling pianos came to mind, perhaps it Hansen started it all with some help from Yoko Ono.  

I then started to read more about the story. To be quite honest I couldn't find much more info than provided in the interview but there is something of that scene, a falling piano, that felt so familiar. 

The original event actually happened during the middle of the night and not much evidence exists about it. In one blog post I actually found an image. It looks like it could be from the 60s right? 

Baker House (MIT) residents throwing piano in 1972.

I kept searching and later found that the previous image happened many years later, actually at an event that now happens every year at MIT. This celebrated event is organized every year to celebrate "Drop Date", the last day students are allowed to drop a class. Big emphasis is made on the fact that the pianos are damage beyond repair before the they are completely destroyed. Here the clip from last year.  

Piano drops in mainstream media:

We have all seen pianos falling form the sky, well, at least on tv. The first thing that comes to mind are of course cartoons and mischievous villains with terrible luck. Here are two other examples, one from popular British show Top Gear and . 

 A quick google search gave dozens of results, here some:

The internet is full of people throwing pianos, whether virtually or physically, some with purpose, others just to feel "rebellious".  

By now you might think I am a little off topic, I guess where I am trying to get at is the personal realization of the effect of Fluxus in our lives. You see, just a couple of days ago, I knew nothing about it, I didn't know it existed! Yet, it had been an important part of my life. 

Point Waves /  by Sebastian Morales

This is a simple animation demonstrating a couple of principles. The circles change size based on time, they also change size and color based on the mouse position. Every time the page is refreshed the color scheme also changes.