Computers for Performers
Speculative Computer
My main takeaway from this assignment would be my attempt on decoding and encoding materials I learnt from "Stop Drawing Dead Fish" video. I learned that a powerful interactive tool should be designed based on two livings, "simulation behavior" and "human behavior", with the two livings responding to each other, creating new visionaries and kinds of art forms and not just recreating another alternative to existing art forms. I decoded this concept that I learned into my own theory where "my computer will consist of two different behaviors. 1) The simulated behavior of the 'stage lights' and 'music' 2) The performer's voice/gesture and their stage directions.
I designed for the computer detect and respond to the performer's voice, body movement (hand) and stage directions e.g. a certain word/line, gesture or walking to a certain spot of the stage triggers a stage element to emerge. The stage element in response to the performer's behvaiour itself is a feedback, once a stage element is triggered, it acts like a cue for the performers to move on to the next part of their performace.
"How can the computer be made to make better use of our hands?"
To elevate this concept, I designed for the computer detect and respond to the performer's voice, body movement (hand) and stage directions e.g. a certain word/line, gesture or walking to a certain spot of the stage triggers a stage element to emerge. The stage element in response to the performer's behvaiour itself is a feedback, once a stage element is triggered, it acts like a cue for the performers to move on to the next part of their performace. To conclude, the computer program behaves as you perform. And since this computer involves an ecosystem of voice, hand and body movement detection, this could lead to a new kind of performance/ art form that focuses on the manipulation of lights, music or any stage element by the human body.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12q9yW2baneoMJbmqVfarhtOeZpvyc1hX/view
Physical Peripherals
Synthesiac Software & Peripheral
For this week's assignment we were given a reading 'Once Again, The Doorknob' by Olia Lialina. I pulled out this quote from her article “I strongly believe that interface designers should not start to study by trying to make their first prototype of something that looks the same or better or different from what already exists; ” Because two of the most fundamental usability metrics are learnability (the user's ability to use a new design they have not seen before) and efficiency (the speed with which people do tasks after they have learned the interface). It’s always good to innovate and come up with new ideas. Yet, I feel like users get confused when they are introduced to something ‘too’ new, something that doesn’t conform to regular UI standards. Instead, UI designers should be introduced to the art and history behind each software. Why was it built in the first place? Why do people need this? What are people trying to get out of the application rather than learning the technical skills to begin with. While this forms a better bond between the designer and user, therefore it software provides more sustainable features.
My chosen physical peripheral tool is a camera and a hologram display, I would like to see them work with FaceTime or Zoom. We connect with people through Zoom and FaceTime all the time for educational, professional and/or leisure purposes. What would it be like it that experience was enhanced and we are placed in a real-life FaceTime/Zoom simulation?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16dmBO-wPcLh7Sa1bjDoVx72-boYtMZuI/view?usp=sharingThe Beauty of 'Glitch'
My Networked Identity
The book Glitch Feminism by Legacy Russell, tries to prove that ‘glitches’ do not always have to be implemented in a negative way. In fact, ‘Glitch’ in Legacy’s dictionary refers to the end of separation between the real and digital world.' Glitch often refers to an error, a mistake, and a failure to function. Instead, Legacy reinvents the terminology of said word and allowed it to emphasize how liberation can be found all together between gender and technology. The ‘Glitch' provides us the freedom to express and transform ourselves in different ways. An example would be E. Jane’s “alter-ego” avatar Mhysa.
The social pressures that have forged the shape of your identity is being surrounded by in a society and era that prioritizes body image. With social media being a dominant aspect in this century, it is impossible to escape the 'perfect lives and routines' of celebrities and influencers in our daily lives. Advertisements, billboards, Instagram posts, etc. I've personally gone through all stages of grief and regret to lose weight. Involving healthy diets to starving myself and bulimia and such. The insecurities of a woman is something someone aparts from them will never understand. Though people might not understand why, they carry a lot of power over it. I believe most people nowadays are a part of the social media ecosystem, and in that ecosystem, people have opinions, feedbacks, and reactions to whatever they see. And most of the time those comments are derogatory. If you really think about it, then why are 99% of the women/influencers on social media, who's also been getting a lot of attention are all 'skinny'? Because society believes that the more 'skinner' you are, the more you conform to society's expectations. And since the digital world is now so accessible, this puts huge pressure, not on only just me but really young girls and boys who are also most likely absorbing the same kind of content as we all do now.