Ticha-LookingOutwards-1
Robot Nail Art by Charles Karim Aweida
In an effort to ‘create tangible artifacts from intangible forces’, Aweida uses a robotic arm to place nails in a foam board in a manner which emulates wind movement. I admire this project profoundly for its simplicity in addition to the fact that very organic patterns using inorganic materials. What I find most interesting about the project is how entrancing it is to watch the robot carefully place the nails in the board with such precision – the strange gratification that results from watching such a meticulous action is evidence of the fetishization of the robot, and enticed me to think about how robots are fetishized in modern society.
Some improvements:
- Documentation could have been a little bit more descriptive. I really like the whirlpool patterns that he added at the end and it’s easy to infer that those were created by the robot, but I wish the artist elaborated on what the color choices meant.
- Perhaps the artist could experiment with different materials that can be placed into the foam board to see how it alters the piece.
Belowrez app by Adam Mathes
As someone who holds high expectations for all iOS-related products, I must say that I was rather disappointed in this app. While Belowrez achieves its goal of evoking a certain nostalgic feel towards old-school NES games, I feel like the developer is not pushing the app to its full potential. When I took 15-122, we had to write code that manipulated images in different ways, and one of the effects was exactly the same as the one for this app. While I really appreciate that the developer added some additional color scheme choices for the sake of variation and like the fact that the user is able to control the pixel size, I cannot help but feel like the camera is missing something more.
Some improvements:
- Could make the images even more stylized to truly set it apart from other cameras with posterizing photo filters.
- Perhaps add some features that push the concept of creating an NES-inspired app further.
Seventh Sense by Ultra Combos and Anarchy Dance Theatre
I both admire this project profoundly and am intensely surprised by it. Seventh Sense is certainly not a conventional dance performance with fancy stage effects – the specially designed interactive space created by Ultra Combos both creates a unique visual experience for the audience and redefines the meaning of contemporary dance. What I like most about this project is how the environment reacts so smoothly with the dancers – giving the viewer the impression that they are truly a part of this surreal space. This beautiful marriage between dance, art, and technology is truly a pleasure to watch.
Some improvements:
- As I have only watched an excerpt of the performance, I am not entirely sure of how the space was used to enhance the dancing. So far my only suggestion would be to experiment with as many environments and effects as possible without looking too over-the-top.