Idea 1: A slit-scanning machine with physical (capturer-available) algorithmic control
I’ve been thinking deeply about the notion that that artists can use their own rule-based approaches (sometimes computer-based) to create art. These computational rule-based methods obviously afford results that often never would have been impossible otherwise. That said, I believe the creation of such algorithms places an undue burden on artists to think in ways that are antithetical to traditional creative and designerly processes — processes that are often iterative. When programming, iteration is often much harder and less natural than when drawing on paper or using art-board based applications. With this as a context, I’ve been working to create a method that would allow for an artist (in this case me) to tune and generate the algorithm physically with controls while capturing my subject, instead of before the fact in an act of algorithmic planning and forethought.
ref: An Informal Catalogue of Slit-Scan Video Artworks and Research
Idea 2: A Device to Capture The Hands
Freshman year in Placing (51-171), Cameron Tonkinwise talked about the concept of the Human-Thing where you are what you find yourself in contact with — you are extended, in a way, by the contacted thing. I’ve been throwing around the idea of attaching a device to my subject’s arm that would take pictures of everything they come into contact with. But, I don’t just want to take a video of their entire day (as that wouldn’t be very attuned), so I’ve been thinking about ways to modulate the capturing using sensed-motion or capactive activation.
ref: On the Subject of Objects: Four Views on Object Perception and Tool Use
[more ideas coming]