Smoke, mirrors, software and FM

Good morning Sandboxers,

Things are moving on apace here at what was The Observatory and is now awaiting a new name.

We started this week by experimenting with the best methods of making a unicorn appear and disappear in thin air, utilizing projection and various airborne media.

Together with the brilliant art director and designer Peter Arnold, we played with projections on smoke, haze and dry ice. The best results came from the fashioning of a smoke sandwich, using two sheets of polycarbonate to trap a layer of smoke. The results can be seen on the accompanying video. Very disappointingly, the dry ice option was a bit of a let down, but Ed had some fun in his living room that evening with the not inconsiderable excess ice from our experiments. Smoking martin anyone?

On Tuesday Dan and Katie came up from Bristol and brought with them the prototype of our RAVES idea. The system needs a bit of further coaxing to achieve its WIFI option, but we gained a promising insight into how the sensor activated video option will work. We’ve a long way to go, but we will get there.

The most difficult thing for us to reconcile is the overall technology that runs the piece. We currently have 3 basic options broadly speaking. A laptop running the show which is carried by the adult and triggered en route, laptop stations that are positioned around the route which trigger an ipaq (or when the software has been developed an android phone), or a compromise where the soundscape is less controllable and less syncable with video which has various guises. Dan is in the process of developing the software that contributes to all of these options and we are looking into the broadcasting technology that can enable us to be mobile. Fingers very much crossed on all fronts.

We’ve had a very useful discussion with David Rosenburg who directed Contains Violence and Electric hotel about FM transmitters and receivers and I have just ordered a rather sexy looking potential solution from the States… I’m very much hoping it arrives quite soon!

And then we have been applying ourselves to the business of encapsulating and structuring all our myriad findings, frustrations and creative challenges in our presentation day on 17th September. We have a plan in place for the presentation – now we need to enact it.

Right, I’m off to play with the itrip transmitter and see if that has any potential… and maybe set off another kilo of dry ice in my living room to see what will happen…

Cheers
Ed and Melanie

Ah… just having problems uploading the video as its too big for the site. If anyone has any advice on resizing it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers E