Role: Senior Developer
Client: Brooklyn Historical Society
Team: Potion Design
Technology: OpenGL, GLSL, C++, Objective-C, OSC, XML, Lighting, LED strips

In Pursuit of Freedom is a permanent, interactive exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society. It narrates the untold stories of important abolitionists via images (or lack thereof), illuminated artifacts and text to reveal relevant contemporary questions.

The experience is comprised of four sections each dedicated to the stories of 3 activists. Each section contains a suspended, 8 foot projection column, a pulley system to ‘scroll’ and suspended, light-boxed artifacts related to each story. Users can use the pulley system to ‘scroll’ through the story of each activist which also lights up the artifacts based on the narrative context.

Each pulley uses an arcade spinner controller and custom hardware. The light-boxes are fitted with LED strips that are controlled via OSC routed through a lighting controller.

Role: Designer, Developer
Client: Self, Parsons MFA Design and Technology Thesis
Team: Nick Hardeman, Bruce Drummond
Technology: C++, openFrameworks, OpenGL, OpenCV, SuperCollider, OSC, Photoshop, Maya

social sqncr is an interactive audio-visual installation that aims to make people more aware of the act of creating their public identity.

To create their ‘identity’, participants use their bodies to physically interact with a pseudo-musical instrument projected in a physical space to create virtual musical creatures based on their movements. The instrument consists of eight zones that participants interact with which influence the shape, movement, and aural properties of the resulting entity.

Once complete, the system captures an image of the participant to attach to the creature which is then set free into an eco-system inhabited by similar entities. The entities react to one another, much like human beings in a social network. Participants can cause environmental disturbances by physically interacting with the projection.

The physical movements required of participants ensures a high level of investment in the process, causing a heightened awareness of their creation, and thus themselves. Watching their entity interact with other entities is a reflection of their own interaction in their social networks.

Final Thesis Paper

ShredBoard is an instrument that uses the conventional keyboard and mouse as input. The keys z-/, a-’, q-] and 1-= are mapped to the notes of four guitar strings starting at E, A, D, G for each row of keys. The mouse is mapped for use as an effects pedal. There are 2 effects – ChillZoid – a clean, ambient effect and MightySTOMP – a distorted synth effect. Parameters for each effect can be adjusted with 3 knobs to produce a variety of tones.

The software is an AIR application written in ActionScript 3. The sounds are produced in  SuperCollider by sending OSC messages via  flosc. The flosc AS3 classes were modified for certain OSC messages to work correctly with SuperCollider.

Nonlinear Division (nadir version) is an extract from live audiovisual performances with musician, Speak Onion, between 2012-2015, made with Processing. The music is choked with dense atmosphere, folding in on itself repeatedly, while the visuals are expansive, building outwards in every direction. The compound effect is a feeling of infinity: no beginning or end, no inside or outside, no familiar reference points. This causes a new and impressionistic experience of time – less a straight line and more an arc with ill-defined limits, which eventually feels just as familiar as it does new.

miBass is a bass guitar-like instrument that can be played on an iphone. Mrmr on the iphone is used to communicate with Max/MSP/Jitter via UDP messages. These messages are interpreted and converted to preset musical notes that are then driven through Native Instruments Guitar Rig, as a VST Instrument, to achieve the bass tone. There are 8 notes in all, 2 groups of 4, which can be switched by rotating the iphone up and down. The visuals are created using Jitter nurbs (jit.gl.nurbs) which get modified based on the levels of the tone produced.

The objective of the game is to emulate an immersive virtual environment that is geared towards musical skill development and music improvisation. Audio signals from the players’ instruments directly affect the virtual environment and provide immediate visual feedback in the form of game characters.

Children of the Shred is built with Python, PyGame and Max/MSP. Open Sound Control (OSC) is used to communicate between the Python and Max/MSP programs.

In a two player scenario the game can be setup on two networked computers where each player has their own musical instrument. The two computers can be configured to communicate via Open Sound Control.

In collaboration with Clay Ewing.

Design document

Another prototype for thesis – a refined squid and a new tick creature created in oF. Both are hooked up to Reaktor via OSC. The squid produces the screechy sounds and the tick produces the beats.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/6676645]

Here the speed at which the tick kicks it’s legs is controlled via a slider. The tempo of the beats produced by the tick are also manipulated at the same time. Created with oF, Reaktor and OSC.

The first prototype for thesis – hooked up Nick’s squid to Reaktor. The squid breathes and moves towards the mouse. OpenFrameworks sends OSC messages based on the squids properties to control 3 parameters in Skrewell within Reaktor – breath controls flow, x position controls filter and y position controls delay.