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.

Role: Sound Designer
Team: Veronica Chen – Illustration, Noelis Pichardo – Animation, Bruce Drummond – Sound Design
Technology: Adobe Photoshop, SuperCollider, Audacity, Ableton Live

Hypnagogia is a term coined by Alfred Maury for the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep (i.e. the onset of sleep).

It’s possible to experience weird hallucinations during this state which is what the animation is built around.

Clips were generated by translating illustrations into sound. This was done by exporting the illustrations as PCX (from Photoshop) and importing them into Audacity as raw audio. This was then layered with environmental sounds and sound generated with SuperCollider. The result was further manipulated by adding effects in Ableton Live.