Week 11 – Final Draft 1 – Shadowing Presence

Concept:

In this project, I wanted to explore the dynamic between digital presence and absence. What does it mean to be in the digital world digitally? Does it mean you are physically there, or does it mean you are participating in it? This project explores the idea of being physically part of the work. To do this, I explore particle system interaction with the human body through a web camera. The particle system acts as a responsive object orbiting and/or avoiding the participant.  I think for the whole semester I have been interested in the particle system and their behavior and wanted to do more with them. As a result, I am bringing it back and building on its concepts for this final project. 

Interaction methodology:

The sketch has two stages: the initial stage is customizing the environment, and the second is experiencing it. I want the interface to be simple, so by clicking the buttons the audience can pick the colors of the particles: shades of red, shades of blue, or shades of green, also they can choose the size of the particles they want to interact with: random, small, or large. Then, they click start to begin the experience, where they can also click buttons to reset it or save an image. 

Design of canvas interaction and buttons:

Base Sketch:

There is a lot to work on in terms of the interface and functionality of the whole experience.  I need to figure out how to make the buttons in the initial state disappear, and the others will appear. I need to make the color function and make logic on how the particles would take the desired color and shape, and finally how to make the webcam work the way I want it to.

Resources: