Making Toys

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  Yury Gitman 11:15 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Time pieces 

  Online

  Volume at Victoria and Albert Museum

  Volume is a light and sound installation created by Unite Visual Artists and one point six. It responds to human movement.

  Bodysnatchers – Zeno Music Visualiser

  This is an awesome generative and audio reactive piece created by Glenn Marshall. He has done lots of great work.

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1994927&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1

  Library

  Osmose - Charlotte Davies

  
  

  
  
  

  [Image - http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/osmose/images/3/%5D

  
  

  Osmose is a wearable interface
  that immerses the user, referred to as the “driver”, in a virtual world and
  plays through a narrative that the user can interact with and experience
  “osmotic” transitions. Various gestures made by the user
  are interpreted within the virtual simulation.

  – Grau, O., 2004. Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion. The MIT Press.

  The
  Flock - Mark Grossman

  
  

  [Image - http://accad.osu.edu/~rinaldo/works/flock/theflock.html%5D

  Three large robot arms are entwined and hanging from the
  ceiling. Not only do these arms respond to any visitors’ positions, they
  communicate with each other in unintelligible machine language.

  – Morse, M. 1998. Virtualities : Television, Media Art, and Cyberculture. Indiana University Press.

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    Thai 12:25 am on February 20, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Whoah…those are some pretty smooth pieces…I see some influence in your work! Are you bringing your piece to class? Think we would all like to see it…

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  Yury Gitman 10:55 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Toy Fair2009 

  First of all the toy fair was amazing, I was so excited to be there. So many toys at the same place! Awesome!
   My favorite toy wasn't an interactive or even an electronic toy. Andi's Green, "WorryWoo Monsters" are stuffed, soft and very emotional monsters. There is something so real, unique  and so sensitive about these monsters that I immediately felt in love.

  

  Another toy that I find interesting, is the Smart-E-Bear from Intellitoys Team, is an interactive stuffed toy that interacts by music, stories and games. It can be connected to software and be customized.

  

  Online Timepieces:

  The "Art-O-Meter" by Marcelo Coelho. The piece found on "www.we-make-money-not-art.com".

  

  This is a device that has a sensor that measures the time that the viewer spends in front of an artwork.
  http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2006/10/art-o-meter-is.php

  The "Birth Clock" by Alexandra von Feldmann. The piece found on "www.we-make-money-not-art.com"

    
  

  This piece is a nonfunctional clock in a very fragile glass container. To make the clock functional the user have to break the glass container. I like that work a lot, the user have make a decision if he prefer the shape or the function of the clock.   
  http://www.alex-vf.com/portfolio/rca/time.html

  
  

  Library Timepieces:

  Francis Alys

  Time Lapse, 2001

   
  
  

  The image is from: http://www.fundacion.telefonica.com/at/colfotografia/paginas/e03.html

  During  twelve hours, Francis Alys recorded people hiding from the
  heat under the shadow of the flagpole in the "Zocalo" the famous
  municipal square in downtown Mexico City.

  After that he combined the photographs with astronomical data drawings that shows the path and angle of the sun.

  "Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video", 2003

  Vito Acconci

  Watch, 1971
   9 min, b&w, silent, Super 8 film on video

   

  Video/Body art; this is a close up of Vito's face following the circulation of a watch, by doing that his face represents a watch.

   

  

  Vito Acconci, Diary of a body. 1969-1973.

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  Yury Gitman 9:36 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  ::Spykee WIFI::

  This little robot called Spykee The WIFI Robot is made out of 200 parts that you assemble together. Three different version can be built with the same kit: Robot, Lunar, and Scorpion. Spykee can move, hear, speak and take pictures, record video and be controlled by computer anywhere in the world  via WIFI on the internet. This means  that all this input data that is perceived by Spykee  is accecible to you.  You can can then control in response a digital video camera, microphone, loudspeaker and two motors. Spykee is marketed as a spy robot because it has video surveillance device with a motion detector that can react by activating an alarm or send you a picture via e-mail. Basically Spykee is not only a mobile interface to the internet but also has a neat little feature that  I wish my cell phone could have. Spyke returns automatically to its charging base when the battery needs recharging. Spykee WIFI is also a telephone. It can make free phone calls through the internet by using VoIP phone.

  Ray Renteria, argues in Missing the Point with a Potentially Game-Changing Robot “Toy”,  that even tough Spykee WIFI down fall is that is not programmable, it does allow for  telepresence which is often overlook as a strength of this robot.

  And there is already a crack so you can control Spykee WIFI with your IPhone.
  

  Spykee WIFI
  

  

  ::Swinxs::

  Collecting information at the Toy Fair, such as details of the different technologies embedded in the toys, prove to be  a bit tricky. It was not so much  because of secrecy but because in most cases the people at the booth were either manufacturers of sale representatives which some time did not have access to these details. One booth that was the exception was the booth for Danish toy, Swinxs. I had the opportunity to interview one of the developer of Swinxs, Govert de Vries, and here is  what I gathered:

  Mr. Vries and a friend were brainstorming about creating game that would provide a frame work for children to play outdoors. The idea continued to get refined and was brought to Khadi Feiz who designed the interface  of Swinxs. The interface consist of a base with an accelerometer, a microphone, LED lights, a speaker, a RFID reader, and a USB connection that allows the user to upload new games to the console. The XS-TAG , are colorfull armbands that connect to the console by  RFID tags embeded in them. The next step in the development of Swinxs, to make the game open platform so users could not only upload new games to the console but also be able to create them, came from an unexpected source. The original programing language used to program Swinxs was Assembly. While Assembly proved to be difficult for the general public to use, a programer that had purchased Swinxs offered to create a simpler way to program new games for the Swinxs. Currently the Swinxs website provides tutorials and a forum for programing new games. Govert de Vries sees  Swinxs as a fluid game console that can continue to evolve thanks to the community of users and developers. Because of an earlier converasation with Toy Fair an attendie, he was interested in the possiblities of play that Swinxs can provide to children with dissabilities.

  ::Console::                                                 

   

  ::XS-TAG::

  

  ::RFID tags Playing cards::

  
  

  
  

  
    

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  Yury Gitman 9:31 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Passage of time iteration 3 

  Here’s my third iteration of the passage of time. This is a much higher fidelity construction than the last version and a lot of time was spent on the outer body construction. The inside of the container is sandpapered and an additional sand papered plastic layer is added on the inside to diffuse the light. Strips of black paper are stuck on to the outside of the container to block out light in specific areas and create a slat like effect. The top and bottom of the container are painted black to avoid leaking any light. The code is also modified for a different pattern.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3290982&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1

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  Yury Gitman 8:51 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  [Time Piece] & [Toy Fair09] 

  I am glad we had the chance to visit toy fair this year.  Thanks Yuri for getting us tickets!
  My favorite 2 toys oddly enough, were not electronic.  They were:

  4D puzzle of New York – Build NYC as a puzzle in 3D as time [4D] progresses
  ~ this means from grass to infrastructure, from building to building.
  You are instructed to remove the Twin Towers and then go in to the future
  where you place in the Freedom Tower.  Its cool to be able to see the
  skyline of NYC at difference eras in time. Comes complete with history guide booklet.

  
  
  —

  Rbit Wheel – Nick posted this up as one of his favorites below.  I really loved the thing.
  It really seems so simple to just get on the thing and start skating.  They didn't let
  me sample the equipment but it really looks like something you can do without knowing
  how to actually skate [roller blades, skates etc.] – which is a huge benefit to kids
  that are having a hard time learning how to skate and feel discouraged.  Really
  it just looks like a lot more fun than regular skating -  minus the high speed aspect
  of roller balding, but I don't think they market would really care too much about that.
  [picture posted on Nicks entry]

  [time piece] – Okay a huge reason why I am here and a great inspiration for my work is JAMES CLAR he IS the Man.  His works are really clean, simple and CREATIVE.  Below is just one of his
  amazing pieces.  Its not high-techy, but that's the beauty of it.  You look at the thing and say
  oh….I could make that – but maybe I wouldn't have thought about seeing it in that way~

  

  by the by -  When you have kids one day and they ask for a car…tell 'em you get the a new TOYOTA, then you can give them this instead!

  
  

  Cheers!

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  Yury Gitman 4:23 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  The TIA Toy Fair and Some Research on Time 

  I came across quite a number of interesting toys at the toy fair, but my absolute favorites included the exhibit by Korean robotics company, Robotis and their line of Ollo robot systems. There was a malleable pen containing two robotic animals that we were able to manipulate into action using remote controls. I was informed that the robots were designed such that they could be simply constructed by children, and that older children, beginning at around a 9th grade level, would be deemed capable of programming the robot to perform tasks of their own whim. Here are a few of the toys I saw, programmed to perform various different actions… I took a great fancy to the turtle:
  

  The other favorite from the show was Pint Sized Productions' Food Chain Friends plush toy sets. They are just kind of delightful and appealing, and I think kids should know about the food chain and all that, of course, but mostly I just thought they were really cute and fun and well designed.
  

  Going onto the other portion of this posting, I did a bit of research on the different symbols that have been used as gestures indicating the passage of time. One of the most poignant examples that came to mind is the analysis of tree-rings to determine the lifetime of a tree. It is fascinating that much can be understood by looking at the width of these things, telling a simplified story of environmental patterns throughout the tree's life. It is so simple and unilateral that the variation is all the more meaningful from ring to ring.

  

  Another, totally different gesture representing the passage of time is the circular rose-window in the medieval Lincoln Cathedral, which faces north. From a vantage point inside the church, one is able to see the rotation of the constellations of the north stars through the circular holes in the stone, as well as recognize the passage of seasons.

   

  Doing some research in the library, I was leafing through a book called Clocks & Watches, by Johann Willsberger. In this volume I came across a really frivolous but interesting specimen of timepiece from the latter 16th century (now preserved in the Würtemburgisches Landesmuseum in Stuttgart in the Fremersdorf Collection), composed of a round platform upon which are a gilt copper ostrich being led by leash attached to the neck of a small bear cub holding a drum. When the quarter hour strikes, the bear opens its mouth & moves its head. On the hour, the bird moves its beak, rolls its eyes, and flaps it wings. When the alarm is triggered, the bear beats the drum. I found this to be a fascinating and droll way of spending one's time creating a gesture to suggest the passage of time.

  Another quite unusual timepiece was a type of gravity-driven clock desribed in Clocks and Watches 1400-1900 (© 1967 Eric Bruton), the rolling clock, or the inclined plane clock, a drum-shaped device placed on a wedge-like stnd. The drum slowly rolls down the stand over the course of what was usually set as a week. I discovered this photo of such a clock online:

  

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  Yury Gitman 3:31 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Time Based Art Works — Internets 

  THE BIGGEST DRAWING IN THE WORLD.
  Erik Nordenankar created a briefcase that contains a GPS tracker and traveled around with DHL with specific coordinates. The output contour drawing is from his locations that he visited.  Watch the you tube video below for a project overview, or check out the site biggestdrawingintheworld.com.

  DIGG Visualizer

  This visualizer maps all of the latest DIGG's for certain subjects. Every time that one is added to DIGG, it is updated in real time. As the time goes on, the stacks get taller and taller. There are 5 options for visual representation, but I prefer the stack version.

  http://labs.digg.com/stack/

  

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  Yury Gitman 12:37 pm on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Timepieces and the Toy Fair 

  Online Timepieces

  One of my favorite timepieces is a
  painting by Giacomo Balla. Balla, who was part of the Futurists Group,
  became preoccupied with depicting
  light, movement and speed in 1909. I love how the dog, human, and leash
  are visible (unlike some of the Cubists work) and yet full of motion and life.

  (click on the image to read more about Balla)

  

  (Below)
  Krzysztof Wodiczko has created more than
  seventy large-scale
  slide and video projections of politically-charged
  images on architectural façades and monuments worldwide since 1980.
  I love watching the videos of his projections – they bring the
  architecture to life and tell the stories of people affected by
  traumatic events. This piece is, "Hiroshima Projection."

  (click on the image to watch the video)

  
  

  ________________________________________________

  Library Timepieces

  

  From 1476 until 1486, Erhard Ratdolt worked closely with Bernhard Maler and Peter Loeslein to create the first totally printd book. In 1476, "Calendarium" was completed. As sceientists began to understand natural phenomena, fear and superstition were no longer such a huge part of people's lives – eclipses began to be recognized as predictable fact as opposed to black magic. This page (above), calculates the solar cycles – the two top circles were printed on heavy paper, cut out, and mounted over a larger woodcut with tape and a string. If I were presented with this piece I can't say I would understand how to use it but scientifically, I think it's briliant and graphically, I think it's beautiful.

  (Information taken from Meggs' History of Graphic Design – by Philip Meggs and Alston Purvis)

  
  

  
  Jenny Holzer was a participant in the "Time Square Show" in June, 1980. She started her "truisms" in 1977 – initially printing them but later displayed them electrinically.

  "Holzer's manipulation of "almost" familiar phrases displaces the clear presence of a personal voice – the words seem impersonal, underscoring the essential emptiness of the media and the strange isolation of people from one another in this society of mass-culture cliches."

  I love this piece because it uses somewhat modern technology (very modern for that time) to express an idea to the masses. I also love this piece for it's placement – I was just in Times Square last weekend and it's so interesting to see how technology has greatly altered that space.

  (information and quote taken from, Art Since 1940, Strategies of Being – by Jonathan Fineberg)

  ________________________________________________

  Toy Fair

  

  The Ollo toys (upper left) intrigued me because they could be built to move (using motors or the programming technology) or similarly to legos, they could be built as static structures. The overall aethetic of the toy was also interesting to me. They had a rough, robotic look but they still seemed cute.

  The Swinxs game (upper right) is "an incredible new game console that can talk, explain games, recognize players and even referee." The woman at the booth spent some time explaining the toy to me and allowed me to watch the video presentation and ask a lot of questions. This is such an interesting, fun console that I wish I had grown up with!

   

  The Wild Planet game (upper left) is such a cute game for small children. When I first got to the booth, the woman behind the desk wouldn't let me inside to see the toys (for confidentiality reasons) but because my friend works for Wild Plant, I asked for her and was allowed in. This game uses RFID chips to allow the child to place the mouse ears over the character and recognize when an answer is correct.

  I took a picture of the stuffed animals (upper right) because I like the muted colors and materials used. These animals were created using recycled materials and all natural dyes. I think I would like to create this look for my final project.

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  Yury Gitman 2:50 am on February 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  time-based online findings 

  ••• Jason Salavon

  
  Every Playboy Centerfold, The Decades (normalized)  2002
  
  Digital C-prints
  60" x 29.5" ea. Ed. 5 + 2 APs

  

  From a broader series begun in 1997, the photographs in this suite are the result of mean averaging
  every Playboy centerfold foldout for the four decades beginning
  Jan. 1960 through Dec. 1999. This tracks, en masse, the evolution
  of this form of portraiture. 
  [link]

  ••• John Cage – Organ²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible)

  Originally composed in 1987 for the organ, Cage's piece holds the title of longest-lasting musical performance to date.  Cage opted to leave out any specific details as to how slow exactly the piece should be played, other than "as slow as possible"

  The current organ performance of the piece at St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany. It began on September 5, 2001 and is scheduled to last 639 years; finally ending in the year 2640.

  The chords change about every year or so, and here is a New York Times article about one such chord change in 2006. "The performance is in keeping with Cage's efforts to explore the
  boundaries of performance and how music exists in time and space."

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