Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Week 11: Graffiti Research Lab

I've previously posted about some things related to graffiti. I discovered the  Graffiti Research Lab which led me to find some very interesting projects that they're involved in.


"Dedicated to outfitting graffiti artists and activists with open source tools for urban communication."



The first project I found interesting was Interactive Architecture. This would be categorised under projection bombing which is basically going out and projecting images and designs onto buildings in urban areas. Interactive Architecture then interacts with the surfaces it is projected on.

Please view the flickr gallery here as I can't embed. The projections here are interacting with circular windows that have the lights switched on inside.
See here for more, including a video displaying the impressive technique.



"The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from ALS with creative technologies.
It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus & custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes."


Another open source project helping anyone who is paralysised with ALS (but beginning with famous LA graffiti artist Tempt1 who has ALS) to draw graffiti digitally using their eyes. The software and apparatus tracks the users eye to create 'eye art'.
The long-term goal is to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.



eye art created by Tempt1 with EyeWriter


The follow video explaind and documents the whole project very well. The best part, I think, is when Tempt (destined to remain in a hospital bed for the remainder of his life) is using the EyeWriter while his live art is being projected in downtown LA.


http://www.eyewriter.org/





On the subject of Projection bombing, I discovered an unknown group (presumably Irish) that had tried this in Dublin. I found these on fuckflickr, an anti yahoo site that stands for non-commercial creative work. Some of the images reveal them to be anti-copyright and pro-open source, with Linux popping up, but alot of the rest are pointless cursing which seems a shame and a waste as something really cool could have replaced the time it was up.

IMG_0977

Find the rest of the gallery here

However, I think they did probably make those with the Laser Tag, which is a direct live graffiti projection, so the drawings aren't up for long anyway.
Flickr


Personally, I like these ideas for the basic reason that they make mundane buildings incredibly interesting and genuine spectacles.

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