In this lab you will use your:
This assignment requires you actuate the physical world - you may choose one of two configurations for this project - either 1) kinetic sculpture or 2) Interactive kinetic art. The difference amounts to whether or not you choose to integrate input from the user into your work.
You may create a team of up to three group members. When working in a group, your hardware resources are pooled. Your device must adhere to the following specification. You must use a minimum of (2 * number of group members) motors and may use as many motors as you have available to your group. The device must have an enclosure or enclosures.
Your device must utilize an API (https://github.com/mbennett12/kinetic-sculpture-webapi) that will allow you to start the device in motion. More details to come on the API usage in class. The device must be safe to operate in intervals of at least 30 seconds multiple times in a row.
Instructions to come on installation, which will happen on Tuesday April 5.
Deliverables
A link to your git repository with a program that runs on the ESP32 or the Raspberry Pi to control your device. The program must meet the following criteria:
(6 pts) Utilizes your actuators
(3 pts) Successfully combine earlier system configurations through use/reuse of sensors, config code, and physical design principles.
(1 pts) Is in the spirit of the class as broadly interpreted by the instructors. Art is subjective, we want you to get comfortable with this ethos.
As always, the standard deliverables. If working in a group, you may all submit the same code repository, but each need to submit your own blog. The post should detail, in your own words, the creative vision of the device you have created. You should detail the technical challenges you specifically (as opposed to other group members) faced during the implementation of the device.
(10 pts total - see below for breakdown)
In addition to the project specific deliverables lists above, you must also meet the following “standard documentation deliverables”. Throughout this course, we will ask you to document your work in order to slowly build a portfolio of your projects. Going forward, these types of standard documentation deliverables can be assumed to be required for all assignments unless specified otherwise.
(5 pts) A blog post
Using a blog site of your choice (github pages, hackaday, medium, notion, etc) make a blog post describing your art. The post should give an overview of your artistic vision. In particular for this assignment, you should address how you have specialized your generative art to the space. What creative decisions did you work lead you to, and which decisions did you take? How were your decisions motivated by your larger creative vision for this project. In the same vein, also address any technical issues you encountered in your work. Particularly focus on issues that other artists may encounter when developing with your hardware setup.
(3 pts) A README
On your github repo add a readme that contains a short description and key information on reproducibility/installation/usage. This key information should be sufficient for a knowledge third party, outside the class, to replicate your design. This readme can be a subset of the material used in your blog post.
(2 pts) Visual documentation of your art (and in this case, the installation as a whole)
Both your blog post and the README should have some amount of visual documentation. Typically the blog post will have a video. The README can have some lighter weight visuals (e.g. a still image). The video can be a simple video shot on your phone - assuming you use basic best practices as discussed in class. You can host the video wherever you like as long as the hosting platform supports in-browser playback (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo). You may also choose to embed a gif in your README in place of a video link.