Embedded Files
The Beginning
The process of creating the installation's visuals started long before I wrote my thesis because there are multiple ways to achieve the visuals I wanted.
Initially, I wanted to reflect people's silhouettes, but I wasn’t sure I could use Kinect, as it requires Windows.
So I started to experiment, and from there, I will take you along my journey to bring Al Forak/Sverance to where it is today.
Pre-Kinect Testing
The first experiments for silhouette detection used different operators like cache, threshold, and my laptop's camera to isolate users' silhouettes.
As you can see in the video, it was extremely basic, but it was a good start.
Untitled.movUsing MediaPipe
After a bit of testing, I changed my idea and decided that I would change my means of interaction, from detecting users' silhouettes to allowing users to move the different visuals for each of the five stages.
I utilised the plugin MediaPipe to detect hand gestures and Optical Flow to detect the user's body movements.
These were the first two visuals that I created with these two techniques.
Anger and Surrender. For the visuals, I relied on color psychology and researched how emotion can be depicted using movement.
anger stage.movacceptance stage 2.movThis visual for anger utilized deep red to symbolize anger, along with sudden flashes and increased brightness, as anger is usually depicted with rash movements.
The lines represent veins, and the boiling effect inside represents the phrase "...blood boil." New "veins" are added when the user clenches their fist, a gesture MediaPipe recognizes and that is associated with holding yourself back when angry.
This visual for surrender is a stark white color, the universal color of surrendering, often seen in cartoons and mainstream media, with a white flag representing surrender to an opponent—here, grief.
The free fall encourages feelings of freedom and release, without confining the user to a specific action to elicit movement. This interaction is created using optical flow that detects the force of users' movements and moves the visual accordingly.
Changing The Intercativity... Again
After more research, testing, and feedback from my Doctors, I concluded that the visuals I created lacked connectivity. Users were more interested in making the visuals move rather than the visuals moving the audience's emotions.
I still did not come to a solid conclusion on how I was going to go about with the interactivity, so I started to experiment with different visuals for the 5 stages, starting with confusion and limbo.
These two stages were just visuals and did not contain interactivity, it was, however, the turning point and the final step before I decided on the final interactivity.
confusion old.movTDMovieOut.0.movThis first visual represents the first stage, confusion. The dark blue and grey colors are associated with confusion, disorientation, and general negativity.
The smoke/watercolor effect symbolizes “brain fog” and the unclear state of mind after the loss of a loved one. I also had the idea to display audience silhouettes amid this fog, a concept planned for the next visual (limbo) too.
For the second stage, limbo, a warped vortex visual was created to symbolize a warped, constantly moving sense of reality when a person goes through the motions after loss.
Different religious and socio-cultural expectations in Egypt require legal procedures and mourning rituals after death, which can cause different Egyptian demographics to not have enough time to absorb and acknowledge their grief.
Settling on the FINAL interactivity
During one of my meetings, my supervisor introduced me to generative depth using Kinect, and from there, I decided I would be using Kinect to create my interactivity. I would use users' silhouettes detected by Kinect and apply the visuals to them, giving the feeling and illusion that they are experiencing the five stages.
I created a visual board and plan for each of the five stages, and we set a target for me to finish the five visuals by week 5 of semester two.
This visual board was not definitive and was not 100% used; however, certain elements, like color and concept, were applied.
Week By Week Progress
Week 2
Developed initial audio - ended up making 5 iterations.
Created the two visuals mentioned previously.
Fast-paced but mellow
Too hectic. Did not invoke “sad” emotions
Not generative
Slowed down some elements, but still mellow
Removed some audio + midi effects and sounds, but still too hectic
Did not invoke “sad” emotions
Not generative
Slowed down track tempo
Cleaned up the track
Did not invoke “sad” emotions, and sounded like “lo-fi study music”
Not generative
Week 3-4
Develop 4 visuals with interaction
Stage 1 - Confusion
Confusion is the wide umbrella of emotions that a grieving person will most likely feel after the loss of a loved one. This effect embodies the disorientation, lag, and uncertainty that a bereaved person might experience. According to color psychology, negative confusion is reflected in the grey, black, and blue of the visual.
confusion sr.mp4Stage 2 - Limbo
Limbo is the stage in which a bereaved individual "floats" through their grief for a certain period when there are post-death legal procedures, customs, and traditions that are to be held due to religious and socio-cultural expectations in Egyptian demographics. This visual reflects a person being in limbo through a wispy, delayed visual while incorporating free-flowing elements that portray floating through one’s grief for a certain period.
limbo sr.mp4Stage 4 - Anger
Another wide umbrella of emotions is anger; under it fall many other emotions, like frustration, feeling wronged, regret, and more. Fire and red are associated with anger, and so, having a person “be on fire” is a way to visualize the internal anger that bereaved people will oftentimes experience due to different circumstances.
anger sr.mp4Stage 5 - Surrender
Surrendering yourself to yourself is not necessarily accepting it and/or being okay with it; surrendering is acknowledging that this is your new reality and learning to go with it. This bright, glowing, white “halo” visual portrays that you have surrendered and, therefore, are “reborn.” That is why there is an undertone of green, since green represents rebirth.
surrender sr.mp4Process:
IMG_0468.MOVIMG_0469.MOVWeek 5
Develop the final audio - iterations 6 and 7
Lacked depth and could be more dynamic
Too repetitive still, and could be better
Week 6
Complete last visual (stage 3)
Enhance previously made visuals
Stage 1 - Confusion
To visualize mind fog, unclearness, and uncertainty better, some parameter changes were applied to further develop the visual and sharpen the silhouette of the user. The changes applied to the 1st visual were minor.
Confusion sr (1).mp4Stage 2 - Limbo
The second visual that represents mental limbo was further enhanced by adjusting the threshold that would allow for more accurate and better user detection.
limbo sr (1).mp4Stage 3 - Pressure
This visual was created taking into consideration the mental binds that a bereaved person can experience when going through grief. The pressure applied to them to get over their grief, be strong, grieve faster, grieve quieter, grieve louder, etc. This is visualized by applying constraints to the silhouette, plus the lens distortion and the looming shadow in the back.
pressure sr.mp4Stage 4 - Anger
The initial visual was dull, boring, and lacked dimension. To maintain the visual direction but add more depth, a feedback edge, bloom, other operations, and a change in the Nvidia Flow parameters enhanced the visual and made it more engaging.
anger sr (1).mp4Stage 5 - Surrender
The initial visual was dull and lacked dimension. To add depth, a feedback edge, bloom, and adjustments to Nvidia Flow parameters enhanced the visual.
The final stage, initially underwhelming with just a reflected silhouette, was enhanced with optical flow and GPU-based particles. The optical flow detects the user’s movement, releasing particles from the silhouette, and the stronger the movements, the bigger and brighter the particles.
surrender sr (1).mp4
Week 7
Test projection on selected material
Create final audio
The last iteration of the background track was good, but to add more depth, more layers have been incorporated into the audio to make it more engaging as well.
Process:
IMG_1115.MOVIMG_1113.MOVIMG_0447.MOVUntitled (1).movWeek 8-12
Testing visuals
Building the mirror frame
Preparing for the technical showcase + the showcase itself
Collecting feedback
IMG_3693.MOV
51CF7701-0A2D-4842-8DA4-B007733AC1F6.MOVIMG_3694.MOVIMG_3689.MOVTechnical Showcase Display Rationale
The technical showcase's display was inspired by the feeling of nostalgia and remembrance; that's why the antique-style curtain was added to block the door, the hanging black and white pictures to remember those who have passed, and the burnt, stained papers with grief-related quotes.
The dried rose petals were there for sensory purposes, to encourage users to walk up to the mirror when they hear the crunch of the petals, and the candles were added in front of the black backdrop for added ambience.
This was all placed in front of a black backdrop/ draped fabric to darken the mood and atmosphere.
Week 13
Enhacning graduation project based on the feedback gotten
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