De-Material at the Miller ICA
Catherine Wang | E mini | CMU Fall 2020
10/27/2020
Pre-project Reflection:
- I am excited to work in 3D and with an interactive gallery space because C mini was mainly making products that existed on a digital or print 2D surface.
- I am concerned about the amount of deliverables, but hopefully Lab can help me understand unfamiliar skills like CAD floor plans and arduinos
- I think picking a topic/artist would be a large milestone, because currently there are so many options to choose from and I want to pick a topic that has a message that resonates with me.
Takeaways from Exhibition designer interview:
- I didn’t consider that people can skim/skip most of my gallery. Therefore, it was interesting to learn about new tips like having a continuous Big Idea and having each segment of the exhibit less dependent of each other.
- It was also important to remind myself that I shouldn’t blame the visitor for taking a wrong turn or ignoring a piece of work if I didn’t put enough effort in assisting in their navigation of the exhibit.
- I will also keep in the back of my mind the idea of working backwards: moving from specifics to larger ideas.
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10/28/2020
CMOA Visit
Today I visited Carnegie Museum of Art and paid attention to the different types of thresholds that were intentionally used for each unique space.
For example, An-My Lê’s exhibit had work spilling into the hallways and spaces outside of the main gallery. When I saw this blue wall, I thought this was it, but it was only a warm-up compared to the amount of work in the main gallery.
It was also interesting seeing the amount of space between each photograph and the sofas in the center that are pointed towards each other to facilitate dialogue amongst gallery visitors.
I also noticed throughout the museum the importance of the wall colors. The effect of the rich indigo blue for the Charles “Teenie” Harris was very different compared to the gentle grey-violet walls of the Night Poetry space.
While ramps are a way to change the position of the visitor, a pedestal can be used to change the position of the artwork. It allows Nicole to see the details of the collage sculpture and have the ground plane of the sculpture at the same level as her eye level. Another pedestal looked purposefully worn out and matches the weathered and chaotic nature of the sculpture on it.
Floorplan and Elevation of Miller
Artists/Topics I’m currently looking at:
- Lenka Clayton — typewriter drawings (description)
- Doug Aitken — online exhibit
My final pick is Doug Aitken because I thought it would be a difficult but interesting challenge to materialize an online exhibit. Turns out a couple of my peers were also interested in Aitken, so I am interested in how my exhibit will differentiate from theirs.
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10/31/2020
Research on Aitken’s Career + Migration
These past two days I’ve been both mesmerized and agitated at the same time. On one hand, finding out Doug was much more than a filmmaker was a step into a new world. From underwater sculptures to large scale projections on the New York cityscape, I was glad I found out about his existence and have a new artist to admire. However, it was becoming more difficult to narrow my project down to a theme that can holistically describe Doug as an artist.
My favorite is of his work is probably “Song 1” because having a singing chorus accompanied with so many rhythmic and repeating images creates a very satisfying experience.
Although originally projected outdoors on the museums themselves, in Germany Song 1 had to happen within a gallery space. Aitken chose to have a circular screen that allowed visitors to walk into its center. That’s something I can consider when thinking how can I bring his work into the Miller.
Another piece that left a deep impression was Doug Aitken’s “Station to Station” project. He hired a young train prodigy to assemble old train cars and then used it to travel across the United States. During this journey, all different types of art were made on the train and at various stops. Aitken was asked what kind of artists were chosen to be a part of this project, and he was very interested in artists who embodied the project themselves and tried to contribute to its presence. For example, one artist made a drawing machine that created drawings from the vibration and turbulence of the train moving while another artist decorated the train windows with psychedelic patterns on cloth.
While looking at Aitken’s work was very entertaining and worth analyzing, his talks and interviews are what really let me sink into his cognition and philosophies.
Various Interviews I found (though there’s a talk Aitken did at CMOA about Migration that I still need to find an archive of):
Information on Migration itself:
- It is a single channel video vs. Aitken’s usual experimentation with multi-channel installations.
- commissioned for the 2008 Carnegie International, which surprisingly didn’t get a positive rating by critics. Although the exhibition lacked ethnic diversity and contained a roster of veteran artists/regulars, it’s more important that I portray Aitken rather than be affected by the negative reception of this singular incident. There is an interview of the curator Douglas Fogle that can help contextualize Migration within the other works in the show. Show’s theme “Life on Mars” → “the alien inside each of us”, “are we strangers in our own world”, what it is like to live within a “radically unmoored world” etc.
- “Life on Mars” visual identity design
- Doug’s description of Migration: a mapping of contemporary landscape, repetition, the purity of the animal’s gestures that were very human-like → instead of a fictional construct
- On CMOA’s website, there are activities that kids/visitors can to from home to reflect on Migration, such as writing postcards or taking photos of their immediate environment. Interesting way of making an experience online into something tangible.
Notes I made while doing research:
Boiling down to a single concept
From the get-go, Aitken came off as someone who can talk for hours about numerous intelligent and philosophical topics. However, a couple of topics started resurfacing.
- evolution of language: when technology and visual language are constantly changing, and we need to contribute to this by archiving it and evolving our own artistic methods as well
- de-material: giving the audience an idea, concept, or experience that goes inside of them instead of being looked at in a gallery
- simultaneous systems: whenever there is a human in his work, Aitken wants his audience to look through the person rather than dwell on their outer appearance. Instead, we should thing of the landscape, people, and movement as a whole living system.
- exposure to the unfamiliar: how to portray something ethereal and ephemeral but still be able to communicate to and connect with the audience
- essence: Aitken likes to condense long pages of film script into just a couple of sentences. Then, he takes that one concept to repeat it and abstract it. That may be an interesting way to approach my exhibit. How to show one concept in many different ways?
I decided to go with de-material because it seems to be the key to creating lasting experiences, represent Aitken’s nomadic work habits, and allows him to create cohesive landscapes without an overly materialistic atmosphere. I laid out the what, why, and how of “de-material” to make sure I made a logical conclusion.
Mood board: American setting, De-material, Rhythm
Brainstorming Interactions
Because I am working with an artist who has such a diverse collection of work and thinks in a very philosophical and conceptual manner, it was difficult trying to figure out tangible interactions for my exhibit.
Brainstorming for exhibit concept:
- more straightforward and linear approach — description of artist, using tv screens to project artist’s work, visitors walk in a deliberate path to navigate exhibit, haven’t thought of an interaction for this exhibit concept yet
- Entering artist’s mind version 1 — large open space that looks like a workshop setting, artist’s work is scattered around the open space, interaction is for visitor to take a physical object they have with them (clothing, bag, mask etc.) and find ways to record, abstract, bring out the essence of that object
- Entering artist’s mind version 2 — the entire exhibit is a video editing interaction: there’s three stations in the exhibit, visitor takes their own footage or one of the museum’s footage and enters it into exhibit system, at each station one of the artist’s work is present as an example to one of the artist’s techniques/philosophies, then the visitor is given the option to alter their footage as a response to what they just learned about the artist. Visitor’s altered video will be projected on an area outside of the gallery.
I was pretty concerned that most of my exhibit ideas were very workshop based and require a lot of visitor participation based on peer feedback. I talked to Davis and he did mention that workshops can sometimes become generic and **. He suggested to keep the workshop idea in the back of my mind but also think about how the exhibit can exist without a workshop component.
I started to focus more on the artwork themselves and build separate environments around them that would give them more context rather than mushing everything into one interactive experience.
I separated de-material into three main components: de-anchor, de-story, and decluttered. I then picked three Aitken pieces that I thought showed both a breadth and were related to one component.
Brainstorming interactions
I ended up picking three film pieces, but I didn’t just want the pieces to be projected on a white wall and leave benches for the visitor to sit on. At this point, I was starting to blur the lines between my design work and the artist’s work, but this gave me more space to think more creatively.
3 spaces for 3 pieces (is also illustrated in storyboard shown later in medium):
Station to Station — I thought Station to Station was a good opener, because it showed that Aitken’s work is equally about both its process and spontaneous happenings AND the end product itself. I was inspired by the tents pitched at every stop that was a space for artistic exhibits and performance arts. I want the visitor to lift the curtains of the tent to enter, which triggers a 5 minute compilation of short clips from Station to Station that is projected at random locations on the tent. When the visitor is focused on one clip, another one appears to its right or behind the visitor and the previous one disappears. Audio may help the visitor to locate a new video. This intermittent display of short clips places emphasis on the “happenings” and ephemeral qualities of Aitken’s work.
Migration — When the visitor exits the tent, they are met with a threshold: carpet. There would be a pair of shoes next to the carpet that hints towards people to take off their shoes. This is because the animals in the film are met with new textures like carpet and bed sheets and ceramic bathtubs, so walking in public without shoes can put the visitors in the animal’s shoes. The lighting of this migration space will also be dim, cool, and sterile. The only warm light source would be a lamp fallen on its side on the carpeted ground and gradually becoming brighter and dimmer. This mirrors the changing lights in the Migration film. When visitors see a physical artifact of the film in front of them, that can help make the experience more immersive.
Song 1 — After putting on their shoes, visitors enter the Song 1 space. They first see a description of Song 1 printed on the wall because it is in the line of vision when the visitor exits the Migration space. Because Song 1 requires a huge amount of exhibition space, I decided to take thumbnails of the film instead and have them next to the written description for context. HOWEVER, the music of Song 1 is incredibly soothing and haunting at the same time, so I want it to be played out in the open due to its unique atmosphere. The final interaction of the exhibit will be a large screen that records visitor’s appearance like a mirror but then slowly abstracts the image like a kaleidoscope. This is an effect present in Song 1 and also reinforces the overall theme of de-material.
Notes I took while figuring out the stuff above:
Parti diagrams
I had a good idea of each content space and its sequence, but I had to figure out how to fit all those components into Miller while have a simple path through them. I do need to visit Miller in person again to remind myself how big/small the space actually is.
I finally settled with this parti diagram. I’ve never seen the attendance desk not right next to the elevator before, so I left it there for a while before changing it. I wanted a rather large lobby space so that people can take time to read the description of the artist (1) and also because the tent can probably only hold 1–3 people at a time. I also added a transitional hallway between the Migration space (3) and the Song 1 space because they will probably have different lighting situations.
In terms of storyboarding, I treated it as a pretty generative and archival process. Instead of consistently sized thumbnails, I just drew what I thought would help a viewer visualize my ideas/interactions. As we move forward with lab, I imagine many of these ideas changing, but this is a good start for not knowing much about sensors and how they work.
Hybrid Spaces Reflection
One of the first ones I think of are amusement park rides that use both physical mechanisms (vibrating chair, sound, water) and virtual mechanisms (projected screen, toy gun that has sensors to kill off virtual opponents). That can be very convenient because they don’t have to spend a lot of time building physical models, but it can also be very immersive. When experiences are too physical, it can be difficult imagining oneself in a sci-fi landscape battling aliens or riding in a speeding minecart through a cave because replicas of these environments can only be so realistic.
I honestly think that I rarely interact with hybrid spaces. Usually it is solely a virtual space like my laptop or a physical space like my bedroom or the studio. I suppose the hybrid space I interact most with in my day-to-day life is Google Maps. Where I walk or ride the bus to is all tracked on my phone, and my directions and time it takes to get to a place also adjusts along the trip. I can also see google reviews of restaurants or stores directly on Google Maps, and that shows that hybrid spaces can sometimes improve and increase social interaction.
Interactions considering sensors
Tent space — letting light into tent → photoresistor
Migration space — ambient light resistor or ultrasonic distance sensor
Song 1 space — music chances aspect of the screen with arduino frequency detection, ultrasonic distance sensor for zoom
Interesting sensors
- tilt sensor
- infrared sensor
- photoresistor/ambient light sensor
I also looked through the TinkerCAD library to see what kind of sensors they had. I was thinking of having the images on the screen interact with the SONG 1 bgm and wondering if I can use an oscilloscope replicate the sonic waves of music. However, I was reaching a dead end with my TinkerCAD prototypes and decide to put it to the side for now to rethink my conceptual ideas and parti diagram.
Revisitng my parti diagram
Peter’s feedback:
- instead of having one linear path through the entire exhibit (can’t reach blue area without passing through pink and beige area), trying having different viewing rooms instead. Try giving visitors more options so they don’t feel constrained.
- Three works may be too much for miller, especially if all three requires a lot of viewing space.
- Think of audio: does certain audio travel throughout the gallery or are there headphones to use?
Based off of Peter’s feedback, I made adjustments to my parti diagram:
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11/7/2020
On a day with good weather, Tate, Nicole, and I worked together to recreate the floor plan of the first floor of Miller in the parking lot next to Posner. This was so we could add in our own temporary walls and simulate the way a visitor would walk through our space. It was also a good wake up call to warn us how small the Miller was as we were drawing the dimensions with chalk. This was a turning point for me to switch from showcasing three film pieces to two film pieces.
Daphne’s feedback:
For the middle parti diagram, it seems like the attendant is looking at the visitors while the visitor is looking at an art piece. That may make the visitor uncomfortable.
- I understand that less is more, but it feels like maybe I am doing too little by having only one digital interaction and two spaces to show work?
Parti diagram is just a part of the project. There’s still other components like realizing these ideas in prototypes, typography treatment etc. Try to refine/work with what you already have.
- Do you have an opinion of working with three pieces vs. two?
Three works does seem a lot, especially since the exhibit/introductory info seems to be a space by itself already. Also, the attendant’s desk takes up a lot of space right now.
- What’s the use for colored walls?
Depends on the mood of the exhibit and maybe look at my mood board. Some people are ok with white walls.
Current parti diagrams
I decided to eliminate the narrow hallway leading into the blue space because it just felt too cramped when I tried simulating it on the parking lot floor plan. I also started using curtains that were diagonally positioned because it can direct visitors in a certain manner and feels more organic than the perpendicular curtains from before.
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11/12/2020
Current interactions
I drew some storyboards to help myself visualize my interactions and work out the details of what triggers what.
- Exhibit description + screen display
Using a close-proximity ultrasonic distance sensor to detect hand approaching certain areas on the wall which changes the photograph shown on the display screen
2. Song 1 interaction
audio experience + using distance sensor to detect position of visitor which influences the motions/videos playing on the screen to move to different screens or zoom in/out
Current Sketch Up model
Designer role reflection
The role of the architect seems to create the canvas of what an environments designer improves upon. Architects may also consider a lot of practical problems such as the heating of the room/building, plumbing/bathrooms, what direction it is facing, structural integrity etc. An architect also seems to create work that may be more neutral and long lasting because it may be in use for a very long time and used for different purposes. For example, a house must be more neutral because most people prefer living in spaces with less visual noise and they may end up using different rooms for different purposes like turning bedroom into a small gym or storage space.
On the other hand, an environments designer creates both lasting or momentary experiences. They may create a permanent art installation or they may create a fun social event attraction that will be taken down in a week. An environments designer focuses a lot on how a person navigates a space and understands the purpose of a space. For architects, it may be clear from the get go that what they are making is a two story house or an art museum. However, with environments design, sometimes they need to make an old space feel new with added technology or physical barriers to create a new path. To explain purpose, environments designers need to make the space interactive and engaging, to show not tell what they are designing, and have the person leave with a certain takeaway or changed mindset.
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11/14/2020
TinkerCAD model revisited
For my Song 1 interaction, I have my visitors move within a circle and their proximity to the screens around them changes what’s displayed on the screen. So I had a tinkercad model that brightened different LED lights depending on the distance tracked on the ultrasonic distance sensor.
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11/16/2020
Visualizations
When I was starting to work on visualizations, I didn’t realize how long they took, especially when I wanted them to feel more real rather than a janky SketchUp model. I used a lot of white overlay to show the screens lighting up and distorting photos to have them be in perspective. I also had a brush that I nicknamed “bean”, and it was very affective at creating natural-looking shadows. I also made a compilation of all the potential images that would show up in the SONG 1 interaction so that I can just plop them into my SONG 1 visualizations.
I also took some screenshots of spaces I want to visualize but haven’t done yet + a collage of all the elevations with actual content on the walls.
I then showed Jason the work I did above for some feedback, and these are the points that I considered in my next iterations:
- Jason helped look over my visualizations to see if they conveyed what they wanted to convey. It was very helpful having a fresh pair of eyes, and he pointed out corrections like making the headphones more visible.
- The visuals can be improved if I do the same shading/brushwork I did for the migration room to the SONG 1 interaction room. When I did that for my later visualizations, it really helped set the atmosphere of the visualizations and made the space seem less like flat, artificial shapes.
Referencing Miller gallery photos:
My own attempts:
- I was worried that my elevations were too boring because of their lack of color. Jason suggested using a colored wall to highlight some sort of information, but if I wanted to stick to grey scale I can just experiment with different shades of grey. Finally, he suggested that I can use some textures like wood or concrete not only on the floor but on the walls as well. This led me to using a bright beige as a color to highlight my exhibit description and having the same concrete pattern I use for the floor on the wall I promote CMOA as a cool effect of connecting the floor and wall and sort of dematerializes the different between the two flat planes.
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11/17/2020
Presentation Style
At this stage, we were also only two days from Presentation day. Due to my mini 1 C experience, I worked with a grid and tried having a clear header that detailed the agenda of the presentation. I also made sure the visualizations were in a consistent position so that it wasn’t too disorientating flipping through a bunch of them. Finally, I added a small parti diagram in the top right corner so that whenever my audience is lost they can reference it.
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Final Deliverables
Self-Reflection: Meta-Cognitive Experience
Reflecting upon this project’s process, I think I did a pretty good job completing tasks that I know I can do but take a long time with tasks that I need more guidance on. This prevented me from procrastinating because when I procrastinate I get very frustrated by why I force myself to work so close to the deadline.
At the beginning of the project, I really didn’t have a set schedule because I had no experience on how long each phase of the project would take. However, because I complete easy tasks beforehand, I can spend more time exploring and failing at tasks that I was unfamiliar with.
For example, I finished my physical model on a Thursday when the next class was on the following Tuesday because I knew I had to ground my exhibit concept and also revisit TinkerCAD.
TinkerCAD also taught me to be less complicated with my prototypes. I at first wanted to incorporate an oscilloscope and neopixel rings, but I had to adjust quickly because I realized I couldn’t make something like that with a short amount of time and with my lack of knowledge on arduinos.
Finally, I think the most engaging part of this project was the beginning stages where I was figuring out the De-Material concept of my exhibit. I find that I am the type of person that highly enjoys synthesizing information, especially pieces of information that didn’t obviously connect to each other. Summarizing Doug Aitken’s works into one word was a very grueling but rewarding experience because it allowed my exhibit to be a contestable statement rather than an unbiased, fact regurgitating existence.
