Imprecise with precise tools ␥⦚≋♒

Life inside the machine.

2011-11-20T19:02:00.000Z

The finished exhibition.

2011-11-20T12:34:00.000Z

2011-11-18T11:52:00.001Z

Update: Exhibition Friday 18th Nov. Just a taster of our lo-fi paradise.

Exhbition today

2011-11-18T10:44:00.003Z

open 10am - 4pm
intro talk at 12.30
All Welcome

Processing Design Fabrication

2011-11-17T10:44:00.007Z

Reflections on the Processing Workshop

“…Processing is an open source programming environment for people who want to create images, animations, and interactions. With the coding based system processing converts the data in generated information. Data in many formats can be imported, manipulated, and exported.
The potential of the software environment of Processing combined with the CNC or photo-etched process of "tooling" (milling, drilling, shaping and sketching) opens new challenges for designers. The Processing based sketches becomes "tactile" with material properties.

Thank you for the invitation – Steffi Hußlein”

Thoughts on Interaction Design

Interaction Design is a process of designing with digital materials, physical negotiations and human communication. Basically, the challenge of human-system interface is to create user-friendly, effective, easy to use interactive systems for today and your future.

The appropriate combination of software and hardware is the key to the design process: the design of forms and functions (Product Design) linked with the integrated design of networked information and often most complex story-driven interactive formats (Interaction Design).

Geetings and thoughts from Rob!

2011-11-17T10:42:00.005Z

Why should artists use CNC machinery, code and programming?

The coding for the input side is new, almost none of the participants have experience in developing complex scripts to feed the computer. So in programming terms the results are very basic and the quality of expression is constrained to the basics. The challenge is to develop an artistic standpoint. The use of CNC machinery for output was limited in the same way like the input, as it is complicated to direct a CNC router to make moves. Manual control of a tool is much more direct. So for everybody it felt like drawing a picture without using their hands, guiding the brush only with the lips. After getting over this frustration the workshop showed what could be achieved even with this limited abilities. Provided with the same processing sketch the participants saw the diverseness of output that can be created. Everybody using the same sketch, creating different images, a whole image space was evolved. With this understanding the motivation rose to create individual and collaborative expressions within this constrained environment.

The workshop demonstrated the complexity of new tools for design and art. In the past this process would have involved a computer scientist, an artist, a machinist and a coordinator. After three days of discussion the workflow was understood and began to output. For some it was not easy to be confronted with tasks never done before. Flexibility and team spirit succeeded and made this workshop a great starting point for further development.

Thank You for the invitation. Robert Laux

2011-11-16T21:09:00.001Z

Some of the work produced on day 3 by Carol Sowden, Gina Stockwell, Adam Cluley,Zoe Moyden and James Smart

int workshopDays = 3

2011-11-16T20:04:00.000Z

So here we are, on the other side. Anyway below is a selection of my images produced through Processing code.

-Adam

2011-11-16T17:03:00.002Z

2011-11-16T16:57:00.004Z

Cheryl's first image

2011-11-16T16:42:00.000Z

2011-11-16T16:31:00.001Z

CNC in motion! Finally seeing the fruits of our labour materialize!!

INTRODUCTORY QUOTES

2011-11-16T16:30:00.005Z

CHERYL HUNTBACH - "In my practice, I use meticulous and repetitive processes. Working within prescribed perimeters in order to explore and push the nuances of drawing."

ROGER BERRY - "I have previously experimented with CNC machinery that has allowed me to explore the random use of paintbrush strokes on a static surface. Random use of colours also created rather interesting results, but the use of indian inks doesn't work because all colours ultimately turn brown in a short period of time."

MATT PARKES - "I like to think of this technology as a way of making people that are artistically inclined able to have full control over the output of their work."

JAMES SMART - "I come from a fine art background, and have experimented with the exploration of materials and investigating the process of making. This has now extended into software/computers and related technology."

TOM - KNAPP "I have primarily used computers as a way of creating music and to set up a system that I can interact with, the majority of what I do is live performance and I have also used audio to drive real-time computer graphic systems."

ZOE MOYDEN - "My work is largely based around the experience of reading and interacting with books, this ranges from the process of making books in an extremely labour intensive manner to the act of submerging yourself into the literature itself. I ultimately explore literature as a means of art."

ELISA HEIKKILA - "My work explores the notions of female identity and the way that this can change throughout life experiences, such as motherhood."

ADAM CLULEY - "My body of work explores the notions of space and environment and the investigation of utopias and dystopias, with my current project I aim to draw comparisons between solitary and social microcosms. "

DAN ROBINSON - "I work with events and images of events, often drawings. I like to use different time-scales, so for example a drawing proposes an event, an event happens and then further images document it. I'm really interested in this clash of digital and analogue.
In my teaching practice I work with collaboration and bringing together different disciplines. For this workshop, I believe it's really important that teaching staff, technical staff and students are all working together, outside the confines of their normal roles."

CAROL SOWDEN - "My work explores the natural world and the physicality of the land and it's material. The processes that I use and the rawness of such materials is extremely important to me."

KATIE BROADLEY - "My current practice explores rules, boundaries and obstruction. It is these themes that I want to apply to Processing by generating digital instruction that stretches the boundaries of the process.

VARSHA CHOUHAN - "I explore the concept of globalisation of beauty and the ideals created, this is largely from a female perspective, i also explore identity and gender sexuality with regards to varying cultures. At the moment I'm looking at the relationship between human emotions and hair. I have touched upon hair being a symbol of beauty and I am interested in how this can quickly become the abject."

GINA STOCKWELL - "I am largely concerned with mental health issues and the way that the human brain and emotions work, I like to explore the relationship between fantasy and reality. Through digital media I explore manipulation of images, mirroring how the mind can manipulate the perception of reality when faced with such chemical imbalance."

PATRICK KIRK-SMITH- "Processing is not a method that I use in my practice generally, but I am interested in manipulating code using automated software to generate text."

JOANNA GELDARD - "I've landed from a greenhouse, I explore the edge of spaces, so I work with diagrams, maps and blueprints to reinterpret voids, this means I have used a variety of processes from technical through to performance."

PAULA CHAMBERS - "I am a 3D artist who subverts objects, I am exploring what it means to inhabit a female body in the 21st Century, i use contextually relevant materials and processes, this creates strong narrative themes and imagery."

Week in Processing.

2011-11-16T16:29:00.002Z

For a workshop dominated by us Interdiscplinarists (a species heavily practised in raw process) being thrown into a three-day intensive-course in computer programming, was a bit of a shock to the system. Even so, everyones', modified, ideas have been realised; made use of the online open-source processing society (the biggest blessing of the week); and, largely, created a pretty lively discussion/atmosphere.

I came into the workshop with, what I tought was, a reasonable amount of experience (and the understanding that processing was a little bit like Barry Manilow) but I've learned more in these three days than I probably ever have in all my high school I.C.T lessons put together. I'll almost certainly be using this software again. Just a quick look at what we've produced (interdisciplinarists, technical staff, et al) in three days, shows the almost infinite possibilities of this software.

Once we came to terms with square eyes and tempermantal air conditioning, it was a massively enjoyable few days.

Finished Pieces

2011-11-16T16:21:00.001Z

day 3.

2011-11-16T15:12:00.011Z

Experiments with drawing, shape, colour, transparency and random values.

Today we formed collaborative groups. The group I worked with (Cheryl Huntbach, Varsha Chouhan, Elisa Heikkila and myself) used processing to drive the CNC and the laser cutter to make work exploring abstraction and repetition on various surfaces.

Surfaces

2011-11-16T15:11:00.001Z

Digital images scratched and burned onto different surfaces.

Pattern

2011-11-16T12:36:00.003Z

Rob at the second day

2011-11-16T10:57:00.002Z

Drilling Processing

2011-11-16T10:49:00.010Z

..........................................

day 2

2011-11-16T09:13:00.009Z

possible group threads?

2011-11-16T08:58:00.003Z

use of text: poems, prose, code, systems, words
analogue mark-making: tool-head experiments with simple images, systematic investigation
using processing for more meaningful image/idea development (but maybe no time for material output today)
surface manipulation - acrylics, transparency, scratching, video/light projection
pattern, geometry, abstraction, texture, surface - non-figurative
learning to draw: simple elements/complex results:line, dot, circle, rectangle - different output techniques

obviously cross-overs, collaboration, merging between groups possible....

day 3

2011-11-16T08:44:00.003Z

This morning we're going to try to figure out smaller working groups, based on ideas that have emerged over the last two days. no easy task...

So far the workshop has been great - really challenging, hard work and intense. Learning new coding language has required high concentration. At moments everyone has been frustrated, exasperated, desperate... -and then strange moments of elation at being able to achieve something really simple like, wow! I drew a line. I made a dot. I made a circle. But when you realise the nature of the mark is totally new - that it is produced by code and maths and this is a new kind of mark-making for many of us here (we don't have coding or programming backgrounds - we are mainly makers of some sort or other) then it really is an achievement. (but you maybe have to be here to buy into that).

i'll add to this later...

Playing with colour and shape - Day two

2011-11-15T20:26:00.001Z

Typography circuits

2011-11-15T17:28:00.001Z

Wave Line

2011-11-15T17:24:00.003Z

Imprecise

2011-11-15T17:22:00.001Z

Depth

2011-11-15T17:17:00.006Z

Copper scretching

2011-11-15T17:15:00.000Z

Engraved Mirror

2011-11-15T17:12:00.000Z

Engraving into surfaces

2011-11-15T17:10:00.000Z

mark making with sponge

2011-11-15T17:06:00.002Z

Important screenshots from Simply Cam

2011-11-15T16:35:00.000Z

These are the things that are important to remember when creating your vector in simply cam

this one shows the depth that tool needs to be at in order to make contact with the material

this screenshot shows an important point where the offset side option needs to be set to 'off'. If it is set to 'on', the tool head will not be central and the program will stop.

2011-11-15T16:33:00.001Z

!!!!!!!!!!!

PDF recording

2011-11-15T14:55:00.002Z

These images were directly recorded as PDF's. The same image (as used here) can produce completely different end results.

2011-11-15T14:45:00.000Z

Matthew CNC Cutting

2011-11-15T13:51:00.004Z

Filling the circles

2011-11-15T13:30:00.002Z

During lunchtime on Day 2 I figured out how to fill the circles/rectangles that the images consisted of at this point. Though the contrast forced the images to remain quite dark, the placement of the circles/rectangles allowed for some curious results...

I also continued using the code as it was.

First Attempt

2011-11-15T13:30:00.001Z

2011-11-15T13:22:00.002Z

My first few attempts using processing!!

2011-11-15T13:18:00.004Z

I have used some images of my hair to produce these designs on processing. I found it difficult to get used to the programme. Its has been interesting to see a digital out come from my images as all of my images that I have used have been photo grams of my hair.

Text input.

2011-11-15T13:16:00.000Z

I've edited this down from what it was, so it now works as a basic text input. It's not recognising the 'Return' key, or going to a new line, but it does allow one line of text.

To use it, go to Tools and select a font, then change it in this line:

Script:

int leftmargin = 20;
int rightmargin = 20;
String buff = "";
boolean didntTypeYet = true;

void setup()
{
size(640, 360);
textFont(loadFont("Cambria-100.vlw"), 25);

}

void draw()
{
background(255);

if((millis() % 500) < 250){ // Only fill cursor half the time
    noFill();
}
else {
    fill(000);
    stroke(0);
}
float rPos;
// Store the cursor rectangle's position
rPos = textWidth(buff);// + leftmargin;
rect(rPos+1, 19, 10, 21);

// Some instructions at first
if(didntTypeYet) {
fill(0);
//text("Use the keyboard.", 22, 40);
}

fill(0);
pushMatrix();
translate(rPos,10+25);
char k;
for(int i = 0;i < buff.length(); i++) {
    k = buff.charAt(i);
    translate(-textWidth(k),0);
    //rotateY(-textWidth(k)/70.0);
    //rotateX(textWidth(k)/70.0);
    //scale(1.1);
    text(k,0,0);
}
popMatrix();
}

void keyPressed()
{
char k;
k = (char)key;
switch(k){
case 8:
    if(buff.length()>0){
      buff = buff.substring(1);
    }
    break;
case 13: // Avoid special keys
case 10:
case 65535:
case 127:
case 27:
    break;
default:
    if(textWidth(buff+k)+leftmargin < width-rightmargin){
      didntTypeYet = false;
      buff=k+buff;
    }
    break;
}
}

Processing Gimp

2011-11-15T13:15:00.002Z

Processing Gimp

G10 summit on genome grown line of code for expanded notation
xy 0;0 alpha corner 300;300
(ellipses + bluesky paint)
are above ‘rect’ with this big [ ]
A (function frame) at zero point
An exact stop at G60
When traversing at a rapid notion of F600 leaves a rendered circle ellipse
in the left brained clockwise motion
M02 end programme
A smooth ramp 0.3mm
see my ramp at 0.1mm
At an inch, my data is out of joint
Incremental dimensions are relative when undergoing stress bends
A function xy
Absolute dimensioning G90 corners my Toolchange M06
On an inch data input G70
Exact stop is not an exact end rather a deselection of zero
Offsetting any reverse effects
An optional stop for M08 coolant of a length zero register might aid the smooth ramp
M03 spindle rotation twists as it appears the no-brainer ] x-y plane G17
Lifts off @ ccw x cw + radius- a mouse preferably pressed and ellipsed at a rate of output flush ( );
M02 end programme

Generative Design and open source code

2011-11-15T10:24:00.001Z

Generative design

this website is cross referenced to a book (english version apparently coming soon...)

all the examples are indexed where you can download all the codes and use them yourself.

Working with Open Source principles, the code files acknowledge the original creators of each code, and subsequent modifiers.

cat in a bonnet by paula and dan

2011-11-15T10:13:00.001Z

2011-11-15T10:12:00.001Z

My first attempt at manipulating an image through processing! The workshop for me is a challenging experience as my practice is based around the physicality of the land and the manipulation of organic materials.The first image is the original the following three show the different points created through the movement of the mouse. I find the distortion from a linear line image into circular forms interesting. This adds an organic feel to a digital process.

First day of Processing

2011-11-15T08:57:00.000Z

Some images of first trials using Processing. The photograph used for these trials are of the surface patterns of a pumpkin!

Results from the first day

2011-11-14T20:37:00.005Z

These three images show how the sketch we looked at today changes a source image via input from a mouse. The sketch creates circles based on the tonality of the image and the mouse position, and then these circles can be machined into a surface using a drill bit in a CNC router.

first tests

2011-11-14T17:27:00.005Z

png outputs from Processing plus the original source images.

First day

2011-11-14T16:32:00.005Z

This is an example of what was created after a very intense day of beginning to understand and learn what processing is about. This shows the portrait before and after processing, it is interesting to see what detail is picked up.

Combining movement and sound

2011-11-14T11:31:00.000Z

These drawings made using Processing are a combination of hand movements and music, created by Theodore Ushev. Though they are perhaps not related to my current project, I often use light and colour- emphasised abstract photography in my work. Perhaps I can combine the two in this workshop!