Installation Objectives

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What's users' current behaviours:

• Lack of recycling trend
• Increase of unhealthy lifestyles (e.g. physical laziness, too tech dependent, smoking, etc)
• Disrespect to environment (e.g. littering)

How the project's message get through user?

• Sound- the 'voices' of the trees/environment
• Image- information about green and consequences of human activity
• Animation- information about green and consequences of human activity

What information user will get?

• Environmental consequences
• Going Green
• Other alternatives to healthier lifestyle/activity

Gathering Materials

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Some minor issues upon gathering image materials without nabbing off from the net. There's a suitable few.. but probably not enough/unsuitable images. I'm still looking through my own photo collection, but if I don't find enough I'll probably change the whole installation to vectorize rather than real images.

But if there's anyone reading this and have a few collection of their pics to spare to me, I would ever be sooooooo grateful. The following pics that most needed now are:

• Environmental community service (plant tree, clean up beach, etc)
• Nice Scenary (beach, forest, green, etc)
• Recycle funs (e.g. crafting/using old materials into something new)

At the moment, those are what's need now, I'll post up later if I think of anymore.

Project Reflection 2

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Since last class, the installation will be changed into 1 side screen due to the availiblity of equipment and height problems. This means I'm reverting back to my previous technical plan, and will still stick to rear projection. Of course, depending on how much space in needed behind the screen for desired screen size... the use of mirrors/reflective surfaces to shorten the distance will be also be used as a back up.

I'm also reconsidering the way how the information/narration about green is being presented. Since showing complete real images would seemingly dull the installation, maybe some of the narration could be presented through animation...? This would also avoid problems of being unable to obtain some real images (e.g. wildfires) of my own without taking from internet. Below is an example:

The Beginning (Sketches)

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The Beginning (Ideation)

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Idea 1 & 2

Idea 1 & 2 are similar except idea1 uses screen to create the environment and idea 2 uses real objects to create the environment.

These 2 ideas are inspired by an art installation called "Funky Forest", a collaboration creation by Theodore Watson and Emily Gobeille:

Video: Funky Forest
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4VvT1kPFHo



Idea 3 & 4

Idea 5 & 6

The Beginning (Proposals)

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The Three Proposals

1. Proposal One: Green

• Content
  It's the connotation for environmentalism and slang for environmentally-friendly.
  
  Environmentalism is a cause of belief into protecting or preserving our natural environment. It's not only limited into preserving nature’s beauty, but also protecting the environment into being habitable for society and creatures inhabiting earth.
  
  
  
• Analysis
  Being environmentally-friendly reduces environmental problems such as pollution. This includes global warming (the current environment issue that needs attention).
  
  Adapting into ‘green’ habits could increase or prolong the environment’s habitability. It includes activities or alternative decisions/choices we make in order to decrease environment issues.
  
  
• Approach
  To inform people to go ‘green’ and how they can go green as an ordinary citizen, thus contributing into an environmental cause.

2. Proposal Two: Recycling

• Content
  Recycling means reusing used materials for other purposes. It minimizes wastage and thus reducing environmental issue and cash wastage for ordinary people.
  
  
• Analysis
  Commonly for plastic, paper, glass and metal for industries. Other types of recycling is reuse-ing of other materials such as clothing, biodegradable wastages, etc for creative purposes. Reduce the consumption of natural resources and wastages. Recycling can give benefit to environment, the society and the economy.
  
  
• Approach
  Encourage and inform people to recycle materials wisely. Give insight knowledge/solution on how to make good use of unwanted items for re-usage and what and how the materials could be recycled.

3. Proposal Three: Chocolate

• Content
  Chocolate has been an all year round popularity among people worldwide. Not only has it been people’s anytime most favourite flavour, but it’s also been used specially for special occasions such as Valentine Day, Weddings, Birthdays, etc.
  
  
  
• Analysis
  Can be made in any form of shapes, appearances, products, etc and invoke people's delight during consumption. Whilst people general know what is chocolate, not many are fully aware of the origins and the complicated process. People interested in making different kind of chocolate products needs the knowledge of using appropriate type of chocolate and its process.
  
  
  
• Approach
  The approach for this topic should be an in depth knowledge about chocolate. Especially those who want to learn about chocolate without complications.

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Proposal Defence

Green: Trees and the Environment

Content:
Trees are the “lungs of the planet”, maintaining the earth's air quality. They also help reduce soil erosion, thus reducing landslides and soil loss. This helps prevent droughts and lands from being flooded. They also act as a wind breaker during monsoon seasons and absorb noise, thus reducing the level of noise pollution.

Forests provides homes and food for creatures and tribes in wildlife. As well providing homes and natural raw materials, it provides shady areas on hot summer days and maintains ground’s temperature level. In some countries, they also provide more employment opportunities and support the country’s economy.


Analysis
Wood (comes from trees) is one of earth’s natural resources. It’s used to produce paper, furniture, housing and more. It also serves as country’s economical factor, such as timber exportation to other countries and employment opportunities (e.g. lumberjack).

Because it's one of our natural and economical resources: deforestation occurs more than the forest’s recuperation rate (trees takes a long time to mature). No trees= job losses + limited timber exportation= economy suffers.

Deforestation will cause millions of creatures’ homes to be lost and risked them into being endangered or extinction. Loss of local cultural heritage (i.e. tribes) and medicinal plants are in risk as well. The trees clearance will cause more land surface run-offs, losing more land and may cause the land to sink below sea level.

Lack of trees contributes to Global Warming. It's the increase of earth’s temperature through trapped heat due to gas concentration (e.g. Co2) in the air, thus the earth's surface cool down slower and heats quickly. Glaciers, snow and ice melting in cold regions (e.g. Antarctica)= sea levels rise= flood + animals (e.g. polar bears) to lose their habitat. Thus increasing the list of endangered species.

But the increase of carbon in the atmosphere aids plants and trees (i.e. carbon dioxide for photosynthesis).

Absence of tree’s water absorption will cause rain to occur less, drought will occur and could cause lands to become a ‘desert’ in time.

Urban, industrial and other agricultural developments also contributes to the loss of trees, thus aiding the global warming’s development and possibly the increase occurrence of natural disasters. This will reduce the recuperation of trees and plants as the increase of temperature could increase wild fire occurrences, increasing air pollution and temperature increase.

In the long run, saving more trees will help heal and save our planet from the worst.


Approach
Expressionism is a popular art movement in the 20th century. Used for the intensely emotional manners which emphasized subjective expression of the artist's inner experiences or message. It uses extreme or unusual reaction against realism or naturalism, hence expressing personal moods, ideas and emotions.

An example of a famous art work is “Der Schrei der Natur” (The Scream of Nature), also known as "The Scream”, painted by Edvard Munch. It fully expresses the pain, terror and ‘the scream’ of the painting through the use of unrealistic colours and shape (the distortion). The inspiration of this painting came from his description of the terror he felt while he was walking with his friends one day. He mentioned the ‘scream’ came from nature as ‘the sky turned blood red’. Thus using expressionism as a reference and direction to carry and ‘voice out’ the importance of trees would aid this project.

The Scream
Edvard Munch
(Source: link)

Mind Map
This is an overview mindmap about trees and green which could help with the installation.

8 Weeks Plan

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Gantt Chart



Notes
Resource Gathering:

• Images:
  - Trees (stump & mature)
  - Wood Splints
  - Narration Images (community service, forest fires, people etc)
  - Sky (cloudy, clear & storm)
  

• Sounds:
  - Thunder
  - Wind
  - Crackling fire
  - Bird chirps
  - Bg Sounds (soft & loud)
  

• Other Information
  -Useful alternative solutions upon overcoming technical problems
  

Application Development:

• Image Manipulation:
  - Scenary Setup
  - Trees (Change leaves colour, stumps darker and jagged)
  - Skies
  - Narration Images (Bad narration images into monochrome or dark colours)
  

• Flash:
  - Animation (birds, lightning, sounds, narration images)
  - Timing
  - Actionscript
  

Project Reflection

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Project Scope: Environmental Green (Trees)
Project Title: A Stroll
Description: Living or to go "green" is changing your lifestyle that least affect or damage our natural environment and reduce environmental issues. Especially towards trees, everyday human activities can directly and indirectly affect it. This project will be an installation which will show the type of impact we have on trees and learning green ways.



Proposed Installation Concept:

Upon stumbling into the installation (depending on what 'activity' audience stepped on), the installation's surrounding will change according to the activated activity the audience stepped on.

Site Map:



Storyboard/Multimedia Board:




Application Screen Ideation:
Main


Activation



Proposed Technical Details


Dimension: 8.5ft x 2.9ft x 6.8ft (L x W x H)

Tech Equipment: 2 mirrors, 1 webcam, 2 projectors, 1 PC, 2 speakers, 2 projected screens




Model Protoype

1feet= 1inch

Extra Notes
Technical:
The program used to enable the camera to sense motion is named Zone Trigger. This program sense the capture device(s) (i.e. camera) connected to the computer, and could be used in many functions.

In this project's case, by adding 'hot spot' onto the activity button on the floor. When the program sense audience enter into the hot spots area: the scene will change accordingly into the activity in which the audience activated.

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Proposed Detail Reconsiderations:
Problems:
1. Attaching 2 projectors to 1 pc
2. Life-size Screen size (i.e. projector throw distance, mirror size, etc)


Possible Solutions:
1. 1 projector attached to 1 pc (i.e. 2 pc, 2 projectors)
2. Change 2 screens (ceiling + side) into a screen (side)
3. Change mirror plans into a spherical reflective surface (link)