John Morton Sound Artist January 07, 2018

John Morton Sound Artist

January 07, 2018

I am fortunate to have known a music artist/composer his name is John Morton, he specializes in experimental digital sounds. I interviewed him and this is a summary of his reflections on the subject.

I asked him to tell me about himself and how he came to digital sound. John was born in 1954 in Los Angeles, he attended the California Institute of the Arts. While there, he studied electronic music and used MIDI which allows multiple instruments to be played from a single controller, Sounds can be synthesized and music compositions can be shared between computers.He was influenced by the work of other artists such as John Cage who described music as "a purposeless play" which is "an affirmation of life. (1)

John moved to New York City where wrote chamber music, he then became interested in mechanical music boxes. He started manipulating these boxes to make new sounds. To alter the sound he used guitar effects such as WAWA and delay peddles. At this point, computers were easier to use and special software such as MAX-MSP which is a visual programming language for music were availble to him. This new technology allowed John to get into the architecture of making music and sounds beyond what was traditionally available. 

He started thinking of himself as a sound artist more than a preforming musician and composer. He started exhibiting his work in galleries and museums and won several public art commissions. In summer 2009 he created the Sound Tunnel in New York City's Central Park.

Image of how MAX controls work with sound files.

Morton became interested in interactive music and started using sensors that connected with the software and his own manipulated sounds and compositions. His pieces started to became soundscapes that included the human voice or prerecorded sounds of nature or machinery. He began letting go of control as a composer and he started “Harnessing Coincidence”.

When I interviewed John he talk extensively about sound granulation which he explaied could have never existed out side digital sound he gave the example of taking a 2 second sound and deviding it into 1000 pieces and then making each piece different sound, pitch or speed he can then mix and overlab all these pieces to come up with a whole new sound. At this point, he feels as if he is painting and sculpting with a brand new medium.

John and I discussed the business of music he stated that he feels like a research scientist and that he receives grants and commissions that allow him to create these sound experiences and share with the public in a democratic fashion. This new experiences he create depend on the public and on the listener and receiver. I am attaching a link to few of his pieces

Mr. Morton is not making any money from CD sales but he is sharing his art installations with the public and is helping people listen to the sonic experiences he creates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3NQxECNFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUMGobCX4xA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saMoyTHU_Mg

Refrence:

1-http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-john-cage-htmlstory.html

Tools and Environment Selection.

Tools and Environment Selection

I started creating a digital art project that will explain and illustrate the history of 3D models.I have been learning and working in 3D spaces for almost 20 years. I started my Journey Using AutoCAD a software used by architects and engineers. The software is still in use but is very hard to work with and the user interface is confusing. I also tried to learn another 3D software such as FormZ and did not find easy to learn too.
Several years ago a small US company introduced SketchUp, their slogan was 3D for everyone. SketchUp was designed to be simple and intuitive, the software has a few tools that are easy to learn. I was lucky to have learned about this software from a friend. In less than 2 months I mastered the software. SketchUp used free video tutorial that is basic and short. I watched 20 of them each is 3-4 minutes and practiced what I learn and I became the local SketchUp expert! This opened career doors for me and revitalized my interest in architecture.

For this class, I wanted to use a more advanced software that will allow me to create character animations. I spent time trying to learn Maya, a powerful software that is used in making Hollywood quality animations. Two weeks ago it became clear that I won't be able to master the software is this short-term time. It is the kind of software that takes years to learn.

I researched other option and rediscovered Blender an open source software that is easier to learn and that can produce high-end quality animation. See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta78vv-IE9E 

This a high-quality film that is totally made by Blender:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN0zPOpADL4&list=PL6B3937A5D230E335
Open source software makes art making democratic and allows a sense of community with other fellow creative souls.

I am watching video tutorials and creating models that I hope I will be able to make move and walk soon.

As an architect, I am used to making buildings that are frozen in space it is exciting to create shapes that can move and morph.

This is a quick video that explains the best 10 things about Blender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9F5ElvHYBM

Refrences:

https://www.blender.org/foundation/history/

https://mastersketchup.com/history-of-sketchup/

Lakhan, S. E., & Jhunjhunwala, K. (2008). Open source software in education. Educause Quarterly, 31(2), 32.

Digital Dance:

Dance to me is the expressive movement of the human body in space sometimes accompanied by music and rhythm.  Dance always adjusts to its settings. It was no surprise to see that 21st-century choreographers are including digital technologies to their performances.  I am not sure if computer or robots even puppets are in the same league as the natural human expressive and unique movement.  To me seeing another person dance enriches and refreshes my feeling towards humanity.  

I used YouTube to search for a dance group that uses digital art. The first search presented me with America Got Talent video of a piece called Freckled Sky. The team presented what seems to be a new form of entertainment they were using high-end image projection technologies. Val Syganevich is the founder of and creative director with Jalen Preston and Olga Sokolova as dancers.

The dancers in the performance on America Got Talent interacted and were engulfed by digital projections and TV screen, as they appear to vanish and cross the boundaries between projection and reality. At one point, they appeared soaked it water while covered with digital rain. The audience and judges of the show were impressed gave the performance the highest compliments.I enjoyed the show but I thought it was too short and too fast to allow me to fully appreciate the new medium and artistic treatment.

I always loved modern dance, one of my favorite movie is Pina a documentary film, 2011 by filmmaker Wim Wenders who filmed dancers in motion as a tribute to legendary choreographer Pina Bausch, who died in 2009. I found her modern dance so rich and her choreography manages to capture the richness of human experience with direct impact and extreme simplicity and grace. In comparison, the elaborate work of technology that I saw in Freckled Sky pieces did not impress me with dance but with digital technology.

Luckily the YouTube algorithm recommended Enra to watch next. This Tokyo based dance company performs with digital projections at a natural dance speed. This dance company uses graphic projections as an interactive part of their choreography. They dance with projected shapes and designs. They make the viewer believe that they are underwater or have the power to lift huge spheres of light while gracefully dance on stage. The company used gymnastics and circus art to create innovative and masterful new dance forms. The digital projection help elevate the dance form and excited the audience

In the video, the piece above the scale play between the dancer and projections is not seen in traditional dance and the use of digital paintings and even martial arts are unusual and pushes the art form to new levels. 

References:

http://enra.jp/works

http://sfglobe.com/2015/08/31/mbC/

https://randomwire.com/dancing-with-light/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/arts/dance/pina-bausch-bam-tanztheater-wuppertal.html

Khader Final Proposal for Digital Art Project

Khader Final Proposal for Digital Art Project:

October 24, 2017

3D Space, how is it created? How are virtual reality environment is rendered and what makes objects and characters move and look natural.

Project Overview:

My project aims to demystify the process of creating 3D objects in digital spaces. I will explore the mathematical history of these shapes (platonic solids) then I will show the most basic techniques for making these shapes using computer software. I will use AutoCAD, SketchUp and Maya software to show the overlap and the diversity of methods to create the same basic shapes. All these software allow exporting to virtual reality and to 3D printing.  

I teach college-level courses on subject Computer-Assisted Design (CAD). I discovered that most of my students did not learn about the relevance of geometric shapes and their real-world applications. We have been watching computer modeled reality on TV and in the movies. We experience these shapes in virtual reality. Most people don’t know the process that leads to these creations.

 Action Plan

I hope this introduction video that I will finish by the end of this term will cover the most basics of shape creation methods and help viewers understand how these complex 3D realities are made. I will start with square and triangles then I will introduce circles. Eventually, all my shapes will move from 2D to 3D.

The next step, I will show how the software applies surfaces to wire-frames. This effect makes the shapes appear more real than a line-drawing. In later stages, we shall cover how to apply colors and textures on these surfaces.

I will show how perspective is used to create an illusion of spatial depth. I will explore how Renaissances artists used perspective and how that affected our understanding of the world around us.  

In later stages, I will be creating solid shapes and moving them in space that will make my environment feel as if we are traveling in a move set. I will then add lighting and reflections to render the scenes the way we see in our human eyes.

I am learning Maya which is a great software for creating characters that are much more complex from a geometric point of view. A detailed human face as seen below is made of hundreds of small polygons and surfaces then the software round the edges to make it more organic.

Finally, I want to introduce the viewer to the process of making these forms appear alive by moving their bones and facial features. As you can in the diagram below each major bone is connected into a hinged skeleton frame and then programmed to move based on the natural movement of the human body. This requires solid understanding of human anatomy. An aniamtor has to master so many skill and act as a choreographer and a painter.

I hope I can eventually reach this level of creating a facial character that expresses human feeling as in this model.

This new generation comuter models can learn how to reflect the facial expression of normal people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXrC1aBjDrM

Timeline:

Weeks 1-2:

Brainstorming – Coming up with idea and methods that I can use and apply? How this video will take from and what is my storyboard?

Weeks 3-4:

Learn Maya and Filmora Video. I am finding Maya much more challenging than any design software that I have ever used . I hope to get the levels I need to by week 12
EDITOR

Weeks 5-6:

I will start building all the materials for telling the story of 3D shapes. I will record video animation of each stage.

Weeks 7-8:

Assembly of different sections using Filmora, making sure that my story line is clear and that my graphics appealing visually.

Weeks 9-10:

Creating the hardest part of the show. Human characters with bones and faces

Weeks 11-12:

Edit/Publish – the film parts that I have been creating throughout the process. Adding music and voice over to explain each step. Adding close captions, creating titles and credit. Using references.

Budget:

I will be using Maya which I have a free access to and several other software that I won on my laptop. I will buy Filomora it is $50 and is worth it. I used the copy at my wife’s Mac and was pleased with the results.  

Assessment Plan for 3D Building With SketchUp Class

Assessment Plan for 3D Building With SketchUp Class

http://3dbuildingsketchup.weebly.com/

I designed my online class using Weebly. The site objective is to create a 3D Literacy learning environment that is user-friendly, fun, and engaging. 

My class was designed to be synchronous, which I chose due to the high drop-out rate in asynchronous classes. According to Pedro and Johnson, students leave classes when they feel that the learning environment is too de-personalized. I made my class personal by scheduling a weekly Zoom meeting where we can create a community of learners. I also added a Join.Me meeting that will supplement my video instruction. I even modeled a character, Vitruvius, which will be in every 3D model and be a companion teacher.  

I designed the class with the idea of redundancy, to have multiple ways of accessing the materials. The repetition and multiple instructions will ensure that I can be a supportive teacher. I wanted my class not to be overwhelming, I divided my first project into a three-week challenge. I delivered most of my education materials using video instruction delivered via YouTube. This will allow the students to watch and follow step by step.  My videos are relatively short (less than 10 minutes). Students are encouraged to pause and rewind as needed.

To decide how to help my peer assess my classes, I devised  the diagram below that presents my learning objective, tools, and instructional methods.   

I have six basic objectives:

Objective One is to teach Digital Literacy. 

I  train the students to download software and install it on their computers. So many of my students are not competent at saving files and naming them.  I demonstrate in my class how to download and upload files. I show how to participate in 3D world by uploading and downloading from 3D Warehouse (an online site for sharing 3D objects). 

Objective Two: is to teach Spatial Literacy.

 In Sketch Up a person can design a spoon or an entire city. Being able to model objects in 3D is a useful life skill with many application in the sciences and arts. I demonstrate how to use the mouse to navigate space,  pan, and zoom. Most 3D applications and virtual reality environments have similar tools. I show how easy it is to build a simple object, copy it, then move it in space.

Objective Three  is to teach students how to use SketchUp.

SketchUp has specific methods for work. In my video tutorials, I explain the tool pallet and how to use it. I show a practical workflow. I build the skills each week and keep adding skills to the students' toolbox to create more complex projects. 

Objective Four is to teach students time management.

In a fast-paced world, projects need to be completed on time. Since each week will depend on the skills acquired the week before, I will make sure students keep up with the assignment schedule. I will make sure that they find enough time to practice and send the work to me so I can assess it and give them feedback. 

Objective Five is to teach participation and engagement.

Most students don't use their classmates as supportive members of a learning community.

In this my class we will be  encouraged to teach each other. The site will have a discussion area.

Objective Six is to help students learn how to evaluate their own work and how to give constructive feedback to their classmates. 

I will share the rubric and explain how they can evaluate themselves and others.

The students will be assessed on three fronts.

Class participation will count for 20%

Attending online meetings

Attending the Join.me sessions

Students' projects  will count for  60%

Quality of the drawing accuracy

Use of Groups

Creativity 

Delivery on time

Students' feedback to each other 20%

 Peer reviews will take place in the 3D Warehouse, and in the discussion area

This is a detailed rubric for grading the castle projects

RUBRIC for Castle in SketchUp 

Project evaluation	Excellent   effort	Meets   expectation	Satisfactory	Base line skills	Minimal effort	No work
Student produced the Castel in 3D as shown in tutorial accurately.	5	4	3	2	1	0
All objects remind blocks	5	4	3	2	1	0
Doors and windows were opened	5	4	3	2	1	0
Color added to decorate the shapes	5	4	3	2	1	0
Student's name added in 3D	5	4	3	2	1	0
File added to 3D warehouse	5	4	3	2	1	0
Students gave constructive feedback to two students	10	7	6	4	2	0
Student participated in Zoom meeting	10	7	6	4	2	0
Points	50
TOTAL POINTS

At the end of the course, I will review everyone's assignments and see if the students have learned the proposed lessons. If there are gaps in learning, I have to revise my lessons to serve my learners better.

I used: https://www.draw.io/ to create my diagram, Great tool.   

References :

Willging, Pedro A., and Scott D. Johnson. "Factors that Influence Students' Decision to Dropout of Online Courses." Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 13.3 (2009): 115-127.