For my second Intro to Drawing project at Cornell University, I was assigned to create a map based on an imaginary location and advance that concept to the greatest extent possible. The result is the following animation:
I wanted to capture the transformation and development of an unestablished location from land formation and colonization thru modern civilization. The drawing process closely mimicked the way in which such a location may actually be developed.
Using a tripod-mounted camera and light setup, I photographed the multi-staged drawing process and created a stop-motion animation with a linear, chronological progression.In post production, numerous sound effects were added in order to further reinforce urbanization’s far-reaching effects on natural surroundings.
The next step for this piece is to take the concept even further with an interactive element. My intention is to create an interactive piece in which the level of urbanization represented in the video is directly proportional to the volume level of ambient sound in the piece’s surroundings. Furthermore, a language will be established that translates human sounds into generated sounds within the work. For instance, clapping will translate into the sound of drilling and hammering – not unlike that common on a construction site. Another instance is that footsteps and general murmurs will produce the sound of traffic.
A mixture of Jitter MaxMSP 5 and Adobe Flash should provide the tools needed to create such an interactive piece.
As always, comments and criticisms are more than welcome and I appreciate your interest in my work.