GMU:Dataflow I WS12/Brian Bixby

Project Overview

I am building an installation environment using sound and video. The project is composed with Pure Data and a live feed from a microscope. I create a sound in PD that vibrates my petri dish/microscope and this moving image creates additional sound. This becomes a circular loops of sound generation which cuts off at a certain decibel level.

Here is an example of what the microscopic video of sawdust and pondwater looks like:

<videoflash type=vimeo>55232052|420|280</videoflash>

Installation Outline & Sketches

During some experimentation in the studio I observed that the microscope is very sensitive to movement. I would like to install my microscope onto a sub-woofer with a petri dish on it. The petri dish will have a mixture of pond water and sawdust. The vibrations in the petri dish will create an analog reactive visual feedback to a sound source that is played. This will be presented as a stand-alone video and sound installation.

Final Documentation

After presenting my project in it's later stages to the class I decided to make some adjustments. The idea of the petri dish tracking blobs is an interesting controller mechanism but conceptually it had little meaning. I didn't want to limit myself by the constraints of budget so I have gone ahead and created plans for building and installing this installation.

Documentation: Final Project

I combined my final project in this Dataflow I class with my work in DIY-Microscopy. You can visit my DIY-Microscopy wiki page for more information on my final project.