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PGL as exhibited at Mal au Pixel, Paris, 2006

Using Processing for physical pixel
and interaction development

About this project: On the Sunny side of New Media
Genius Loci
stands for the spirit of the place, a common phrase in architecture for the poetic context, for the cultural reading of a site. Ping, the most basic command in computer networking, is a sort of greeting among computers, if I ping an address, it replies, so we know we can communicate. Ping Genius Loci(PGL) is an architectural installation trying to build a network into the poetics of the place. PGL is built up from 300 radio networked, solar powered, self sustainable intelligent analogue pixels, that are placed on a 20 by 20 meters grid. These pixels function in the bright sunshine, and are interfacing the people walking in the grid. PGL is a platform in development, that enables us to try a larger set of possibilities, with different forms, interactive contents.

Processing has been used extensively throughout this project, both for developing pixel shapes, and interaction scenarios. This page is an illustrated archive of these sketches, but if interested, you can visit out full Open Development Archives, that has all stages of this project recorded, from concepts to printed circuits.

PGL is developed by aether architecture with Bengt Sjölén.

 

Processing Sketches: Form * Content * Interaction

600 node 2d mesh
600 pixels that can pull of release their neighbors

Date
06.06.2005

Usage
Drag mouse to move around, press r to randomize forces

Try sketch
View source


600 node 3d mesh
Spatial arrangement of contraction pixels

Date
07.06.2005

Usage
Drag mouse to move around, press r to randomize forces

Try sketch
View source


600 node fields
Field like arrangement of contraction pixels

Date
09.06.2005

Usage
r to randomize :: p for patterns :: i for images :: c for cycle :: s for reset :: drag mouse to rotate view

Try sketch
View source


600 node visibility fan pixels
Another form of pixel fans 06.15.2005

Date
15.06.2005

Usage
r to randomize :: p for patterns :: i for images :: c for cycle :: s for reset :: drag mouse to rotate view

Try sketch
View source



selectable shapes and contents
for comparison, includes new shapes: umbrella, flower, wings

Date
26.07.2005

Usage
Press s to go trough various pixel shapes, Press c to go trough various contents (for Pong, use q-w to play)
Left click and drag to rotate view, right click and grad to zoom in, middle click to look around

Shapes are: BoxFold, Cone, Stick, Umbrella, Flower, Wings. Contents are: Noise, Counting animation, Pong, Random, Reset


Try sketch
View source

 

Content

animated fan pixels
Display counting, and simple animations

Date
24.06.2005

Usage
Drag mouse to rotate view (Left click, right for zoom, middle for pan)

Try sketch
View source


Realistic model of the installation
Modeling real rotation qualities

Date
06.11.2005

Usage
press 1,2,3 to change view (after clicking on the applet) 2,3 use mouse too look around, 3 use mouse buttons to move

Try sketch
View source


Interaction

Pong Game
Hit back a ball bouncing around

Date
02.07.2005

Usage
Use the q and w keys to control the racket. Drag mouse to look around

Try sketch
View source




Interaction Controller
This applet thas been used to open up the content of the installation, so interested people can write their own. Sensor readings are displayed as tiny colored blocks, and whatever you draw in processing in the top left corner, gets displayed on the real installation.

Here you see some examples of content written by some of our friends, one by Pablo Miranda(me_color) and one by Usman Haque(trivialmachine). Download the file to see their code, and if you feel like committing something yourself, contact us, and we'll be happy to describe the system for you.

Date
04.27.2006

Usage
press 1-9, q-t to change content

Download (pgl_interaction04.zip )


The real thing



The real thing
ended up looking like this.

Some photos of the exhibitions

300 pixels Paris, Mains d'Oeuvres,
partly cloudy
29.04.06
144 pixels Paris, Mains d'Oeuvres, sunny 22.04.06
192 pixels millenaris park, Budapest, evening 06.12.05



 
May 24, 2006 (cc) some rights reserved