Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I did actually have chicken for dinner tonight, and it was delicious.
I received an email today from the City of Santa Monica informing me that my design was selected for part of GLOW 2010, being held on Santa Monica pier/beach. I co-designed the proposal along with my good friend Aaron who I knew from grad school and we're both quite honored and excited to be one of the selected teams.  One of the exciting things about working in the public art realm is that it provides the opportunity to create experiential spaces without many of practical restrictions of architecture.  If you are unfamiliar with GLOW, it is an all night festival held on the beach and consisting of dozens of interactive lighting based installations.  Aaron and I were able to come up with a scheme that choreographed an experience for the visitor, without having to worry about long term durability, weatherproofing, seismic forces, etc.  As an architect, I am interested in defining space, but the art arena seems to be an ideal testing ground for ideas.  This installation will fall somewhere between an object (ie. sculpture) and an enclosure.
More musings to follow.  Today is the first step in a long process.  I will be sure to post updates along the way and show images/video of our process.

Arduino code for four lasers

This is some of the code I am working on for the MFA project that I mentioned in the last post. Right now I simply have four photocells, each controlling an LED. Next week I plan to get one of these so that I can replace the lights with a triggered sound. This might require significant reworking of the code... we'll see.

First the video, then the code:



/*
Created 11 Dec 2009
By J Howell
modified 14 Dec 2009

*/

int ledPinA = 10; // LED connected to digital pin 10
int ledPinB = 11; // LED connected to digital pin 11
int ledPinC = 6; // LED connected to digital pin 11
int ledPinD = 5; // LED connected to digital pin 11
int val0; // define variable for photoresistor 0
int val1; // define variable for photoresistor 1
int val2; // define variable for photoresistor 1
int val3; // define variable for photoresistor 1
int ledBrightness; //


void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600); // sets the serial port to 9600
}

void loop()
{
val0 = analogRead(0); // read analog input pin 0
val1 = analogRead(1); // read analog input pin 1
val2 = analogRead(2); // read analog input pin 2
val3 = analogRead(3); // read analog input pin 3

if( val0 < 400){
// fade in from min to max in increments of 1 points:
for(int fadeValue0 = 0 ; fadeValue0 <= 255; fadeValue0 +=1) {
// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):
analogWrite(ledPinA, -(fadeValue0));
}
}
else{
digitalWrite(ledPinA, LOW);
delay(10);
}
if( val1 < 400){
// fade in from min to max in increments of 1 points:
for(int fadeValue0 = 0 ; fadeValue0 <= 255; fadeValue0 +=1) {
// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):
analogWrite(ledPinB, -(fadeValue0));
}
}
else{
digitalWrite(ledPinB, LOW);
delay(10);
}

if( val2 < 400){
// fade in from min to max in increments of 1 points:
for(int fadeValue1 = 0 ; fadeValue1 <= 255; fadeValue1 +=1) {
// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):
analogWrite(ledPinC, -(fadeValue1));
}
}
else{
digitalWrite(ledPinC, LOW);
delay(10);
}
if( val3 < 400){
// fade in from min to max in increments of 1 points:
for(int fadeValue0 = 0 ; fadeValue0 <= 255; fadeValue0 +=1) {
// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):
analogWrite(ledPinD, -(fadeValue0));
}
}
else{
digitalWrite(ledPinD, LOW);
}
}

Some recent work

I have been extremely negligent about publishing posts. Its nearing the end of 2009 and I'll go ahead and make my first new years resolution right now: I am going to try to update this blog at least twice per month.
There is actually quite a lot going on for me right now. I recently completed two sculpture projects for Cliff Garten Studio, the first a bench/sculpture at the new Sacramento Valley High School Library and the other is a collection of small columns in front of the Academy of Art University in North Hollywood. Both pieces use a simple array of stainless steel rods bent into the same profile and welded together at connection points. It is a very simple design which work well for these low budget projects, but I am pretty pleased with how they look when lit up at night. The Sacramento photos were taken by my friend Linda Dang.




I am also working with my friend Liz Terschurr on the design and electronics for the set of a dance performance this coming February at UCLA. The stage will be crisscrossed with visible laser beams that control sound effects. The dancers are choreographed to interrupt the beams at key moments and create a real-time background score for the performance. Essentially this is a larger version of this laser harp but the beams will actually cross parts of the stage rather than being confined to a small area. I will post some videos and the code I am working on shortly. As always comments and suggestions are appreciated since I am a bit rough in my knowledge of writing code.

Rumble and the end of academic life (at least for a few years...)

June 9/10 saw the first annual "Rumble" being held at UCLA AUD. All student projects from the undergraduates to the graduating third years were on display and the entire architecture building was turned into a big gallery. Many alumni, local architects and a handful of "stars" made it to the opening show on Monday night. I think everyone was a bit apprehensive in the weeks leading up to rumble as to whether such a large scale operation could be pulled off successfully. Despite a minor few equipment problems everything went very smoothly and the actual event was deemed a success by all in attendance.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to everyone in the Sotamaa research studio, and especially my group partners for their hard work in both completing their own studio projects, but also in setting up the studio's exhibition.

Tokyo Now Colloquium

Joshua Howell and Aaron Forbes will be presenting a paper titled "Tokyo: Techno City, a Study of Theory, Architecture and Popular Culture" at the Tokyo Now Colloquium this coming Saturday, May 31 at UCLA AUD. The colloquium will be held from 9am-3pm in DeCafe.

Paper Synopsis:
Since the 1960's, personal electronic devices and mass communications has altered the physical development of the urban fabric. Theorists from all social and cultural arenas have hypothesized how these mobile objects could become primary agents of the next generation and impact every facet of culture. This paper simultaneously traces social theory, architectural projects and popular culture examples of how mobile electronic devices and mass communication have altered urban environments.
Raynor Banham, in the 1960's writes of small self contained, low cost, electronic devices which have the ability to transform circumstances into conditions of human desires. Banham's vision has become a reality in modern day Tokyo, where personal electronic devices have given people more power than all of Banham's gizmo's combined. The extraordinary power of these devices have called into question the need for physical space and transformed the way in which architects and planners design environments.
The screen becomes the new cross roads of Tokyo. Cell phone and text messaging have reduced physical landmarks to a relic of the past and even begun to eliminate the need for face to face physical interaction. Electronic communication mediums break down cultural distinctions of language, and location through the use of universals such as sequential images and soundtracks. In this new electronically immersive environment, the mobile telephone is no longer just a device to talk into, but a remote control for your life.

Installation Update

A few images and video from the interactive installation I am working on with two other UCLA students. Using code written in processing, the servos will be controlled through an ultra-sonic proximety sensor. The box for the installation is divided up into 5 zones, each with its own servo. A single sensor is able to control behavior for all 5 servos separately based on distance of an object (person).

Yacht Club Mid Review 05.19

Helsinki Hernesaari Yacht Club and Marina

Mid review model photos from Kivi Sotamaa's research studio, "Spasms Convulsions Eruptions: New Sensations of Movement".

Medium Cool + Studio Update

A lot has been happing in the past month. The week of February 11-15 I participated in the Medium Cool workshop here at UCLA. Four up and coming Japanese architects taught a fast paced design charrette looking at medium density housing solutions for Los Angeles. I worked under the direction of Kumiko Inui, who is well known for her simple, but elegant retail designs in Tokyo. The client was Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the LA Times, who owned a house in Eagle Rock (near Pasadena) and was looking to build a new house on the lot with potential for expansion. Working with two undergrads and another graduate student, our proposal created a micro-urban condition on the site with four separate buildings. We pulled the buildings in towards the center of the site, keeping the site corners as garden space so as to create a buffer between the street and neighbors.

The final review was filmed and covered by A+U Magazine (I should have a few quotes in the article when the issue comes out). The jury consisted of Greg Lynn, Sylvia Lavin, Neil Denari, Jeff Inaba, Hitoshi Abe, Christopher Hawthorne, Roger Sherman and Dana Cuff.







Below are a few images from midreview for my studio project. The design is driven by a continuous parking ramp which winds to the top of the building, feeding a central commercial core and infilled with residential units. Several "attractor" commercial programs such as movie theaters, atheletic centers and high end restaurants are strategically located within the structure. These attractors then serve to feed the secondary commercial programs and open spaces.
The images are several weeks old... Final reviews are in a little over a week and there is a lot to be done still.

Research Studio Update

Last fall we conducted visual based research on illusions of movement, specifically looking at classifying effects and the resultant affect. The quarter culminated in a small publication of found images and "recipes" of each type of movement (ie. contortion, billowing, turbulence, etc) and how to produce that illusion of movement.


This winter quarter we are doing brief computer modeling exercises to try to produce the same movement effects we studied in the fall. Nothing is meant to be "architectural" yet, it is designed to produce a arsenal of techniques which can be later used with greater rigor in an architectural project.

The effect I was attempting to produce was "contortion", as defined by moi:

Carries traces of a violent transformation. Registers primarily in a skin or surface. This movement appropriates the traits of other movements such as flow and bubbling. When light wraps the surface, it is caught between ripples and vibrates back and forth against dimples and pockmarks. This is not a constant speed, but flexes and releases with violent force, creating smooth flows punctuated by uncontrolled moments of release. Contortion bends and twists, appearing sinuous and muscular but frequently working a surface beyond its capacity, leading to misshapen lumps and tears. When viewed monocromatically, and broken down into its simplest elements, the movement can be seen as transitioning between point clusters and lines.

The techniques used were: Maya particle fields, Real Flow fluid animation, and Maya hair.

Tokyo - Vertical Urbanism

Arrived back in Los Angeles this morning after an overnight flight from Tokyo. I didn't have access to a computer while in Tokyo, so the plan for daily updates never materialized.

The density of Tokyo was different from anything I have seen in the US or Europe. This isn't high-rise density in the sense of NY city, but a vertical urbanism in which the street is carried up vertically through the buildings. In Tokyo there is a common building typology which positions vertical circulation on the front of the building, accessible from the street, and layers different shops and programs vertically. Each shop has its own signage visible from the street. This vertical ordering creates very interesting interior "streets" in which interactions can take place in a stairway or elevator lobby. In the US, it is not uncommon to see shops or restaurants located on the ground level of a building, and residential units located above, but the prevailing train of thought is that only the ground level of a building can function successfully as a retail space.



Another interesting result of extreme density is how Tokyo makes use of awkward and left over spaces to develop usable program. Some examples are: an outdoor soccer field on top of an 8 story retail building, a park and sports fields located between a train line and street, "golden gai" - a collection of tiny bars each of which can only seat about 5-7 people and are accessed by a 2 meter wide pedestrian street, and "memory lane" a collection of yakitori restaurants and bars located in a narrow alley behind a new retail establishment.

The Japanese also have an interesting habit of arranging objects or stores into highly organized similar collections. On an urban scale, Tokyo arranges shops which sell similar things into zones, ie: bookstores, music stores, motorcycle shops, bars, or sushi restaurants. This organization carries down to the object level, where similar objects are classified and organized by type.

Live From Tokyo... update #1

Kom ban wa! I am posting live from a manga kissa in 私塾Tokyo. We arrived last night、and after a wonderful dinner and too much soju, we finally went to bed after about 30 hours straight. Today has been spent touring the Shinjuku area with Dr. Julian Worrell from Tokyo. The city is quite overwhelming, but amazing. The density is obviously much greater than in Los Angeles, but we are noticing significant urban planning differences and a entirely different set of building typologies. One interesting thing we`ve noticed is that it is common for many commercial areas to have 4 + levels of retail program, but each floor is an entirerly different store. Currently I am writing this from the red light district were the massage parlors and love hotels have provided much amusement for a group of 14 Americans.
Apparently my time limit is up on this computer station, so I will have to cut this post a bit short. I will try to upload some pictures soon. If I can find a computer, I am hoping to post regular entries of our daily activities.
Osaki ni!

chapel in the park - model photos

Using plaster on MDF board, I began by studying patterns, textures and light/shadow effects on monochromatic surfaces. These initial studies later carried into the brick research, using a similar monochromatic material that also dealt with shadows and patterning.



The site model is made of milled foam, covered in plaster, then heavy primer and finally sanded smooth. After sanding, the model was textured using a flexible plaster applied with a putty knife and then this was sanded with 800 grit paper to smooth out inconsistencies.

More photos available :::: here