Strings: J.S. Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 - Prelude from Alexander Chen on Vimeo.

Strings (2011) by Alexander Chen visualizes the first Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suites. Using the math behind string length and pitch, it came from a simple idea: what if all the notes were drawn as strings? Instead of a stream of classical notation on a page, this interactive project highlights the music’s underlying structure and subtle shifts. View interactive piece at baroque.me.

More details at: blog.chenalexander.com/2011/baroque-bach-cello/

Built in: HTML5 Canvas, Javascript, SoundManager
Made while a resident at Eyebeam (eyebeam.org)

chenalexander.com
twitter.com/alexanderchen

Narciss from eps on Vimeo.

realtime dream of the style transfer neural net, trained to 69 various styles - from computer graphics to porn - and put in feedback loop, running all over its own lovely imagery again and again.
captured live at 800x450 16fps, cleaned and upscaled by another neural net.

tweaked, trained & conducted by vadim epstein [eps]
deep learning code :: google ‘magenta’ project
music :: archon orchestra 'yes i’m glad’

july 2018

Learning to see: Gloomy Sunday from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

A deep neural network making predictions on live camera input, trying to make sense of what it sees, in context of what it’s seen before. It can see only what it already knows, just like us.

(not ‘style transfer’!)

memo.tv/learning-to-see-you-are-what-you-see/

Music: Diamanda Galas - 'Gloomy Sunday’

code based on (but more evolved version of)
github.com/memo/webcam-pix2pix-tensorflow

model (ie training + inference) based on
github.com/affinelayer/pix2pix-tensorflow

In turn based on
phillipi.github.io/pix2pix/
arxiv.org/abs/1611.07004

In turn based on
arxiv.org/abs/1406.2661

and
github.com/Newmu/dcgan_code
arxiv.org/abs/1511.06434

In turn based on
github.com/goodfeli/adversarial
arxiv.org/abs/1406.2661

In turn based on
people.idsia.ch/~juergen/deep-learning-overview.html

real-time face generator / kagami from nobumichi asai on Vimeo.

kagami / Real-Time Face Generator

‘kagami’ means a mirror in Japanese. ‘kagami / Real-Time Face Generator’ is an installation, which features ‘3D mirror,’ capable of replicating a person’s face in three dimensions.
The installation’s face scanner scans a participant’s face, and a computer converts the scan into 3D modeling data. On the basis of this data, around 5,000 rods are moved forward by a motor, creating a 3D face in real time. The face then becomes a canvass for the theme of ‘Kacho Fugetsu’, which means beauties of nature in Japanese, as electric makeup art featuring morning glory, bamboo, butterflies, kingfishers, ibis, sunsets, cherry blossoms, moon etc. is projected onto its surface.
This work is the result of a collaboration between WOW and a project team from Kao Corporation, who drew their inspiration from the ‘OMOTE’ project. It took one year to produce, from planning through to completion. It has been established as an exhibit at Kao’s COCOLAB museum, founded in September this year.
Nobumichi Asai (WOW) acted as creative and technical director for ‘kagami’ and ‘Kacho Fugetsu,’ overseeing the planning and development of the project. Noboru Tomizawa, who also collaborated on ‘Connected Colors’, oversaw the makeup art. Beautiful makeup art provides a base over which WOW’s CG animation is projected to evoke the vivacity and motion of nature. Music was provided by hatis noit, using a tonal palette exclusively composed of sounds from nature. Using sounds from her native Hokkaido, the sound of the wind over the plains, running water, bird song etc., hatis noit creates a sound-scape drawn from her own memories.

Digital fabrication has been predominant around the world as the popularity of 3D printers represents. This work can be included in the trend. The definitions of ‘thing’ and ‘information’ are basically opposite, but they are equivalent in our mind in the age of digital fabrication. In a way, we can say our ‘existence’ is composed of ‘collection of meaningful information (= code)’. In the human body, a spherule called a ribosome reads the sequence of DNA and transfers 20 different amino acids to produce protein. In the past, we thought that human lives were analogue and organic, which was different to the idea of digital computing. But human lives are supported by the idea like 3D printing in its essence. Cloning is done by copying DNA. And this idea expands to ethical issues with artificial cloning of organisms, which are still controversial. Experiencing this installation, you may be shocked. You should be one of a kind, but your ‘existence’ is reproduced with this. So, the title ‘kagami’ includes the meaning ‘you face your “existence”’.

related works
kacho-fugetsu / real-time face tracking and projection mapping
vimeo.com/186075386

connected colors
vimeo.com/149727840

人間の顔を立体的に生成する「立体鏡」インスタレーション。体験者の顔をフェイススキャナーでスキャンすると、コンピューター上で3Dモデルデータが生成。そのデータをもとに、約5000本のロッドがモーターにより押し出され、リアルタイムに立体的な「顔」が造り出されます。その「顔」に、「花鳥風月」をテーマにした朝顔、竹、蝶、カワセミ、トキ、夕焼け、桜、金（月）などをモチーフとしたエレクトリック・メイクアップアートがプロジェクションされます。

Background

3Dプリンターに象徴されるデジタルファブリケーションが世界的な潮流となっていますが、この作品もその渦中にあるものと言えます。「モノ」と「情報」は本来、対極的な概念ですが、デジタルファブリケーション以降、「モノ」と「情報」が等価であると捉えられつつあります。本質的には「存在」自体が「意味のある情報の配列(=code)」によって成り立っていると言えます。人間の場合、DNAがリボゾームという小球体に読み込まれ、20種類のアミノ酸に置き換えされることでタンパク質が生成され、体が作られていきます。これまで生命はアナログかつオーガニックな存在で、デジタルなコンピューティングの対極にあるものと考えられていましたが、本質的には生命の生成は3Dプリンティングな概念に支えられており、DNAの複製によってクローニング（生殖）されています。この延長線上には、生命の人為的クローニングという概念が横たわっており、倫理的な問題が議論されています。このインスタレーションを実際に体験するとある種のショックを感じます。それは、本来無二であるはずの自分という「存在」が複製されてしまったことに対するショックかもしれません。だから、この作品のタイトル「kagami」には、「自分という「存在」に向き合う」という意味を込められています。

【Project Member】
Creative Director : Nobumichi Asai [WOW]
Director : Shingo Abe [WOW]
Cg Designer : Tsutomu Miyajima [WOW]
Cg Designer : Ryo Kitabatake [WOW]
Producer : Shinichi Saeki [WOW]
Project Manager : Ayaka Motoyoshi [WOW]
Technical Director : Nobumichi Asai [WOW]
Technical Director : Atsushi Yoshimura [WOW]
Software Development : Fumihiko Saito/Ryusei Ito/Kimihiro Katayama/Yuya Takasu [Solidray]
Hardware Development : Yoshihiro Watanabe [Kastam]
Videographer : Kimihiro Morikawa
Editor : Masanori Yamaguchi [REELVISION Co., Ltd.]
Colorist : Takatoshi Suzuki
Movie Retoucher : Masanori Obe [foton inc.]
Music & Vocalist : hatis noit
Model : Nanami [FLOS inc.]
【Special Thanks】
foton inc.
Spacevision, Inc.
Kao COCOLAB Project

contact
nobumichiasi.com