art | maya + rouvelle

cast-on

we showed this robotic art project in bushwick, brooklyn april ’11 @ stanhope cellar studios, -‘a light in the basement’- curated by nicholas chatfield-taylor via todd p.

we filmed lili knitting the monofilament mesh at the center of the work, and tracked the needles’ movement. we mounted blue lasers on linear actuators and servos, then programmed the motors with the needles’ position data. the table top is the shape of the room.

a separate robot, seen briefly at the start of the main video, toggled a low wattage light bulb to create different lighting conditions.

the work presents a superimposition of the static, knitted mesh, and the movements that created it, transposed, and translated into the media of motion and light.

short, detail excerpts, not shown in the video above, are here >>

feedback f s f -r s ns

to view our flickr set

feedback f s f -r s ns is composed of two robots, and is in the form of a closed system with interlaced feedback, i.e, the output of one robot is the input of the other. the system generates visual compositions as the robots alter their environments and influence each others’ behaviors.

this project was shown at sequence of waves, in st. cecilia’s gallery, greenpoint, brooklyn, january 2011.

materials: various reflective and refractive media, micro-controllers, motors, lasers, sensors. 2011

in detail:

robot 1>>
senses: emf
output: slowly rotates a glass tumbler containing reflective/refractive media.

robot 2>>
senses light/motion
output: light, fluctuations in the emf field (via motor induction, phosphorescing of chemicals on the sensor of robot 1).

robot 1 is programmed to sense changes in the emf field around it and reposition a container of reflective/refractive media proportionally by spinning a motor.

robot 2 is composed of three servo/laser components programed to survey the surface of robot 1’s glass tumbler and define quadrants of highly reflective points on the tumbler’s surface.

robot 2 is programmed to draw straight lines with a laser on the curved, translucent, rotating surface of robot 1. the light from the lasers pass through a rotating tumbler (robot 1) filled with a mixture of reflective, and refractive media.

as the beams of light pass through the tumbler, their trajectories are refracted and the resulting altered beams strike a treated sensor plate and phosphoresce.

the phosphorescing and servo motor movement ripple the emf field and robot 1 spins the tumbler accordingly. the moving tumbler causes robot 2 to re-scan the surface of the tumbler, etc.

two new works opening 1.28.11 in greenpoint

lili maya james rouvelle
minimal audible fields

lili maya james rouvelle
feedback f s f -r s ns

we’re a part of the st. cecilia sound art project that runs this friday, january 28, from 8-10, and this saturday, january 29, from 2-9, at 21 monitor st., brooklyn, ny (greenpoint). directions and map below.

the show is organized by Rabid Hands and features many artists in a variety of media who have filled the former convent with projects.

we have two new pieces in room 307, minimal audible fields, and feedback f s f -r s ns:

minimal audible fields generates visual compositions in response to low frequencies at the threshold of sound and vibration propagating through the convent during the exhibit.

feedback f s f -r s nsis in the form of a closed system with interlaced feedback, i.e, the output of one robot is the input of the other. the system generates visual compositions as the robots alter their environments and influence each others behaviors.

directions to st cecilia’s convent via subway: L to Graham Ave. Walk down Graham (Via Vespucci) towards BQE; turn right on Richardson and left on Monitor.

traversal53

photos of the project on our flickr site, and videos on our vimeo page.

refraction oscillator

recorded in the park at sunset, under high magnification, natural light filtered through undulating leaves, refracting as it moves across a surface of reflective, crystalline nanostructures.

transflection event

documentation of a device we’ve developed for casting refracted light into large spaces fronted by glass. the project was inspired by looking at the reflective and transparent properties/complex picture planes on the windows of empty/transitional spaces in nyc. the illuminated surface area here is approximately 10’x10′. both the light source and refractive media are in motion.

flux-maps-flux

“flux-maps-flux” is an art project created for the ‘science fair’ show at flux factory/nyc in june 2010. for this work, we built a hand-held, portable emf sensor to explore the electromagnetic topography of flux factory. participants were asked to walk the site with the sensor (seen at the end of this clip). the sensor emits sound and has a panel meter (**panel meter is salvage from another project…) to indicate shifting emf levels. the sensor is enclosed in glass, battery powered, and has a ferrite core antenna with a coil designed to filter the emf fields surrounding electric power sources.

participants wrote down emf readings on a small map and we created ink, and relief drawings/maps on paper from their readings. the drawings were stacked on a lightbox in the order they were created and visitors could view the hand-drawn maps by looking at them through an acrylic sphere. the sound you hear is a composition made from recordings of the audio output from the sensor.

synchronous displacement (excerpt)

synchronous displacement is an iterative process of translation from light to sound to vibration.

in this floor mounted artwork, shifting patterns of light in an array of LEDs below a diffusing medium are tracked by software. the patterns are translated into a sound composition whose components are based on recordings made while constructing and prototyping the piece. the composition is played through two small speakers, and a small, low frequency oscillator mounted below the LEDs, transposing the sound to low-frequency vibrations. vibration sensors connected to the LEDs alter the patterns of light, which alters the sound, which alters the light, etc.