David Wicks :: Works » software

Self-portrait by a wave

Wicks — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:25:12 +0000

I wanted to give the landscape some agency in its own representation. The final video image is distorted by the motion of the wave in which it was recorded.

A recording device comprised of a video camera and an accelerometer measures both the appearance and the motion of a wave. After recording, the accelerometer data is used to distort the video data according to the forces within the wave at that point in time.

The recording device was taken into the ocean several times and carried back to shore by the swells. Pete Hawkes was generous enough to carry the device into the ocean for the initial trials.

Box Clock

Wicks — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 07:08:39 +0000

BoxClock is transforms time into a simple playground. The current hour can be read by counting the number of vertical gray bars in the background. The minute of the hour is represented by the number of gray boxes in front, with the seconds of the current minute bouncing back and forth within the minute until they run out of space.

You can grab the embed code and customize the colors of your clock by changing the noon and night parameters from the full-window box clock.

BoxClock is now available as an app for iPhone and iPod touch. Get the details here, or buy it now on iTunes.

Holiday Auto-Giffer

Wicks — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:14:48 +0000

You already know how awesome animated gifs are. We feel pretty much the same way, so we made over 1800 of them during our holiday party with an automated photo-booth. Feast your eyes.

The auto-giffer was created using a combination of processing, python, and php. For all the details, watch the explanation video. Also be sure to check out the holiday website.

I wish I could read faster

Wicks — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:18:24 +0000

I wish I could read faster is an expression of my being happily overwhelmed by the amount of good stuff that’s out there. Books fall from the sky continuously, producing more content than could ever be read in the amount of time given to each book. Over time, stacks pile up and fade into the background.

You can throw the books around by dragging them with your mouse. Interact with I wish I could read faster.

Destinations

Wicks — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:20:41 +0000

“Where do you want to go?” and “Why do you want to go there?” are the basic questions behind Destinations. Continuously changing, Destination’s main page shows people’s responses to those questions. It is an introspective exercise and a forum for the exploration of shared aspirations.

You are invited to share your responses to the above questions. All submissions are announced on the timespentalone twitter feed, and select responses are added to the main page rotation. So, Where do you want to go?.

Dice Mirror

Wicks — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:40:14 +0000

The dice mirror is a quick sketch using flash webcam input. Robert Hodgin had spent an evening transforming his coffee table into a big dice image. Shortly thereafter, Mario Klingemann raised the bar by creating Aviary filter that transforms images into dice-images. In addition to all that awesomeness, you can now play with this real-time dice mirror in your web browser. Enjoy.

Although I probably should be saving images of everyone using the mirror, I am not.

Basic troubleshooting:

Flash is pretty weird when it comes to accessing your webcam. There are two steps to make sure things are set up properly. First, make sure your flash privacy settings allow webcam access. Go into the settings menu (right click -> Settings), and in the privacy panel (the one with the eyeball in the computer screen for an icon), check “allow.” Second, make sure you have the correct camera selected. Still in the settings panel, click on the little orb/webcam icon, then select your real webcam from the dropdown. For some reason my webcam shows up with three different names, but it’s only accessible as the “USB Video Class Video.”

Walking Cubes

Wicks — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:46:15 +0000

Interactive music visualization. Music: Mike Lengel.

Interact with the cubes.

Swimming Hairs

Wicks — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:28:22 +0000

Art Under the Bridge

Wicks — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:08:45 +0000

Out of school, I wanted to continue experimenting with responsive projections. I was lucky to get the support of my employers after writing up a proposal for the Dumbo Arts Festival.

Funded by Domani Studios. Collaborators include Zach Gage and Cesar Marchetti. Video edited by Fran Devinney.

Monkey Town Visuals

Wicks — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:01:06 +0000

My friend Zach Gage was making visuals for the band Ava Luna and invited me to make some sound-responsive animations for their show at Monkey Town. Shown here are the visuals I created as viewed from our perch during the show.