SX: Project 3 - 5/3 Final

In honor of its history of ups and downs, we have chosen the West Bottoms as a location for a monument to never giving in.

Right next to the train tracks and the bridge, a 15.5 feet tall metallic Underdog stands on a cement slab. In front of him, the story is told on an angled concrete block faced in both wood and copper. This story is flanked by a heart-shaped pawprint with a sensor in it.

When a visitor places a hand on the sensor, their own heartbeat reverberates from the dog, demonstrating how every person is, at some point in their lives, the underdog. The heartbeats mingle with the trains, layering the intimate and personal with the environmental and historic.

Kansas City could rally around the Underdog, adopting him as a kind of local mascot, standing for a hardworking city that never gives up, in a stubborn and hopeful area.

SX: Project 3 - 4/29 Breaking Ground

as a reminder, our monument will live in the west bottoms of kansas city. it's a beautiful industrial area that's slowly reviving and aligns with the type of experience we want to create. in regards to visual inspiration, there were plenty of bricks, metals, wood, graffiti, sign paintings, stray cats, and dirt for us to pull from in constructing the base of our model. we've moved away from creating two walls that would elevate the dog by it's feet to having it stand on it's own platform. In front of the dog, not photographed here, will be a podium of sorts. vistors will be able to place their hand on a pulse sensor that will then make their heartbeat through the underdog itself.

SX: Project 3 - 4/22 Under the Underdog

this week we've been focusing on how we want to showcase our underdog and how visitors will experience the space. we thought it might be best to elevate the dog so that people don't try to climb on top of him or mark him up. the two walls that sit under his feel would be an opportunity for some sort of messaging, but we're not quite sure yet.

this week we also traveled back to the west bottom to take photos of atmospheric background imagery to use when we document the final model.

DP: Week 13-1=12

So we've made it to the end of the road. I've decided to build a long web poster to help explain what Petree does and to make it feel more like a finished product. I currently have the piece living on my personal portfolio site and on Behance.

Behance (Better viewing option)

Personal Site

DP: Week 11

Here are some quick summarizes of my process and videos so far...

Past
Promo 1 is a dialogue with the past. There's some odd audio static happening in the background of my voiceover that I want to fix, but it's near the bottom half of my priority list right now. I also originally animated too quickly so some parts have been time stretched within final cut pro and may seem a bit laggy. I'm working out this issue presently.



Present
Promo 2 focuses on the present. Petree creates a space that inspires the curiosity of a child and provides a space for them to fulfill their interests.



Future
Promo 3 focuses on the future. I had my father read the original voiceover for this clip, but it didn't have the right tone so I'm working on a plan B. I'm imagining 2-3 people reading different sections of an overall paragraph to give the effect that they're finishing each others sentences. This clip will highlight the "explore" section, searching capabilities, and adding content.

New Script:



[1] Dear Kids,
[2] Dear Kids,
[3] Dear Kids,

[1] Growing up in a large family is…
[2] …an interesting experience.

[3] You have to learn how to choose your battles
[2] You have to learn how to negotiate
[2] When to give and take
[3] and to be a little patient

[3] but at the end of the day…
[2] you'll always have a cheer section
[1] people to push and encourage you
[3] or at the very least…
[3] someone to catch you when you fall
[3] or at the very least…
[2] if you ever choose to run for president
[1] you can always count on 10 votes

SX: Project 3 - 4/15 Concept

we began by considering the kinds of monuments we had seen and could think of, and the things they had in common. many seemed to have a large sense of grandeur, be formally abstract, and exist in tribute of something significant and potent.

we decided to see how we might come up with something that functioned a little differently. first, we thought of a monument to 'small things', to the unexpected and underwhelming. this led us to our concept: a monument to underdogs.

naturally, our instincts were to heighten the experience into a lofty structural representation. we thought of how little forms could interact with big forms, and related notions. but we kept thinking. what if our monument itself was an underdog, an unexpected experience? what if it seemed a little lighthearted, a little silly?

we turned to the underdog of humor: puns. our monumental experience is to put the viewer under a dog.

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it is our intention to propose a monument to underdogs in the west bottoms of kansas city, a location whose connotations are already in keeping with the unexpected & plucky idea of the underdog. we're thinking it should be built out of the same raw sorts of industrial materials that are already in the area, which we spent some time touring and examining.

The West Bottoms

DP: Week 10

Still working on animating the various elements for my first video. It wasn't best use of my time to try to upload all the clips to vimeo so I've attached screenshots of my process below. I've re-recorded my voiceover breaking and have broken up the various elements of my system for after effects. I'm about 85% sure i''ll be able to finish this up by Friday.

Gala & Fashion Show

These past couple of weeks it seems we've been learning a lot about all the moving parts it takes to put together a production. Jessie and I had the opportunity to observe the fabrication for the Nelson-Atkins Museum's Gala and the Fashion for a Cause event this weekend. It's really exciting to see these projects in context. It's quite magical.

One thing both projects utilized that was new to me were production companies. With the ADDYs I don't think I noticed them as much. Maybe it was the extremely loud beeping of the cherry pickers that caught my attention this time around. There was a collaborating with/art directing production teams to create the right effect such as making sure projection tiles lined up, determining where to point lights so that it doesn't interfere with the projection range, and etc.

Nelson-Atkins Museum Gala

Fashion for a Cause

SX: Dieter Rams - Final

Dieter Rams creates products that blend seamlessly into our lives. They harmonize and enhance our everyday experiences. A Life by Design speaks to the importance of his ten principles through the context of time and their relationship with people along the way.

Our exhibition is divided into two floor: experience and context. The experience space replicates an actual home. It allows visitors to follow the narrative of three different personas as they discover the different roles Rams’ products play within their lives. Upstairs is the context space. It overviews the experience space to allow visitors a moment to reflect on the narrative below.

DP: Week 9

This week has been about chugging along this first video and revising my screens.

Revised Screens

Video Sample

This sample video is still very rough. I need to re-record to make the overall feeling of the audio to be not so somber.

The background track is Postcard From 1952 by Explosions in the Sky. The build on the ending half gets a bit intense so I plan to avoid it.

DP: Week 8

My focus these past weeks has been on producing the promotion piece for the timeline scenario. I think doing so will help me gauge realistically how long it will take me and adjust from there.

Video 1 Script:

Dear Grandpa,

I wish we could have met. Mom doesn't remember what you look like. Did you know she crossed the border into Thailand with phu and ming (cambodian for aunt & uncle)? She made it to America alright. She told me once that you were kind. I bet you were as funny as she is. I bet you were loving as she is. If you're anything like her, then I know for sure that I'd like you to.

Motion Progression:

This past week I've been focusing on exploring motion and building out the timeline video. Below is one example of how I'm imagining the organisms to move.

PP: Kinetic Layer

ATX in 3ish Minutes

I think we sometimes forget how much video can tell us. Life for me is about subtly and small experiences. Throughout the semester I've been trying to get myself to shoot 1-5 second clips of various moments. Here's the sequence from our Austin trip.

DP: Week 7

Video Concept

I plan to create three short videos from the perspective of the individual using Petree. They will be dialogues between two or more people about what they experienced after using the system. Each video will begins with "Dear [Insert Name Here]".

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Styled Wireframes

Scenario 1:
The timeline focuses on telling the story of a family member throughout time in context to world events.

  

  

Scenario 2:
Petree is focused on exploration. Family members can sort organisms in the dish by age, gender, location, and even relationship. The connection feature lets you see snippets of content relating to an individual beginning with the most basic details such as where they live, and how many sibling they have. This scenario is focused on the curiosity of a kid raised in America who is interested in learning more about his cousin in Cambodia.

Scenario 3:
Storytelling is such a major part of family and being able to tell multiple perspectives of a moment in time is extremely important. If you haven't already guessed, this scenario is focused on collaborative storytelling. The example below doesn't match this statement, but it's an example of being within the explore space.

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Motion Test
These are very basic and quick tests to help me start thinking is motion.