Brutus

Continuing with my digital TV watching machine, as well, as with HBO's Rome, Here are two versions of Brutus, right before he plunges his dagger to finish off Julius Ceasar.

These tewo images use the same algorithms as the death of Ceasar (seen in my last post below.)

Watching TV Digitaly!

My latest attempt at digital printmaking has me revisiting the Pixelography project but with a newly programed version. 

After realizing the limitations with Max/msp I have recreated the pixel capture program in Java and have included a few new algorithms for how the pixels capture and draw the images. 

As well, instead of feeding the video directly into the program, this time around, I am watching the films through a video camera pointed at the tv. Basically, I have created a "subjective" viewer that just happens to be a digital device. And this particular viewer was watching the death of Julius Ceasar from the HBO tv show Rome. 

I have included here two versions of the capture, one with the same linear algorithm as my last Full Metal Jacket series, and one with my new k*counter%arrayLength algorithm. Though both very simple the perceived image speaks volumes about the role the perceiver has in creating the object viewed.

The Organic and the Algorithmic

So, after that slight setback last week, I am back at it with a modified version of my video processing software. I realized, that in reality, the work I was (or still am,) doing is not that interesting. The problem with machine processes is that once the "fun" work of writing a program is done, the output becomes predictable and uninteresting. It may be interesting to look at, but it lacks any opportunity for continued thought.

I am not saying that there is nothing to think about. I am just saying that once there has been one piece of work output, each additional one, is redundant. The program is too predictable and that is the obvious shortcoming to all programed works. The addition of random elements, arguments or parameters, is usually not the solution, as again that just gives the appearance of difference. 

Though, my knowledge of programing is extremely limited at this point, I am starting to see the limitations of purely programed work and why it has usually failed to hold my interest in the past. I need to find a way to imbue them with more "organic" algorithms, if that is even possible or meaningful. 

So this is how JPG compression works!

I have so much more respect for the computer after trying to draw like one. Understanding how simple things like compressing a JPG image require some pretty creative constructions has completely changed my view of the dichotomy between the analog and the digital.