As described in earlier posts, spring brought several new and exciting research topics expanding our use of the ceramic 3D printer into novel areas of movement- and motion-capture. We have been testing several different types of equipment from HTC VIVE to Sense/Stage and Leap Motion and made good progress in capturing movement data and developing a work flow for using this data for object making. We greatly appreciated the suggestions of UW DXARTS professor, Afroditi Psarra, who came to visit the studio just at the right time and helped us to rethink the tools and means of data gathering.

It’s been wonderful to have a team of interns so ready for play and fun!

Afternoon studio hours flew by with each of us taking turns donning the VIVE headset and hand trackers and drawing in space while the rest of the team was working the computers, logging data, watching out for the tester’s physical safety and, sometimes, egging her on with a giggle. Working with VR was not only immersive but also a very inspirational experience. We have envisioned many art applications that connect the body, real space and virtual space in vital and innovative ways, as well as create objects the traverse from one to the other kind of spatial experience.

With the beginning of the summer, we are embarking on a long-term research in this direction.

We need new equipment, a PC for running many of our Windows based software, and, over time, we are looking to add a second printer.

A little over one year ago, we started very small with modest ambitions. For any creative activity though, especially for those processes that involve technology and making of things, proper funding is critical. Our ability to push forward with this project has been given support from a 2018 4Culture Artist grant that Timea was honored to receive. In addition to this grant, we continue to be looking for and always welcome new collaborators and auxiliary funding sources. If you’d like to contribute, please send us a message through our CONTACT page.