Skeleton
Skeleton code (P5)
A new skeleton is created by drawing lines between joints that are otherwise unconnected in our physical reality. The “controlling body” toggles these connections on and off by touching particular joints together. As the “controlled body” on screen does not reflect our physical/bodily constrains, it’s interesting to watch the movement of an individual without seeing the digital corresponding counterpart. In watching different individuals, they exhibited a tendency to create recognizable structures (a kite, a heart, a diamond). Additionally, whether the connections which constitute the “controlled body” on screen appeared symmetrical, the behaviour of the “controlling body” was frequency symmetrical: moving both arms simultaneously to touch the head or turning in both knees to connect with each other. Once the individual realized the ability to turn connections “on and off”, their movements became quick mechanical and robotic – hands became entities for touching, grouping the fingers into a monolith.
Some further design decisions to explore:
- Does the speed in touching the joints together affect the type/quality of line? Are they thick when slow and thin when fast?
- Do the connections take on different textures?
- Do the lines fade overtime, which in turn causes repeated touching of the same joints? (A dance emerges through repetition?)
- Can joints connect to objects in physical space?
Texture
Texture code (PDE + webcam)
Each frame, a single slice is extracted from a random position and displayed over an capture taken when the kinect is initialized. In this way, an image accumulated but it only becomes ‘complete’ or consistent by staying still/constant over a long period of time. The image is contanstly forming and slightly out of our control of the bodies captured within it. When the bodies moved quickly, they were less likely to be captured, but even if they were, it is only partially. In a sense, the body becomes made of “time”.