MAT 594 - 2008S
Andres Burbano - *Camerin Obscura*
*Camerin Obscura* is a hand made Camera Obscura - an ancient tool for visualization - that integrates a basic artificial vision system and a sound server looking for an unusual experience integrating image, audio and computation. From a cultural point of view the project is an attempt to explore the Do It Yourself roots as an important characteristic of American culture.
On the optical part the camera obscura has a plane convex lens, a (brighter) mirror and a fresnel lens which receive the final projection.
On the computational part -hardware- the project runs in a mac mini with a firewire video camera and sound speakers. The project works with Processing which reads the visual information -video real time- and SuperCollider server which translates some parameters from Processing into sound.
Download Processing source code - Download SuperCollider source code.
*Camerin Obscura* For the intereaction with sound the most important reference for the project is the Theremin. Camera Obscura + Theremin = *Camerin Obscura*.
*Camerin Obscura* video 10 Seconds.
Picture of the optical projection generated thanks to the old camera obscura system.
Inspired by magazines of popular culture which were part of the day-to-day life some decades ago here in U.S.A; the idea is to follow those old instructions on how to make such devices and then adapt a basic artificial vision system to that device creating a sort of reactive sculpture.
For a short while I have been searching some old magazines on "How to Built, DIY Do It Yourself..." optical, drawing and another devices that work with lenses, projections, light bulbs Etc. I got shocked for the precision of the technical information in those documents and I guess today it is possible to built such devices based on the original instructions.
*Camerin Obscura* video 1:00 min.
To mention only a couple of examples, I got the instructions to make: Color Wheels, Light Projectors, Polarimeters, Dummy Cameras, Projects with Fresnel Lenses, Cameras Obscuras, Cameras Lucidas, Etc. So, based on the ideas of the Archeology of Media by Zielinski or Huhtamo, I would like to create a simple pieces were new and old technologies can generate together an interactive experience.
*Camerin Obscura* video 1:00 min.
I was searching for the optics and lenses in on-line stores like Edmund Optics or Anchor Optics and the basic materials are available and are affordable.
*Camerin Obscura* Components: Convex Plane Lens, Speakers, Subbuffer, Firewire Camera, Bright Mirror
On the other hand for the computational part, I am using a combination of Processing and SuperCollider based on the workshop *Listening to Images* by Daniel Sauter, AUDO festival 2008.
*Camerin Obscura* Components: Firewire Camera, Bright Mirror, Support, Mac Mini
A future version of the project *Camerin Obscura* will be implemented using OpenFrameWorks
Edmund Optics - Camera Lucida, An example of instructions DIY optical devices.
Camera obscura 3D scheme from Wikipedia.
Processing reading the video camera and the shadow of the position of external elements outside: hands, lenses, objects, Etc.
*Camerin Obscura* instaled in the Arts building at University of California Santa Barbara