Tuesday 20 March 2018

Art Hackathon - "I Want To Believe"

The first hackathon we did last year was very popular, and there was demand for another.

The theme of this one was "I Want To Believe" - which some of us interpreted as an X-Files reference, with connotations of aliens, government conspiracies, monsters and unexplained phenomena.



Group Mix

I was really pleased that again we're attracting complete beginners to coding, and members who are artists and are experimenting with technology and code.

We will always maintain a beginner friendly feel to our events.

I was also pleased to welcome female technologists - I know that many meet up groups are working hard to make sure they don't inadvertently signal that only boys are welcome.


P5js and OpenProcessing

Over the last year we've explored different environments and languages for creative coding. The one that emerged as the most beginner friendly was Processing. The web version p5js is very useful because it allows work to be viewed in a browser - which is the most open and accessible technology platform on the planet.

Even better, openprocessing.org allows us to code in the web too - removing the hassle of source code files and installing and configuring libraries and environments. Creative coding becomes as simple as typing code into a web browser and clicking "run" to see the results.

Sharing work is supremely easy - you just save your work and share the web URL. That allows others to see your code and the resulting image/animation it creates. Overall this supports the open source ethos of sharing your work, and how you work.

For beginners, I've not found anything easier than openprocessing.


Organisation

The first hackathon was organised with very little experience of organising similar events. It went well but we were conscious of some feedback and things we could do better.

This time we tried to identify those who:

  • were more experienced and were willing to help others.
  • were very new and wanted some help or guidance.
  • who wanted to work alone or in groups.

A quick introduction to openrprocessing and sharing links was thought to be helpful. A link to our previous gentle introduction to Processing with p5js were also found to be very helpful - they are always at https://goo.gl/Gygvom.


We did feel that the session was not long enough, even though we continued to 1h 15 minutes. Next time we should try to start at 6.30pm to see if we can fit a 2 hour session into the evening.


Themes

Some new interesting themes emerged during the course of the hackathon.

Several members used the 3d capabilities (WebGL) of p5js to create and animate 3d objects. Here's a getting started guide to webGL with p5js - [link].

Others used colour to great effect, using the Hue Saturation Brightness HSB colour model as an alternative to RGB. It can be easier to achieve several tasks in the HSB colour model - such as calculating the complementary hue to a given hue.


You can see that complementary colours are located opposite to each other on the HSB colour wheel.


Great Work!

Here is a sample of some of the great work created in the class. As before, the show-n-tell at the end was really interesting, because we see how others work, and hear them talk about their interpretation and inspiration, and also the obstacles they might have emerged as they worked.

There was lots of well-deserved applause for everyone!



Space Going Fast by Mark
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524439


Great use of colour and animation to create the sense of space travel. I love the coloured rectangles, which have also been rotated using a p5js idiom I need to learn more about (push, rotate, translate, pop).



I Want (Not) To Believe by James
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524410


Great use of text and animation to create a philosophical piece playing with ideas and beliefs. The lottery dynamics suggest a certain arbitrariness of belief. Unsettling.



Believe by Vicky
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524456


A very playful work making subtle use of hidden alien heads. This one makes use of Bezier curves to create the heads - something I too must look into.



Planets and Donuts by Tomasz
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524458



Tamasz made extensive use of 3d OpenGL objects to create a fun interactive piece. Your pointer controls the central planet which repels the donuts. Lovely feel to this one!



I Want To ... by Simon
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524466



Simon has created a work which for me really resonates with my memories of the X Files. Dark, sinister, and a movement that suggests something bad is about to happen soon. Simon has used the repetitive overlaying of varying styles of text to great effect.



Shakespeare ... by Borg Droid
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524297


Borg Droid has used both animation and text to create a very funny, and at times poignant, dialogue between two characters. Their eyes and mouths are also animated to great effect.

Borg Droid created many more works, you can find link in the comments of the meet up page.



Future Cities ... by Simon
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524444


Simon has used simple techniques to create powerful compositions. He uses the HSB colour model to  pick two opposite colours, with one becoming the sky and the other for buildings. He uses a brightness gradient to add depth and dimension to the work. I find this one very atmospheric - reminding me of the dystopian urban landscapes of Ghost In The Shell or BladeRunner.



My Sketch (Untitled) ... by Julian
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524469


Julian has created a very striking image that builds overtime. He uses an additive blend mode so that lines, when layered over each other, result in a lighter colour. Julian says this wasn't the effect he set out to achieve, but nonetheless, this is a great accident.



Sphere ... by Zinab
https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/524453



Zinab has created a really nice animated work with 3d OpenGL elements. Her code is really instructive to look at - you can see how the shapes are given a surface texture, created, and then one of them is set to rotate. She said she normally works with 3DS Max and this was her first 3d work created with code - great job!




Conclusion

I'm really pleased with the diversity of ideas, techniques and that everyone who was new to coding or coding with p5js did great work!

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