Blog Archive
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2009
(52)
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Sep
(37)
- Chocolate Leo
- Postmodern Postmortem Team: Lisa
- Postmodern Postmortem Team: Amanda
- Postmodern Postmortem Team: Dan
- Our L.A.S.E.R. Test Experiment
- Sewerround Sound
- Scents and Sensibility
- The Toll
- Storefronts
- X-Ray
- Brodo di Pesce
- Scratchitti
- M.I.A.
- Spray it Forward
- Bubbletto
- Toasted (Waffle) Lion: Leggo my Leo
- Graffiti
- Sewage
- Turbulence
- The Hidden Skeleton of Venice
- Demographic Decline of Venice
- Tourism and Venice
- Postmodern?
- Acqua Alta and The Rising of The Tides
- Illegal Dumping
- Public Art Preservation: Issue 3
- Moto Ondoso: Issue 2
- Urban Decay in Venice: Issue 1
- Tour of Venice
- Culture of Venice: Carnival of Venice
- Problems in Venice:Part II
- What Causes these Floods? What has been done?
- Problems in Venice: Serious Flooding (video)
- Problems in Venice
- Appealing to the 5 Senses: Example 1
- Examples of Art Installations
- Venice Biennale
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Sep
(37)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Chocolate Leo
On a brainstorming spurge, how about instead of waffles or in addition to waffles making chocolate shaped/formed lions! The mold is relatively easy to make, and everyone always loves chocolate!!
chocolate molds
chocolate molds 2
vacuum molds
Postmodern Postmortem Team: Lisa
Name: Lisa Rossi
About me: I am a Junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute majoring in Psychological Science. I was drawn toward the Postmodern Postmortem project by my ardent appreciation for all types of art and my belief in the beneficial effects that art can have on its viewers/listeners. Music is more important to me than I can even express in words. I play guitar, dabble on drums (well, "dabble" might even be an overstatement), as well as compose synthesized music on my computer. I love writing songs, lyrics, and poetry, and I'm constantly in the process of creating something. I hope to benefit the project group with whatever creativity and passion I can bring to the table, and ultimately benefit the city of Venice.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Postmodern Postmortem Team: Amanda
Name: Amanda Rinaldi
DOB: November 22, 1988
Mission: to make the world awesome in every single way!
About me: Born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Massachusetts in 1997, I constantly was surrounded by a changing world, a world that presented so many wonderful opportunities to make a difference. My calling to that was Mechanical Engineering. I like to consider myself one of many hidden talents! I love to invent things, and to see how something works. I love creating...whether it be painting, drawing, singing, dancing, improv, inventing, or doing this IQP project! I am a huge musical buff....and i love getting caught up in the songs of so many ingenious productions!Yet, i love the simple things in life, like sitting outside and just...well...relaxing and take in the beauty that is nature! and that's my cue to get back to work!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Postmodern Postmortem Team: Dan
Name: Daniel Savastano
D.O.B: 06/09/1989
About Me: Born and raised in Salem, NH I am now a Junior Mechanical Engineering major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I LOVE music and play both the guitar and drums, and even sing a little! I love writing songs and stories! To me going fishing is one of the most amazing and relaxing things in the world! I love being on boats! I also enjoy playing baseball and am a HUGE RedSox fan! Well that's about it so adios...I mean ciao!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Our L.A.S.E.R. Test Experiment
L.A.S.E.R. Tag Experiment 2 from Amanda Rinaldi on Vimeo.
L.A.S.E.R. Tag Experiment 3 from Amanda Rinaldi on Vimeo.
L.A.S.E.R. Tag Experiment 4 from Amanda Rinaldi on Vimeo.
Sewerround Sound
Solution: Play music that is controlled by the sounds of the sewer. A microphone can be set up in the sewer outlet to intake its sounds, resulting in music that is activated by what is heard in the sewer. The microphone will act as an audio sensor and trigger the playback of music from speakers in the street. As mentioned for other installations, we could use directional speakers as well as Sunspots or Arduino to wirelessly control the device.
Scents and Sensibility
Addresses: People leave garbage out in spite of city regulations and causes the streets to smell.
Solution: Spray perfume whenever a bag of trash is left out in the street. Some type of pressure sensor could be implemented to indicate the pressense of trash, or perhaps a motion detector or ultrasonic rangefinder. The most suitable type of sensor depends on the location, for instance if it is in a location with high or low activity. Some issues still remain, such as making sure that what has been placed on the sensor is actually trash as opposed to other items or people, and making the sensor discreet enough that it can't be consciously avoided. A device similar to the "Sense and Spray" introduced by Glade could be developed, so that when motion is detected, a squirt of perfume is released. Another idea is to create a device similar to the automatic dispensers that can be found in public bathrooms. I have come across a fairly cheap ultrasonic range finder, as well as a DIY range finder. This site shows how to build a range finder with an arduino board.
The Toll
Addresses: The demographic decline of Venice. Venice's population is declining because there are more deaths than births, as the average age is 50 and the youth population is waning.
Solution: Play a designated sound to represent a birth, and another to represent a death. Any mp3 clip or recorded sound can be used for the toll sounds, such as bells, baby sounds, etc. We can use directional speakers to aim the sound toward a specific location to create an "on and off" effect as people walk past the location, and this would also avoid disturbing others with a constant barrage of sound.
Data for the birth and death count will be sent to the speakers from an outside source and will control the output of our speakers. Either Sunspots or Arduino could be used to program and wirelessly control the device based on incoming data.
Storefronts
Addresses: This installation deals with the dwindling number of thriving shops and stores in the Venetian marketplace. As more and more residents leave the city, the small stores that used to depend on the local support have slowly but surely began to close up. All that is left behind are the decaying storefronts that serve as a reminder of what Venice once looked like.
Solution: The idea for Storefronts is to show what these small shops were like before they closed down. A projector would display the image of silhouettes moving on the inside of the windows, which would have a screen put in for this purpose. The display could either be activated by pedestrians walking by the store, or it could be on at all times. A device that could detect the presence of a person would be required in this scenario, while only a projector would be necessary in the other. This display would engage the sense of sight, with a once dead store coming to life right before people’s eyes.
X-Ray
Addresses: The city of Venice has 473 bridges that cross the city, providing not only a means of transportation for pedestrians, but also a hidden maze of vital pipes and wires that keep the city running. Many people, residents and tourists alike, are unaware of the secret importance of the bridges that they use every day.
Solution: The idea behind X-Ray is to use a projector to cast the image of pipes and wires and all the inner workings of the bridge onto the bridge so that everyone can see it. The projector would be set up out of the way of the boats, but so that the image could be seen on the underside of the bridge. The image could either be turned on at all times or could activate when a boat goes underneath. This image will show what is going on inside the bridges as people walk on top of them and just how important they really are.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Brodo di Pesce
Solution: The idea of Brodo di Pesce focuses around eating a bowl of soup and essentially watching the sea level decline as you continue to eat. As the level of soup gets lower it will begin to reveal either a drawing on the inside of the bowl or maybe even a sculpture that is built into the bottom of the bowl. Drawing or sculpture will most likely be an outline of Venice. We will be attempting to find a company that will produce a few prototypes for us as to get an idea of what we would like for the final design. These special bowls will only be available in certain resaurants in Venice, to be determined, and can only be ordered by request with a certain word or phrase, also to be determined.
Scratchitti
Solution: This will use soundbombs to highlight sight specific issues in Venice. The soundbombs will direct a sound, or voice, that will either alert people when an issue is occuring or explain to them what the issue is and why it is an issue. In addition to the soundbombs a projector presentation could be added to really enhance the effect that it has on the public. The presentation could include a video of the issue or a collection of "killer graphics" demonstrating the issue and how to solve it, or a combination of both.
M.I.A.
Solution: Use a projector to project an image of the piece of public art that has gone missing onto the exact spot where it once stood. Projector will have a light sensor so that it turns on only when it is dark enough to see the picture. The projector will also display pictures of other pieces of missing public art at random time intervals throughout the night. All projectors will have a protective casing around them so they are not damage by weather or the public. The cases will have to be made of a material that is water resistant and that the projector can project through.
Hopefully this will help us locate some of the missing art works and, or motivate the city to replace or repair missing or damaged pieces.
Spray it Forward
Addresses: youth problems and tagging around the city.
solution: a projector and infrared motion sensor that will project an image being made. Basically will look like graffiti on the wall. Basically using a wii remote (which contains an infared motion sensor)remote price and connecting it to a projector and projecting the image on a wall, the person can then fully draw on the wall (contact) with the LED pen. (keep in mind the LED pen must be in clear view of the wii remote. You can learn more on this site which also contains really awesome videos Wii projector
Or rather going down a more expensive route, instead of an LED pen, a laser pen would be sufficient, as well as a set of code to make this all happen! Like these guys for L.A.S.E.R Tag L.A.S.E.R. This wicked cool idea is perfect for the project. Displaying cool lighting and great optics, this will definetly attract the attention of the crowd, especially the younger generation.
Bubbletto
Addresses: Turbulence caused by the vaporetto. With the dawn of motor boats , there was a new issue to deal with: boat wakes or Moto Ondoso moto ondoso which served to erode the canal walls of Venice. Over the years, lots of money has been dished out to help upkeep the walls so as to avoid collapse and causing further damage to the buildings and homes.
Solution:
Install arduino sensor arduino circuit that will detect the turbulence of the water, which will send a signal to another arduino sensor attached to a bubble machine that will go offbubble machine to turn on and shoot bubbles on the streets. A good plan would be to preorder the bubble machine and figure out how to sync the sensor to the machine so as to turn it on. This can be done using the Xbee wireless device which will serve to communicate signals from one place to another. Xbee
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Toasted (Waffle) Lion: Leggo my Leo
Originally the idea was to make an "exploited" image of the famous Winged Lion of St. Mark using toast. However such a method was very difficult, since the picture itself was non-distinguishable. So, another food option was taken: Waffles. There are many many awesome waffle designs that are easy to see and fun to eat! waffle shapes. A perfect combination for this project.
waffle iron prices:prices (people contacted)
The actual schematics of the waffle maker are displayed here:schematics
Monday, September 14, 2009
Graffiti
Almost all major cities around the world have to deal with the urban issue of graffiti. Urban artists run around and spray paint their work onto whatever surface they want to. This can be stores, buildings, bridges, and overpasses. Venice also has to deal with a graffiti problem. Many of the city's famous and historic buildings have had urban art painted on them. The city of Venice is asking for people to please stop spraying on the buildings as it is an eye-sore as well as costly to remove. The city can no longer afford the cost associated with cleaning up the city.
Source
Example Pictures
Sewage
Source
Turbulence
Being a city built on a lagoon, transportation is mainly limited to boating or walking. As gondolas became outdated and more of a novelty, Venice began to rely heavily on motorized waterbuses called "vaporetti." These waterbuses remain the primary method of transportation for the 271,000 residents and nearly seven million tourists venturing to Venice yearly. The main issue is that the means these motorboats use to stop is to propel in reverse, which creates a massive amount of energy in the water that barrages on the canal walls. Not to mention the use of the canals for transporting goods and for other public services, the resulting damage is becoming exponentially worse. As the city is divided by islands, there is no other method of transportation except by water, and thus the motorboats continue to bombard the canal walls with its waves. Though the effect of the turbulence of each individual boat is practically negligible, the sheer number of passing boats creates a vicious effect over time.
The article "Mapping Turbulent Discharges in Venetian Canals" can be found here and in our Google Docs archive.
The Hidden Skeleton of Venice
As the islands of Venice are separated by numerous canals, bridges are necessary to facilitate a means of walking to and from islands. These 473 bridges form the background of inter-island pedestrian transportation and are an integral aspect of Venice as a whole, as the main methods of transportation within Venice are either by boat or by foot. Other than serving as a pathway between islands, bridges are also used to carry pipes which house important utilities such as electricity, telephone lines, water, and gas. Another example of hidden infrastructure in Venice is the sewage disposal system, which in the past have consisted of brick settling tanks beneath houses that piped out of the canal walls. Gradually, more modern methods of septic disposal have been implemented in homes, but problems persist as many residents still do not understand exactly how these systems work.
Demographic Decline of Venice
An ever growing problem in Venice within the past century has been its steady population decline. Between the years of 1966 and 2006, the population had dropped from 121,000 full-time residents to a mere 62,000. This number decreases by 800 people every year, and this rate of decline is only expected to grow due to the fact that 25% of Venice's population is over 64 years old. Both tourism and flooding have been held responsible for the shrinking population. More and more residents are turning out to be only part-time foreign residents, for instance, those who own summer houses in Venice. To accommodate tourism, more temporary lodging had to be built, resulting in the conversion of large houses into hotels. This ends up having a cyclic effect, since as permanent residences wither away, there becomes less accommodations for new permanent residents to settle. Also, the damage incurred during the flood of 1966 destroyed the ground levels of about 16,000 buildings and residents fled from these homes. Afterward, the presence of strict building codes made it nearly impossible to reconstruct these houses. As long as these problems persist, as they most likely will for the foreseeable future, finding a solution to reverse the demographic decline of Venice will prove to be an obstinate task.
click here for source
Tourism and Venice
Many old famous cities around the world have to deal with their popularity and the flocks of people that gravitate towards their rich history and beautiful sights. Venice is no exception, with around 7 million people coming to visit the city each year. This great influx of tourists is both a driving economic force as well as a problem. Since Venice is becoming a tourist centered city, the residents of the area are being pushed farther and farther away. Some statistics indicate that in 50 years the population of the historic district has gone from 170,000 to 70,000. Also, overnight visitors to the city outnumber the residents by 50 to 1. These stats are only getting worse as more and more people want to travel to the beautiful city of Venice.
Source
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Postmodern?
Source 1
Source 2
Acqua Alta and The Rising of The Tides
Source
Illegal Dumping
Source
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Public Art Preservation: Issue 3
click here for source
Moto Ondoso: Issue 2
After World War II, motorboats replaced rowboats as a faster and more efficient means of transporting people, goods, and waste in the Venetian canals. However, the powerful motors of the new boats introduced a new problem to Venice, moto ondoso. The canal walls were designed and built long before the motor boat’s introduction, and was thus not properly equipped to deal with the constant force of the boat wakes; thus, the walls began to slowly deteriorate over time and fall apart. This issue is not only connected to the canal walls but also to buildings, since canal walls serve as the foundations to the buildings of the city, both residential and business. Therefore, this problem is not only corrosive, but also very dangerous, causing destruction and chaos. As a boat moves through the water, it creates underwater turbulence that is caused by the spinning propellers. Wake is the portion of the turbulence that is seen on the surface of the water. The wake and turbulence combine to impact the canal walls, weakening and eroding them, calling for constant repair, coming from taxpayers, which increases the cost of living in Venice.
Moto ondoso can be aggravated further by clogged sewer outlets, boat collisions, and biological and chemical agents such as sulfuric acid, pollution, and algae, which thus increase the rate of canal wall erosion. The Venetian dependence on the canals is vital; not only do the canals transport people and goods, but they also play a major role in the waste disposal system of Venice. The canals divide Venice into more than 100 islands, all of which need to be accessible by boat such as garbage collection and ambulances. Also, since Venice’s economy is dependent on tourism, the use of the canals for sightseeing and tourist transportation is essential. This along with the large number of boats and inefficient motion of various boats causes congestion. Although there are many measures to help reduce this issue, this is still an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed.
click here for source
Urban Decay in Venice: Issue 1
click source here!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tour of Venice
Culture of Venice: Carnival of Venice
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Problems in Venice:Part II
What Causes these Floods? What has been done?
"By 1989, however, such inundation occurred no fewer than 40 times a year. In 1996, water nearly as high as the average tourist's knee lapped 99 times at piles of sandbags placed to guard the doorways of the Doges' Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. More and more frequently, visitors must walk on elevated wooden walkways, or passarelle, as peak tides flow over the city's sidewalks. Boats cannot navigate the canals during the highest tides because they cannot pass under bridges.
The high tides are not just annoying but damaging. Instead of merely washing against the impermeable marble that makes up the city's foundations, high waters are splashing with increasing frequency against the soft, permeable bricks that sit above the foundations. Saltwater from the Adriatic soaks into this brick, inching ever higher into the walls and creeping into interiors, destroying frescos and other irreplaceable relics. Unless they have been restored with new, waterproof brick, many of these buildings crumble imperceptibly."
more was found on this link here:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/venice/solutions.html
Problems in Venice: Serious Flooding (video)
Just recently, Venice had a massive flood, due to the sea level rising way above normal and was reported to be the highest "acqua alta" since the 1.58 m in 1986.
Problems in Venice
In order to fully understand what the art installations will actually DO to solve the various issues in Venice, one must first find...well...the issues!
~Pollution, Water: the lagoon has become more polluted due to litter by tourists and illegal sewage dumping from overloaded systems.
~Pollution, Air: Bus and car pollution cause species loss and damage to buildings and monuments
Tourism adds to the litter and overcrowding of the city, and since tourists are not willing to spend that much money while staying the day in Venice, the financial economy of Venice is sinking.