MAPPING THE MUNDANE
By Olivia Rose Arcara June, 2016
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University at Buffalo, State University of New York In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture Department of Architecture School or Architecture and Planning
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Copyright by Olivia Rose Arcara 2016
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MAPPING THE MUNDANE
By Olivia Rose Arcara June, 2016
Thesis Chair: Mark Shepard Thesis Committee: Annette LeCuyer Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning
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Dedication This book is dedicated to the following: I dedicate this to my Mother and Father who have supported my goals and aspirations throughout my entire life. Thank you both for never letting me settle for anything less than my best.
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Abstract Typically
projection
mapping
has
using projection mapping in architecture in an
been used purely as an interpretive light
attempt to manipulate a mundane archetypal
projection superimposed onto a faรงade or as
space and influence occupants interacting
an enhancement to a theatrical performance.
with the newly created space.
I am proposing that projection mapping has the potential to take on more aspects of the surrounding environment.
Projections could
potentially have the capability to define space and how one could start to occupy that space. I would like to research the interplay of light and shadows, through the process of projection mapping and its interaction with occupants. Projection mapping in architecture has been used as a type of ornamentation. Abstract images and fieldscapes have been projected on building facades to create light shows set to sounds and music.
The
theatrical practice of set design has begun to use projection mapping as a replacement for scenery, incorporating the human interactive element.
This thesis will attempt to bridge
the gap between these two practices by
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Table of Contents Dedication Abstract Introduction Topic of Research Concept Why is Projection Mapping Important? Literature Review Magic Panorama Projection Linear Perspective Immersive Environments Phenomenology Methodology Paradigm Strategies Precedent analysis Case Study
vii ix 01 01 01 02 09 09 13 17 21 25 29 31 31 31 31 32
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Table of Contents
Tactics and Techniques Phase 01: Software limitations Phase 02: Documenting the space Phase 03: Theme Phase 04: Animation Method Catalyst Bluebeard’s Castle Stage Design The Form Projected Geometry Anamorphism The Narrative The Plan Delimitations / Outcome References
33 33 41 41 41 57 57 57 61 69 73 81 81 91 97
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Introduction Topic of Research Conventionally, projection mapping
By reconsidering the convention of
in architecture has been used as a type of
how projection mapping is used in architecture,
ornamentation. Projection mapping has served
this investigation will attempt to bridge the gap
as a medium for a purely visual performance
between the practices of architecture and
with little human interaction. Abstract images,
theatrical set design, manipulating spectators’
colors and field conditions have been projected
perception and interaction with space. This
onto building facades creating a light show set
design-based thesis will be conducted through
to sound and music. The practice of projection
an examination of the architectural history of
mapping has become increasingly popular in
illusionary space and a series of well-defined
the fields of theater and dance performance,
experiments. Initiated by skill-building in the
where set design has begun to incorporate
use of projection mapping software, a series of
projection mapping as a replacement for
structured experiments will explore the potential
scenery. In these areas human interaction is
as well as the limitations of the software. A set
choreographed, producing a pre-programmed
of parameters will be developed to structure
fixed performance. By re-examining how
a further set of experiments to discern how
projection mapping has been used in these
projection mapping can manipulate an existing
practices, how can projection mapping be
architectural space in order to influence
used to create a spectacle that influences how
the movement of its occupants. The media
spectators perceive existing space?
tools to be used to represent/document the experiments will include 3-D modeling, technical drafting and diagramming.
The Concept The concept of spectacle and spectator has a rich architectural history. Buildings such as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon (theorized by Foucault), and Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace use the concept of Tony Bennett’s Exhibitionary Complex in which he theorizes that the built environment is used to represent forms of power manipulation. Bennett argues that nineteenth-century museums, dioramas, panoramas,
national
and
international
exhibitions, arcades, and department stores are
linked
through
shared
practices
of
representation. Bennett calls these cumulative works the institutions of the Exhibitionary Complex. He notes that, by combining the Panopticon with the Panorama, the crowd of spectators becomes its own spectacle within the built environment.1 Through an analysis of Bennett’s theory of the Exhibitionary Complex and the manipulation of how bodies in space
Arcara | 1
are choreographed through architecture, how
the movements of the spectator through the
can a sequence of projections be designed to
use of light. By having spectators enter through
manipulate human interaction within a digitally
a darkened underground passageway, the
projected environment?2
revelation of the vast landscape spectacle
Bennett compares the shifting attitudes on punishment in the late 18th century form of spectacle to captivity. Jeremy Bentham’s prison relies on the power of intimidation, achieved by the illusion of being watched at all times. The powerful spectacle of the Crystal Palace relies on the self-surveillance and selfregulation of its spectators.3 “The Panopticon was designed so that everyone could be
encourages the spectator to see the spatial illusion as reality.
The architectural design
and theatrical choreography of the panorama are analyzed according to the mechanisms of perspective and described experientially through fictional narrative. Using new digital mapping tools, this thesis will explore how bodies in space are choreographed by architecture.
Why is Projection Mapping Important? Projection mapping has the potential to transmute aspects physical space. Through the process of projection mapping and the intervention of spectators, a new visual appearance can alter a structure’s current expression. The action of using projections to modify the original space of a building suggests the potential to create a responsive environment in architecture. The creation of a space using projection mapping could theoretically contain the ability to change or transform an existing structure. The transformation of an existing
seen: the Crystal Place was designed so that
environment through the illusion of projection
everyone could see”. The Great Exhibition’s
could potentially be applied to multiple
Crystal Palace sought to house its visitors and
structures, with the theoretical ability to
installations together as a collective entity.
adapt to ever-changing surroundings. Digital
Everyone could see the exhibits and everyone
projection can transform any architectural
could see each other, “combining the functions
space with virtual projections. The projections
of spectacle and surveillance”. 4
can adapt to diverse environments, allowing
Robert Baker’s Panorama is an institution devoted to the confusion of reality and representation. The Panorama choreographs
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for a large range of physical formats that the projection mapping techniques can impact. Projective surfaces that projection mapping
can affect would not be restricted to exterior environments.
By moving the spectacle
towards the interior, projections can modify the original spaces of any building and speak to the potential creation of a narrative, directing the people through the navigation of the digitally projected environment. 5 The process of projection mapping is essentially drafting in a digitally created virtual reality, then projecting the digital copy back into real space, creating a new reality. The goal of this design-based thesis through the use of precedent and case study analysis is to study how projection mapping can influence spectators’ movements through a digitally projected
environment.
These
digitally
created optical illusions are not intended to react to spectators’ movements, but instead to influence spectators’ actions. The aim of the projections is to choreograph the movement of spectators within an architectural built environment. 6
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447 B.C.
O F
I L L U S I O N
I N
A R C H I T E C T U R E
1400
1500
H I S T O RY
Brunelleschi’s Experiment (1417-1434) Brunelleschi showed that he had produced and exact replica of the three-dimentional, octagonal building on the two dimensional surface of the mirror. This two dimensional version of the building made it possible to analyze the structure mathematically. Brunelleschi discovered not only a central vanishing point which was defined exactly opposite to the point Brunelleschi was standing in front of the Baptistry. This point also determined the horizon line, the horizon line passed through the central vanishing point and is also the line on which the two point perspective is defined by the oblique vanishing points.
O F
Panorama – (1787) Robert Barker
Baroque Library is gilded in gold with detailed carvings. The ceiling is painted in the Trompe Loeil style by artist Jan Hiebl. The expertly detailed fresco is painted as a continuation of the architecture, the columns extend pass the architecture into the ceiling towards a detailed illustration of the heavens. The curvature of the ceiling itself propels the deception infinite space further, suggesting that the architecture has no end.
The Panorama is an art form which encircles the spectator with an illusion of 360 degree continuous space. The panorama is interpreted as an institution devoted to the confusion of presence and representation. The architectural design and theatrical choreography are analyzed according to the mechanisms of perspective and described experientially through fictional narrative.
1700
1900
0 145
7 141
.C. 40 B
Villa of P. Fannius Synistor (40–30 BC) Boscoreale Just outside of Pompeii the Fresco wall painting in a cubiculum (bedroom) from the Late Roman Republican the Plaster painting is one of the earliest examples of linear perspective, showcasing the Romans discovery of the art form years before its rediscovery in during the Renissance
Klementinum Library - (1722) Prague
178 7
P R E C E D E N T S
The optical corrections to the Doric column were first implemented by the Roman architect and writer Vitruvius. The optical corrections of the Doric column are designed to trick the human eye into perceiving that the columns were perfectly straight. The architects designed the columns to actually be thicker in the middle, so that they would appear straight to the human eye.
172 2
447
B.C.
Parthenon - (447 BC) Ancient Greece, the Acropolis
P E R S E C T I V E
Drawing of a Chalice (1450) Paolo Uccello This drawing has become almost iconic within the history of perspective, although neither the author nor the exact date of its execution is certain. It forms part of a broader investigation on my part as an artist looking at how the physical layout of a drawing on the paper, the method and approach of the perspective construction, and the thinking processes relate to and influence each other.
4 178 1 178
Tomb for Isaac Newton (1784) Boullee Most famous Planetarium, a huge hallow masonry sphere set into an annular pedestal ringed by groves of cypresses. Inside the movements of the planets were to be projected by the moving sun shining through carefully mapped holes in the dome, throwing the shapes of luminous moving bodies onto the domes interior. Paradoxically, the sun would produce a map of the nighttime sky. The whole setup, once again, recalls the camera obscura and the magic lantern.
M A C R O
W I T H I N
M I C R
5 185
0 158 The Teatro Olimpico (1580-1585) Palladio Vicenza The trompe-l'œil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon. The scenery consists of seven hallways decorated to create the illusion of looking down the streets of a city from classical antiquity. Ancient Thebes, was to be the setting for the first play staged in the theatre. A set of seven extraordinarily realistic trompe-l'œil false perspectives provide the illusion of long street views, while actually the sets recede only a few feet. The way in which seats in all parts of the theatre were provided with at least one perspective view can be seen by observing the theatre floorplan and following the sight lines of audience members in different parts of the theatre.
T H E
BU I LT Dutch town Franeker (1781) Eise Eisinga Archimedes is attributed with possessing a primitive planetarium device that could predict the movements of the Sun and the Moon and the planets. The small size of typical 18th century orreries limited their impact, and towards the end of that century a number of educators attempted some larger scale simulations of the heavens.
I L L U S I O N
U.S. Capitol dome (1855-1866) Tho The dome is cast iron carefully paint be made of the same stone as th building. It is actually two domes, other, the double layered dome has apex of the second dome which is than the first revealing the fresco pa dome, the oculus is cuts off the edg so that it cannot be viewed in its en point but as the viewer moves arou the dome more of the fresco comes the fresco an appearance of movem
T H E AT E R
The American Mysteries – (1984) Diller Scofidio The Set design is a nine square grid with counterweight panels hinged at all sides. The set is transformed into discrete configurations by the performers in a seamless transition.
A R C H I T E C T S
I N
T H E AT E R
Metapolis Ballet – (2007) Zaha Hadid The set design was created to look like weaving topography of different layers of materials. The piece’s integration of media and dance create a new environment in which the choreography of the dancer is amplified to a further extreme.
2011
I N
2007
A R C H I T E C T S
1984
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Theater of Totality-(1924) Bauhaus, Germany Bauhaus School is best known for its contribution to industrial design. Artists such as Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Oskar Schlemmer, develop a new kind of theater based on these principles. Their work was an attempt to synthesize the theater's essential components-space, composition, motion, sound, movement, and light-into a fully integrated, abstract form of artistic expression.
Leopold’s Museum – (2011) Museums Quartier Vienna, Austria Art Direction: Daniel Rossa, Till Botterweck Technical Director: Till Botterweck 3D Operator: Peter Pflug Sound Design: Jonas Wiese Camera: Thorsten Bauer, Moritz Horn, Oktocam Vienna
2012
Sydney Opera House- (2012) Peter Pflug The audiovisual staging of the Sydney Opera House is a homage to the architecture and its architect, Jørn Utzon.
1970
2000 P E R S P E C T I V E
I N
A R T
3 201
6 195 General Motors Technical Center (1956) Michigan The dome Remains symbolic of cutting-edge design. The most visually arresting and technically challenging of these is the aluminum-clad Styling dome, an auditorium and exhibition space.
FA L S E
2015 7 200
4 197 Variations of Incomplete Cubes- (1974) Sol LeWitt’s
SONG 1 – (2012) Doug Aitken, Hirshhorn Museum Washington D.C. a series of 11 overlapping projectors placed strategically around the circumference of the museum. The museums white concrete exterior makes for a perfect blank canvas. It was the first ever 360 degree convex screen cinema experience ever created. Projectors must be at different angles, to avoid on site sculptures and trees the projectors cannot be equidistant from each other. So even after all the computer calculations, the final images were mapped using a grid, and a programmer manually matched overlapping sections, block-by-block.
Hausmannian Building-(2007) John Pugh/Julian Beever
Aten Reign - (2013) James Turrell
(Trompe l'oeil) – Is a visual illusion in art, meaning “trick of the eye” A painting or design intended to create the illusion of a three-dimensional object; the work of art deceives the eye into perceiving the detail as a three-dimensional object. Once captivated by the illusion, the viewer is lured to cross an artistic threshold and thus seduced into exploring the concept of the piece. By creating an architectural illusion that integrates with the existing environment both optically and aesthetically, the art transcends illusion and grounds itself in reality.
Minimal conceptual art form relies heavily on geometry, the perception of the mind’s eye, and how it interacts with physical space. The Visual perception of the cubes changes the viewer’s lines of sight when moving around the structures. These varying perspectives created by the incomplete geometries challenge the eye’s perception of space.
James Turrell’s works focus on installations dealing with light, space movement, and the concept of sensory deprivation. Turrell crafts an experience using light to disorient the eye with unmodulated fields of color. The construction of reflexive vision and the treatment of light as a tangible substance through perception, light color and space allows the viewers to interpret their own perception of space.
3 195 René Magritte (1953-1954) Belgian Housed in the five-level neo-classical Hotel Altenloh, displays some 200 original Magritte paintings, drawings and sculptures including The Return, Scheherazade and The Empire of Light. This multidisciplinary permanent installation is the biggest Magritte archive anywhere and most of the work is directly from the collection of the artist's widow.
W I T H I N
T H E
M I C R O
The City of Arts and Sciences – (2002) Santiago Calatrava, is a large-scale urban recreation center for culture and science. The globe of L'Hemisfèric (the Planetarium), which also houses the Omnimax theater, is roofed over by an elliptical shell structure and placed within an elliptical pod that cradles it like the pupil of an eye.
T H E
BU I LT
P E R S P E C T I V E
Hana Bank building – (2007) Seoul South Korea artwork by artist Ko Woo-Suk, was meant to resemble and hourglass. 20 stories tall the green and black stripes that visually bend its way around the building create the illusion of a warped exterior.
1010 La Trobe Street – (2007) Externally, the building’s striking façade references many of the themes and visual codes of our technological era. Offset precast concrete panels and solar glazed curtain walling allude to the visual language of circuit boards, bar codes, Morse codes and binary numerals.
5 201
7 200
omas U. Walter ted to appear to he main capitol , one inside the s an oculus at the s slightly smaller ainted on the first ges of the fresco ntirety at anyone und the base of into view giving ment.
M A C R O
2 200
O
The Invisible Barn – (2015) stpmj Invisible Barn is a site-specific design proposal that re-contextualizes the landscape of the site by projecting the landscape on the structural proposition. The visual illusion that blurs the perceptual boundary between the folly and the site, allows the folly to be disappeared and invisible in nature, reconstructing the landscape of the site. The incisions that penetrate through the folly allow visitors to maneuver in, out, and around the structure.
The relationship between spectator and spectacle is ubiquitous in contemporary culture. However, even in conventional performance, whether in the theatre, film or television, or at a sporting event, it is difficult to discuss spectators with any authority, since each of us experiences and understands the display in different ways. Spectatorship is an area of increasing importance in the field of theatre and performance studies.
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CONCEPT Spectator vs. Spectacle
MAGIC
PANORAMA
PROJECTION MAPPING
STORY (ILLUSION) MAGICIAN
NARRATOR
MUSIC
Society of the Spectacle critical theory Guy Debord 1967
SPECTATORS (MOVEMENT) PARTICIPANTS
VISITORS
PERFORMANCE
PAINTING
AUDIENCE
The Spectator and the Spectacle, Jo Meisner 2015
SPECTACLE (PROJECTIONS)
Foster + Partners: Vieux Port Pavilion, Marseille
PROJECTORS
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Literature Review In this thesis, the goal of projections
Magic
Magic as a theatrical performance
is to influence the spectators’ movements
involves an audience and a display of illusion.
through a spatially choreographed setting, not
A cognitive display of magic tricks is performed
to react to spectators’ movements. Projections
by a magician with a skill base of trickery and
are designed to influence the viewers’ actions.
deception. Spectators know that the illusion
Projections choreograph the movement of
is false, nothing more than a trick of the eye
participants through the creation of a narrative,
or sleight of hand, but the magic stems from
directing the navigation of the digitally created
not knowing how the illusion is accomplished.
environment.
The illusion originates from the spectators’
This literature review examines 1.) Magic, 2.) The Panorama, 3.) Projections, 4.) Immersive Environments and 5. ) Phenomenology to illuminate how the artifice of projection can alter spectators’ perception. The projections are influenced by the principles of the illusion in magic, through the spectators of Robert Barker’s Panorama, and the Gothic Cathedral the methodology of conventional projection mapping techniques and illusionary manipulation of space.
belief in the trick.
Magic is predictably a site
specific practice. Whether the site is a street performance or a theater stage, the spectator plays an important dynamic role contributing to the performance. 7 The
environmental
immersion of spectators in the spectacle is the source of the illusion.
If the source of
the illusion is revealed to the spectators, the illusion is shattered and can never be regained. Hence the common phrase “a magician never reveals his secrets.”
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Many of the principles of stage magic are old. There is an expression, “it’s all done with smoke and mirrors”, used to explain something baffling, but effects seldom use mirrors today, due to the amount of installation work and transport difficulties. For example, the famous Pepper’s Ghost, a stage illusion first used in 19th-century London, required a specially built theatre. Modern performers have made objects vanish as large as the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty, and a space shuttle, using optical deceptions.
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The Panopticon’s concept of design is to allow all inmates of an institution to be observed by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at all times, effectively controlling their own behavior constantly. Bentham himself described the Panopticon as “a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example.”
PANOPTICON
MAGIC
JEREMY BENTHAM LATE 18TH CENTURY MANIPULATION
THE ILLUSION SPECTATOR SPECTACLE
REGULATED ENVIRONMENT
IM
AG E
CAPTURED RAYS
PL
AN
E
3D OBJECT SPACE
PERSPECTIVE IMAGE
HOLE Camera Obscura
Foucult Discipline and Punishment 1840 GLOBAL SURVEILLENCE
A - ORIGINAL IMAGE
D LOCAL SURVEILLENCE
B - MIRROR IMAGE
A
C - LENS
C
B
D - OBSCURED IMAGE
Magic, Ellis Stanyon, Levitation Act 1910 Corridors Ingress and Egress
LENS
Structural Cell Walls
Surveillance Central Tower
LIGHT SOURCE
Structural Columns
Prison cells Silhouette lighting
Harry Houdini, Illusionist and Stunt Performer 1874-1926
The Magic Lantern - Principles of Camera Obscura 1650
Trick of the Eye, Sleight of Hand
Robert Baker’s Panorama Belgium, Depiction of The Battle of Waterloo, 1843.
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Panorama
structure. The cylindrical windowless shape
The panorama drives spatial deception
further encouraging the mistaken illusion as reality.
8
The panorama first appeared in
1787 designed by the artist Robert Baker. Panorama as an art form is a painting that encircles the spectator with an illusion of 360 degree continuous space. “The 19th century Panorama is interpreted as a modern institution devoted to the confusion of presence and representation. Its architectural design and theatrical choreography are analyzed according to the mechanisms of perspective and described experientially through fictional narrative. The panorama’s smooth transition among different modes of presence invokes momentary, ambiguous states of equilibrium.” 9
of the architecture appears to signify that the building can only have one purpose, propelling the spectator’s curiosity and suspense upon entering
the
meticulously
choreographed
space. Optical illusions created by the fusion of art and architecture are successful because the illusion is grounded in reality. The addition of a three-dimensional figure in the foreground adds depth.
10
Everything about the panorama is designed to suggest the illusion of real space. The paradox of the macro within the micro and comparing the two contrasting spatial environments suggests the magnitude of illusion is inherent upon arrival to the monolithic
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Panorama – First appeared in 1787 by Robert Barker. The Panorama is an art form which encircles the spectator with an illusion of 360 degree continuous space. The panorama is interpreted as an institution devoted to the confusion of presence and representation. The architectural design and theatrical choreography are analyzed according to the mechanisms of perspective and described experientially through fictional narrative.
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CHOREOGRAPHED MOVEMENT
THE PANORAMA
CREATOR: ROBERT BAKER LOCATION: PUNTA NAVE (GENOA), ITALY DATE: 1787
Relationship Between Spectator and Spectacle
UN-ROLLED PANORAMA
FALSE FACADE
NO WINDOWS
ADDITIVE ORNAMENTATION
VISION OBSCURING AWNING
BOWED WALL
CENTRAL PLATFORM
VOLUMETRIC
SPIRAL STAIR COLUMN
DARK TUNNEL
IMMERSIVE PROJECTION
HEMISPHERIC PROJECTION
Hirshhorn Museum Washington D.C., Depiction of Onsite Projectors, 2012.
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Projection
The first appearance of projection
mapping was in Walt Disney World’s “Haunted Mansion” ride in 1969. Since then, projection mapping has been embraced by Pop Culture as a medium for unadulterated entertainment, predominantly being showcased in night clubs as an extension of a disc jockey’s performance. 11
The use of projection mapping in architecture
is based in the architectural typology of museums and theaters. With typically solid, blank external walls these typologies act as the perfect blank canvas for projection mapping. Museums where projection mapping has been used include The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C., Leopold’s Museum in Vienna, Austria and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Projection mapping, also known as video mapping or spatial augmented reality,
stages. By using specialized software, a twoor three-dimensional object is spatially mapped with the aid of a virtual program which mirrors the tangible environment being projected upon. The software correlates with the projector to fit any desired image onto the surface of a physical object. This technique is used to add extra dimension, optical illusions, and notions of movement onto previously static objects. These techniques are commonly combined with, or triggered by, audio to create an audiovisual narrative. Corner Pinning is the manual repositioning of the four corners of an image to map the image to a specific area of a physical object. Corner pinning can also be combined with the data derived from a four-point image tracking system to substitute objects in moving images, for example, replacing the license plate on a car driving down the street.
is a projection technology used to turn objects (often irregularly shaped), into a display surface for video projection. These objects may be buildings, small indoor objects, or theatrical
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Similar to anchor points in design programs such as Adobe illustrator anchor points are points on a path that indicate a change of direction. Anchor points are added to images, allowing the user to manipulate and distort the images according to the desired perspective. The process of corner pinning allows the user to add or subtract the desired amount of anchor points.
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PROJECTION MAPPING
METHODOLOGY
PARAMETERS DISTORTION VECTORS
Techniques and Parameters
1
1 2
1
2
3
2
3
4
4 1
Corner Pinning
2
3
2
4
1
1
3
2
3
1 Projection Mapping Image Manipulation
CORNER PINNING
UN-DISTORTED IMAGE
IMAGE ORIENTATION
PROJECTION SURFACE
VOLUMETRIC
A
CENTRAL AXIS
C
B
SOURCE IMAGE
IMAGE AFTER TRANSFORMATION
PROJECTOR
FIELD OF VISION
2 Mapping the Facade Surface Structure
1 PERSPECTIVE
BILINEAR
PERSPECTIVE - BILINEAR
Brunelleschi’s Experiment Depiction of Drawing as a Representation of Space, 1417.
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Linear Perspective
of a small mirror on top of its own reflection.
Experiments in linear perspectives
sought to create the illusion of continuous space. During the Renaissance, paintings using linear perspective were meant to bear a resemblance to a window bridging the two dimensional elements of the representation with the three dimensions of the reality. By looking into a painting, a two-dimensional world becomes a continuation of the threedimensional
world.
Linear
The two-dimensional version of the building Brunelleschi had recreated made it possible to analyze the structure mathematically. Brunelleschi discovered a central vanishing point which was defined as the exact opposite to the original point of vision. This point was also used to determine the horizon line, the central vanishing point and is the line in which the two-point perspective is defined.13
perspective
draws the eye towards the vanishing point. Ideally the image ought to be displayed with eye level even with the horizon line of the piece. This orientation boosts the illusion of linear perspective, creating a more realistic illusion. No matter where human beings are placed in the painting, all eyes should be level with the horizon line, while their scale and feet placement alter with the painting’s perspective.12
Brunelleschi,
a
surveyor,
painted a copy of the Baptistery in front of the famous cathedral in Florence on the surface
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LINEAR PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE + PROJECTIONS
PERSON OF INTEREST: BRUNELLESCHI LOCATION: VIENNA, ITALY DATE: 1417-1434
Drawing the Distortion
TRUNCATED CONE
PROJECTION SURFACE
Projection FIELD OF VISION
HORIZON LINE
CENTRAL AXIS
Projector point of view
Projector point of view
Observer point of view
Observer point of view
PHYSICAL OBJECT
Projection
Projector point of view Projector point of view
Observer point of view
Observer point of view
Leonardo daVinci’s Last Supper1494-1499
Projection
COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE
Projector point of view Raphael’s School of Athens 1509
Observer point of view
Notre Dame de Paris Jean-Baptiste, Depiction of an Immersive Environment,1345.
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Immersive Environments The considered
Gothic one
of
Cathedral the
first
has
been
immersive
environments. The visual aspects of stained glass, which projected colors into space and told a pictographic history of the bible, stimulated
the
senses.
Going
to
mass
transported people outside their conventional existence, while educating them about God.14 Another architectural example of an immersive environment is the Panorama. The Panorama was a novelty a cheap from of travel, showcasing city views such as Edinburgh, Constantinople, and Cairo’s banks of the Nile.
The Panorama additionally educated
the masses about influential events such as, the Siege of Paris, the Battle at Sedan, and the Battle of Waterloo.15 Projection mapping applies Immersive Technology tactics, which refer to technology that blurs the line between the physical world and digital or simulated world, thereby creating a sense of fascination.16
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THE GOTHIC CATHEDRAL The arch is a classic architectural element of construction. With the addition of the buttress tocounteract the thrust of the arch, parishioners began to occupy the arch, using the church to conduct business transactions and ignoring the sermon. Clergymen consequently walked up and down the aisles ringing bells in order to regain the attention of the parishioners. The lack of direct sightlines from altar to side aisles, directly affected the occupants’ behavior when inside the cathedral.
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LA GEODE Experiential Immersion is the basis of the entertianment industry. Convex imagery, the Imax, new concave TV screens and the Disney ride “Soarin” are all meant to immerse the spectator into the illusion of spectacle, projecting virtual reality back into real space. Corner pinning is vector-based work where the projection mapping program distorts vector points at the corners of an image to fit a three-dimensional space in reality.
GOTHIC CATHEDRAL
EARLY IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT ORIGINATING IN 12TH-CENTURY FRANCE INTO THE 16TH CENTURY
LA GEODE
ENTERTAINMENT
IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER : ADRIEN FAINSILBER and GERARD CHAMAYOU LOCATION : PARIS, FRANCE DATE : 1985
CINEMA MACRO / MICRO THEME PARKS
La Géode interior projection
Soarin- Theme Park Ride, Disneyland
HORIZONTAL ANGLE
PLAN
PLAN
18
VERTICAL ANGLE
SECTION
120 DEGREES
ARCH
BUTTRESS
ARCHITECTURE
FISH EYE LENS
SOARIN- THEME PARK RIDE, DISNEYLAND OPERATIONAL SECTION
MIRRORED PANELS S
EE
R
SPHERICAL DOME
EG
0
D
2
1
PROJECTED SURFACE VERTICAL ANGLE HORIZONTAL ANGLE
180 DEGREES
Full Spatial Manipulation of the Senses
SECTION
Notre Dame du Haut, Le Corbusier, Phenomenology in Architecture, 1955.
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Phenomenology Phenomenology
in
architecture
is the study of the development of human consciousness how
they
are
and
self-awareness,
developed
and
experiencing
through space. Phenomenology is defined as a discipline that studies and describes appearance. This analysis of appearances is studied through human experience. “The essence of an architectural work is the necessary relationship between concept and form”.17 The relationship between concept and form is based on the mind’s interpretation of what the brain perceives. Architecture that emphasizes a phenomenological paradigm is often filled with stimulant elements immersing the occupant in the entirety of the architecture. Projection mapping can evoke some of the same sensory immersive factors. The approach utilizes the teachings of Lacan and what he called the “Mirror Image Stage” 18 Lacan proposed that human infants pass through a stage in which an external image of the body
reflected in a mirror produces a psychological
young age.
Even as we age and develop,
response in which the infant identifies with
we are still drawn to works rudimentary in
the image. However, because of the child’s
form with a strong sense of geometry and a
underdeveloped understanding of motion, it
monochromatic pallet, such as the architectural
cannot understand the relationship of its parts
works of Le Corbusier and the art of Sol LeWitt.
in correlation to the whole of its body. Stemming
The modernist works of Le Corbusier applied
from Lacan’s studies, it is known that in the
all of these tactics: white concrete, and primary
early stages of childhood, vision does not fully
rectilinear and curvilinear forms.20
develop until a child is 24 months of age. Until they reach this age, children are most drawn to objects and images with strong geometric shapes and high contrast colors because of their underdeveloped sense of vision. Bold geometric patterns in high contrasting black and white tones act as stimulants for a child’s underdeveloped sense of sight.19 Applying what is known about infants’ sense of sight to Lacan’s theory that, as we age our sense of motion and spatial awareness is inherent within our subconscious, it is logical to believe that we are drawn to high contrast imagery with strong geometric lines because of our underdeveloped sense of sight at a
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The School of Athens Raphael, Depiction of Painting as an Extension of Space, 1509.
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Methodology
Strategies
Precedent Analyses: A series of precedent analyses was conducted to ground
Paradigm To
investigate
the
potential
The
strategies
utilized
are
a
innovations of projection mapping in the fields
combination of a series of precedent analyses,
of architecture and theatrical set design, a
various drawing and modeling tactics, and a
deconstructivist paradigm is used in order to
case-study analysis of the projection mapping
point out hidden assumptions.21 Highlighting
composition called Box by Bot and Dolly.22
the hidden assumptions of how projection
As a method, precedent analysis and case
mapping is conventionally used and proposing
study provide a number of strengths and
alternatives to those methods allows for
weaknesses.
an architectural intervention. This design-
these strategies allow for not only a broad look
based thesis demonstrate that when a series
at multiple projects (which have provided a
of structured techniques is applied to an
range of historical information) but additionally
overall composition, the existing convention
provide a narrower focus on a singular project
of projection mapping can be established as
in which a well-defined set of overarching
a fixed set of parameters stemming from a
constraints
structured design strategy.
strategies however productive in showing vast
The strengths provided by
can
be
established.
These
and in-depth scopes of research are inefficient
this thesis in historical research on a long tradition of projections in architecture. These precedent
analyses
were
formulated
to
consider the use of projection mapping as a medium and how has used typically been used in architecture and theater. Linear perspective as a design and drawing methodology was used as an analogue method of projection and a representation of how we perceive space. Some Renaissance examples in which linear perspective has been applied as a form of projection are Michelangelo’s Last Supper, and Raphael’s The School of Athens.23 Other precedent analyses include works of built perspective in architecture, false perspectives in art, and precedents of illusion in architecture.
in the determination of relevancy to the thesis’s comprehensive narrative.
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Case Study: A case study was used to determine a sequence of overarching constraints to develop a cohesive narrative for this thesis.
An in-depth investigation into a
projection mapping project called Box by Bot and Dolly focuses on the creation of a unified composition, integrated through an overarching theme in an 8 minute-long piece. A series of keywords directly influences the animations of the composition.
These keywords are
connected to the overarching theme, and the theme utilizes the same principles outlined in the phenomenologist theory of Lacan and Le Corbusier. The use of high contrast imagery and strong geometric references creates a cohesive composition, allowing the overall theme of immersion to permeate the piece.
Box Bot and Dolly, Depiction Projection Mapping & Human Interaction, 2013.
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Tactics and Techniques A
series
of
Phase experiments
was
devised that proposed an alternative to the conventional use of projection mapping in architecture. The first step was to learn how projection mapping software operates. Then,
01:
(Software
limitations)
Simple experiments were projected onto a physical manifestation of a physical three dimensional cube.
The cube was mounted
on the wall and projected upon three surfaces were used for projection. (Figure 1)
through an analysis of the software, a series of parameters was determined based on the program’s capabilities. These experiments were designed to see how projection mapping can manipulate an existing architectural space while influencing the movement of its occupants. They were also designed to test the limitation of the existing projection mapping technology while incorporating elements of architectural design techniques illustrating the
(Figure 1)
perception of space through analogue drawing
The three visible sides of the cube became
methods.
three activated planes on which animations were projected. To familiarize myself with the software, experiments varied the number of mapping planes projected upon the surface of the cube, by distorting or contorting the control points of the projected image.
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EXPERIMENTS Projections are scaleless. They can increase and decrease in size depending on the distance the projector is from the projection surface. Projections are given a scale once they come in contact with a tangible surface. The scale can range from a cathedral to a ten inch cube. Manipulating the projections allows for the creation of a diverse range in scales. Multiple scales can be achieved in one piece simultaneously when projecting onto multiple faces of a complex surface.
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EXPERIMENTS
FIELD SCAPES
MASKING DISTORTION ANCHOR POINTS
Drawing the Distortion to Create the Reality PHYSICAL OBJECT RANGE OF VISION ANCHOR
LINES OF DISTORTION
VOLUMETRIC
DETERIORATION TRUNCATED CONE
Parameters of Projection Mapping
Altering the Cube, Experiments in Projection Mapping
2
1
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EXPERIMENTS
EXPERIMENTS PERSEPCTIVE ILLUSION SPACE
Drawing the Distortion to Create the Reality FALSE REALITY
RHINO MODEL
L 2-DIMENSTIONAL IL USTRATION
Experiments in Projection Mapping
Parameters of Projection Mapping
Variations of the Cube Photographs
Experiment #1 Blending of Field and Volumetric
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EXPERIMENTS
EXPERIMENTS
PARAMETERS DISTORTION ANCHOR POINTS
Drawing the Distortion to Create the Reality
RHINO MODEL
Experiment #1 Clouds and Merging Perspectives
Experiment #2 Patterns and Field Scapes
Altering the Cube, Experiments in Projection Mapping Photographs
ELEMENTS OF PHYSICAL VOLUMETRIC
LINES OF PROJECTION
COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE
Crosby 350 Directed Research, Depiction of Existing Space, 2015
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Developing
Phase 04: (Animation Method) The
A mundane architectural space was identified
an overarching theme for the projection
design strategy employed in the creation of
as the site for projection mapping. The space
mapping composition was inspired by the
the custom animations is based on analogue
was documented by taking photographs and
case study Box, in which the narrative for the
drafting techniques and animation methods
measurements. Aspects of the mundane were
piece was derived from an interest in magic
used in cartoons.
analyzed through their potential to be activated
and illusion.
This thesis takes inspiration
drawing techniques in the field of animation
through the process of projection mapping.
from classic architectural elements and the
defined the scope of the method application.
concept of procession in architecture. Le
A frame by frame construction method of the
Corbusier’s five points of architecture were
animation process is used to give the illusion
applied to the creation of a series of spatially
of moving through space. The animations were
aware animations.
The creation of custom
created through a process of 3-D modeling
animations instead of using the demonstration
techniques, in which the architectural element
animations supplied with the software allows
of choice is constructed digitally. After the
for a unique composition specific to the
desired form has been successfully modeled
practice of architecture. In the same way that
the architectural element is charged with
Renaissance paintings used linear perspective
a vision path.
to portray an illusion of a continuous space, the
linear navigation path directly through a field
custom animations based on Le Corbusier’s
of columns, or a meandering path through a
five Points were designed with the horizon
maze of columns.
Phase
02:
(Documenting
Space)
Phase
03:
(Theme)
The focus on analogue
The vision path could be a
line and vanishing point in mind, creating an illusionary effect of linear perspective in motion. 24
Arcara | 41
The animation process is a the technique of photographing a stop-action sequence of successive drawings or positions of puppets or models to create an illusion of movement when the frames are shown in sequence. Computer animation is one of the chief ingredients of multimedia presentations. There are many software applications that enable you to create animations that you can display on a computer monitor. Whereas video takes continuous motion and breaks it up into discrete frames, animation starts with independent pictures and puts them together to form the illusion of continuous motion.
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ANIMATIONS
METHODOLOGY
DRAWING PROCESS FRAME BY FRAME CONSTRUCTION HIGH CONTRAST IMAGERY
Creation of New Imagery
PLANE OF REFLECTION
The Seam
CONTOUR MAPPING
Contour Mapping Plan
LOFTED GEOMETRY
Computer Generated Graphic
BASE PLANE
CONTOUR CONSTRUCTION
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ANIMATIONS
DRAWING PROCESS FRAME BY FRAME CONSTRUCTION HIGH CONTRAST IMAGERY
CONTOUR MAPPING
LOFTED SURFACE
PLANE
METHODOLOGY Creation of New Imagery
SHAFT The extruded shaft of the rectangle acts as a representation of a long narrow corridor, a long passage in a building from which doors lead into rooms. Synonyms: passage, passageway, aisle, gangway, hall, hallway, gallery, arcade. The corridor acts as a transitional space connecting two spaces. It is a mundane space that is typically unresponsive to its surrounding environment.
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CONE A solid or hollow cone is a geometric object that tapers from a circular or roughly circular base to a point. Activating the central axis of the cone and starting the animation from singular point creates imagery of an increasing point. As the distance between the camera and the hollow cone decreases the vanishing point moves further from the viewer and the diameter of the circle increases.
CUBE A cube is a three-dimensional solid bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. The simple rotation of the cube, gives a 360 degree vantage point allowing the spectator to see all six faces from a stationary position.
SHAFT
CONE
TRANSITIONAL SPACE CORRIDOR PASSAGEWAY
POINT CIRCLE DIAMETER
-
CUBE
REVOLUTION 360 DEGREE VANTAGE ROTATION
GEOMETRY Creation of New Imagery
COLUMN FIELD Each element must adhere to the Field Definition Schema. A site column is a reusable template that can be assigned to multiple lists across multiple share-point sites.
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COLUMN MAZE A network of columns and complex pathways or a series of hedges is designed as a maze, which causes disorientation from the spectator’s point of view.
ALTERED PERSPECTIVE By modifying the original perspective, the image becomes completely altered, giving the spectator a new perception of the original architectural element.
COLUMN FIELD
FIELD OF VISION SEQUENCE PROCESSION
COLUMN MAZE
DISORIENTATION VISUAL CONSISTENCY SHIFTING PLANES
ALTERED PERSPECTIVE
DRAWING PROCESS FRAME BY FRAME CONSTRUCTION HIGH CONTRAST IMAGERY
SPACIAL IMAGERY Creation of New Imagery
BARREL VAULT A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are typically circular, lending a semi-cylindrical from to the total design.
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GROIN VAULT A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word “groin� refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round.
DOME ON PENDENTIVES If the diameter of the dome is equal to one side of a square, the area will not be covered; if it is equal to the diagonal of the square, the dome will project beyond the sides. The latter diameter was sometimes used and the sides of the dome cut of vertically so that the square was exactly covered; but the result was an imperfect dome. To secure a perfect dome, Byzantine builders conceived the idea of slicing this imperfect dome off horizontally just above the arched made by the vertical cutting, thus securing a circular base upon which to erect a true dome. The triangular segments of the original dome are the pendentives.
BARREL VAULT
ORIGIN: ANCIENT EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA TIME PERIOD ORIGIN: ABOUT 4000 BC ADVANCEMENTS : 13th, 14th CENTURY GOTHIC STYLE
GROIN VAULT
ORIGIN : ROMAN TIME PERIOD ORIGIN : ROUGHLY 241-197 BC ADVANCEMENTS: RESURGENCE IN CAROLINGIAN, ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
DOME ON PENDENTIVES
ORIGIN : ROMAN, BYZANTINE TIME PERIOD OF ORIGIN: 537 AD ADVANCEMENTS: ROMANESQUE DOMED CHURCHES, AQUITAINE IN FRANCE
SPACIAL IMAGERY Creation of New Imagery
TUNNEL VISION Tunnel vision is the tendency to focus exclusively on a single or limited goal or point of view. The combination of four barrel vaults intersecting at a dome on pendentives creates a distinctive visual experience, cutting off vision in the round and narrowing in the focus on four distinctive viewpoints.
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TRANSFORMATION
DRAWING PROCESS FRAME BY FRAME CONSTRUCTION HIGH CONTRASTED IMAGERY
TARGET SITE
GROIN VAULTS SHIFTING HORIZONS TUNNEL VISION
TUNNEL VISION FIELD OF VISION SEQUENCE PROCESSION
PERFORMATIVE ANIMATIONS Creation of New Imagery
MAPPING THE EXISTING A colonnade is a row of columns supporting a roof, an entablature, or arcade. Rows of columns can act as a portico, gallery, stoa, or peristyle. In nature, a colonnade occurs as a pre-existing condition such as a row of trees or other tall objects. By accenting the linear vertical elements of the existing, the radiator becomes activated within the space, highlighting the mundane.
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RADIATOR
VERTICALITY THE GIVEN PRESENCE
MAPPING THE EXISTING Creation of New Imagery
Mapping the Mundane Directed Research, Mapping an Existing Environment, 2015
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The Catalyst
Judith sees blood everywhere through every door she opens, but still insists upon opening
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE Béla Bartók Composed: 1911 Length: c. 55 minutes
the locked doors. As Judith wanders through the Bluebeard’s life, traveling deeper into his subconscious, the shadowy undertones of his past are revealed. 25
Historically Bluebeard’s Castle was written in 1911, just three years before World War I. Sociological influences stemming from the impending war, together with an unstable economic
situation
in
Europe,
created
suspicion and anxiety that are reflected in the symbolism of the Opera.
Symbolism Judith symbolizes humanity’s perilous curiosity along with the anxiety that arises as we progress through life. Bluebeard represents the stable person who does answer to humanity’s worries. Themes
Story Bluebeard was originally a French folktale about a man who married many women, who seemed to mysteriously disappear.
In
Bartok’s version of the Opera, there are seven locked doors, which Bluebeard tells Judith, his
Judith’s insistence to learn everything about Bluebeard is not just about love, it is the “human” element of her insistent curiosity. Bartok believed that human nature is extremely chaotic and extremely lonely.
newest wife, not to open. Judith’s curiosity gets the better of her. She pleads for Bluebeard to open the doors and to tell her his secrets.
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CALCULATING PROJECTOR SCREEN All calculations are based on the screen area, and do not include the borders or frame. These calculations are for standard 16:9 aspect ratio screens (HDTV shape), which are used by the vast majority of home theater users. Simply put, a 4:3 projection screen is 1.33 times as wide as it is high. 4 / 3 = 1.33(rounded)
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LIBRETTO
THE NARRATIVE
THE TEXT OF AN OPERA
Plan as the Musical Score for the Opera
39'-7"
12'
3" 13'-816
24'-3"
"
'-0
25
axon
"
'-6
12
11'-3"
side elevation
1" 7'-72
7'-0"
7" 38'-916
Stage Design The
1st door (Torture chamber) Blood-red prologue,
which
in
stage
productions is recited by a character in bardic costume, opens Bluebeard’s Castle. The stage direction following the prologue is as follows: “It is a vast, circular, Gothic hall. Steep stairs at the left lead up to a small iron door. To the right of the stairs, seven enormous doors, four of them directly facing the audience, the last two at one side. No windows, no ornamentation. The hall is empty, dark, and forbidding, like a cave hewn in the heart of solid rock... Suddenly the small iron door at the head of the stairs is flung wide, and in the dazzling light appear the black, silhouetted figures of Bluebeard and Judith.”26
Traditionally, the set is a single dark
hall surrounded by the seven doors around the perimeter. As each door is opened, a stream of symbolically colored light is emitted, except in the case of the sixth door, when the hall is darkened. The symbolic colors of the seven doors are as follows:
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2nd door (The armory) Yellowish-red 3rd door (The treasury) Golden 4th door (The garden) Bluish-green 5th door (The kingdom) White (“the light streams in, blue mountains”) 6th door (The pool of tears) Darkness (main hall is darkened, a shadow passes over) 7th door (The wives) Silvery (stage directions: “silver like the moon)
The Form The
These three – dimensionally constructed six
constructed
frames
are
derived from the Libretto of the Opera. Each frame represents one on the doors from the opera. The doors are paired according to the narrative behind and the orchestration of the stage movements.
The frames are paired
along their conjoined planes, creating a focal
frames are the projection surfaces.
The
frames each have their own inherent spatial properties that correspond directly to these newly titled forms. Last is the seventh threshold door, which establishes itself through the shadows of the spectators who participate in the spectacle.
point for the projections. As spectators navigate
The frames reveal their connective planes,
the narrative in plan and section a rotation of
creating a libretto of movement.
seemingly choreographed movements starts to
occupants navigate the narrative in plan and
appear as the spectators’ shadows flow across
section a rotation of seemingly choreographed
the projected surfaces. The human interactive
movements appear as their shadows dance
element of the spectators’ shadows is a direct
across the projection surfaces. The shadows
reference to the wives that occupy the seventh
operate as a human interactive element
door in Bartok’s opera. The newly constructed
moving in tandem with the animations, in an
frames have been named as follows:
attempt to find the plane in which the imagery
Forced Pairs – The Torture Chamber and The Armory
As the
is not distorted, thus immersing the occupant within its newly perceived plane of existence.
Solid / Void – The Treasury and the Garden Reflective Hinge – The Kingdom and The Pool of Tears
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BUILT PERSPECTIVE
FORCED PAIR
TORTURE CHAMBER / THE ARMORY DOOR NUMBERS: 1 AND 2 KEY WORDS: POWER, WEAPONS
Analysis of the Narrative, Symbolic Breakdown
plan
axon
side elevation
front elevation
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BUILT PERSPECTIVE
SOLID / VOID
KINGDOM / LAKE OF TEARS DOOR NUMBERS: 5 AND 6 KEY WORDS: MOUNTING, LAKE
Analysis of the Narrative, Symbolic Breakdown
plan
axon
side elevation
front elevation
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BUILT PERSPECTIVE
REFLECTED HINGE TREASURY / GARDEN DOOR NUMBERS: 3 AND 4 KEY WORDS: SYMMETRY, MODULAR
Analysis of the Narrative, Symbolic Breakdown
plan
axon
side elevation
front elevation
Dome of Château d’Anet Architect - Philibert de l’Orme, France,1547 to 1552
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Projected Geometry In Robin Evans Translations from Drawing to Building recasts the relationship between geometry and architecture, drawing on mathematics, engineering, art history, and aesthetics. Geometry does not always play a solid and dormant role but can become an active agent in the links between thinking and imagination, and drawing and building. In the Dome of Chappelle Anet, the geometry of vision has become an internalized and pervasive pictorial method of construction. The ribs on the interior of the dome of Chappelle Anet were projected down to create the tile pattern on the floor of the Chapel.
By proposing the opposite projecting
a two-dimensional pattern onto a complex three-dimensional surface the distortion of the imagery is mapped. By projecting the pattern on to the surface of the frames, the distortion creates the illusion of a perfect image.27
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THE DOME
ROBIN EVANS TRANSLATIONS FROM DRAWING TO BUILDING
Section
Reflected Ceiling Plan
Dome Projected
Floor Pattern
PROJECTED GEOMETRY Patterns of distortion
Optical illusion “Anamorphosis� Artist - Felice Varini, 2007
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Anamorphism
geometries and complex grids, within a dense
Anamorphism is defined as a point in time, event, or experience when one has a sudden insight or realization and the solution to a problem becomes clear. Anamorphism has been used in art in the form of a distorted projection or perspective, requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point (or both) to reconstitute the image.28
established field conditions, creating a spacial puzzle.29
The “Aha Moment” is defined as the
moment of sudden insight or discovery. I have defined the “Aha Moment” as the conjoined continuous plane that connects the two frames together. This conjoined plane is the plane in which the “Aha Moment” is activated,
Through the use of illusion and 3-D
mapping techniques, animations create a single
array of circles, pulsate within these virtually
cohesive
anamorphic
progression
within multiple projection surfaces. The result is a perspective-warping optical illusion, a full immersion into the spectacle. The anamorphic images are distorted in order to appear ‘correct’
and the projected imagery comes into focus. From any other vantage point of these threedimensional constructed surfaces, the imagery is distorted, incomplete, or obscured, but when the occupant stands perpendicular to the conjoined plane, the perspective comes into focus.
from certain vantage points. The projection surfaces are tuned to the dimensions of the space and compose a series of seamless images across the displays at these specific “Aha
Moments”.
Bands
of
oscillating
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THE “AHA MOMENTS� The common plane is depicted as the plane perpendicular to the frames, how one would traditionally open a door. The conjoined plane is the plane in which the frames are connected to one another. The conjoined planes are the surfaces on which the visually correct image is projected.
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PLANES OF VISION
THE “AHA MOMENT” WHERE THE IMAGERY ALIGNS REGULATING THE DISTORTION
The Plane as the Spectacle
A
B
A’
C
B’
C’
DRAWING THE DISTORTION Lines of projection are drawn from the built objects to the vantage point of the projector and a drawing plane is cast between these two planes, thus drawing the distortion. This distortion is used to map the frames and align the desired imagery, creating the visually correct optical illusions.
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ANAMORPHOSIS
ALIGNING THE PERSPECTIVE PROJECTING THE PATTERN
DRAWING THE DISTORTION Patterns of distortion
ANAMORPHOSIS
ALIGNING THE PERSPECTIVE PROJECTING THE PATTERN
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DRAWING THE DISTORTION Patterns of distortion
ANAMORPHOSIS
ALIGNING THE PERSPECTIVE PROJECTING THE PATTERN
DRAWING THE DISTORTION Patterns of distortion
Typical Corridor Filled with Doors Any Mundane Space
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The Narrative
The Plan
The narrative of the installation is
The
focus, also referred to as the “Aha Moment”. opera
orchestrates
the
based on the opera Bluebeard’s Castle. The
performance of the projection, while the plan
opera takes place in an archetypal space, which
is read as a musical score which tells the
is a corridor with seven doors. This mundane
occupants how to navigate the space, creating
spatial arrangement is ubiquitous in our built
human interaction with the performance.
environment.
Combining spectacle of and
Shaping the plan around the movement of
spectators the archetypal space is manipulated
the spectators, the libretto, or the text of the
through projection. Rather than the spectators
opera, becomes the catalyst for the spatial
simply viewing the performance, they become
configuration of the portals. The portals are
part of the performance, interacting with the
then activated by the occupants’ movement of
spectacle.
light and shadows. This creates a constantly
These points, which are perpendicular to the existing plane of the portals, are where one conventionally stands when approaching a threshold. By activating the conjoined plane as opposed to the typical threshold plane, the occupant is forced to move around the space in until the “Aha Moment” is found.
changing narrative partially determined by the spectators’ occupation of the space.
The portals are aligned in relation to
the mathematical spray of the projector so that each of them directly informs the other without casting shadows upon the other frames. The conjoined planes are each rotated and displayed along different axes around the room. The points labeled “A, B, and C” are the points perpendicular to the conjoined planes, where the projected imagery comes into
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PLANS The Plan as the Libretto of the Opera
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PLANS The Plan as the Libretto of the Opera
ELEVATIONS Mapping the Distortion
Right Elevation
C
A
Left Elevation
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PERPENDICULARS
LINES OF VISION DEGREES OF ROTATION
SECTIONS The Libretto as Plan, and Section
A
B
C
HUMAN INTERACTION The Plan as the Libretto of the Opera
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THE “AHA MOMENT” WHERE THE IMAGERY ALIGNS REGULATING THE DISTORTION
HUMAN INTERACTION The Plan as the Libretto of the Opera
THE SHADOWS The shadows operate as a human interactive element moving with the animations, dancing across the narrative in an attempt to find the plane in which the imagery comes into full focus and the portal becomes activated, immersing the spectator within its newly perceived plane of existence.
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IMAGERY AND INTERACTION
IMAGERY
DISTORTION OF DEPTH REGULATING THE GRID
1)Grids
Mapping the Distortion
2)Patterns
3)Archs
4)Frames
5)Shadows
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Delimitations/ Outcome: The projections, defined as The
The last phase of the thesis is the archetypal
Spectacle, are designed to manipulate the
space with an inherent program, such as a
movement of occupants through the use
corridor filled with doors, taken straight from
of digital tools to produce illusions, such as
the inspirational libretto of the opera.
This
misdirection, distortion, and optical corrections
transitional space of the corridor acts as a
of space. A series of cohesive animations was
threshold bridging the gap between the interior
designed using simple geometric forms. The
and the exterior, just as the thesis attempts to
circle was chosen for its unique properties
bridge the gap between the set design and the
when coming in contact with a plane. It
façade.
becomes distorted and warped shifting into an
examination
of
the
mundane
This installation demonstrates how projection mapping can alter and manipulate the occupants’ movements in an existing space. These experiments influence the spectator. Interaction between space and place, within an altered perception of an existing
environment
through
projection
mapping. The resulting full-scale interactive installation, developed from the parameters of projection mapping as defined in the earlier experiment phase of the thesis, acted as the
ellipse. Then, when it comes in contact with a corner or edge, it splits into multiple surfaces. The reformed perceptions of the space influence the spectators’ sensory inhibitors to fully immerse them within the illusionary space.
By re-examining how projection
mapping has typically been used in the practices of architecture and theater, Mapping the Mundane seeks to create a spectacle that influences how spectators perceive an existing space.
road map for the installation.
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SINE CURVES The sine curves overlaid with the irregular dot pattern creates a complex field condition that adds depth to the piece. The complex curves and shifting planes creates a new environment that when projected upon the three-dimensional complex surfaces allows for the Anamorphosis intervention to enact a visual experience that is opposite in the characteristics of trompe l’oeil.
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DOT PATTERN
SINE GRID
GRID OVERLAY
COMPLEX GEOMETRY Patterns of distortion
CONE The cone overlaid with the irregular dot pattern creates a tunnel like experience, similar to that of the science fiction films. The dots create a pattern that distorts when it comes into contact with complex planes, warping them and distorting them into ellipses and other fragmented objects.
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CONE
SPIRAL CONE
SINE TRANSITION
SPATIAL GEOMETRY Patterns of distortion
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