Planet Maker at the ITP Winter Show, 2010. 1.10 mins. Lia Martinez.

This art project allows users to populate a cartoon planet with different objects through the sound of their voice, and then see the product in the context of the larger galaxy by pushing into the illustration itself.

The installation consists of an child's easel, where the drawing surface has been replaced with a semi transparent latex fabric. The image will be projected from behind. A rangefinder is also found behind the canvas. A microphone is presented to the user.

As the user sings, the pitch and volume of the voice dictates which objects populate the planet.

The interface for the software-only version.

Every planet is as different as the songs and the people that sing them are different.

To see the galaxy, the user pushes into the fabric, and the world, now distorted, decreases in perspective to reveal stars and the larger universe!

Pictures from the 2010 ITP Winter Show:

Important Thanks:

Dan O'Sullivan and Dan Shiffman, my professors;

Ariel Nevarez and Jason Stephens for the inspiration for the physical interface and teaching me about drill bits and 4x4's;

Dan Shiffman, Craig Kapp, Liesje Hodgson, Jeremiah Johnson for help with the code;

Nisma Zaman for putting together the 2nd video and Arturo Vidich for shooting.