Opacity of the Code (study1)

Patrick Lichty [concept/auralization]
Michael Takeo Magruder [concept/visualization]

composed: 03.2004
required plugins: Flash6+ and Koan8.1+

Notes on Study1

General:

This study is a representative construction which has been created manually to demonstrate the aesthetic qualities of its proposed dynamic form. Study1 consists of 10 text strings parsed from news articles on 17/03/2004 from www.bbc.co.uk which have been transcribed by a data matrix label servlet into bitmaps. These images are completely lossless in nature and can be reverse engineered to the original passages. The resulting image library is the exclusive source material used in the formulation of the study.

For the resolved composition, the source images will reside on the server and will be created though direct spectator interaction. There will be an online encoding interface through which users can input passages of text which will then be encoded by the data matrix servlet and added to the image library in real-time.

Auralization:

For the audio component of this study, components of the processed database have been filtered and used as parameters for the Koan-based sonic composition. This information generates note events, filter parameters, arpeggios, etc. The goal of the audio component is to provide a sonic realization of the various patterns as well as the changing nature of the database over time.

Visualization:

The visual element of Study1 is generated through Flash by sequencing the bitmap library into a video-esque image field which evolves at 25fps. In the final construct, Actionscript will be utilized to dynamically import images from the expanding server-side library, thus creating a morphing video field with an infinite number of permutations.

Example - Image Library Creation

10 Source Text Strings:

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has praised Pakistan for its crackdown on its border with Afghanistan against suspected al-Qaeda fighters. Twenty-four tribesmen and 15 soldiers died in fierce fight

In the Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan, local people are emphatic. "Osama Bin Laden is not in this region," said local administrator Mohammad Azam Khan. Similar views are expressed by Haji B

At least six people have been killed in clashes between crowds of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians in the flashpoint northern town of Mitrovica. More than 200 were reported injured in heavy bursts of gunfir

Four Palestinians have been killed and several others injured in fresh Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Israel has stepped up attacks following suicide bombings in the port of Ashdod on Sunday w

A British-based development group has accused industrialised countries of failing to punish companies alleged to have profited from the DR Congo war. The group says governments from the world's 30 ric

A Saudi businessman aged 64 has just made a young girl his 58th bride and says he intends to have two more weddings to bring his total to 60. Saleh al-Saiari, who has fathered 36 children, took a 13-y

Waiting near Atocha station, a Chinese immigrant woman sits down on the bus stop bench and discreetly opens a holdall. Slowly she takes out three or four candles in red holders, similar to those that

Discontent with the United States and its policies has intensified in the year following the war in Iraq, according to an annual poll of global attitudes towards the US. On a miserable, drizzly day in

The US state of Utah has scrapped the use of firing squads to execute criminals sentenced to death. Supporters of the ban say it will deny convicts the right to opt for a dramatic death in a storm of

Millions of Indian cricket fans will be able to watch the rest of the tour of Pakistan on state TV after a Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled on Wednesday that Ten Sports, which owns the broadcasti

Resulting Source Image Library: