Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, chief designer of the facility, composer, and media artist with over thirty filve years of experience in media systems engineering, outlines the vision for our research.
ETHERIAL – Quantum Form from the Virtual to the Material.
2019
Description
The nature and behavior of matter and energy on the atomic or subatomic level, quantum physics, lends to its ethereal nature, gossamer wings, those substances that are immutable however untouchable. To touch the untouchable, to understand and know what is real but cannot be seen and to experience it; to truly experience immateriality as substance, form, and shape that is dynamic, transformative and truly alive, constantly changing but continually unchanged, the vibration of waveforms intermingling as one form, one shape one spirit, into a myriad of forms.
ETHERIAL will bring the quantum form into the material, through virtual reality, spatial augmented reality and material form. The work will consist of both virtual reality and spatial augmented, a completely immersive VR space that will allow viewers to interact with the virtual world of quantum mechanics in real time through a 3D immersive multi-user projection space with an interactive floor projection system. An HMD system facilities viewing the installation dis-embodied while the physically immersed viewers interact through the floor projection system. A virtual sculpture of the probability wave functions of the electron can be viewed in the HMD, as well giving the possibility for a physically rendered sculpture that could be tracked with gestural sensors. Two windows into a completely immersive VR space, one that is interactive, multi-user and physically embodied, and the other that is dis-embodied, physically un-grounded, and gives the ability to view the narrative from a completely different perspective.
In keeping with the narrative of light, the quantum, revealed, the hydrogen-like atom combinations feature light-emitting wave function combinations that move toward the science of the phenomenon, while the quantum, suggests the ethereal nature of spirit in the form of light, ETHEREAL/IMMUTABLE – to touch the untouchable.
Type of the project:
Virtual Reality Interactive Installation
Etherial, Project documentation. June, 2019.
Year the project was created:
2019
Credits:
Much thanks to the members of the AlloSphere Research Group for the design and development of the AlloLib software.
Support received from:
This research was possible thanks to the support of Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, The Mosher Foundation, the National Science Foundation under Grant numbers 0821858, 0855279, and 1047678, and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory under MURI Grant number W911NF-09-1-0553.
Keywords:
immersive multi-modal installation, interactive immersive,multimedia art work, immersive multi-modal multimedia system installation
Software:
The AlloLib software system is open source software design by the AlloSphere Research Group and licensed by the Regents of the University of California on GitHub (https://github.com/AlloSphere-Research-Group/allolib).
The current AlloLib libraries provide a toolkit for writing cross-platform audio/visual applications in C++, with tools to assist the synchronization of sound with graphics rendering required for distributed performance, interactive control, as well as a rich set of audio spatializers. The AudioScene infrastructure allows the use of vector-based amplitude panning VBAP, distance-based amplitude panning (DBAP), or higher order ambisonics as the backend diffusion techniques (McGee 2016). The Gamma library provides a set of C++ unit-generator classes with a focus on the design of audiovisual systems (Putnam 2014). The Gamma library allows synchronization of generators and processors to different “domains,” permitting them to be used at frame or audio rate in different contexts, i.e., there is no need to downsample signals for the visuals as the signals and processes can be running at video rate within the graphics functions. The Gamma application programming interfaces (APIs) are also consistent with the rest of the graphics software, which makes learning and integrating the systems simpler. Generic spatializers and panners designed around the concept of scenes with sources and listeners are employed. Similar to the way a 3-D graphics scene is described to the graphics rendering that can then render through different “cameras” with different perspectives, an audio scene can be listened to by multiple “listeners” using different spatialization techniques and perspectives to render the sound. The AlloLib library, which is designed to support distributed graphics rendering, can also be readily used for distributed audio rendering, taking advantage of the rendering cluster’s computing power for computationally intensive audio processing. This is potentially useful for sonification of extremely large data sets, where the synthesis of each sound agent can be performed in parallel on separate machines, allowing for rendering that is both more complex and more nuanced. The system is completely multi-user and interactive.
Hardware:
Etherial 2019 Installation Technical Equipment & Space Requirements
I. Technical Equipment Requirements:
A. 3D Glasses & Emitter & Sync cable
- Example Product: XPAND X105-RF-X1 glasses and XPAND AD025 RF X1 emitters
- RF Signal (IR variants can interfere with HTC Vive and Kinects)
- 20+ glasses ready for viewers (It might be important to have backups in case batteries run out or glasses break)
- Sync cable connecting to the main stereo projector (10m, Cable type may vary depending on projector/3D glass system, but usually a 3-pin DIN or BNC)
- Small table at the entrance to place/manage glasses (avoid repetition if possible, or label items so that there is no confusion about how many tables/pedestals, etc, are needed)
B. Two (2) Projectors & Display Cables
- One Stereo-capable Projector (Main projection onto the wall, requires a sync signal output to connect to the 3D glass system)
1920 x 1200, 60Hz Stereo Rendering = 120Hz Scanrate
Elevated or Ceiling mounted
Needs to be high enough to avoid shadows onto the display
High lumens (at least 5000 lumens. Preferably 8000+)
Requires covering the whole screen
- One Stereo-capable Projector (Main projection onto the wall, requires a sync signal output to connect to the 3D glass system)
- One Short-Throw Projector (Mono, Projection onto the floor)
Ceiling mounted or Elevated pointing nearly vertically down
- Display cables connecting to the main simulation computer. (~7m, HDMI. If computers can be placed close the projector DisplayPort can work as well)
- May require projector mounts depending on setup
C. Three (3) computers (main simulator, HTC Vive renderer, interaction server)
- Needs to be encased with ventilation to block off access and reduce noise during show. If cabling allows, they can be located in an adjacent room.
-Placement of the machines might need to be moved depending on the Projector/cable situation
- Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
D. Network System
- Ethernet cable connections between the computers (1Gbps)
- All connected to the same network switch
E. Audio system
2 or 8 channel High quality loudspeakers (ceiling mount/appropriate pedestals)
2 channel case: side edges of the main projection
8 channel case: one above center of projection, rest in a circular configuration
- One high-quality subwoofer (around 150Watt)
- An audio interface with 8 channel output. Computer may require proper port (e.g. FireWire or USB) if device is external.
- Balanced audio cables connecting audio interface to speakers
- he audio system is connected to the “simulator” computer
F. HTC Vive
- Preferred HTC Vive Pro
- Play area: Approximately 3x3m near the back of the room
- Requires connection to the rendering computer
- Rig to hang/place the HMD device. HMD/controller stand?
G. Microsoft Kinect
- Preferred Microsoft Kinect v2 for Windows or XBox One (just bring it)
- Kinect v1 will work
- Requires connection to the interaction server
- USB3.0 extension cable could be required
II. Space Requirements
A. Room
- Minimum 5m x 10m
- Dark
Required to ensure immersiveness of the Main display
Exterior windows need to be blocked
Minimal to no lighting (Barely enough to move around)
Light needs to be blocked from adjacent installations
- Adequate Sound Insulation
Piece may get loud at times
Audio portion of the piece needs to not interfere with audio from nearby pieces or vice versa
High enough walls on all sides of the installation
B. Main Screen
- White wall/panel
- Minimum size 5m x 3m. (16:9 aspect ratio but can be adjusted)
- Side to side (Fill the whole wall)
Screen also needs to be high enough to avoid visual distractions above the screen to avoid breaking of immersion. Preferably floor to ceiling.
C. Floor Projection
- Non-reflective. Might require a tarp or similar to be put on the floor if the floor is reflective
- Approximately 3m x 3m
III. Installation Graphic Document Summary:
Final Installation ISEA 2019 – Flat Panel Screen
Option 2:
IV. Artists
Lead Artist – Composer, Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, creator of Etherial, is Director and Chief Scientist of the AlloSphere Research Facility http://www.allosphere.ucsb.edu/ and Professor of Media Arts and Technology and Music, in the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Her research focuses on creative computational systems, content, and facilities design. Her 35 years of experience in digital media research led to the creation of a multi-million dollar sponsored research program for the University of California—the Digital Media Innovation Program. She was Chief Scientist of the Program from 1998 to 2003. The culmination of her creativity and research is the AlloSphere, a 30-foot diameter, 3-story high metal cylinder inside an echo-free cube, designed for immersive/interactive scientific/artistic investigation of multi-dimensional data sets.
Andrès Cabrera – Distributed Multimedia Software Design, AlloSphere Media Systems Engineer, AlloSphere Research Facility, University of California Santa Barbara, PhD in Music Technology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Ireland, Cabrera’s expertise includes 3D spatial audio, and multimedia systems design. http://www.allosphere.ucsb.edu/html/people.html.
Kon Hyong Kim – Graphics Researcher/Artist, Calibration, Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) Research, Creator of the SAR Installation Environment. Kon Hyong Kim is currently a Ph.D. student in the MAT and a member of the AlloSphere Research Group. Kim’s research focuses on the analysis and application of advanced graphics rendering and calibration techniques, including the integration of Spatial Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies. http://www.allosphere.ucsb.edu/html/people.html.
Gustavo Rincon – Architectural Design Researcher/Media Artist, Fabricator, Graphics Immersive Artist, Creator of the material-rendered sculpture: Gustavo Alfonso Rincon is educated as an architect, visual artist and currently is a Ph.D. student in the Graduate Program in the Media Arts and Technology (MAT) at UCSB, and a member of the AlloSphere Research Group. He holds Masters Degrees in Architecture/Urban Design from UCLA as well as a Masters in Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. http://w2.mat.ucsb.edu/grincon.
Exhibitions
2019
International Exhibitions
ISEA 2019 - Gwangju, South Korea
National Exhibitions
AlloPortal - California NanoSystems Institute - UCSB, USA
Publications
Putnam, Lance Jonathan; Kuchera-Morin, JoAnn; Peliti, Luca. "Studies in Composing Hydrogen Atom Wavefunctions". Leonardo: Journal of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology. In press. 2014.
Kuchera-Morin, JoAnn. "Performing in Quantum Space: A Creative Approach to N-Dimensional Computing." Leonardo 44.5 (2011): 462-463.
Putnam, Lance Jonathan; Wakefield, Graham; Ji, Haru; Alper, Basak; Adderton, Dennis; Kuchera-Morin, JoAnn. "Immersed in Unfolding Complex Systems" Beautiful Visualization: Looking at Data through the Eyes of Experts. ed. / Julie Steele; Noah Iliinsky. O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2010. p. 291-309.
