deathstar automata

SKILLS : camera tracking, lasercutting, maya, processing, Video Editing

Deathstar Automata is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, who writes in his parable “The Analytical Language of John Wilkins,” about the human instinct to categorize our world, however arbitrary.   As a modular, parametric video interface, Deathstar incorporates a camera tracking system synced to a firefly LCD projector to project video into a series of custom-built tessellated structures.  It is a prototype for a larger-scaled video projection light fixture that would harness a video feed as its light source.  The content is an ongoing virtual cabinet of wonders with all its mysterious and unearthly qualities, which together in kaleidoscopic fashion, reshapes our reality into the possibility of other worlds.

This current iteration is dependent on the number of objects used as well as the object’s specific placement in the overall configuration, so that as users place a pod onto the surface, the camera tracks the object’s rotation and location in space and direct the video accordingly.  Moreover, rotating the object moves the video forwards or backwards, enabling the user to control the visuals through a more intuitive interface.  And lastly, the virtual objects will multiply depending on the number of objects that the camera sees, thus two objects on the surface creates a mirrored effect while subsequent objects create a kaleidoscopic one.  Currently Deathstar Automata was prototyped using a camera tracking library called Trackmate, an open source project started by the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab.

Planning / Design Process