Ammerman Center
Senior Year, Self-Designed Projects

 

Previous Years

Year    Projects
2014

Manufacturing Authenticity - Georgia Naumann
An installation of 3D-modeled ceramic sculptures inspired by vintage jewelry

Phenomenology - Sara Rubino
An interactive installation exploring the human brain and the universe
2013

Building Stories: Cummings Arts Center - Andrew Nathanson
A multimedia outdoor projection exploring the history of Cummings

Scrambling Time - Gyanendra Sharma
Interactive video through gestures

Little Boat Dreams - Daniel Shoukimas
A collective online dream journal
2012

Real-time Facial Animation by Gesture Imitation - Ajjen Joshi 
A tool for real-time imitation of facial gestures using image processing. He developed a real-time facial animation system that processes video and depth information through use of Kinect technology. The purpose of this project was to lay the foundations of a system that captures facial gestures of an actor, run algorithms to track the features of the actor's face, and transfer the data to control the gestures of a digital model in real time.

Mandate - Patrick McGrath 
A computer simulation exploring dynamics in ancient Chinese history. Mandate is a simulation set in Warring States China, around 250 BC, in which independent computer-driven characters took on different roles in society and competed for domination. Some of its elements are reminiscent of strategy games, such as the ability to build and upgrade cities, while others are more focused on simulation, such as the use of fuzzy logic in order to control how the different characters interact with each other.

Modified Motion - Eli Pack 
A project to study algorithmic modifications of body movements. Hand-coded Python scripts were used to modify motion capture data obtained from a skeletal tracking program. The scripts were written to transform generic animations to portray different emotions and moods. The project opens a window into the interesting problem of controlling the extent of portrayed emotions on body gestures through algorithmic transformations. This idea has many applications for editorial refinement work and cost saving in animation production.
2011

Manifestations of Networked Identity - Owen Stowe 
A multimedia installation about the way identities are conceived in networked, online environments. A user's face responding to a simple prompt is recorded: "what is important to you as a human? what defines you?" The video and audio snippets are stored and randomly selected to be processed, restructured, and recombined. The video is superimposed onto a human-size angular paper model of a face. The audio mosaic is presented as disjointed playback. Through this process, the user is drawn into a kind of hyberbole, distorting and expanding their selves, and led to question the nature of their everyday experiences in networked environments.

Trading Fours - Colin Hanson 
Trading Fours is an interactive jazz improvisation tool. Trading fours is a term in jazz that refers to a particular style of improvisation in which one musician plays four measures and another musician responds by playing four measures. In this program the performer and computer take turns in playing four measures at a time. The chord progression of the piece being played is provided by the user. The system implements a rule based generative algorithm and includes elements of machine learning to build a database of knowledge from past performances to produce its improvisations. The program can be used for practice as well as performance.

EZ-Mixer - James Jackson 
A tempo aware mixing and composition tool. It enables the user to interactively remix, mash up and layer audio on the fly using existing tracks. Precomposed and recorded sounds can be mixed with an underlying audio track within an automatically determined metric grid.
2010

Sonic Semaphores - Phoebe Bakanas 
A tool that allows people to shape music through intuitive gestures by tracking specific colored targets through frame-based video processing. The tool is implemented within the MAX/MSP/Jitter framework and supports multiple targets to individually control audio effects specified by the chosen gesture-to-effect mapping.

Virtual Archaeology - Erin Okabe-Jawdat 
A 3D interactive tour of the archaeological site at Cochasqui, Ecuador. The user controls an avatar to navigate the virtual site. As the user explores the 3D environment, corresponding location-based data (photos, text, etc.) are displayed in a frame to the right of the 3D environment within a web browser.

Evolving Sounds - Catherine Johnson 
A sound generator that evolves sound based on user preference. It is programmed in Max/MSP and uses granular synthesis to generate a variety of sounds based on properties of sounds selected by a user.
2009

The Escape - William Barkus
A live action and special effects film. Using green screen techniques, live footage was placed in a computer-modeled three-dimensional environment. The world that is portrayed in the film reflects a monotonous lifestyle within an oppressive system from which the protagonist plans to escape.

Tembo's Great Adventure - Sara Lesko
An educational, 3D animated, interactive book to help children learn how to read. It utilized a touch screen to facilitate the interactivity with the animation. It is centered around a story of a young elephant who is migrating with his family to find water when safari hunters split up his herd, leaving him all alone.

Warrior Kid - Edgar Monteon
An animation based on a story inspired from Mesoamerican culture. The story is about a young Mesoamerican boy who lives in the countryside with his two chickens when one day an eagle dives down and steals one of his chickens. The boy is then left to use his intuition and creativity to ward off the predator from future attempts.

Spare Change - Oscar Monteon
A comedic animation exploring walk-cycles, gestures and expressive movement within a French street scene. The story is about an encounter between a mime and a burglar.

Outbreak - Nadya Radeva
A "serious" interactive, biology game with an audience of high school seniors and beginning college students. It teaches principles in general chemistry, structure and interaction of matter and cell biology. It contains a 3D navigable lab environment and interactive experiments that teach some main concepts.

Seeing is Believing - Laura Schuman
A virtual reality and theatrical effects project for lighting control in which the color and intensity of the stage lights can be controlled individually. This software could aid stage and costume designers in testing certain light and costume combinations.

Sektor Traffing - AJ Zane
A single-player music-oriented computer game which aims at motivating players to create interesting music while they play according to the rules of the game. A "Sektor" is a sound wave that has physical force and is visual, and defines "Traffing" as the delivery of sektor waves using a musical instrument. The player plays the role of the main character, Rezner, who uses his guitar to traff sektor waves in order to reach the end goal.
2008

Speak Naturally - Jessica Ebert
An interactive composite photo and animation installation using speech recognition.

March of the Robots - Basar Gulcu
Using Genetic Algorithms to teach robots to dance.

Railroad - Andrea Mendoza
An interactive art installation using captured and manipulated video of Ecuador.

Land of If - Aubrey Millen
Hand drawn animated story combining cel frame, puppet and flash animation techniques.

Flights of Creativity - Adrienne Mennitt
A study of the creative process - individual and collaborative drawing through video screen captures.
2007

Egghead - Drew Beebe and Amanda Wallas
Film Project using live action and animation exploring daydreaming.

Digital Marionette - Andrew Glenn
Russian literature performance piece incorporating real-time animation and live performance.

HapticSynth: An Interactive Music Environment - Ian Leue
Interactive, improvisational musical environment using force-feedback and a MIDI keyboard.

Starr Street - A multi-media representation of socio-economic influences on a neighborhood in New London - Lesley Siegel
Installation art using photography, GIS data and 3D Design.

Music Visualization - Nick Socha
Program analyzing and visualizing music through spectral representations.
2006

Maxamillion - Brendan Duffey
Animated 3D/2D comic book.

Vietnamese Culture - Nguyet Mai
Web site exploring urban vs. country life in Vietnam.

North Broughm Science - Rory Panagotopulos
Live action and animated film.

Scrap - Tim DeMaso, Brad Heacock, and Will Cook
Turn-based, computer-based strategy card game

Sculptichture - Eric Stepick Ayers
3D/2D sculpture in an architectural setting

Illu-Zyon - Hale Ekinci
Video and animation installation exploring dreams and reality
2005

Integrative Modern Art Gallery - Anna Magliaro
Expanded Gallery experience exploring Modern Art. Explores modern art techniques

Online Political Meeting Space - Eve Southworth
Designing a virtual government, called "People States of America", mimicking US government. Participants can vote, discuss, propose legislation to create and modify the virtual government

Improvisational Digital Sound Processing - Jeremy Palumbo
Design of an interactive instrument that plays and manipulates ambient and electronic sounds in real-time. It also interacts with other performers. Tool will be designed for novice to expert users, and simulates live DJ experience

Elemental - Jason Feldman
Computer game generation project. Program that creates computer games based on user input defining elements of the game
2004

Ear-Con - Kofi Ampaw
Virtual reality navigation using sound

Haptic Bow - Yubo Bao
Haptic simulation of a violin bow

Abstract Visualization of Altered Perceptions - Rachel Grossinger
Film

Awake - Ben Insler
Film incorporating Special Effects and Animation

I Like the Way You Move - Jordan Klopf
Animation exploring types of human motion/body type

Rhythmic Complexity Composer - Dan McKay
Music education software

Visualization of an Essay - Dessi Peeva
Visualization using virtual reality, haptics and sound

Evolution of Technology - David Strick
Animated Film exploring the Evolution of Technology
2003

Sonic Lighting - Terry Guldimann
Sound localization of the stage

O'Keeffe Paradox - Francis Stansky
An interactive dance/computer performance

Eye Music - Jeanne Stern
Art/music/computer interaction
2002

Perspective - Deven Sisler
An original play which explores the human creative process; includes animation

Interactive Dance - Milan Pradhan
Interactive dance performance of Bharatnatyam; uses live video; animation; and audio

Funland - Eric Mattes
An original virtual reality, 3D game

The Match - Robbie Guertin
A Maya animation of a ping pong match

e-zone - Omer Salam
An interactive mathematics website for middle school students

Nepali Text - Alok Shrestha
Interactive web site teaching the Nepali language and fonts

Infinity 1: Mission to Europa - Ben Szlyk
Images illustrating a children's book

A Haptic Game - Maikang Wu
A game exploring the relationships among haptics (force feedback), vision, and musical tones
2001

Evan Allen '01
Installation exploring time and space, inspired by a personal feeling of displacement. It is about the viewer's experience of traveling within this unusual, unknown, temporary location

Chris Eramo '01
Creation of bronze sculptures through the use of a 3D modeling package and force feedback
2000

Thank Goodness for Glass - Teresa Bonillo '00
A character animation. The original is rendered in Maya

New London: Then and Now - Ben Robinson '00
Photographic survey of the city of New London, Connecticut; compares the architecture of New London at the beginning to that at the end of the twentieth century

Knots in Wood - Tim Gayhart '00
A site on poetry with original works. The site includes readings and 3D navigation in VRML

Mooncalfe Charlie - Matt Maher '00
Character animation of a lizard encountering an embarrassing situation
1999

Millenia - Janet E. Esquirol '99
On-line catalog documenting the senior art majors for 1999

Regeneration - Melissa A. Nelson '99
Visual and acoustic representation of man's necessary sanctuary, Nature

Pittoresque - Ioulia Popenko '99
Virtual reality walk-through of a world depicting the lamps of Pittoresque

MIDI Composer - Chris North '99
Software program to create original MIDI compositions
1998

Adinkra - Rebecca Lord '98
A website portraying the visual significance, history and ethnography of Adinkra symbols from Ghana, West Africa

William Blake - Chip Beauvais '98
Virtual reality walk-through of "The Poison Tree" from Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
1997

Virtual Lighter - Gill Potter '97
A Windows computer program for the control of theatrical lighting and special effects