Mechanical Storytelling is a customizable storytelling device that allows the user to create narratives by animating objects on a stage using a combination of movements that are built into the device.
Mechanical Storytelling is based on the concept of automata. What is an automaton? According to Automata and Mechanical Toys, “People are often puzzled about the meaning of the word ‘automata,’ but they usually know what a ‘mechanical toy’ is… Do automata bear any resemblance to … wind-up toys? The answer is that they do indeed – only more so. Automata are distinguished from mechanical toys by the cycle and complexity of their movement. … Automata were programmed to execute a series of complicated movements within a time span.” (Automata and Mechanical Toys, by Rodney Peppé, The Crowood Press, 2002).
The experience of playing with or even just watching automata can be magical for people because a very simple action – such as turning a handle – can bring about an unexpectedly complex series of movements. The hidden mystery of automata lies in its complicated set of internal mechanisms – these are what make this transference of energy from the simple to the complex possible. Inspired by this principle of unexpected outcomes that emerge from a simple input motion, Mechanical Storytelling is designed to allow the user to create complex, evocative movements simply by rearranging a set of modular input controls.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Relevant Background
“Automata give the artist the extra dimension of time to tell its story or perform its intended function.” – Frank Nelson (Automata and Mechanical Toys, by Rodney Peppé, The Crowood Press, 2002)
“At best a simple image will expand into a story, or stories. People will often remember a successful piece as having a lot more complicated movements than it really has. Once the illusion of animation takes hold, the gaps get filled in, the stories grow.” – Robert Race (Automata and Mechanical Toys, by Rodney Peppé, The Crowood Press, 2002)
Contemporary automaton is a unique art form for creating narratives with physical objects. Of the artists currently working in this vein I have been inspired most by the automaton artist Paul Spooner and his work Barecats (created in collaboration with Matt Smith). This work is humorous and deceptively simple, but the mechanisms are exquisitely designed and its workings are exposed so that the user can see them in operation.
Influenced by Spooner’s work, as well as other contemporary automata, I have built a mechanical wooden face that utilizes physical mechanisms to tell a story. This work consists of two parts: a wooden face (with seven moving parts) and a conveyor-belt type of mechanism made of 15 wooden panels and a series of ridges of various sizes that control the movements of the wooden face. The eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, and jaw of the face are all connected to wooden shafts that move up and down when the conveyor belt is turned and the ridges push the shafts up and release them back down. Thus the simple action of turning the conveyor belt can change the expression of the wooden face completely. (This is similar in principle to the way a music box works.) There is also a series of speech bubbles (also attached to moving wooden parts) that are triggered by the movement of the conveyor belt. As the user turns the belt, a conversation begins. There are a series of phrases printed on the wooden panels of the conveyor belt that the user can say out loud as he or she is turning the belt. A speech bubble is timed to pop up when the belt is turned to a certain point past the phrase, so that the illusion of a dialogue is created. For example, the user would read the phrase “Hi there! How are you?”, as she turns the belt, and as she keeps turning, the wooden face’s expression changes to one of surprise, and a speech bubble pops up with the phrase “Stranger! Stranger!”.
The user-operated conveyor-belt mechanism in this wooden face project seems to be unique in the field of contemporary automata and is applicable to other automata systems. I would like to keep working with this type of mechanism and develop it further to allow for more dynamic interactivity.
“At best a simple image will expand into a story, or stories. People will often remember a successful piece as having a lot more complicated movements than it really has. Once the illusion of animation takes hold, the gaps get filled in, the stories grow.” – Robert Race (Automata and Mechanical Toys, by Rodney Peppé, The Crowood Press, 2002)
Contemporary automaton is a unique art form for creating narratives with physical objects. Of the artists currently working in this vein I have been inspired most by the automaton artist Paul Spooner and his work Barecats (created in collaboration with Matt Smith). This work is humorous and deceptively simple, but the mechanisms are exquisitely designed and its workings are exposed so that the user can see them in operation.
Influenced by Spooner’s work, as well as other contemporary automata, I have built a mechanical wooden face that utilizes physical mechanisms to tell a story. This work consists of two parts: a wooden face (with seven moving parts) and a conveyor-belt type of mechanism made of 15 wooden panels and a series of ridges of various sizes that control the movements of the wooden face. The eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, and jaw of the face are all connected to wooden shafts that move up and down when the conveyor belt is turned and the ridges push the shafts up and release them back down. Thus the simple action of turning the conveyor belt can change the expression of the wooden face completely. (This is similar in principle to the way a music box works.) There is also a series of speech bubbles (also attached to moving wooden parts) that are triggered by the movement of the conveyor belt. As the user turns the belt, a conversation begins. There are a series of phrases printed on the wooden panels of the conveyor belt that the user can say out loud as he or she is turning the belt. A speech bubble is timed to pop up when the belt is turned to a certain point past the phrase, so that the illusion of a dialogue is created. For example, the user would read the phrase “Hi there! How are you?”, as she turns the belt, and as she keeps turning, the wooden face’s expression changes to one of surprise, and a speech bubble pops up with the phrase “Stranger! Stranger!”.
The user-operated conveyor-belt mechanism in this wooden face project seems to be unique in the field of contemporary automata and is applicable to other automata systems. I would like to keep working with this type of mechanism and develop it further to allow for more dynamic interactivity.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Background Context - Book
Cabaret Mechanical Movement – Understanding Movement and Making Automata / by Aidan Lawrence Onn & Gray Alexander
Automata triggered my interest but this book makes me actually do this kind of work. Even though, in my mind, I had a moving object that I want to build, I did not know where I could start. I was able to start building moving objects because this book helped me specify the mechanisms that I wanted to build. This book is just a normal reference book. In the first chapter, it is talking about a light introduction to the history and principles of movement and followed chapters are showing different types of mechanisms. Also each of these contains the basic theory and practical tips. This book is very easy to follow because the whole book is illustrated and many examples help to understand confused concepts easily. Here is an actual work out of one of examples of this book.
Automata triggered my interest but this book makes me actually do this kind of work. Even though, in my mind, I had a moving object that I want to build, I did not know where I could start. I was able to start building moving objects because this book helped me specify the mechanisms that I wanted to build. This book is just a normal reference book. In the first chapter, it is talking about a light introduction to the history and principles of movement and followed chapters are showing different types of mechanisms. Also each of these contains the basic theory and practical tips. This book is very easy to follow because the whole book is illustrated and many examples help to understand confused concepts easily. Here is an actual work out of one of examples of this book.
Background Context - The project by someone else
“My reasons for taking up automata making were rooted in those interests at collage, which I think derive partly from a nerdish concern with machines for their own sake but also from the wish o convey meanings- the mechanism being the medium through which a story or joke or told, adding action to plot and character.” -Paul Spooner
Video
The initial interest of the moving objects started from contemporary automata.Compared with traditional automata, contemporary ones emphasis more on art, rather than technological sophistication. That is what I like about contemporary automata; they are complicated but it is challenge enough to find out the behind mechanisms unlike traditional ones, which is too complicated and technical to approach. Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, which is a collection of contempory automata, represents big amount of contemporary automata.
This work is made by Paul Spooner (collaboration with Matt Smith), who is one of the famous contemporary automata makers. The title of this work is ‘Barecats’, which is the name of the symbol of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s ‘Barecat’. There are three aspects that inspired my project.
First, the design of the scene, in other words the narrative that the artist want to say and the way it represents is very interesting. Even though the plot it shows is very sort but it is strong and humorous enough.
Second, the representation of the objects on the stage is very impressive. Moreover every part of the objects is simplified in the best way to fit in its movements.
Last, the movements of the objects are characterized very well. They are not as smooth as the ones from screen-based animations but those are more dynamic and tangible because they are happening in the physical world, the place where we exist.
The harmony of those three aspects, which are scene, character and movement, makes a perfet narrative. Also I am very interested in figuring out the mechanisms that make everything happen.
Video
The initial interest of the moving objects started from contemporary automata.Compared with traditional automata, contemporary ones emphasis more on art, rather than technological sophistication. That is what I like about contemporary automata; they are complicated but it is challenge enough to find out the behind mechanisms unlike traditional ones, which is too complicated and technical to approach. Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, which is a collection of contempory automata, represents big amount of contemporary automata.This work is made by Paul Spooner (collaboration with Matt Smith), who is one of the famous contemporary automata makers. The title of this work is ‘Barecats’, which is the name of the symbol of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s ‘Barecat’. There are three aspects that inspired my project.
First, the design of the scene, in other words the narrative that the artist want to say and the way it represents is very interesting. Even though the plot it shows is very sort but it is strong and humorous enough.
Second, the representation of the objects on the stage is very impressive. Moreover every part of the objects is simplified in the best way to fit in its movements.
Last, the movements of the objects are characterized very well. They are not as smooth as the ones from screen-based animations but those are more dynamic and tangible because they are happening in the physical world, the place where we exist.
The harmony of those three aspects, which are scene, character and movement, makes a perfet narrative. Also I am very interested in figuring out the mechanisms that make everything happen.
Mechanical storytelling - Proposal
I will create a moving (animated) object, which is representing a narrative. There are mainly two big concepts; a moving object and a storytelling. Initially the Idea of mechanical storytelling is from automata.
According to the book named “Automata and Mechanical toys”, it says automata are programmed to execute a series of complicated movements within a time span.
A common way to generate the automata is turning a handle and this action creates the energy to trigger all mechanisms move the automata. All mechanisms make everything so magical. That is one of things that I like about automata also I want to explore for making a moving object.
Also as long as the object is moving, it has a timeline as the quote said which means the moving object has a big possibility to be able to represent a narrative.
I am planning to make a scene with several moving objects. To do that, I need to focus on how to represent the situation that I want by characterizing objects and their movements. I will focus on figuring out a good combination of mechanisms and a story and develop my own style from the established automata.
According to the book named “Automata and Mechanical toys”, it says automata are programmed to execute a series of complicated movements within a time span.
A common way to generate the automata is turning a handle and this action creates the energy to trigger all mechanisms move the automata. All mechanisms make everything so magical. That is one of things that I like about automata also I want to explore for making a moving object.
Also as long as the object is moving, it has a timeline as the quote said which means the moving object has a big possibility to be able to represent a narrative.
I am planning to make a scene with several moving objects. To do that, I need to focus on how to represent the situation that I want by characterizing objects and their movements. I will focus on figuring out a good combination of mechanisms and a story and develop my own style from the established automata.
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