Posts tagged movement
Coming to CU: High-tech hallucinogenic "Swarm Wall"
Jun 4th
A monthlong summer exhibit at the University of Colorado Boulder Art Museum will feature a dynamic new media composition based on innovative robotics technology.
Called “Swarm Wall,” the large-scale interactive piece displays changing fields of color, light and sound that are driven by a distributed form of artificial intelligence.
As many as 70 intelligent “nodes” behind the piece create a swarming effect when they detect movement and communicate it with one another. The nodes exhibit swarm behavior because each performs actions solely based on its own plan and the actions of its immediate neighbors.
The 42-by-12-foot installation is the first product from a new art and technology research group on campus. The group was launched by faculty members Michael Theodore of the College of Music, who received a $44,000 grant from CU’s Innovative Seed Grant Program last year to support the collaboration, and Nikolaus Correll of the computer science department.
Also involved in the Swarm Wall is Ken Sugawara, a visiting computer science professor from Tohuku Gakuin University in Japan who is an expert in animal flocking behavior, the inspiration behind the patterns the wall displays.
The seed grant, which Correll and Theodore say already has helped them attract additional funding, was the first step toward establishing an active lab where students, faculty and professional researchers from various disciplines collaborate on cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence.
“We’re now calling it the ‘if’ lab because we want to see what happens if artists put engineers in front of tough problems,” said Correll, who is providing space for the growing group within his own robotics laboratory in the Engineering Center at CU-Boulder.
“We want to assemble some basic, inexpensive tools that students can use to explore and to develop new applications of robotics,” Correll said.
Scattered around the lab last week were a collection of small custom circuit boards, electronic panels, items resembling ping pong balls and various other components that are being used to assemble robotic devices.
An assembly of circuit boards connected with bright orange cables also was mounted on a partition in the lab in preparation for the installation of Swarm Wall. Small mechanical arms or flippers waved back and forth as the “brains” behind the Swarm Wall were tested. Sometimes the movement was synchronized, while other times a ripple effect would occur in response to some stimuli.
“Artistic exploration can help computer scientists and engineers to ask questions they wouldn’t have otherwise asked,” said Theodore, who also serves as director of the ATLAS Center for Media, Arts and Performance.
“The difference between arts and science is very diffuse; both want to discover new things,” Theodore said. “The cool thing about art is that we can explore systems that are not of interest to classical funding agencies, but might be so after maturing in a lab like the ‘if’ lab.”
Swarm Wall is one of four pieces in “Michael Theodore: Field Theory,” an exhibition of kinetic sculpture, sound, lighting and works on paper, running June 15 through July 14 at the CU Art Museum. The exhibition is free and open to the public. An opening reception will be held on June 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. For additional information, visitors may call the CU Art Museum at 303-492-8300 or go to http://cuartmuseum.colorado.edu.
Big Bank of America protest in Boulder, U.S.
May 8th
The organizers’ rationale is this: While Bank of America’s CEO and shareholders meet in Charlotte, NC, tomorrow, the 99% is taking to the streets across the nation to protest BofA. As the economy declined, BofA made millions in profits by dodging taxes and foreclosing on homes, which hit communities of color especially hard. Bad publicity is like kryptonite to big corporations—that’s why thousands of people are protesting, marching, and raising our voices in solidarity to draw the media’s attention to BofA’s shameless practices. Nearly 200 communities are standing up to Bank of America this week, and there’s one near you.>
Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. and accused of many of the same accusations that Bank of America faces.
For more info, email at moveon-help@list.moveon.org
Martin Luther King Day, Monday Boulder Event by Barrack Obama 2012 Election Campaign
Jan 11th
Friend –Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is this Monday, and we’re commemorating it over the next several days with service opportunities to help build the kind of future that he envisioned.
Some of us will be pitching in at food and clothing drives. Others will help out with neighborhood cleanup, education projects, blood drives, or other events. This movement has always been about more than winning one election. It’s about empowering others and strengthening the communities where we live. There’s a chance to get involved in Boulder on Monday. Can you join? What: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event in BoulderWhere: 1107 pearl st
Boulder, CO 80302 When: Monday, January 16th When President Obama dedicated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in D.C., he reminded us that change never comes quickly or easily — it requires determination and relentlessness in the face of adversity. The work we do is about reshaping our communities and our nation for the better. As we remember Dr. King and honor his legacy, let’s get out in our neighborhoods and fight for the causes we share and a country where everyone has a fair shot. I hope you can join the service event this Monday: http://my.barackobama.com/MLK-Day-Service Thanks, Michael Michael Blake P.S. — If you can’t make it to this event, please consider finding other service opportunities at www.serve.gov— it’s a great website that helps volunteers find ways to get involved in their area. |