IVE is the union of a Processing sketch with several “sensor boxes” controlled by an Arduino microcontroller.
As users interact with the buttons and ultrasonic sensors mounted to these boxes, the display of the Processing sketch projected on a wall changes. Users can interact with what type of objects are drawn on the screen, where the objects are located, object colors, object velocities, and more. The point of this installation is to encourage cooperation between users in creating a dynamic piece of art.
The sketch portion of this exhibit was developed for Richie Hoagland, Creative Director at commercial/experimental game dev studio Super Soul. The exhibit was a part of his senior project for his art degree. A portion of this Lexington Herald Leader article briefly summarizes how the art display helped him along the path to starting his own game development firm:
Meister and Hoagland started working full-time at Super Soul after toiling on other technology-related projects and jobs for years.
Meister, 31, was programming public housing software when he met Hoagland, 29, at an interactive art exhibit at the Living Arts and Science Center in 2010.
Hoagland, an art major at the University of Kentucky, had created the exhibit as his senior project. The display let users create digital paintings using six sensors, with each sensor controlling a variable such as color or brush size.
Both had considered making games before, but it wasn’t until Meister’s technical know-how met Hoagland’s artistic vision that the they seriously began kicking around the idea of creating a new video game company.
Check out the gallery below for more information on IVE.
