A group of CU Boulder artists and technologists, many of whom share connections with the ATLAS Institute, contributed to the Museum of Boulder’s newest exhibit, “Convivial Machines,” which opened Saturday, Oct. 30.

The gallery showcase is the first museum installation for Boulder Experiments in Art and Technology (B.E.A.T), says the exhibit's curator, Jiffer Harriman (ATLS PhD '16), who started B.E.A.T. in 2019 to “foster creativity and collaboration at the intersection of art and technology.”  Museum visitors can expect to see a variety of interactive systems, including musical installations and video art, as well kinetic sculptures, digital games, bioluminescent algae and more, Harriman says.

“The exhibit highlights a local community of artists and creative technologists looking for new ways to see the world,” says Harriman. “It explores the differences and balance between what people do well—expressiveness and creativity—and what machines are good at–repetition and connection.”

One of the emerging themes of the show is the tension between the benefits that technology offers and the negative impacts, Harriman says. Some installations imagine new possibilities, while others point toward technology’s negative effects, including an installation of "useless boxes" that contain a single switch, which when turned on, is immediately switched off by a robotic finger, he adds.

The ATLAS Connection
Inspired by bioluminescent algae and the idea of engaging with something “live,” Harriman has blended research led by Mirela Alistar, assistant professor of computer science with the ATLAS Institute, into the installation. Alistar, also the director of the Living Matter Lab, and Netta Ofer, an ATLAS master’s student, have created an exhibit, “Bioluminescent Touch,” where visitors can interact in the darkness with dinoflagellates, algae that produce light when exposed to oxygen through physical stimulation.

“The bioluminescent response to human touch creates unexpected connection and empathy with the microorganism, drawing us into the wonder of communicating and interacting with nonhuman beings,” Ofer says.

Slaton Spangler, now a software engineer with LASP who, as an undergraduate majoring in computer science was a very active member of the BTU Lab, made the interactive installation, “Amorphous Breeze.” The piece displays a network of undulating “blobs” that fade in and out following a set of underlying rules. When a viewer presses a glowing green button, a fan in the real world appears to blow away the blobs, replacing them with new blobs that follow new rules. The patterns that emerge from the waves of blobs tend to be mesmerizing in the same fashion as a lava lamp, Spangler says.

Spangler also constructed the installation, “Clear the Void,” which uses an XBox Kinect to create an interactive space of digital images provided by Matt Corones, an ATLAS master's student (Creative Industries) in the ACME Lab, Dajira Medić, Jeanne Kipke, Andy DiLallo and Shannon Derthick. 

In a third installation, Spangler created a hardware platform to loop an installation of video art from the B.E.A.T. community that includes a range of experimental techniques and themes.

Priyanka Makin, an ATLAS master's student, fabricated the “Nature Mobile,” a kinetic sculpture of nature shapes that explores the future relationship between technology, engineering, art and nature. Makin used a laser cutter to cut the pieces and built and programmed the motor. With the help of natural sunlight in the lobby, the sculpture scatters colors throughout the entry to the museum.

Perry Owens, an undergraduate CTD student and member of the ACME Lab, created the sculpture, "The Future of Problem Solving," which expresses the duality between man and machine as they are tasked with solving a puzzle. To succeed, man and machine must achieve harmony through trust and coordination. Owens made the "human" from resin casts of his own hands. Using a 3D modeling software, he designed the mechanical arms and 3D printed them with fingers that can be posed. He also 3D printed the Rubik's cube, which can be rotated, and added a wooden exterior, while the LED-lined portals and mirrors were laser-cut.

"I imagine the future of our world is one in which there is collaboration between technology and humanity, instead of competition and war," Owens says. "This piece was fabricated using human skills combined with technology, akin to its message of unity between man and machine."

A collaborative effort of seven created the musical arcade, “Galaga's Ghost,” a multi-channel musical instrument that up to six people can play with buttons, joysticks and air guitar moves. The interactive musical composition was created by Sean Winters, a CMCI lecturer in the Department of Critical Media Practices who performs regularly in the ATLAS Black Box. Winters is also on the B2 advisory committee. Torin Hopkins, a PhD student in the ACME Lab and the instructor for the SOUND class, helped design the interface layout and assisted with the final fabrication of the piece. 

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An ATLAS PhD candidate, Harriman explains that Solarophone responds to fluctuations in light. Each of the almost-40 light sensors installed in the board is connected to a device in the surrounding structure. “Clouds, shadows and hands waved directly over the board elicit different responses. If you can cast a shadow, you can play it,” he jokes.

“Solarophone delights people of all ages,” says Kathy Lane, the programs, events and outreach coordinator for Boulder Public Library. “It’s transformed the Conoid entrance of the Main Library into a fun, interactive sound space.”

Such creative acoustic experimentation is nothing new to Harriman, who was recently named Boulder Public Library’s first maker-in-residence. He’s been exploring the use of interaction design technologies for music and art for years, and he’s worked under some of the most respected in his field, including MaxMSP author Miller Puckette, and Trimpin, a kinetic sculptor, sound artist and musician.

Harriman’s interest in the marriage of fabricated and found sound also went on display last fall in the ATLAS Black Box Experimental Studio as the SolidNoise Ensemble, which used digitally-controlled tapping, shaking and blowing to unearth musical potential in everyday objects. (The motley collection included a kitchen sink, a filing cabinet, a steel mailbox, an array of beer bottles, sheet metal and more besides.) In early summer, Harriman will be presenting a curated exhibit in the library’s Canyon Gallery, along with several local artists.

Harriman’s work revolves around a common theme of digitally-controlled sound immersion using new hardware designs to generate unexpected acoustic outcomes. The results resonate with his peculiar artistry, his technical virtuosity and his innovative creative vision. If you visit the library before the end of June, you should be able to catch this latest work;  and you’ll be in the loop the next time Harriman launches one of his musical creations.

By Grace Wilson

About the Artist
After earning a B.S. in electrical engineering from CU—Boulder, Harriman attended Stanford and completed a master’s in music, science and technology through the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He then returned to CU, where he joined the ATLAS Institute to begin his PhD, advised by Michael Theodore, director of the ATLAS Center for Media, Art and Performance and associate professor in the College of Music.

The video below currently lacks closed captions. If you need closed captions, please check back soon. We’ll definitely take care of this by Oct 7, 2017, probably much sooner. We apologize for the delay.

[video:https://vimeo.com/160650892]

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The kinetic sculptor came to the Black Box Theater at ATLAS the week of November 13 to lead a four-day workshop with ATLAS students and faculty. The collaboration culminated in a Black Box Studio performance for the public. The director of the Center for Media, Arts and Performance, Michael Theodore, called Trimpin an absolutely world-class artist, and entirely unique in both his technical knowledge and open source approach. Trimpin is focused on music, not who creates it, says Theodore. This is one reason Jiffer Harriman is so drawn to Trimpin. A CU-Boulder student and creator of another electronically-controlled acoustic ensemble called Solid Noise, Harriman says “Trimpin wants to share as much as he can.”

For Harriman, the experience was extremely rewarding and inspirational. Some of his Solid Noise work was incorporated into the final performance, and he learned a lot through the experience of working with Trimpin to make the show come together. Seeing the audience so engaged was fantastic, says Harriman. They were genuinely interested and intrigued, and asked lots of questions.

Most inspirational of all, Trimpin showed the ATLAS and CU-Boulder their potential. As Theodore puts it, “Not only did the participating students and faculty get a close-up look at the working methods of a brilliant artist, but he also showed us how much we can do ourselves. Trimpin was very impressed with our community of students and our facilities, and is eager to return for an even larger project in the future.”

The video below currently lacks closed captions. If you need closed captions, please check back soon. We’ll definitely take care of this by Oct 7, 2017, probably much sooner. We apologize for the delay.

[video:https://youtu.be/1ZgPx37vT1g]

University of Michigan STAMPS School of Art and Design capture part of a Trimpin installation.

Written by Grace Wilson, photograph by Ira Liss

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