My work is an exploration of the intersection of art and technology, and the most basic elements that contribute to each. By manipulating and questioning the fundamental building blocks that define audio and visual technology, I aim to gain greater understanding of how these pieces fit together and affect the personal experience of technology and art. Moreover, I hope to explore the linearity of modern audio and video formats, and how their decomposition can affect human perception.

Through the use of pixel analysis, sound waves, and grid-based interfaces, each of my works attempts to look at some aspect of technology in a new and different light. By revealing these components from a new perspective, each piece in turn allows the viewers to reassess their relationship with technology, and how it integrates into their day to day lifestyle.

My work focuses on themes of time, fragmentation, and individual perception.  It attempts to challenge conventions of these themes by putting control in the hands of multiple users, and requiring users to understand how their perception is affected not only by their own contribution to the piece, but the collective presence of the piece in combination with the time, space, and other individuals who are present.

The Density Of Information, 2012:

A forthcoming project, The Density Of Information is an interactive exploration of the large volumes of electronic media created daily, and their increasingly impenetrable depth.

Project Site:
http://www.thedensityofinformation.com

GridMusic, 2011:


GridMusic is a one hour large-scale sound installation and performance intended to represent the pedestrian dynamics of a public space in auditory form. Using a digital camera as a sensor, the piece divides the space into a grid, each square of which has a binary state based on whether or not pedestrian movement is occurring at that moment. This binary grid is then fed into a custom sound engine which creates generative audio from raw sine waves based on the state of the grid.

Over the course of the piece’s duration, the generative audio gradually transforms to represent activity within the space, and creates an audio portrait of the space that is unique in space and time. By adopting this new perspective on public space, we can more easily understand how pedestrian dynamics are fluid, while simultaneously adhering to trends and patterns based on time and activity.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/34795964

Audio:
Open House Gallery, 5/15/2012, 8PM
Grand Central Terminal, 4/27/2011, 9PM

Exhibited:

• Open House Gallery, "GridMusic", NYC : May 2011

LoungeAct, 2011:


Lounge Act is an interactive sound and video installation that uses multi-tracked version of popular music compositions to address the transitory nature of composition and musical creation. The process begins with a mapping of each track of a recording to a specific region of a bar, cafe, or other public space. As individuals enter or exit this mapped region, the associated track is activated or deactivated, respectively, and its state is represented by a projected data visualization. The user then becomes the de facto “DJ”, manipulating the mix with their physical presence.

The resultant mix of the audio over a local PA is a completely unique representation of the musical composition in question, created in real time by the occupants of the installation’s area. This real-time mix reveals previously hidden facets of the recorded tracks, encourages interaction of the space’s population, and questions the permanence of mixing as a compositional tool.

Headroom mk. 2, collaboration with Luis Violante, 2010:


Headroom Mk. 2 is an iteration on the original Headroom project. Tasked with “removing all technology” from the original Headroom as a classroom exercise, Headroom Mk. 2 is the result. A collaboration with fellow student
Luis Violante, the piece forgoes digital cameras in favor of double sided mirrors, and grid resolution in favor of varied holes in those mirrors.

As users sit on either side of the installation, they are confronted with their own reflection, and the simultaneous presence of their compatriot through the mirror’s holes. This recreates the personal perception phenomena of the original Headroom, as the user must negotiate the reality of their combined facial features.

In situ, Headroom Mk. 2 encouraged even more interaction than its precursor, due to the immediacy of the individuals being directly across from each other. The absence of technology changed users’ behavior, as they focused more on the interaction, and less on the use of devices. In doing so, it illustrated that technology is merely a tool like any other, and that human perception is fundamental to any experience.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/18486164

Exhibited:

• 319 Scholes, "Spring Not Winter", Brooklyn, NY: March 2011
• ITP , "Winter Show", NYC: December 2010

Sine Beats, 2010:


Sine Beats is a live performance piece consisting of halogen lights, and layered single-tone sine waves. These elements are combined using a set of custom controllers, each one associated with a light and tone pair. The controller is adjusted in real time to gradually layer the waves and create the phenomena of sine “beating” as the waves interact in both frequency and volume.

By adding and subtracting waves in real time, the piece calls to the observer’s attention the fundamental building blocks of sound, and the physical manifestation of wave
form synthesis. Simultaneously, the halogen lights strobe in sync with their associated frequency, further drawing the observer’s attention to the single tone waves, and their interaction over the course of the performance.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/18183075

Exhibited:

• Glasslands, "NIME", Brooklyn, NY: December 2010

Headroom, 2010:


Headroom is an interactive installation that juxtaposes the features of two individuals using a pixel based grid. The piece consists of a monitor, two helmets mounted with digital cameras, and a controller that adjusts the resolution of the grid. Using the controller one of the users, or a third individual, can adjust the resolution of the grid and explore the intersection of the features and behavior of two individuals.

Headroom seeks not only to combine the facial features of two individuals, but also to encourage the playful interaction that results when two individuals experience a “shared” face. Using a basic grid format, the piece encourages users to contemplate perceptions of their appearance and the appearance of others, and how the two are connected.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/12063167

Exhibited:

• ITP, "Winter Show", NYC: May 2010

I have been an avid musician all of my life, and in the process have taken on my share of instruments, ranging from voice, to piano, to guitar, to clarinet.  Combined with my never-ending penchant for composition, these instrumental skills have resulted in a wide variety of performances including rock bands, bluegrass ensembles, computer-based generative audio, and solo work.

Grid Music, 2011

Sine Beats, 2010

Selected Solo Work, 1997-Present

Solo Collaboration with the West Nile Ramblers, 2006

Squid Hickeys, 2004-2006

Room314, 2002-2004

In addition to my artistic and professional pursuits, I have also worked on a wide range of projects focused neither on utility nor expression.  These projects aim to explore the potential of technology, and create new ways to interact.

Mimic, collaboration with Luis Violante, 2010


Mimic is a robot that uses basic physical gesture and a single LED to represent a wide range of emotional states.  Mimic is intended to demonstrate the simplicity of basic emotion, and how it can be easily represented through basic gestures.

Mimic uses a robotic mechanism primarily designed by Luis Violante. Once designed, Luis and I then collaborated by assembling the mechanism, and iterating on the emotional implications of gesture.  We took these gestures, and created a behavior map for the robot.

I then wrote a controller for the robot, using camera vision, and the two servos and one tri-color LED in the mechanism. Using OpenCV, the camera detected faces and computed length of interaction for each face.  Based on this interaction, Mimic's state would change accordingly.

Mimic can exhibit up to 7 emotional states, including confused, angry, happy, pleased, sad, attentive, and searching. The entry into these states is based on human interaction with the mechanism.

Video:
Mimic - Pleased
Mimic - Sad
Mimic - Angry
Mimic - Confused
Mimic - Excited
Mimic - Searching
Mimic - Attentive

ITPlant, collaboration with Patricia Adler, 2010


ITPlant is an attempt to anthropomorphize the emotions contained in email communication.  Combined with a physical design and mechanism by Patricia Adler, I wrote an analysis mechanism for received emails. This analysis used word counts and categorization to create an emotional score for the plant's state.  This score was then converted into a set of commands for the mechanism.  Using a servo and a tri-color LED, the plant's state can be easily changed. The plant can exhibit one of six emotional states, depending on the content of the email it receives.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/18417364

Exhibited:
ITP Winter Show, 2010

Audio Puzzle, 2009


Audio Puzzle uses physical puzzle pieces to engage the user with a piece of music, while at the same time questioning the constraints of composition. Using the physical interface, the user can opt to either "solve" the puzzle, by putting the pieces an order that represents the original composition, or to remix the original composition with their own ordering of pieces.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/35579301

I have been actively engaged as a photographer for most of my life.  The capture of light on to a physical medium is an always evolving pursuit in my world.  I began shooting on a Nikon Nikkormat as a child, and have graduated through the years to new and successive formats. Today, I shoot largely digital on a Nikon D300, focusing mainly my personal pursuits and  photo journalism of live rock music.  This has yielded a variety of projects where I've been lucky enough to get some of my shots in the public eye. My personal work can be seen here, while many of my concert photos can be found at the Hippies Are Dead photo archive.

Selected Published Work:

Conde Nast Traveler UK, "What's Cooking In Havana", November 2011

NY Daily News, 2011

BOMBLOG, 2010

David Byrne Concert Poster, 2009

davidbyrne.com 2008, 2009

Better Propaganda, 2009

JamBase, 2008

Over the course of my professional and personal explorations, I have produced a number of long form pieces.  Those that may be of interest to others, or have some lasting relevance, can be downloaded below in PDF format.

• ITP Thesis: GridMusic (2011)
  
• Rigorous Composition: Glenn Branca and the Art of Unwritten Noise (2010)
• The Inner Light: Spirituality, Art and Expression in the Modern Era (2010)
• The Open-Source Movement: An Introduction for Forestry Professionals (Proctor et al, 2003)
• COLE: A Web-based Tool for Interfacing with Forest Inventory Data (Proctor et al, 2002)
  

All materials ©2002-2012 Patrick Proctor

Following four years in Oberlin College's Computer Science department, I have spent more than 10 years professionally engaged with technology on a daily basis.  This has included work as a software engineer, program manager, recording engineer, and data visualization consultant.

SY Partners, Tools & Technology Team, application developer, 2011-Present

BirchBox, Intern in Online Marketing and Data Analysis, 2010-2011

Ok Go, Intern in Online Presence and Marketing, 2010

Dolby Digital Cinema, contributing software engineer, 2006-2009

University of California at Davis, contributing programmer, 2004-2006

NCASI COLE Carbon Estimator, contributing developer, 2001-2004

Microsoft Corporation, Intern In Program Management, 1999, 2000

Empire State Blog

Empire State Blog calls attention to the all-encompassing presence of the Empire State Building throughout New York City. By photographing and documenting the building from a variety of perspectives on a daily basis, the project attempts to show how the building is ever-present the lives of New Yorkers throughout the city, regardless of borough or neighborhood.

Hippies Are Dead

Hippies Are Dead is a photo journalism focused music blog based in New York City. Originally created in San Francisco, the blog expanded to New York when I relocated to attend ITP.  Now with staff on both coasts, HAD continues to deliver a curated daily music selections, along with coverage of live gigs in both cities.

Hippies Are Dead Records

A spinoff of Hippies Are Dead, Hippies Are Dead Records is an independent record label curated and maintained by the staff of HAD.  HADR current has two bands on its roster, both California based:  Grand Lake and The Heavenly States.

I am currently based in New York City.

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