Early each morning Allistar staggers to his home office/studio in Brooklyn NY to start work on projects at hand, this may be web design, sound creation or design, video editing and / or responding to emails from past and future projects - all while thinking of ideas for his next venture. He is anxious to sift through world news, often attracted to new technological and biological innovations, along with human atrocities and political missteps. He’s been to many places around the world and hopes to visit many lifetime.

Born on the island of Trinidad in Port-of-Spain, he is the first of five children. Very early on he developed drawing skills, replicating everything he can, and later in high school picked up painting along with his affinity for science and engineering, and tinkering with any and everything requiring a screwdriver to hack open. After graduating high school at age 16 he fell in love and pursued a career in music. This was inevitable because his father is also a musician.

Upon landing in the United States at the age of 19, Allistar attended college to pursue an Engineering degree but was derailed by the call of music once again. He later changed colleges and received a BM in Jazz Music Composition and Audio Engineering in Long Island NY. Since then he’s produced a few musical works for film, animation and harmonic electronic music along with a few ballads. Allistar Peters has a few IMDB mentions along with media coverage of his wearable projects highlighting surveillance.

After working in finance and news Photojournalism he felt the need to strengthen his knowledge and skill-set so he attended New York University where he obtained his Masters in Interactive Telecommunication (ITP). There he also stumbled into the world where Technology kisses Art. With this new attraction Allistar applied his knowledge and has produced works that reflect his passions while being conscious of the world around him. At the end he hopes to trigger a smile on people faces while drumming up awareness of social topics while exercising his creative hand.

Allistar’s current pursuits include Art Installations, use of Solar technology as a new household source of energy and beautification, web design - both User Experience (UX) and front-end and designing spaces and gadgets aimed at making people feel better. He is also constantly looking for new creative ventures, immersing himself and absorbing new information whilst increasing his knowledge pool. He gets the job done!

Allistar’s skill set includes but not limited to:
• Web and Interface User Experience Design (UX) - Graphic Design
• Physical User Interaction Design / Components Prototyping
• HTML – CSS – FLASH – AS2/AS3 – PHP - Processing, Java, MAX MSP/Jitter
• Sound Design - Audio Engineering
• Electronic Music Composition – Sound for Film Design
• Video Design - Editing - Composition
• Management and Collaboration

February
Animated by: Xue Hou
Music by: Allistar D. Peters

Here goes

Subjects were apparently given electric shocks

“Decades after a notorious experiment, scientists have found test subjects are still willing to inflict pain on others - if told to by an authority figure.” US researchers repeated the famous “Milgram test“, with volunteers told to deliver electrical shocks to another volunteer - played by an actor. Even after faked screams of pain, 70% were prepared to increase the voltage, the American Psychology study found. Both may help explain why apparently ordinary people can commit atrocities. To read further go to BBC’s site.

]]> http://omorphy.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=92 http://omorphy.com/blog/?p=91 http://omorphy.com/blog/?p=91#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:47:44 +0000 Allistar ITP Networked Objects http://omorphy.com/blog/?p=91

Blowing Kisses
A collaboration with Allistar D. Peters & Amanda O’Brien

Blowing Kisses is a person-to-person communication device activated by blowing a kiss. Each device has a breathing(pulsing) light base and a pinwheel and communicates wirelessly with each other. The object is to send a kiss to a loved one on the receiving end, which is indicated via the breathing light - Think of when you see the flashing light on your answering machine, just that you know who the message is from and the light is soothing to the eyes and the thought soothing to the heart.
The breathing light message comes in many colors which is dependent on the level of effort made by the sender, your loved one when they blow on the pinwheel attached to the device.

Here is the initial color code:

To send a Steaming RED one have to really put effort into blowing which, after many user testing, left a few light-heading and giddy. This is synonymous to how some people feel when they are in love.

We see these devices serving people who are in long distant relationships and in different time zones. Imagine waking up or coming home to a kiss. A gentle light in your dim cosy space, something which expresses someone special thinking of you.

During the show most people loved the product and really got the concept. It’s simple, it represents something pleasant and it makes people smile.

I would like to develop and enhanced version of this product and see if users change its use. Maybe it can serve as a distance romance tool for the deaf or reactive mood decoration. Maybe having a wireless meshed network of blowing kisses might light up a town one night reminding us that love is in the air.

Allistar

Here’s the schematic and components used:

More info about project to come…

Synapsis: Character-driven satirical drama about a young, extraordinarily intellectual black activist wannabe who is discovered as the political critic sending out anonymous emails that criticize todays black leadership. Instead of holding it against him, the black leader who finds him out hires his worst critic as a second adviser.

Flow From Far - an animation from Lucia Jeesun Lee. Music created and mixed by Allistar D. Peters

Alone: A film by Clayton Broomes Jr.

Music scored and played by Allistar D. Peters

The Dead Guy: by Clayton Broomes, Jr.

The Dead Guy

For more musical works from Allistar visit: Omorphy’s Audio

More info to come…

Some of the crits I received was expected because my visuals were still in development, and encouraging because they saw value in aspects I took for granted. One of the comments I received was the meaning of the colors in my visuals with respect to sound information. I am now mapping the data derived from frequency and amplitude only. Other comments I received was interest in my process of collecting the sounds at Union Square where I sat there for 17th hours. They here interested in listening to what I saw, felt, what was different verses the norm. I goes I tell a good story. Lauren even referred to me as an artists. But the meat of my process was the sound and what I can get from it. Before I was trying to extract localized information ( X, Y, Z coordinates based on recorded source ) from a binaural source recording and then visualize its position in the 3D plane. This cannot be achieved at this point in time due to the complexity of sound itself and our perception vs a computer algorithm. Here’s a break down of what I mean.

The sound we hear is influenced my many factors. First the location of sound relative to our ears is calculated in our brains after it’s received by each of our Auricles (Pinna) or the outer ear. This sound ( vibration) is trapped & funneled to the inner ear. This sound vibration is then converted into information filtered by the inner ear ( incus, Malleus, Semi-Circular Canals, Stapes, Cochlea ) and then transfered electrically to the brain via the auditory and vestibular nerves. <- Hope those were simple enough description.

Here's an image of the ear

But other factors help determine the localization (direction) of sound.
The distance between each ear affects the perceived arrival of the sound. Does it get to the left ear first or right ear? Does it sounds far away or very close?
Also, familiarity to sounds and visual cues help determine if the sound lives in ones relative space or a projection. What I mean here is that if we here a dog barking and it sounds really close, but your visual scope reveals there’s nothing within the space to verify that there is a dog in the immediate space, then it’s probably manufactured by an external source. Maybe a recording of some sort.
In terms of direction if we here a plane going by and we are in the middle of the city we know due to conditioning, familiarity, and process of deduction that the sound is coming from above - somewhere. It’s very difficult to perceive height distance.
Sound also changes tone over time reflected in distance. For instance we are all familiar with the Doppler effect named after Christian Doppler. This where a sound changes it’s frequency and wavelength due to changing distance relative to the listener. Think of a car horn which indicates that the car is coming towards you, it’s then at your location, then it away in the opposite direction. The original sound source, the horn, did not change. Only the conditions in which the sound has to travel relative to the listener at an inconstant distance compounded by the reflection of sound off the surface of it’s surroundings.

Car horn sound:

As you can hear and imagine there’s alot that needs to be calculated, memorized and recalled in order for us to go about our day with certainty. At least with respect to sound for those who aren’t hearing impaired. But let’s add to this, the complexity of many sounds happening at once and changing rapidly. Imagine yourself in a crowded room with a friend and everyone’s is talking. Think the bar. But you are able to hear your friend with some clarity. This process is called selective and adaptive hearing. Selective in that we focus our hearing on what’s meaningful at the time - the conversation, thus filtering out, or just turning down the volume on the other sounds around us. Adaptive meaning the sounds that does not add any meaning at all is ignored or masked out. For instance, the low hum of a generator barely audible but annoying the least if focused upon. We do this in order to secure our safety and quality of our everyday conduct. Of course we may not have control over very loud sounds or frequency irritating sounds. Think of the screeching of brakes from cars of the trains - that really urkes me. In that case we either change our environment, cover our ears or find some other distraction if applicable.

Screeching tires sound:

Inside Bar sound:

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How would one create a computer algorithm to compensate for all these factors? Forget algorithm how would one construct this process for a machine? Then there’s the nostalgia of a place which provokes a certain feeling which can be collectively agreed upon or just indiviualized based on personal reflection.

As you can see those were some of the challenges I am facing. How can I re-represent those facets of sound visually if I cannot effectively extract some of the basic components? And I am also employing the use of a Binaural recording source - two microphones place on opposite sides of the head. Improbable but not impossible. I do believe that research & technology would continue to take us into new directions and deliver new findings both imaginable and inconceivable. Who ever thought that man would fly clone an animal?

My thesis will be an ongoing addition to those who are interested and researching the the interest of sound localization.

Generated Visuals to come…

It is April 26th 2008, day of our final presentation for our class Sousveillance Culture. We are presenting at a conference hosted by Marisa Olsen, our professor, at The Change You Want to See Gallery.

Here’s the official flyer for the event…

We had a great line up and am proud of our classmates who did a phenomenal job. Click here for lineup…

We were a bit nervous at first but because not all pieces were tested at the space. He had a choreographed opening but due to the restricted space we changed it. This always happens. All went well except for the wireless camera not showing clearly in the monitor due to wave interference. I was at times picking up signals from television shows. This won’t happen once we switch over to all Digital TV signal…

Anyway, we were first in a panel of three under the title “Voyeurism vs. Exhibitionism: Online and In the Streets”. Very appropriate. Here’s the video of what we presented.

Here’s the MAX/MSP Patch we used to generate crossfade between Live and prerecorded video: Video Crossfade FileJust copy and paste into a New Patcher in Max/MSP/Jitter.

It was received and many thanks to Karla Quintero, a.k.a Gazelena for strutting her screen and cams. I would also like to thank Laura Moore, Pratt Design Professor who made the housing for the screen and assisted in the overall design process.

Here are some pics from conference:

Click Here to see all photos =>

During our presentation we focused on these points.

+ The Gaze

This concept is extended in the framework of feminist theory, where it can deal with how men look at women, how women look at themselves and other women, and the effects surrounding this… wikepedia

+ Voyeurism

I found this to be very enticing given that we all became voyeurs both willing and unknowing. Some would argue that when we portrayed Gazelena in public we provoked an environment of entrapment. But we use television as a window into the worlds of other, willingly and unknowingly. We can choose to look away but we often can’t. In my view Voyeurism has bled over into everyday displays of attention seeking, away from and in parallel with sexual pleasure and continues to converge on a growing segment of ages. I found these articles interesting.
Layers of Voyeurism
Cultural Voyeurism & Social Media
Here’s another article I found from the Internation Herald Tribune - Slum visits: Tourism or voyeurism? A bit of a stretch but valid food for thought.
And here’s another wikiped synapsis of Voyeurism with links.

+ Pleasure

I refer to Pleasure derived from the Gaze. The satisfaction or joy, even momentarily, one gets from the gaze. It can be as innocent of a unusual but pleasant sighting to uninvited erotic stimulation, event by comments made by mainly men who had something to say. I will leave this to your imagination on all fronts.
Stanford Encyclopedia’s take on Pleasure.
The pleasure seekers - An article from The New Scientist.
Laura Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema

+ Power

One question which came up was the ever shifting roles of Power, power between the Man and the Woman, between the Voyeur and the obsessively observed, the exhibitionist and the onlookers. Who has the power? Does having a camera give Gazelena the Power? The power to capture your gaze and show to the world? The Power to entice you to look? Who has the real Power? Men? Women? Both? I see a constant shift influenced my many internal and external factors. Hope this appetize’ your thoughts…
Another wikiped… entry Power

+ The Camera as the Eye

The Camera is the new EYE. It sees everything in it’s path non discriminatively. Some even has varying depth of field and focus. Surveillance cameras are everywhere recording our moments all for some detached personnel to review or monitor in realtime. We look in each other eyes, to verify someone’s sincerity, to validate trust, to secure the notion of ones love, to get one’s attention. The breast also attracts much attention. Some wanted and often loathed. Look at my eyes, not my assets. Maybe they do mimic the eyes. They are almost round, seemed to have a pupil and comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. We placed the cameras there on Gazelena to capture those glimpses and stares, and exposed to the world the lookers spontaneous intention. Is this entrapment?
Snippet I liked The Camera and the Eye

+ Exhibitionism

Now, sure there’s lots brewing in the mind by now on anticipation of this topic. When we think of exhibitionist we think someone exposing themselves in a sexually explicit way. in fact the clinical term for Exhibitionism is a mental disorder characterized by a compulsion to display one’s genitals to an unsuspecting stranger… - Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. But can one be an exhibitionist with there clothes on? again, in this day of new media and the acceptability of the exposed skin and body form I think we can extend the term Exhibitionism to the clothed and the visual sexual implicationist - Yeah! I made this word up. We can expose ourselves, our private selves in more ways having access to many mediums with the desire to attract attention, desired and unwanted, wet provoked. But think about it, and while you do check out.
Welcome to the Naked Generation
Chris Heathcote: Exhibitionists and Yoyeurs
At the end Gazelena who is deemed and exhibitionist became a Voyeur by virtue of the camera. These intermingling roles have found its way into the new social construct.

Looking forward to your comments and thoughts.
Hope to have the Voyeur Couture version of this project by years end.

Allistar is out….

By the way Laura and Edson did a great job with the head peach and the screen. Laura decided to outfit the housing in black which provided a great contrast to the white fitted unitard.

Here are some photos of the final assembly process.

Here are the rest of photos: =>