Our Experience

• Graphic, UX/UI & web design
• Creative coding
• Projection mapping
• Software development
• Electronics

.. as well as

• Creating interactive installations
• Curating A/V events
• Organizing workshops

Krisjanis Rijnieks

• Works in new media field since 2002
• openFrameworks
• Raspberry Pi
• Projection Mapping
• Generative visuals with projection mapping
• Developer of the ofxPiMapper

• Author of the book Cinder—Begin Creative Coding
• Curretly is finishing MA studies in New Media at the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture
• Studied conceptual painting and multimedia at the Brera Academy in Milan and Art Academy of Latvia (BA)

Irina Spicaka

• A New Media Artist working in the field since 2005
• Focusing on interaction between an artwork,
  space and audience
• Currently is working with 3-dimensional forms,
  video, sound design
• Applying generative approach in
  projection mapping installations
• Graphic, UX & Web Designer
• working for startups and tech platforms
• Lately have been focusing on web,
  app and brand development

• Holds higher certificate in User Experience Design from the CareerFoundry
• Holds diploma in "Programming, Synthesis and Signal Processing in Max/MSP" which gained at the Norwegian music and technology centre NOTAM
• Studied experimental media at the Brera Academy in Milan
• MA in media, arts and design from the Art Academy of Latvia
• Attended many workshops related to sound, live visuals, creative programming, electronics for artists, digital fabrication at various festivals, open tech schools, fab labs and conferences in Europe

We both together

• Founders of the non-profit organisation Metasphere that aims to contribute in electronic audiovisual culture development in Latvia, promote Latvian audiovisual culture artifacts in Latvia and abroad, promote experience exchange in Latvia and international context
• Founders of the CC4AV platform. "CC4AV - Creative Coding for Audio and Visuals" is a placeholder for creative coding workshops and on collaboration based performances, exhibitions that are related to creative programming and projection mapping

Our most important collaborators

• School of Machines
• Fab Lab Berlin
• Betahaus Berlin
• Click festival
• CEC ArtsLink
• Spaces gallery

• Aalto Node gallery
• Aalto Fab Lab
• Pixelache platform
• Media Art Histories
• The Center for New Media Culture RIXC
• Skaņu mežs festival
• Festival of Lights Riga

Projection Mapping

Projection Mapping AKA One

• Video Mapping
• Spatial Augmented Reality
• Mapping

Projection Mapping and the Visual Arts

The term mapping highlights the role of space in the context of visual art as this term includes a function—real time projections adjusted to spatial objects.

Projection Mapping AKA Two

The term mapping is also used in the computer sphere, for example, aligning peripherals with software parameters. It is possible to write on a personal computer’s screen due to the mapping of the keyboard with software functionality.

Projection Mapping and Audiovisual Arts

Projection mapping or real time projections adjusted to spatial objects is a recently created set of electronic audio visual media methods which allows to surpass standard-size projections multiplying the picture, as well as to adjust the picture for different surfaces.

A brief history

While projection mapping has recently exploded into the consciousness of artists, designers and advertisers everywhere, the history of projection mapping dates back longer than you may imagine.

If you try Googling for “Projection Mapping” you won’t find much that is older than 5 years. Research has been going on under the academic term “Spatial Augmented Reality”.

Spatial Augmented Reality

Projector based spatial displays, a subset of spatial augmented reality displays, is the academic term for what artists and other practitioners today understand with projection or video mapping. Most of the academic information about projector based spatial display systems can be found under the term “spatial augmented reality”.

Spatial Augmented Reality Displays

Spatial augmented reality is connected to augmented reality—more specifically to spatial augmented reality displays that “detach the display technology from the user and integrate it into the environment”. The term “projector based spatial display” suggests that a projector is its main component. Projector is just a light source, and a screen is required to make the projected image visible to the user. Therefore a space with walls and objects is required in order to be able to use one or more projectors for creating an illusion.

Inventions chronologically

How can it be categorized

1. Fixed Surface Projection Mapping
   Projection mapping on buildings or objects that are unlikely to change or, so to say, carved in stone. This allows much more predictable workflow for content creation.
2. Variable Surface Projection Mapping
   Projection mapping on previously unknown surfaces. This limits the content creation to elements of subjective choice. One might prepare videos for different types of surfaces (quads, triangles, circles) or generative visuals with adjustable parameters to fit many scenarios.
3. Custom Surface Projection Mapping
   The type of projection mapping that we will do in this workshop. It allows the most flexibility as you are the architect of your own surface and the author of your own visuals.

Back to the first type it should be noted that when making projections for certain surfaces, the work is first done in 3D and animation software — classical animation methods are applied, such as lightning and special effects, narrative. The most classic example is projection mapping on architectural facades used at light festivals. The buildings are modeled first (or ready-made, modeled prototypes of them are used) and the story is created taking into consideration the design of the particular building. The process is connected with very accurate work where each mistake (let it be no more than a millimeter) both, in animation process or in the projection on the particular surface can be seen as a bias which looks like a defect. Therefore this process cannot be associated with real time performance.

Where projection mapping can be used?

• Stage Design involved in Vj-ing (inluding Light Mapping )
• Audiovisual Performance
• Art Installation
• Scenography and Motion Art
• Large Scale Projections on Architecture
• Window Display and Store Design

Tools

Decent software for creating media content and projection mapping.

Sketching tools

3D Modeling tools

Projection Mapping

Visual programming languages

Text based programming languages

Game Engines

Frame-based animation

Protocols

Software that can bridge visual output from one software to another in real-time.

Tips and Tricks

Best practices from experience.

1 Test it first

Before becomming too artistic, test if the technology works as intended.

2 Backup working versions

If your solution works, save it somewhere safe so when you continue to add changes, you can always switch back to the version that actually did work.

3 Know your surface

The more precise you will know the projection surface, the better. Especially when mapping outdoors on buildings.

4 Sketching helps

Make sketches and storyboards before doing it for real. Going through the process that way initially will help you overcome difficulties before you encounter them in the production process.

5 Always have your own adaptors

And cables. It might save you as well as others. Always have an extra cable and adaptor. It can make you the hero of the day. Or night.

6 No screensavers

Switch off screensavers and sleep for both, power and battery modes, on your laptop.

7 Cold corners

Disable hot corners or Exposé as it ruins the magic when a spectator notices what operating system are you using or that you have the same mess on the desktop as you have.

8 No instant messaging

Disable Skype or any other kind of messenger or service that tends to irritate you when least necessary.

ofxPiMapper

Summary

ofxPiMapper is being developed by Krisjanis Rijnieks as an openFrameworks projection mapping addon mainly to use in projects with the Raspberry Pi devices. It is cheaper way to create standalone mapping installations or portable instruments for audiovisual performances.

A Scenario

Imagine yourself making 10 generative mapping pieces for an exhibiton which is supposed to stay at the gallery for 8 weeks. Would you use 10 Mac computers? Don't do it, it is too expensive!

It's easy to use!

ofxPiMapper has 4 modes:

Presentation mode (1)

This mode is activated once the application starts up. It does not show anything else except the final projection mapping as it was saved previously.

Texture mapping mode (2)

In this mode you can adjust the texture coordinates of the surface you have selected in the surface editing mode.

Surface editing mode (3)

Here you can select, move and distort the surfaces you have created.

Souce assignment mode (4)

After you select a surface in surface editing mode, activate this mode to be able to choose a source for the surface. Afterwards you might want to go to the texture mapping mode to adjust texture coordinates.

Other shortcuts

Projection Mapping Mode

Texture Mapping Mode

Source Selection Mode