The World’s largest artwork – a somewhat intriguing premise for even the least artistic of people wouldn’t you agree? I mean, how big could it actually be?
Well, prepare to be open mouthed at this nine square mile creation!
As with many artistic installations it is the final product that gets shown off, but because of how fragile nature can be, this is all about documenting the process followed by a fleeting moment of the final artefact as the wind and snows sets it.
Eight people and a broom led onward into Siberia by Jim Denevan created this somewhat temporary masterpiece on Lake Baikal, the world’s largest lake. How apt. Even more appropriate is leader Jim Denevan (who created the previous world’s largest artwork in the Sahara), is known for creating expansive and repeating patterns over endless scale.
Given the ferocious Siberian winds it’s a marvel the artwork survived in the tundra for as long as it did, making the photography and documentation of this work even more important than usual.
Living in a yurt in the centre of the lake the team survived by creating a daily fire (as the flames would periodically freeze), eventually giving up when ever so slightly warmer temperatures arrived and the circles melted away.
The complete experience has been documented in its entirety on The Anthropologist so do check it out.
Inspired by the Jacquard Loom, the first computer to use punch cards, artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese are looking to “marry traditional hand-woven crafts with information technologies” with their new project: Fiber Optic Tapestry.
The tapestry is set to be a nine panel work of art, woven by fiber optic threads (instead of traditional woolen threads) connected to RGB LEDs. These LEDs are in turn connected to a computer which can control their outputs to create a wonderful array of patterns and colours.
Many design blogs are full of helpful howto guides and tutorials on using Photoshop Illustrator, Flash, etc. This is great if you have a design in mind that you wish to accomplish. But how do you actually design something?
Design concepts explained
The design concepts explained series aims to explain various processes of design. If you’re itching to use those Photoshop tutorials but are stuck for inspiration, if you wish to find out what a ‘designer’ actually does, or if you are a seasoned pro who wants to refresh their memory, then read on!
Affordance
This week we focus on the concept of Affordance. Designers in many different specialties use it, but we mainly concentrate on its use in graphic design, user interface design and game design.
The term ‘Affordance’ has a strong basis in psychology. It describes the understanding of how we interact with an object. To see this process in action, imagine a two-year-old child with a pile of shapes and a hollow box with silhouettes of those shapes cut into it. To play the game, the child must fit the correct shapes through the correct holes. This seemingly fun game is actually a trick – it’s not there to entertain, but to educate. It’s teaching the child how objects interact with other objects, and helps build on their understanding of how the world works.
Affordance in game design
So how is this concept used in design? The game ‘Chronicles of Riddick’ manipulates our understanding of a real-world object to give us a clue of how to interact with the main menu.
Thanks to toy designers tricking us into learning during our childhood, we can understand that this cube has six sides and when an option is selected, it rotates to display different options. Our understanding of how this object works in the real world allows us to use this menu intuitively.
Affordance in iPhone apps
Let’s use a different example, this time from an iPhone application. In just a few seconds of seeing this interface, we intuitively know how to turn each setting on and off. This interface has been designed to afford pushing and afford switching to manipulate the controls, without any instruction to the user.
Affordance in web design
Affordance is used abundantly in web design. Perhaps it is used a little too much, especially when it comes to those 3D buttons! Below are a few examples used on well-known, popular websites.
Summary
Before seeking out the Photoshop tutorials on how to make buttons with bezels, tutorials on how to use gradients to give the appearance of 3D buttons, or guides on how to make those shiny reflective round buttons that look lickable, remember to ask yourself “why use affordance?”
The examples shown above help users understand how to interact with the interface. At the end of the day, design is all about the user and these concepts should be used for their advantage, and not clutter, complicate or hinder the interface.
Further reading
Book (link to Amazon UK): Interaction design beyond human-computer interaction
This book covers many aspects of interaction design, of which affordance is a small part. A recommended read for anyone involved in interaction design.
Macro photography allows photographers to get up close and personal with a subject, capturing detail and allowing the viewer to see the world from an unseen angle. This collection is themed on flowers and light and is a beautiful collection to both aspire and inspire, enjoy.
A former oil rig worker spent 15 years building an exact replica of a North Sea platform – out of more than four million matchsticks. David Reynolds, 51, spent up to 10 hours each day painstakingly crafting the half a ton model of the Brent Bravo rig in his living room. The full article and image gallery can be viewed here.
A picture paints a thousand words and here are 10 that do that with flair. I love the photo of the storm over the island, such a tremendous image. If you like them why not give it a “Thumbs Up!”
The concept-only Sand+Time Watch is a digital timekeeper with a little stone age twist. In ordinary mode, it works like a conventional watch displaying hours at the top and minutes on the bottom. But in screensaver mode, the watch turns into a sand clock and you can watch “sand” drop from the top screen to the bottom. The rate of fall is set at a default of one minute but can be changed by the user.
Shoes, a womens indulgence! Typically they are left scattered around the house, on the stairs, under the sofa, they even fill up your side of the wardrobe. They are everywhere! Why you ask is it that we’re showcasing shoes below? Surely these will merely entice your other half to spend your beer money and go out and buy another ‘essential’ pair of over priced shoes. The reason is simple, these aren’t just shoes… they’re Marks and Spencer shoes… just kidding… these boys are ART! I am worried about the back lash I’ll get from this post but I simply don’t care. Bring it on ladies!
These abstract wallpapers have been specifically selected for there awesomeness from the Wallpaper Abyss. To download any of the following wallpapers simply click on the thumbnail of your choosing, then save the enlarged to either your desktop, to manually add it as a wallpaper, or right click and choose ‘Save as Background Image’ (or something similar). Enjoy.
Here is the first SprintCam v3 showreel, made for NAB 2009 exhibition. Mostly 1000FPS shots, made during a recent rugby competition in the Stade de France, Paris. Absolutely amazing imagery
