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We spent another magnificent afternoon at Pataphysical Studios this Saturday, making art together … and playing at the edges of time.
Our visitors this week were Jim Neidhardt (now Dr. Neidhardt) and his lovely wife Denise (Dr. Now?), longtime friends of Drs. Rindbrain, Skidz and the Queen of the Desert. Jim showed us the ‘hypno-disks’ he is working on to create experiences like this surreal Duchamp film, Anemic Cinema: youtu.be/AsnhBUp7xxM?t=24s
We had a great conversation and I knew they were like-minded folks when Dr. Neidhardt and I both exclaimed at the same time the same exact phrase: “Life IS Change!”. Jim is interested in contributing to our madcap art adventure, so stay tuned. Learn more about his work at: neidhardtstudio.com/
Throughout the day, we brainstormed more ideas for our new Time Machine, while working on sundry maker art projects:
• Dr. Rindbrain and Canard put the finishing touches on their music box
• Drs. Figurine and Heatshrink prepared to assemble a theremin together
• Dr. Fabio drew a first sketch of what a time controller might look like
• Dr. Igor and Heatshrink both gave Dr. Figurine nice gifts for her birthday
• Dr. Tout de Suite considered lighting up her goggles, chose to paint instead
• Dr. Zboon discussed time travel and made a birthday card for his friend Ernesto
• Dr. Canard created a colorful zen map, inviting other doctors to art it up
• Dr. Rindbrain added more rainbow-colored lights to the Time Machine framework
It was great to stretch out to the edges of time and back again in the company of my friends.
Fire in the hole!
View more 'Pataphysical photos: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Watch 'Pataphysical videos: vimeo.com/album/3051039
Learn more about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are experimenting with new interactive storytelling ideas, from shadow puppets to poetic robots.
Our first experiment is ‘Ubu’s Dreams’, a shadow puppet show featuring Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
This week, we did a number of test to explore different ways to perform these stories with simple puppets, lights, shadows and sounds. We tried using a high-quality projector, which gave us better focus and a greater range of motion than the previous overhead projector. This also lets us project video backgrounds behind the shadow puppets, with very encouraging results.
We then played with a variety of character shapes, from simple wire figures to illuminated objects, talking masks and robot bases. They all showed a lot of promise, and we’ll probably use some of these techniques in different scenes.
Last but not least, we tried using a large mirror to reflect our projector, so that it could be placed right below our shadow screen, instead of five feet away. This has important implications for many of our art projects, where space is limited and projections have to be self-contained.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit this fall at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach. I’m also developing a ‘Magic Theater’ course combining maker art and storytelling for our lower and middle school students.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (first called Théâtre Mécanique):
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are experimenting with new interactive storytelling ideas, from shadow puppets to poetic robots.
Our first experiment is ‘Ubu’s Dreams’, a shadow puppet show featuring Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious. Each of his dreams is a separate sketch in our play and lasts about a minute.
For our first rehearsal, we ran through two different scenes (this test video is for dream #5, see separate video of dream #7). Mark read the script as the voice of Ubu, and we both moved puppets from the sides of the screen we had built earlier, with the help of Phyllis and Alice. This simple shadow puppet theater is made of PVC tubes, a vinyl shower curtain, an overhead projector and laser cut characters from our maker art classes.
We plan to develop this concept through the summer and perform this show during our Dada exhibit this fall at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach. And I’m also developing a ‘Magic Theater’ course combining maker art and storytelling for our lower and middle school students.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (first called Théâtre Mécanique):
Our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito are building a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years.
In our fourth class, they previewed what their city looks like when we bring all their futuristic homes together, then designed the city they envision for this project. They have chosen to create a floating city that they see as a vacation resort for rich old snobs, mutant sharks, human clones, robot maids and aliens.
This week, they kept refining their characters and wonderboxes with art supplies and everyday objects -- and many students added lights and motors to bring them to life. When they return from spring break, they will form teams to start building some of the public spaces they have in mind: a space elevator to the moon, a tropical beach and underwater scene.
Through this course, students are developing a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
View more photos of our Maker Art course at the Lycée:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157662999871980
Here is our design plan for their City of the Future:
bit.ly/city-of-future-design-lycee-1
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
Our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito are building a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years. They are creating a floating city that is partly underwater, partly above water. It will be a vacation resort for rich people, with luxurious cruises and entertainment.
In our fourth class, children created some of the first inhabitants of their city, including alien visitors, mutant sharks, rich old snobs and robot maids. They designed their characters, made bodies and stands, then decorated them. Some added a motor to make their characters move, turning them on and off with a switch. And they learned to use glue guns to art up their creations.
Students are making good progress with their city, as shown in this photo set. (Note that children photos are kept private until we get permission from their parents to share them here.)
Through this course, students will develop a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
View more photos of the City of the Future:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664935502899
Here is our design plan for the City of the Future:
bit.ly/city-of-future-design-lycee-1
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
We spent another magnificent afternoon at Pataphysical Studios this Saturday, making art together … and playing at the edges of time.
Our visitors this week were Jim Neidhardt (now Dr. Neidhardt) and his lovely wife Denise (Dr. Now?), longtime friends of Drs. Rindbrain, Skidz and the Queen of the Desert. Jim showed us the ‘hypno-disks’ he is working on to create experiences like this surreal Duchamp film, Anemic Cinema: youtu.be/AsnhBUp7xxM?t=24s
We had a great conversation and I knew they were like-minded folks when Dr. Neidhardt and I both exclaimed at the same time the same exact phrase: “Life IS Change!”. Jim is interested in contributing to our madcap art adventure, so stay tuned. Learn more about his work at: neidhardtstudio.com/
Throughout the day, we brainstormed more ideas for our new Time Machine, while working on sundry maker art projects:
• Dr. Rindbrain and Canard put the finishing touches on their music box
• Drs. Figurine and Heatshrink prepared to assemble a theremin together
• Dr. Fabio drew a first sketch of what a time controller might look like
• Dr. Igor and Heatshrink both gave Dr. Figurine nice gifts for her birthday
• Dr. Tout de Suite considered lighting up her goggles, chose to paint instead
• Dr. Zboon discussed time travel and made a birthday card for his friend Ernesto
• Dr. Canard created a colorful zen map, inviting other doctors to art it up
• Dr. Rindbrain added more rainbow-colored lights to the Time Machine framework
It was great to stretch out to the edges of time and back again in the company of my friends.
Fire in the hole!
View more 'Pataphysical photos: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Watch 'Pataphysical videos: vimeo.com/album/3051039
Learn more about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We had a great first class for our City of the Future project with our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito.
In this new ‘maker art’ course, students will create a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world could be like in 100 years. They will build a futuristic home with a cardboard ‘wonderbox’ and animated characters, bringing them to life with lights, sounds and motion.
We discussed these questions together in our first planning session:
• What will life be like in 100 years?
• What city will we build?
• Who will live there?
• How will our lives change?
The children had lots of great ideas on all these points, and came up with an overall plan. They would like to build a floating city that is partly underwater, partly above water, with a tropical beach. They think of it as a vacation resort for rich people, with cruises and entertainment that would cost a lot of money.
Inhabitants would include old rich snobs with extra body parts, mutant shark people, human clones, robot maids, green aliens and magic dolphins that used to be extinct. The city would have underwater taxis and rocket wheelchairs as well as a school for all ages. There would also be a space elevator for going to the moon, Mars or beyond. We discussed building tubes that could lead to a Moon Hotel at the top of the exhibit.
Students started designing their own boxes and characters right away, as shown in this photo set (note that photos of children are kept private until we get permission from their parents to make them public).
Next week, they will start building futuristic homes with cardboard wonderboxes. Through this course, students will develop a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
Sarah O’Rourke at Autodesk gave us a great tour of their gallery and workshop on the San Francisco waterfront, organized by the ReMake Education Summit team.
The Autodesk Gallery featured some beautiful exhibits showing how people are using new technology to imagine, design, and create a better world: from 3D printed dresses to futuristic cars and architectural designs.
It showed some really creative applications of art and tech -- and it inspired me to try some of these ideas into our own maker art work.
Learn more about the Autodesk Gallery: www.autodesk.com/gallery/overview
Learn more about Tam Makers: www.tammakers.org/
Learn more about the Maker Art classes I teach: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
This weekend, I made progress on Violet’s Journey, our animated fairy tale featuring Natalina’s art ducks.
These new mockups show what Violet could look like with a beaded skirt and a new pair of wings, against different backgrounds. For this prototype, I mounted an oval plate between her belly and the robot base, then loosely hung some of Natalina's beads, for discussion purposes. I then superimposed my green screen capture of this prototype against some of the nature photos we used for the first storyboard, as well as a simpler backdrop using silhouetted shapes and gradient lighting.
Our first goal for this test is to cover the wheels and robot parts below the duck’s belly, as they seem out of place for a fairy tale. To that end, we plan to create a beaded curtain, using necklaces from Natalina’s treasure trove of jewels.
The second goal is to make Violet more expressive, as the decoy ducks are static and can’t show their feelings very well. To that end, we’re considering giving her new wings that could flap in different ways to show a range of emotions. These wings could be laser cut out of white or translucent acrylic, backlit with neopixels and made to flap gently with a servo motor attached to the oval float.
Lastly, we are experimenting with different background styles, ranging from photo-realistic backdrops to simpler landscapes with painted shapes and lighting. These simple shapes could be cut out on cardboard -- or laser cut on thin wood: I now have tons of vector files to choose from, besides the chinese landscape I used in this test. Both the forest and the cave would seem easy to implement. This first mockup is very flat, but we can add more color and texture over the laser cut shapes, to make them more real.
What do you think? Is it OK that Violet is not floating on water like a normal duck, but hovering over the ground with a beaded skirt and twitchy wings? How do you like the new backdrop idea? I think this could work if we set it up in a magical world, with surreal landscapes not just photo-realistic nature shots.
View more photos of Violet’s Journey and the Wonderbots experiment: bit.ly/wonderbot-photos
Check out our story guide for this work progress:
docs.google.com/document/d/1ceHph_XI-3m1mBk4lpduQ-JgCzGrH...
This weekend, I made progress on Violet’s Journey, our animated fairy tale featuring Natalina’s art ducks.
These new mockups show what Violet could look like with a beaded skirt and a new pair of wings, against different backgrounds. For this prototype, I mounted an oval plate between her belly and the robot base, then loosely hung some of Natalina's beads, for discussion purposes. I then superimposed my green screen capture of this prototype against some of the nature photos we used for the first storyboard, as well as a simpler backdrop using silhouetted shapes and gradient lighting.
Our first goal for this test is to cover the wheels and robot parts below the duck’s belly, as they seem out of place for a fairy tale. To that end, we plan to create a beaded curtain, using necklaces from Natalina’s treasure trove of jewels.
The second goal is to make Violet more expressive, as the decoy ducks are static and can’t show their feelings very well. To that end, we’re considering giving her new wings that could flap in different ways to show a range of emotions. These wings could be laser cut out of white or translucent acrylic, backlit with neopixels and made to flap gently with a servo motor attached to the oval float.
Lastly, we are experimenting with different background styles, ranging from photo-realistic backdrops to simpler landscapes with painted shapes and lighting. These simple shapes could be cut out on cardboard -- or laser cut on thin wood: I now have tons of vector files to choose from, besides the chinese landscape I used in this test. Both the forest and the cave would seem easy to implement. This first mockup is very flat, but we can add more color and texture over the laser cut shapes, to make them more real.
What do you think? Is it OK that Violet is not floating on water like a normal duck, but hovering over the ground with a beaded skirt and twitchy wings? How do you like the new backdrop idea? I think this could work if we set it up in a magical world, with surreal landscapes not just photo-realistic nature shots.
View more photos of Violet’s Journey and the Wonderbots experiment: bit.ly/wonderbot-photos
Check out our story guide for this work progress:
docs.google.com/document/d/1ceHph_XI-3m1mBk4lpduQ-JgCzGrH...
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
Our Maker Art class created a Time Machine this year, inviting you to travel through time from the age of dinosaurs to the 50th century.
Our 4th and 5th graders at the Lycée Français designed their own scenes from the past, present or future, and brought them to life with motion, lights and sounds. They also worked in teams to build interactive features like illuminated keypads, spinners and doors, using the popular Arduino platform.
In our after-school classes, we combine art, technology and storytelling to help children create their own magical worlds. They learn to design their ideas, build them with a variety of tools, animate them with electronics and tell their stories. This unique multimedia course helps them develop their creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills -- and builds their confidence that they can help change the world.
This year, we had a really good group of 9 students, ages 8 to 11 -- many of whom had taken our Maker Art classes before. They were very creative and engaged, and did a great job presenting their work at the Lycée Français -- and at Marinovators at the College of Marin on April 22.
This Maker Art class was taught by Fabrice Florin and Edward Janne at the Lycée Français in Sausalito in winter 2017. We met every week for 12 workshops of 90 minutes each, Thursdays at 3:30pm, from January 5 to March 30, 2017. Our teachers are part of the Tam Makers learning community and we prepared materials for this project in our state-of-the-art makerspace at the nearby Tam High School.
View more photos about this Maker Art class at the Lycée:
bit.ly/time-machine-lycee-photos
Learn more about our Time Machine class:
bit.ly/time-machine-lycee-2017
Learn more about our Maker Art classes:
fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/14/teaching-maker-art/
Learn more about Tam Makers:
#arduino #makers #makerart #makered #techedu #timemachine
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
The good doctors at Pataphysical Studios have started work on their next madcap invention: the Time Machine.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, we assembled the wood frame of the time machine, which Drs. Rindbrain and Figurine had built earlier at the Tam High woodshop. All the pieces fell in place nicely in the art greenhouse, and the structure was up within an hour. This pentagon can now fit up to a dozen pataphysicians (albeit squished together like sardines), as demonstrated in our group portrait. Next week, we will add the walls and paper them up, to start sketching our first ideas for this interactive art exhibit.
In other news:
• Dr. Figurine brought a giant fish head she had created years ago and gave it a new life with a fresh coat of paint.
• Dr. Heatshrink and Igor discussed plans for the time machine controller (kudos to Drs. Really and Truly for giving him a ride so he could join us while his ankle is still broken).
• Dr. Truly painted a lovely pair of boots and gave another of her beautiful medals to Dr. Zboon.
• Dr. Phylora joined the art hive, kissed the fish head and sorted beads for Violet’s float
• Drs. Canard, Fabio and Igor hacked an old clock whose needles will spin unpredictably when you press a button in the time machine.
• Dr. Tout d’Suite created more ‘pataphysical talismans
• Dr. Rindbrain played his flute, tended to the art hive, and started painting another pair of shoes
• Dr. Canard leaped into the air to show her aikido rolls and prepared another mobile
• Dr. Zboon storyboarded and pitched a new twist for Violet’s Journey, to bring more life into our fairy tale for Dr. Canard’s animatronic ducks
• Dr. Really created a poster for our upcoming exhibit of the slot machine at the Dada World Fair
• Dr. Fabio prepared an oval float for Violet and the animatronic ducks, to cover their robot parts
The mojo flowed freely in the art garden. Fire in the hole!
View more 'Pataphysical photos: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Watch 'Pataphysical videos: vimeo.com/album/3051039
Learn more about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
This weekend, I made progress on Violet’s Journey, our animated fairy tale featuring Natalina’s art ducks.
These new mockups show what Violet could look like with a beaded skirt and a new pair of wings, against different backgrounds. For this prototype, I mounted an oval plate between her belly and the robot base, then loosely hung some of Natalina's beads, for discussion purposes. I then superimposed my green screen capture of this prototype against some of the nature photos we used for the first storyboard, as well as a simpler backdrop using silhouetted shapes and gradient lighting.
Our first goal for this test is to cover the wheels and robot parts below the duck’s belly, as they seem out of place for a fairy tale. To that end, we plan to create a beaded curtain, using necklaces from Natalina’s treasure trove of jewels.
The second goal is to make Violet more expressive, as the decoy ducks are static and can’t show their feelings very well. To that end, we’re considering giving her new wings that could flap in different ways to show a range of emotions. These wings could be laser cut out of white or translucent acrylic, backlit with neopixels and made to flap gently with a servo motor attached to the oval float.
Lastly, we are experimenting with different background styles, ranging from photo-realistic backdrops to simpler landscapes with painted shapes and lighting. These simple shapes could be cut out on cardboard -- or laser cut on thin wood: I now have tons of vector files to choose from, besides the chinese landscape I used in this test. Both the forest and the cave would seem easy to implement. This first mockup is very flat, but we can add more color and texture over the laser cut shapes, to make them more real.
What do you think? Is it OK that Violet is not floating on water like a normal duck, but hovering over the ground with a beaded skirt and twitchy wings? How do you like the new backdrop idea? I think this could work if we set it up in a magical world, with surreal landscapes not just photo-realistic nature shots.
View more photos of Violet’s Journey and the Wonderbots experiment: bit.ly/wonderbot-photos
Check out our story guide for this work progress:
docs.google.com/document/d/1ceHph_XI-3m1mBk4lpduQ-JgCzGrH...
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are developing a shadow puppet show we call ‘Ubu’s Dreams’.
This short series of sketches stars Père Ubu, the hero of french poet Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, playing with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
For this project, we are creating a variety of wooden figures with a laser cutter: big faces, music notes, dancers, trees and graveyards, to name but a few. We then tape our puppets on wooden sticks, and wave them across the stage to bring them to life, with a projector over our heads.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach, from Nov. 3 to 12, 2016.
I also plan to use some of these techniques with our lower and middle school students, for the Maker Art classes I will be teaching this fall, to help students create a Haunted House together.
From shadow puppets to poetic robots, these interactive storytelling experiments have the potential to engage us at a deeper level and help us learn more about ourselves.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (originally called Théâtre Mécanique):
First sketches and models for the Time Machine, a new interactive art project created by Pataphysical Studios.
In this brainstorm session, each team member sketched out their own ideas, then discussed them with the group, to design our upcoming time travel experience together.
Next, we plan to create a composite design with some of these ideas, to integrate them into a single blueprint.
To be continued ...
View more 'Pataphysical photos: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
View our Time Machine slides:
docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Y-0SCKxvIOaM8wnz6h9TRl1Ek...
View more Time Machine photos:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157659761749014
Learn more about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We had a blast at the first meetup for Tam Makers, our new makerspace in Mill Valley. We hosted this free event at the wood shop at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley on June 8, 2016.
A diverse group of people came to the visit the shop, learn about our classes and discuss how to grow our maker community. Participants ranged from experienced artists, technologists, makers and woodworkers, to people interested in learning new skills, as well as high school and middle school students and their parents.
We opened the shop at 6pm and folks started to connect right away, checking out some of our demos, showing off recent projects and touring the space. At 7pm, we gave a presentation on Tam Makers, and talked about our first courses, meetups and tools for adults and youth. We then discussed these programs as a group and received some really helpful feedback.
Most people were very interested in participating in Tam Makers and using the makerspace regularly. They also liked the mix of classes, ranging from maker art to technology and woodworking. Some people signed up for classes on the spot and most wanted to join more meetups. Many offered to volunteer as well. One person said this event had a great community feeling, unlike more commercially motivated makerspaces.
We’re really happy that this first meetup went so well and that so many folks want to participate actively. We look forward to collaborating with our new maker friends very soon!
Learn more about Tam Makers:
Learn more about this Welcome Meetup:
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are developing a shadow puppet show we call ‘Ubu’s Dreams’.
This short series of sketches stars Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
For this project, we are creating a variety of wooden figures with a laser cutter: big faces, music notes, dancers, street lamps, umbrellas trees and graveyards, to name but a few.
We will then attach our puppets on thin vertical sticks, and wave them across the stage to bring them to life, with a projector over our heads projecting them onto the screen.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach, from Nov. 3 to 12, 2016.
I also plan to use some of these techniques with our lower and middle school students, for the Maker Art courses I will be teaching this fall.
From shadow puppets to poetic robots, these interactive storytelling experiments have the potential to engage us at a deeper level and help us learn about ourselves.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (originally called Théâtre Mécanique):
We taught a ‘wonderbox’ workshop for lower school students at the Mill Valley Library, on February 16 and 18, during the mid-winter break shared by many schools in the Bay Area.
Students learned to create an art ‘wonderbox’ about the Chinese New Year. They started by making a paper lantern and lighting it up with an LED. Then they picked an animal from the Chinese Zodiac, as well as a zodiac wheel and colorful wallpaper, and decorated their box. They brought their characters to life by making the animals move with motors and lighting up their eyes.
Here are some of the boxes they created. We were not allowed to take pictures of the children, so you’ll have to imagine the smiles on their faces. :) Students completed their tasks successfully and gained a deeper understanding of art and technology,; they also learned to collaborate and experiment together with different approaches to problem-solving.
Many thanks to the wonderful team that made these workshops possible — especially Toni, Geo and Natalina, for their invaluable help in the workshop — and kudos as well to Cynthia, Howard, Jean, Phyllis and Tara for preparing kits and guiding this experiment! These workshops would not be possible without all of your amazing contributions: I feel very lucky to be working with a community that shares this educational vision — and am grateful to all our maker friends who are helping make this happen.
We’ll learning a lot from this experiment, which is now taking place in five different schools and libraries in the Bay Area. The results so far are very encouraging: this hands-on combination of art and technology invites students to learn by doing -- in a playful way that engages all their senses and puts them in charge of their own learning. They seem engaged by this approach -- and their curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm are a daily inspiration to me.
Read more about this library workshop: bit.ly/workshop-library-feb-2016
Watch this video of our first wonderbox workshop: bit.ly/wonderbox-workshop-video-oct-2015
Learn more about our ‘maker art’ programs: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
View photos of our 'maker art' programs: bit.ly/maker-art-class-photos
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are developing a shadow puppet show we call ‘Ubu’s Dreams’.
This short series of sketches stars Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
This week, we rehearsed a new sketch, Dream #15, featuring a big face, an operatic melody, as well as dancing animals, flowers and musical notes, using wooden shapes made with a laser cutter. We also experimented with bubbles, with great results -- and played with a winged Ubu figure I created last week.
We both sat at a high desk behind the screen, holding our puppets on thin vertical sticks, and waving them across the screen, with a wide range of motion. We placed a high-quality projector over our heads, to illuminate the top of the screen, so the show can be seen even in a crowded room where everyone is standing.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach, from Nov. 3 to 12, 2016.
I also plan to use some of these techniques with our lower and middle school students, for the Maker Art courses I will be teaching this fall.
From shadow puppets to poetic robots, these interactive storytelling experiments have the potential to engage us at a deeper level and help us learn about ourselves.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (originally called Théâtre Mécanique):
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
‘Twas a dark and stormy Saturday afternoon at Pataphysical Studios, but the doctors braved the pouring rain and came out in droves to make art together.
We celebrated Dr. Figurine’s birthday in style, with a nice apple pie and small gifts ranging from a DVD on how to play the theremin to a handmade wooden box and stock in the Mind Shaft Society.
We all sat around our Time Machine framework and had stimulating discussions about our next pataphysical invention -- as well as our many related maker art projects:
• Dr. Rindbrain demonstrated the new remote-controlled lights for the Time Machine
• Dr. Fabio had his head examined after a rough encounter with a rose bush
• Dr. Canard prepared electronic supplies for students of the City of the Future class
• Drs. Figurine and Heatshrink started building a theremin together
• Drs. Really and Canard displayed an arted-up jug of ‘pataphysical water
• Drs. Canard and Fabio used a Ouija board to reach out to the spirit of Alfred Jarry
• Dr. Rindbrain painted another pair of shoes while discussing art with Dr. Zboon
• Dr. Fabio proposed ideas for the Time Machine controller, with the Ouija board as an example
• Drs. Figurine lit up the pataphysical flag pole with El Wire
A fine time was had by all and we kept learning from each other for the greater good.
Fire in the hole!
View more 'Pataphysical photos: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Watch 'Pataphysical videos: vimeo.com/album/3051039
Learn more about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are developing a shadow puppet show we call ‘Ubu’s Dreams’.
This short series of sketches stars Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
For this project, we are creating a variety of wooden figures with a laser cutter: big faces, music notes, dancers, street lamps, umbrellas trees and graveyards, to name but a few.
We will then attach our puppets on thin vertical sticks, and wave them across the stage to bring them to life, with a projector over our heads projecting them onto the screen.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach, from Nov. 3 to 12, 2016.
I also plan to use some of these techniques with our lower and middle school students, for the Maker Art courses I will be teaching this fall.
From shadow puppets to poetic robots, these interactive storytelling experiments have the potential to engage us at a deeper level and help us learn about ourselves.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (originally called Théâtre Mécanique):
We are creating a decorated frame for our Magic Theater, a mobile stage we built for our first puppet show, Ubu’s Dreams. We will premiere it during our Dada exhibit at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach, from Nov. 3 to 12, 2016.
Phyllis and Jean are creating the art for this Magic Theater frame, which includes an elegant marquee at the top and two columns on either side of the stage. Along with Mark, we are discussing different ways to decorate this frame: aluminum foil, cloth, wrapping paper -- and a variety of laser cut shapes from toy theater carvings to ‘pataphysical symbols.
The proscenium shape was designed by Fabrice Florin (a.k.a. Dr. Fabio), and is inspired by a marionette theater created by dada puppeteer Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Using a laser cutter, we carved this Illustrator design into thin sheets of birch plywood, and assembled them together with woodstrips and epoxy, clamped over a PVC frame.
This is one of the first creative projects we are starting in our new art studio. It’s turning out to be a great space to make art with friends and work on new ‘pataphysical projects.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
View more photos of our Art Studio:
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We taught a three-part ‘maker art’ workshop for lower school students at the Lycée Français in San Francisco, on February 15, 17 and 19, during the school’s mid-winter break. This photo is from Day 3.
Students learned to create an art ‘wonderbox’ about the Chinese New Year. They started by making a paper lantern and lighting it up with an LED. Then they picked an animal from the Chinese zodiac, and decorated their box with colorful wallpaper, used jewelry and art supplies. They brought their characters to life by making the animals move with motors and lighting up their eyes.
Here are some of the boxes they created. Students completed their tasks successfully and gained a deeper understanding of art and technology. They also learned to collaborate and experiment together with different approaches to problem-solving. We’re not sharing public photos of the children in this set, so you’ll have to imagine the smiles on their faces, which made our day. :)
Many thanks to the great team that makes these workshops possible — especially Wladymir Wladymir Paiva, who was our Tech Camp director at the Lycée Français; Cynthia Gilbert for joining me in the classroom to help students create their boxes; my wife Phyllis Florin for preparing the art supplies for this workshop; my art friends from Pataphysical Studios, Howard Rheingold, Jean Bolte and her daughter Natalina for their advice, prototypes, art supplies and help assembling the kits. Kudos as well to Geo Monley for helping laser-cut the animal figures at Tam High, and to Tara Brown at Kithub for supplying the electronic parts. I feel very lucky to be working with a community that shares this educational vision — and am grateful to all our maker friends who are helping make this happen. Merci à tous!
We’ll learning a lot from this experiment and the results so far are very encouraging. This hands-on combination of art and technology invites students to learn by doing -- in a playful way that engages all their senses and puts them in charge of their own learning. They seem engaged by this approach -- and their curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm are a daily inspiration to me.
Learn more about this wonderbox workshop at the Lycée: bit.ly/workshop-lycee-feb-2016
Watch this video of our first wonderbox workshop: bit.ly/wonderbox-workshop-video-oct-2015
Learn more about our ‘maker art’ programs: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
View photos of our 'maker art' programs: bit.ly/maker-art-class-photos
We taught a three-part ‘maker art’ workshop for lower school students at the Lycée Français in San Francisco, on February 15, 17 and 19, during the school’s mid-winter break. This photo is from Day 3.
Students learned to create an art ‘wonderbox’ about the Chinese New Year. They started by making a paper lantern and lighting it up with an LED. Then they picked an animal from the Chinese zodiac, and decorated their box with colorful wallpaper, used jewelry and art supplies. They brought their characters to life by making the animals move with motors and lighting up their eyes.
Here are some of the boxes they created. Students completed their tasks successfully and gained a deeper understanding of art and technology. They also learned to collaborate and experiment together with different approaches to problem-solving. We’re not sharing public photos of the children in this set, so you’ll have to imagine the smiles on their faces, which made our day. :)
Many thanks to the great team that makes these workshops possible — especially Wladymir Wladymir Paiva, who was our Tech Camp director at the Lycée Français; Cynthia Gilbert for joining me in the classroom to help students create their boxes; my wife Phyllis Florin for preparing the art supplies for this workshop; my art friends from Pataphysical Studios, Howard Rheingold, Jean Bolte and her daughter Natalina for their advice, prototypes, art supplies and help assembling the kits. Kudos as well to Geo Monley for helping laser-cut the animal figures at Tam High, and to Tara Brown at Kithub for supplying the electronic parts. I feel very lucky to be working with a community that shares this educational vision — and am grateful to all our maker friends who are helping make this happen. Merci à tous!
We’ll learning a lot from this experiment and the results so far are very encouraging. This hands-on combination of art and technology invites students to learn by doing -- in a playful way that engages all their senses and puts them in charge of their own learning. They seem engaged by this approach -- and their curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm are a daily inspiration to me.
Learn more about this wonderbox workshop at the Lycée: bit.ly/workshop-lycee-feb-2016
Watch this video of our first wonderbox workshop: bit.ly/wonderbox-workshop-video-oct-2015
Learn more about our ‘maker art’ programs: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
View photos of our 'maker art' programs: bit.ly/maker-art-class-photos
We had a great first class for our City of the Future project with our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito.
In this new ‘maker art’ course, students will create a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world could be like in 100 years. They will build a futuristic home with a cardboard ‘wonderbox’ and animated characters, bringing them to life with lights, sounds and motion.
We discussed these questions together in our first planning session:
• What will life be like in 100 years?
• What city will we build?
• Who will live there?
• How will our lives change?
The children had lots of great ideas on all these points, and came up with an overall plan. They would like to build a floating city that is partly underwater, partly above water, with a tropical beach. They think of it as a vacation resort for rich people, with cruises and entertainment that would cost a lot of money.
Inhabitants would include old rich snobs with extra body parts, mutant shark people, human clones, robot maids, green aliens and magic dolphins that used to be extinct. The city would have underwater taxis and rocket wheelchairs as well as a school for all ages. There would also be a space elevator for going to the moon, Mars or beyond. We discussed building tubes that could lead to a Moon Hotel at the top of the exhibit.
Students started designing their own boxes and characters right away, as shown in this photo set (note that photos of children are kept private until we get permission from their parents to make them public).
Next week, they will start building futuristic homes with cardboard wonderboxes. Through this course, students will develop a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
Each week, I teach a maker art class for lower school children at the Lycée Français in Sausalito. Students are now making a Chinese New Year Wonderbox, with a paper lantern and an animal from the zodiac: they are combining art and technology to bring their wonderbox come alive. This week, we made a button to light up their lantern. We discussed how electricity flows through circuits, showed a prototype wonderbox, then asked kids to create their own circuit, with a switch to turn lights on and off.
To make the switch, our young makers had to go through a series of precise steps: fold a small piece of cardboard, glue aluminum foil at each end, wire the top foil to the lantern's LED, tape the bottom foil to a coin cell battery, and connect the battery’s positive end to the LED'S longest leg. Students spent about 30 to 45 minutes building their switch, through a healthy process of trial and error. When they were done, they went back to decorating their boxes, which they seem to really enjoy.
Next week, children will start working on their animal characters, based on the Chinese Zodiac. They will add LEDs for the eyes and make them move with a motor. The following week, they will decorate their animals and install them in their boxes. You can follow our progress in this private album, which is only available to parents, children and staff involved in this class.
This creative Wonderbox framework seems like a great way to introduce basic principles of electricity and circuits to school children, in a playful way that makes science more fun. The children are responding well to this hands-on, project-based activity: they seem engaged by the freedom to create their own interactive art, which is music to my ears.
I’d like to thank the great team supporting this educational project. Everyone at the Lycée Français has been wonderful to work with, from the extracurricular activities team to the campus staff. Many thanks as well to Tara Tiger Brown at Kithub, who gets us great learning kits for our students and delivers them quickly, at the right price. Cynthia Gilbert is a wonderful partner in the classroom, and my wife Phyllis has assembled some beautiful art supplies for this class. Jean Bolte, her daughter Natalina, Howard Rheingold and other members of ‘Pataphysical Studios have also been very generous collaborators. And I’m grateful to Geo Monley for hosting us at the Tam High makerspace. All of your guidance in developing the Wonderbox program means a lot to me. Merci!
View more maker art photos in this Flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157663074065150
Learn more about this art maker course: bit.ly/maker-art-sausalito-2016
Learn more about the Wonderbox program: bit.ly/wonderbox-overview
This weekend, I made progress on Violet’s Journey, our animated fairy tale featuring Natalina’s art ducks.
These new mockups show what Violet could look like with a beaded skirt and a new pair of wings, against different backgrounds. For this prototype, I mounted an oval plate between her belly and the robot base, then loosely hung some of Natalina's beads, for discussion purposes. I then superimposed my green screen capture of this prototype against some of the nature photos we used for the first storyboard, as well as a simpler backdrop using silhouetted shapes and gradient lighting.
Our first goal for this test is to cover the wheels and robot parts below the duck’s belly, as they seem out of place for a fairy tale. To that end, we plan to create a beaded curtain, using necklaces from Natalina’s treasure trove of jewels.
The second goal is to make Violet more expressive, as the decoy ducks are static and can’t show their feelings very well. To that end, we’re considering giving her new wings that could flap in different ways to show a range of emotions. These wings could be laser cut out of white or translucent acrylic, backlit with neopixels and made to flap gently with a servo motor attached to the oval float.
Lastly, we are experimenting with different background styles, ranging from photo-realistic backdrops to simpler landscapes with painted shapes and lighting. These simple shapes could be cut out on cardboard -- or laser cut on thin wood: I now have tons of vector files to choose from, besides the chinese landscape I used in this test. Both the forest and the cave would seem easy to implement. This first mockup is very flat, but we can add more color and texture over the laser cut shapes, to make them more real.
What do you think? Is it OK that Violet is not floating on water like a normal duck, but hovering over the ground with a beaded skirt and twitchy wings? How do you like the new backdrop idea? I think this could work if we set it up in a magical world, with surreal landscapes not just photo-realistic nature shots.
View more photos of Violet’s Journey and the Wonderbots experiment: bit.ly/wonderbot-photos
Check out our story guide for this work progress:
docs.google.com/document/d/1ceHph_XI-3m1mBk4lpduQ-JgCzGrH...
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are experimenting with new interactive storytelling ideas, from shadow puppets to poetic robots.
Our first experiment ‘Ubu’s Dreams’, a shadow puppet show featuring Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious. Each of his dreams is a separate sketch in our play and lasts about a minute.
For our first rehearsal, we ran through two different scenes (see videos of dreams #5 and 7). Mark read the script as the voice of Ubu, and we both moved puppets from the sides of the screen we had built earlier, with the help of Phyllis and Alice. This simple shadow puppet theater is made of PVC tubes, a vinyl shower curtain, an overhead projector and laser cut characters from our maker art classes.
We plan to perform this show during our Dada exhibit this fall at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach. And I’m also developing a ‘Magic Theater’ course combining maker art and storytelling for our lower and middle school students.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (first called Théâtre Mécanique):
Our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito are building a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years.
In our fifth class, we previewed what their city might look like based on their designs, which we composited together into a final model. They have chosen to create a floating city that they see as a vacation resort for rich old snobs, mutant sharks, human clones, robot maids and aliens.
This week, we started working on public spaces for their city: underwater cove, sandy beach, skyscrapers and the space elevator. Students formed teams to design each space, and prepared for next week’s construction. Then they kept improving their characters and wonderboxes with more color, light and motion.
Through this course, students are developing a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
View more photos of our Maker Art course at the Lycée:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157662999871980
Here is our design plan for their City of the Future:
bit.ly/city-of-future-design-lycee-1
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
I am designing a wooden framework for an animal figure prototype, to be used for Chinese New Year Wonderboxes we are creating with school children in 6 different maker courses this semester (bit.ly/wonderbox-overview ). We are working with animals from the Chinese Zodiac (e.g. monkey, dragon, horse, tiger), which we will laser cut on plywood, using Illustrator vector files.
Our challenge is to find simple ways to build cool animal figures and make them move, using the laser cut-outs as a frame — so kids can build them with inexpensive parts and without too much effort. To make them move, I am planning to attach a hobby motor at the back of the character, using a simple paper fan as propeller, as we did with an early paper prototype. It kinda works, but the mechanical design needs to be refined more. Tomorrow, we team up to build a couple different prototypes, using both artistic and engineering creativity to find a good solution.
View more photos in this maker art album: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157663074065150
Learn more about the Wonderbox program: bit.ly/wonderbox-overview
Learn more about my first art maker course at the Lycée Français: bit.ly/maker-art-sausalito-2016
I am designing a wooden framework for an animal figure prototype, to be used for Chinese New Year Wonderboxes we are creating with school children in 6 different maker courses this semester (bit.ly/wonderbox-overview ). We are working with animals from the Chinese Zodiac (e.g. monkey, dragon, horse, tiger), which we will laser cut on plywood, using Illustrator vector files.
Our challenge is to find simple ways to build cool animal figures and make them move, using the laser cut-outs as a frame — so kids can build them with inexpensive parts and without too much effort. To make them move, I am planning to attach a hobby motor at the back of the character, using a simple paper fan as propeller, as we did with an early paper prototype. It kinda works, but the mechanical design needs to be refined more. Tomorrow, we team up to build a couple different prototypes, using both artistic and engineering creativity to find a good solution.
View more photos in this maker art album: www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157663074065150
Learn more about the Wonderbox program: bit.ly/wonderbox-overview
Learn more about my first art maker course at the Lycée Français: bit.ly/maker-art-sausalito-2016
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We taught a ‘wonderbox’ workshop for lower school students at the Mill Valley Library, on February 16 and 18, during the mid-winter break shared by many schools in the Bay Area.
Students learned to create an art ‘wonderbox’ about the Chinese New Year. They started by making a paper lantern and lighting it up with an LED. Then they picked an animal from the Chinese Zodiac, as well as a zodiac wheel and colorful wallpaper, and decorated their box. They brought their characters to life by making the animals move with motors and lighting up their eyes.
Here are some of the boxes they created. We were not allowed to take pictures of the children, so you’ll have to imagine the smiles on their faces. :) Students completed their tasks successfully and gained a deeper understanding of art and technology,; they also learned to collaborate and experiment together with different approaches to problem-solving.
Many thanks to the wonderful team that made these workshops possible — especially Toni, Geo and Natalina, for their invaluable help in the workshop — and kudos as well to Cynthia, Howard, Jean, Phyllis and Tara for preparing kits and guiding this experiment! These workshops would not be possible without all of your amazing contributions: I feel very lucky to be working with a community that shares this educational vision — and am grateful to all our maker friends who are helping make this happen.
We’ll learning a lot from this experiment, which is now taking place in five different schools and libraries in the Bay Area. The results so far are very encouraging: this hands-on combination of art and technology invites students to learn by doing -- in a playful way that engages all their senses and puts them in charge of their own learning. They seem engaged by this approach -- and their curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm are a daily inspiration to me.
Read more about this library workshop: bit.ly/workshop-library-feb-2016
Watch this video of our first wonderbox workshop: bit.ly/wonderbox-workshop-video-oct-2015
Learn more about our ‘maker art’ programs: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
View photos of our 'maker art' programs: bit.ly/maker-art-class-photos
Our middle-school students at Tam High are building a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years.
In our fifth class, students finished their individual art boxes and started to create public spaces for their city: underwater mines, segregated neighborhoods, surface rubbles and tall skyscrapers. Students worked in teams to build these spaces together, and this week’s creations included dozens of new characters with gas masks, rooms with ladders, a pile of broken robots, and a skyscraper base with a mutilated poster of Donald Trump.
In their post-apocalyptic city of the future, the rich are separated from the poor, who mine the sea floor and are oppressed by a government run by machines. We are inviting them reach past this dystopian worldview to invent solutions to that city’s problems -- and to dream up a better world.
I am teaching this after-school class with Geo Monley, and we are happy to see our students so engaged in this project. Through this course, they are developing a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they are learn to create interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful and collaborative way that makes learning more fun.
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Preview our City of the Future in these class slides:
bit.ly/city-of-the-future-slides-tam-high-1
View more photos of our Maker Art course at Tam High:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157666710348841
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/14/teaching-maker-art/
Learn more about Tam Makers:
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We had a great first class for our City of the Future project with our Maker Art students at Tam High School.
We have a great group of eight middle school students, ages 12 to 14 in this fun after-school course in a state-of-the-art wood shop.
In the next two months, students will create a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world could be like in 100 years. They will build a futuristic home with a cardboard ‘wonderbox’ and animated characters, bringing them to life with lights, sounds and motion.
We discussed these questions together in our first planning session:
• What will life be like in 100 years?
• What city will we build?
• Who will live there?
• How will our lives change?
The children had lots of great ideas on all these points, and came up with a post-apocalyptic scenario following a global nuclear war. In their city of the future, the rich are separated from the poor, who work underwater to mine the sea floor and plot a rebellion against a government run by machines. On a hopeful note, more kids sided with the poor than the rich, and there were plans to connect their minds together and revive extinct species.
Students started designing their own boxes and characters right away, as shown in this photo set. Next week, they will start building futuristic homes with cardboard wonderboxes.
Through this course, students will develop a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
View more photos of our Maker Art course at Tam High:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157666710348841
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Here is the course schedule for the Tam High students:
bit.ly/city-of-future-schedule-tam-high-1
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/
We taught a three-part ‘maker art’ workshop for lower school students at the Lycée Français in San Francisco, on February 15, 17 and 19, during the school’s mid-winter break. This photo is from Day 3.
Students learned to create an art ‘wonderbox’ about the Chinese New Year. They started by making a paper lantern and lighting it up with an LED. Then they picked an animal from the Chinese zodiac, and decorated their box with colorful wallpaper, used jewelry and art supplies. They brought their characters to life by making the animals move with motors and lighting up their eyes.
Here are some of the boxes they created. Students completed their tasks successfully and gained a deeper understanding of art and technology. They also learned to collaborate and experiment together with different approaches to problem-solving. We’re not sharing public photos of the children in this set, so you’ll have to imagine the smiles on their faces, which made our day. :)
Many thanks to the great team that makes these workshops possible — especially Wladymir Wladymir Paiva, who was our Tech Camp director at the Lycée Français; Cynthia Gilbert for joining me in the classroom to help students create their boxes; my wife Phyllis Florin for preparing the art supplies for this workshop; my art friends from Pataphysical Studios, Howard Rheingold, Jean Bolte and her daughter Natalina for their advice, prototypes, art supplies and help assembling the kits. Kudos as well to Geo Monley for helping laser-cut the animal figures at Tam High, and to Tara Brown at Kithub for supplying the electronic parts. I feel very lucky to be working with a community that shares this educational vision — and am grateful to all our maker friends who are helping make this happen. Merci à tous!
We’ll learning a lot from this experiment and the results so far are very encouraging. This hands-on combination of art and technology invites students to learn by doing -- in a playful way that engages all their senses and puts them in charge of their own learning. They seem engaged by this approach -- and their curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm are a daily inspiration to me.
Learn more about this wonderbox workshop at the Lycée: bit.ly/workshop-lycee-feb-2016
Watch this video of our first wonderbox workshop: bit.ly/wonderbox-workshop-video-oct-2015
Learn more about our ‘maker art’ programs: bit.ly/teaching-maker-art
View photos of our 'maker art' programs: bit.ly/maker-art-class-photos
This spring, our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito created a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years.
Their floating city is called Ghost Terraces. It is a luxury resort for rich old snobs who come there to get extra body parts, as well as mutant sharks, robot maids, human clones and alien visitors. It features futuristic wonderbox homes created by each student, as well as public spaces developed collaboratively, such as: an underwater cove, a sandy beach, an art gallery, a suspended bridge, skyscrapers and a moon hotel.
In our tenth and final class this school year, we hosted five ‘show and tells, first with other students, then with parents. Four different classes came to see the exhibit, and our students demoed for them like champs. And we had a great turnout from parents and family at 4:30pm as well. Everyone seemed to enjoy the presentations.
Through this course, students developed a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they created their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
It was a real pleasure to teach this after-school course with my partner Cynthia Gilbert. Our students accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and learned many new skills, which we hope will serve them well in the future, such as collaboration, creative expression and problem-solving. And they learned to create interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful and collaborative way that makes learning more fun.
To plan our next steps, we asked students to take a quick survey about this maker art course: overall, they found the class ‘very good’; about three quarters would like to take it again; and most would recommend it to a friend. One student summed it up pretty well: ‘I learned how fun technology is.’ They also gave us some good suggestions for planning future courses.
We are very happy to see our students so engaged in this hands-on, project-based, student-driven activity. This bodes well for this educational program, and we look forward to offering more maker art courses for youth in lower and middle-schools this fall.
View more photos of our Maker Art course at the Lycée:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157662999871980
Here are our slides for their City of the Future:
bit.ly/city-of-future-slides-lycee-2016
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
Our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito are building a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world may be like in 100 years.
In our seventh class, we developed the public spaces for their city: underwater cove with sea creatures, sandy beach with a statue of King Nano, and more skyscrapers near the space elevator. We worked in teams to build and paint each space and its characters.
Their floating city is a cosmopolitan vacation resort for rich old snobs, mutant sharks, human clones, robot maids and alien visitors.
Through this course, students are developing a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they are creating their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
View more photos of our Maker Art course at the Lycée:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157662999871980
Here are our slides for their City of the Future:
bit.ly/city-of-future-slides-lycee-2016
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
Mark ‘Spoonman’ Petrakis and I are experimenting with new interactive storytelling ideas, from shadow puppets to poetic robots.
Our first experiment is ‘Ubu’s Dreams’, a shadow puppet show featuring Père Ubu, the hero of Alfred Jarry’s surreal plays at the turn of the last century. In this show, Ubu is constantly dreaming, interacting with archetypal characters from our collective unconscious.
This week, we did a number of test to explore different ways to perform these stories with simple puppets, lights, shadows and sounds. We tried using a high-quality projector, which gave us better focus and a greater range of motion than the previous overhead projector. This also lets us project video backgrounds behind the shadow puppets, with very encouraging results.
We then played with a variety of character shapes, from simple wire figures to illuminated objects, talking masks and robot bases. They all showed a lot of promise, and we’ll probably use some of these techniques in different scenes.
Last but not least, we tried using a large mirror to reflect our projector, so that it could be placed right below our shadow screen, instead of five feet away. This has important implications for many of our art projects, where space is limited and projections have to be self-contained.
We plan to continue this experiment through the summer and perform a first puppet show during our Dada exhibit this fall at the Canessa Gallery in North Beach. I’m also developing a ‘Magic Theater’ course combining maker art and storytelling for our lower and middle school students.
View more pictures of this Magic Theater project on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157664637863884
Learn more about Ubu’s Dreams:
Learn more about the Magic Theater project (first called Théâtre Mécanique):
Here are our first designs and models for the new 'City of the Future' class with our Maker Art students at the Lycée Français in Sausalito.
In this new ‘maker art’ course, students will create a City of the Future together, using arts and electronics to make a model of what our world could be like in 100 years. They will build a futuristic home with a cardboard ‘wonderbox’ and animated characters, bringing them to life with lights, sounds and motion.
We discussed these questions together in our first planning session:
• What will life be like in 100 years?
• What city will we build?
• Who will live there?
• How will our lives change?
The children had lots of great ideas on all these points, and came up with an overall plan. They would like to build a floating city that is partly underwater, partly above water, with a tropical beach. They think of it as a vacation resort for rich people, with cruises and entertainment that would cost a lot of money.
Inhabitants would include old rich snobs with extra body parts, mutant shark people, human clones, robot maids, green aliens and magic dolphins that used to be extinct. The city would have underwater taxis and rocket wheelchairs as well as a school for all ages. There would also be a space elevator for going to the moon, Mars or beyond. We discussed building tubes that could lead to a Moon Hotel at the top of the exhibit.
Students started designing their own boxes and characters right away, as shown in this photo set (note that photos of children are kept private until we get permission from their parents to make them public).
Next week, they will start building futuristic homes with cardboard wonderboxes. Through this course, students will develop a range of skills, from creative expression to science and engineering (STEAM). And they will learn to create their own interactive art with simple electronics, in a playful way that makes learning more fun.
Learn more about our City of the Future course: fabriceflorin.com/2016/02/23/city-of-the-future/
Learn more about our Maker Art courses:
A fearless crew of ‘pataphysical doctors went on an art expedition to Treasure Island, looking for hidden gems and inspiration. This call to adventure came from Drs. Canard and Figurine, and we were joined by Drs. Heatshrink, Really and Truly.
We started by scouring this quaint flea market, where we found many worthy artifacts for our Time Machine and other art projects. We then headed over to Building 180, where some of Burning Man’s most treasured artworks were created. There, we met with artist Peter Hudson, who showed us Eternal Return, his latest stroboscopic zoetrope, which is an amazing work of art and science.
We also got a chance to view some other legendary artworks in this building, before it closes down at the end of the month, including Marco Cochrane’s original models for Bliss Dance and his large-scale steel sculptures of nude women.
It was an inspiring visit, and I enjoyed visiting this mecca of Burning Man art -- and meeting Peter, whom I had heard so much about. And it was great fun to go on this little expedition with my maker friends, to collect art debris and inspiration for our next creations!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Flea Market:
Learn more about Peter Hudson’s Eternal Return:
www.facebook.com/eternalreturnzoetrope/
View more photos of our ‘Pataphysical antics:
www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/albums/72157623637793277
Learn about Pataphysical Studios: pataphysics.us/