Interactive Animation
Abstract
The project I have chosen to work on is an interactive animation, whereby the interactivity is achieved through speech recognition. My research for this will cover areas such as semiotics, the etymology of the specific words chosen to activate the animations, graphic design and abstract art theory.
Origins of Design Concept
I began thinking about this area from looking at Windows Media Players visualizations and wondering how it could be made more interactive, or more interesting. At first I was thinking of using speech recognition software to respond to lyrics in the songs being played or to pick up words people were using in general conversation around the computer. I began thinking about having an animation running which had several scenarios that could be played in response to lyrics or general conversation. I was interested in the idea of an animation which didn't have a continuous narrative thread, with no specific ‘start' or ‘end', that could respond to the surrounding environment.
As I looked into speech recognition I found that it would be very difficult for the software to pick up lyrics as the music would cause interference. Also the fact that these words would be sung would present another problem as speech recognition depends in part on timing and lengthened words would probably not be recognized. I began to look at the other side of this idea, a non-linear animation that would respond to people's speech.
The next question was ‘What kind of speech?' Time constraints meant that it would be necessary to choose a set number of words to act as triggers and a set number of animation possibilities to be created. I began thinking about different kinds of words people use and how the speak to each other and decided upon swear words for a number of reasons while I will look at.
Once I settled on using swear words I decided to relate each animation to each particular word – each animation will relate to a number of features of the specific word, such as where the word has come from, how taboo it is, how old it is. There will be a constant ‘base' animation in order to ground the others. Each animation may be stylized or abstract and based on the idea of the word more than its literal sense. A very literal interpretation would probably not be suitable for a public display.
All animations will be a similar style in order to keep the piece connected. Elements of Design such as line, shape,texture ,space and colour and Principles of Design such as movement , balance, emphasis and unity will all play important roles in the finished piece.
Swear words are the only ‘power' words most of us use, their taboo nature means many people are more conscious of using them than other words. They also provide a wealth of possible graphical interpretations as many originate from quite vivid expressions and phrases. For example, the fairly innocent sounding ‘drat' originated from the phrase ‘God rot', as in ‘God rot your bones'. Most swear words are related to sex, the body or religion and so should provide an interesting basis for animating.
Objectives
The end result of this piece should be an image map of a conversation as it happens. It should get people thinking about the words they choose to use and how often they use them. Hopefully, people may try to expand their vocabulary in order to create a more interesting experience for themselves.
Our language is so rich and filled with vibrant imagery yet we take it for granted. I would also like for people to think about where the words they use came from, how old they are and what the meaning behind them is.
It's also about thinking of language in a different manner; we use words to paint pictures of scenes we want others to imagine. This piece will show language as image. It will encourage people to consider their words in a visual sense, hopefully it will arouse curiosity while being aesthetically arresting.
I would like to include some older words, time permitting, so that people can be encouraged to try and think of words they may know to be swears, but never use. For example, ‘Gadzooks', which originates in the phrase ‘God's hooks'. I would like for people to consider how our language changes - phrases such as ‘God's hooks' are so much more vivid than many of the words we use today.
One of my main objectives is to amuse. I'm making no claims that this piece is ground-breakingly original or technologically innovative. It's more about offering a different view of the world, if just for a few moments.
Why Swearing?
Swear words are one of the most fascinating elements of the English language. They add colour to conversation, allow speakers to express frustration and anger, and are often used for humorous emphasis. Their origins provide a social history of a language. Most researchers agree that swearing came from early forms of word magic . Studies of modern, non-literate cultures suggest that swearwords came from the belief that spoken words have power and the ability to curse or bless people, or to otherwise affect the world. 1 There are a number of reasons why I felt swear words would be appropriate for this piece.
Imagery
Swear words are also the most graphic, often prompting people to do the impossible or the disgusting. They encompass a wide variety of attitudes; ‘ the violent, the amusing, the shocking, the absurd, the casual and the impossible'. 2 They can be incredibly imaginative and creative yet shockingly ugly and cruel. Given this, they provide an infinite number of jumping off points for illustration.
Change
They change quicker than any other group of words as words which used to be innocuous become profane and vice versa. Words which seem harmless now may have quite vulgar or grotesque pasts. Conversely, words which appear to have a vulgar origin can actually be quite innocent. For example, the phrase ‘cock-up' originates with beer making, if the batch went bad, they turned the cock (i.e. tap, or faucet) up to drain the barrel. 3 Similarly, the word 'prick' when used as an insult does not come from slang for male genitalia but from farming equipment; the prick was a shaft of sharpened wood used to keep oxen in place. A person was said to be 'kicking against the prick' if they resisted authority even if it meant harming themselves. In other words, being a 'prick' was being unduly rebellious. 4 Again, this provides a number of more interesting possibilities, as an animation can reflect a words past, not just its present.
Emotional Value
Swear words acquire a certain weight that other words simply don't have. Many have a high emotional charge attached to them which people exploit to convey their feelings. Language processing is a "higher" brain function and takes place in the cerebral cortex. Many studies suggest that the brain processes swearing in the lower regions, along with emotion and instinct. Scientists theorize that instead of processing a swearword as a series of phonemes, or units of sound that must be combined to form a word, the brain stores swear words as whole units.
Arbitrariness of language
Most language, barring descriptive words, is completely arbitrary. It is in swearing that this fact becomes more intriguing.
The actual sound of a word is not what is offensive, it is the concept generated in the mind of the listener which causes offense. The word itself is just a signifier. The only thing that keeps a word offensive is societies continued acceptance of its ‘offensiveness'. Any word could be invented, and as long as everyone agreed, there is no reason why the sound ‘blah' could not be regarded as having the same meaning as ‘fuck'.
Humour
The piece is intended to be entertaining and the thought of people at an exhibition trying out all the swear words they know is quite entertaining to me. It will also help to engage people with the work.
Having begun to research and to think more deeply about the final look of the piece, it seems to me that a number of things are essential to it being successful. Mainly, there needs to be a structure to how each animation is created and finished. A few rules need to be laid down in order for the piece to be coherent. While I probably won't stick rigidly to what follows, they will guide the process for each.
• The animations must not simply visualize the word itself, as a too literal depiction would rapidly become dull. Instead, the animations must be inspired by the idea of the phrase or word.
• The main focus will be on the emotion and feeling each word inspires. The piece is to be more focused on emotive content than factual information.
• They will relate to how taboo the word is by use of aspects such as colour and line. More taboo words will be darker in colour and sharper in line for example.
• Words which have been around longer may have longer lasting animations.
• Words which have their origins in very different phrases may reflect this by changing quite rapidly, beginning as one image and ending as something quite different.
• They can also use texture, shape and other design elements to create associations between the animation for one word and for another. This can allow users to detect relationships betweens words which they may not have realized existed.
• The animations should be without sound. This would not only be distracting but could also affect how well the microphones can pick up peoples voices. As I am attempting to create visual representations of words, sound would simply be inappropriate.
It will be important for this piece to work on two levels. It must function as a visually appealing display for anyone unaware of how the images are being chosen, but once a viewer choose to read the accompanying documentation or becomes aware of the process, it should provide more of a stimulus.
Technology
Software:
This will require speech recognition software, which will hopefully be open source. It needs to be user independent, and preferably doesn't need to be trained to a particular voice. It will only need to recognize a small number of words. The animations will be created in Flash and the final piece will probably be held together in Director.
Equipment:
It needs at least one microphone, a projector and a pc. A room containing no other work being shown, hopefully situated in a quiet area.
Using Speech Recognition technology raises a number of issues. The speech recognition software may not work well enough to pick up what a number of different people are saying or it may not respond fast enough. In order to combat this, the piece will be a slow moving one, where instantaneous reaction is not expected. Animations will start slowly and last for different lengths of time. The hope is that the viewer will not be left looking at a blank wall.
One of the problems with all speech recognition software is that of exterior noise. The piece will need to be in a somewhat isolated room so as to cut down on as much exterior sound as possible.
People's speech varies in terms of accent and speed, so it may be necessary to ask them to speak somewhat slowly or more clearly than they usually do. Hopefully this will not be necessary as it would take from the exhibition.
