Moon & Myth
Experiential Design
Moon & Myth is a prototype designed for my class "Design a Science Exhibit" taught by Mark Gross at the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. The exhibit concept was exploring how Moon phenomena is explained throughout history comparing what we now know to be mythology to the "hard science" that explains phenomena today. Built during the spring semester of my first year of grad school, this project involved Projection Mapping and Computer Vision with TouchDesinger, custom fabrication, and content creation.
My role in Moon & Myth was split into two. I worked as both the Project Manager and Technical Director. I aligned out team's timeline, production schedule, deliverables, and group roles. As Technical Director, I led the "backend" of the project by building out the interaction and display system in TouchDesigner, and created custom graphics in After Effects.
This project was created by me, Justin Ferland, Isabella Consentino, and Minh Ngyuen.
TouchDesigner
The exhibit worked by having visitors interact with the projection on a 3D printed model of the moon. When the hotspots were touched, a new scene would unfold over the surface. In order to trigger this interaction, I relied on Computer Vision through the MediaPipe TouchDesigner Plugin. This part of the network assigned the interaction to the tip of the index finger, defining an X,Y coordinate system that was then connected to the Scene Changer. Using a system of Python expressions, delays, and a fair amount of experimentation, this network allowed for interaction with the exhibit to be the user's own hands rather than a separate controller.
Above: "Day 1" MediaPipe set up, converting hand tracking to a coordinate system.
Below: Overall final system including custom Python parameters and CHOPs for sequencing.
Above Left: V1 of connecting "null_location" to the Next Scene parameter in the scene changer using an expression.
Above Right: An example of an expression leveraging MediaPipe to properly queue and sequence scene changes by connecting it to the Reload parameter.
Graphics & Projection Mapping
I also created a series of graphics that was paired with voice overs we created to tell the stories and science of the Blood Moon, Jade Rabbit, and Marias of the Moon's surface. These graphics would then be projected onto the surface of our moon model giving the stories a 3D space to come to life on. The graphics were made in After Effects and then plugged back into the TouchDesigner network.
Above: "Landing Page" graphic that users see when they walk up to the exhibit that turned into a story scene.
Below: Early tests of projection mapping interaction and TouchDesigner performance.
Exhibit Assembly
With the back end complete, our fabricator designed the exhibit where the projector would be mounted above a 3D printed model of the moon. The texture allows for another layer of interaction with the concept. We then demoed the project at the Fiske Planetarium and at the ATLAS Expo.
Below: Final assembly of the moon on the platform.
