Day 197 – October 23, 2014

At home, I cut plastic sheets, solder connections, and staple wires. I’m making a triangular screen. Friend Jacob got me into a Creative Coding class at Gray Area. This intensive class meets three times each week: Tu-Th 6-9pm and Sa 12-4pm. I’m learning HTML, CSS, Javascript, Processing, and more ways to put art on the internets.

In exchange for the class, I build art for Gray Area’s New Year’s Eve party. I’m making triangular screens based on previous 3 hexagonal screens. Sure, triangles are not that different from hexes, but both shapes freshen up the standard rectilinear screen grid. Furthermore, if we fabricate the Triangles quickly, we can focus on software for video display, tiling, and a better controller.

We means our Hex group of five people: me, Greg, Jason, Tom, and John. I hope they are not burnt out from the Hexes and summer sheep lighting. I prototype one screen before Halloween. From the prototype, we can decide whether to make 5 more screens. Although I can manage the cutting and soldering, six screens is a lot of work for one.

Class member Phillip offers a mirror installation to magnify each screen. Our Hex Group will work with another artist collective called Corecult. November and December will be busy months. I have not yet told the organizers that I will be away from San Francisco to Morocco until 7pm New Year’s Eve. I often prefer the hard (and interesting) way.