01
Reactive Type
- 2016 - ECAL - 3 Months - Individual work
- Interactive - Coding - Animation
- After Effect - Processing
Reactive Type is an animated Typography run with the programming language Processing. As letters come together to form words and build sentences, my project is based on the theme of construction and deconstruction.
While words are formed through letters, I seek to construct the typography through the use of the most simplest form: the cube. The whole alphabet is analog, filmed and then formatted and integrated to Processing to make it interactive.
- Analog Realization
Each letter is composed of several wooden blocks of about 3 cm x 3 cm. After some tests, this material revealed itself to be the most adequate for the desired fall effect.
Each cube is colored in black. At first sight, the letters look like they’re made out of one piece and are two dimensional. The impression of depth appears at the beginning of the fall due to the light reflections.
In order to make the construction of the all alphabet possible, I stacked some of the cubes. A transparent nylon thread, connected to the cubes, caused, when pulled, the falling of the cubes and thus the deconstruction of the letters.
- Animation and Interaction
All recordings of the letters have been retouched uniformly with the program After Effect. A transparent background was added, the videos were slowed down with a Plug-in, cut so that each sequence has the same duration and that the time of the fall is on every video identical.
The PNG sequence of each letter is integrated in a way to correspond to their respective key on the keyboard. The ability to demolish the words or rebuild them on a click is added.
- Process
- Research and experimentation
My first approach was to try out different ways or aesthetics. I explored various things and tested different media and methods, for example: time-lapse, 3D Modeling or animation. I came to the topic of construction / deconstruction after some brainstorming and continuous experimentation. I quickly came to the idea of using cubes as a material to build my letters and trying to implement these forms in different ways.
- Implementation and testing
I tried at first an idea of animating an entry and a final sequence, so that I could bring the letters on and off stage. But I quickly moved to something analog which I found more fascinating due to the unknown movement the physical fall caused. I experimented with some paper, foam and wooden cubes and tired out different ways to impact the fall. Finally, I decided that each letter would share the same falling animation and that its activator would be invisible. I also chose to avoid any intro or final sequences.
