The Automated Digital Photo Collage:

The Automated Digital Collage is an installation made of a digital camera positioned in the middle of a screen, or an array of screens, connected to a computer running a program that automatically collages the difference between multiple images. A viewer will see an image of themselves on the screen(s) from a few seconds before. Then, a second image of themselves will overlay the first image. The first image will not be completely erased from the screen, rather only the parts of the image that have changed: the position of the viewer and possibly people in the background.

The prototype of the Automated Digital Collage will be a wall hanging grid of four stripped down LCD screens with a small stripped down camera in the middle where the corners of the screens meet. The computer will be mounted to a metal armature behind the screens. The images will be displayed across all four screens.

The software that creates the collage will be available free on the internet for all to download and use, utilizing one’s own computer and quickcam.

The final version of the Automated Digital Collage will be installed in a bus shelter in NYC. The images from the bus shelter will be uploaded to a website, making the lowly bus stop a global art site. However, for this comission I am proposing creating the wall hanging prototype.

Tommy Mintz, artist, CV here, conceived this project and will be constructing the installation. Here are some examples of past work: S, robot - Piano, Twisted Tree, Girl with Sunglases

Nikita Pashenkov, Bio here, will be collaborating in making the software.

First, the camera takes an image. The image is saved as a base_image for all other images to be compared against. This images is saved and displayed on the screen.

base_image

After a delay of a few seconds, the camera takes another image. The image is compared against the base image. Any differences between the base_image and this image are layered over the base image. This composite image is saved as Image_1_time_date and displayed on the screen.

Image_1_time_date

After a delay of a few seconds, the camera takes another image. The image is compared against the base image. Any differences between the base_image and this image are layered over Image_1_time_date . This composite image is saved as Image_2_time_date and displayed on the screen.

Image_2_time_date

After a delay of a few seconds, the camera takes another image. The image is compared against the base image. Any differences between the base_image and this image are layered over Image_2_time_date . This composite image is saved as Image_3_time_date and displayed on the screen.

Basically, the code repeats itself for a set number of reptitions - like 5 times, then takes another base image and repeats the cycle.

Image_3_time_date

Image_4_time_date

Image_5_time_date

Main Page

Animated Demo

Pseudocode

Bus Shelter Installation

Questions? Please email me: tommy_at_ergocise.com