Description

For the second part of the first term of the workshops in Creative Coding of the MA in Computational Arts (I studied at Goldsmiths in 2011) we were assigned the development of an iPhone application using openFrameworks. With barely a couple of months experience programming in C++, I decided to set myself an uncomplicated project on the coding side but, at the same time, I was adamant to explore some of the features unique to the iPhone.

There are a number of great features that can be used creatively in the development of an application: computer vision, sound and graphics rendering, multi touch screen, GPS, access to internet, and the ability to sense the orientation of the device are just a few. The accelerometer detects the direction the device is help and it’s used to switch between portrait and landscape modes. Neither laptops or desktops have this feature so I decided to use it in my project.

iSkesen is an iPhone app that recreates the 1950’s Danish-made Eskesen floaty pen. Eskesen pens were a popular promotional give away and souvenir and are now highly collectable. These pens contained something that floated inside the barrel, a car, a plane, the logo of a company, but especially popular were the pin-ups. My app is a humorous translation to the digital realm of these objects that form part of the past but are still present in the collective consciousness. Following the same principle floaty pens were made, the suit of the pin-up disappears if the phone is turned is upside down. The image of the pin-up is layered in background, body and clothes so when the device is tilted the y position of the clothes layer can be translated accordingly achieving an effect of reversed gravity.

Regardless the ardours process of setting up an apple provisioning profile, I found this project a great introduction to iPhone development and opened for me a new outlet for future creative projects.