[spectre] Netherlands Media Art institute: Programmer/Engineer wanted

[Marieke Istha]

Programmer/Engineer wanted

The Netherlands Media Art Institute is looking for a programmer or 
engineer who supports and works with Mexican artist Lilia Perez Romero 
on the production Frontera.  Lilia Perez Romero is the new Artist in 
Residence at the NIMk.

Project Description Frontera
The project is a follow-up of the Frontera project (see 
http://cfisrv.finearts.uvic.ca/interactivefutures/IF07/?page_id=37). Its 
main technical goal is to build an interactive video portrait using a 
videobooth (to be developed) to capture such portrait. The interactive 
portrait should act as a mirror to the user. When he slides his/her hand 
over the screen, the portrayed subject should follow the user's hand 
with his/her own hand. There is already a prototype of the portrait, but 
the aim of the collaboration is to improve its performance, and to 
automate the process of capturing the video and programming the 
interaction. (Many of the parameters of the prototype were defined 
manually).

Outline of Work
- Develop a control interface to control a camera so that the play / 
record/ pause/stop/ ffw/rewind buttons are available from an on screen 
graphical interface.

- Develop the necessary tracking software to follow the user's hand 
movements over a 157 x 127cm screen using two firewire cameras or 
through another device thus obtaining the effect of a touch screen.

- Develop a system to map the user's hand movements (in the xy plane) to 
the appropriate time slice of a video that is going to be recorded 
simultaneously.  All videos and their associated mapping data should be 
stored in such a way as to allow their fast retrieval during the booth's 
"mirror" operation mode.

- If multiple computers are required, the communication system among 
them should also be designed and developed.

- Design and develop a user-friendly graphic interface to setup and 
calibrate the application.

- The system can be developed using PD, or any programming language such 
as Java, C++, etc. The only requirement is that the problems described 
above are solved.

Time and Payment
It would be ideal, if the programmer/engineer could start to work with 
Lilia immediately. The NIMk can remunerate the programmer/engineer up to 
an amount of 2500 Euro. Ideally s/he is based in Amsterdam or close.

Contact
If you are interested to engage in this project, or if you have further 
questions, please contact Ms. Lilia Perez at lilitl at hotmail.com or call 
+31622655042.

Netherlands Media Art Institute
Keizersgracht 264
1016 EV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
http://www.nimk.nl