Concept
Design
Animation
You Are
Not a Gadget
Concept
Design
Animation
You Are Not a Gadget
by Jaron Lanier
“a music note was no longer just
an idea but a rigid mandatory structure”
Motion tracking points on my fingers
Lights taped onto a bag around my neck lol
Tracing paper taped in front of the camera
CONCEPT
In music, there's a stark contrast between playing notes mechanically and truly feeling them. Similarly, technology, with its rigid structure and single correct answers, can reduce infinite possibilities and wonder into a fixed, lifeless block—the midi synth note.
The beauty of human nature lies in its messy, wild, and uncontrollable creativity. To confine that entirely to technology feels like a loss.
PROCESS
Tracing paper, lights, and piano keys evoke the organic passion of human touch. Overlapping hands embody emotion, while piercing light symbolizes technology. Initially refreshing, the light grows, fracturing creativity into a rigid system, reducing human nature to a lifeless midi synth note.
One exciting part was incorporating motion tracking in After Effects. Tracking points on my hands while playing piano, I created vibrant, chaotic textures that embody the raw, fervent energy of creativity.
Referencing DNA sequences was a key point in the designs as well.
