Have you ever wanted to be someone else just for a little while? Artist Katsuki Nogami lets people do that…in a way. The Yamada Taro Project involves people walking through public spaces in Tokyo and Berlin with iPads occupying the space where their faces would usually be visible.

The iPad-faced people wander through crowds, asking for permission to use individuals’ faces in the art project. Most people seem amused by the concept and delighted to have their face used in the project. The iPad faces then snap photos of willing people, adjusting the photos until they fill the screen.

The faces are displayed in real time in both cities, letting folks travel without leaving the city they are physically in. The name of the project is a very common Japanese name, similar to John Smith. The project explores the subject of anonymity, letting both the iPad wearer and the temporary faces both step out of their bodies and become another person temporarily.

The post Face Off and On: iPad Faces Explore Feelings of Anonymity first appeared on Gajitz.

Building your own computer sounds daunting and impossible to most people, but this simple DIY kit can turn anyone into a pseudo-Steve Jobs. Kano is a modular computer kit designed by London creative agency MAP. The goal is to show the world that anyone – even novices and technophobes – can build a computer with the right components.

The kit starts off with a Raspberry Pi: a computer no larger than a credit card that allows for components to be quickly and easily added. Also in the kit are a wireless keyboard, a speaker, various accessories and cables, and a custom case with stickers and stencils to make it your own.

Kano seeks to put technology into simpler terms for people who otherwise would never dream of being able to build their own computer. The modular nature of the kit means that even the least technically inclined person can build gadgets like small games, a wireless server, a speaker, and, yes – even a Raspberry Pi-powered computer.

The team at MAP have plenty of reasons for creating such a project. They want to get technology into the hands of young, capable people all over the world, for one. But they also want to show the world that art and technology don’t exist on vastly different planes. You can create technology in the name of art, and vice versa. It all hinges on having the right tools to do so, and Kano is the perfect place to start.

The post DIY Tech Kit Makes Building Computers as Easy as LEGO first appeared on Gajitz.

Telling time is one of those forgettable daily activities that we don’t pay much attention to, but it has changed quite dramatically in the past century. Where we once carried or wore devices that had to be wound in order to work, we now rely on batteries and cell phones to keep us informed.

ECAL graduate Pauline Saglio put the element of physical interaction back into time-telling with her diploma project entitled ‘Rewind.’ The project consists of three digital “clocks,” each with a different winding mechanism. To display the time, the user must activate these mechanisms by twisting, pushing or pulling.

The interactive clocks don’t simply display the time, however. First, unique animations fill the screen. Eventually the on-screen objects come together to form pictures of clock hands that indicate the current time. The project is a blend of art and technology with a little bit of practicality thrown in for good measure.

The post Digital Clocks Need Physical Interaction to Tell the Time first appeared on Gajitz.

It seems that artist Dan Corson wants the citizenry of Seattle to feel like they’re in Wonderland. Just take a look at his latest exhibit, the appropriately titled ‘Sonic Bloom,’ for proof.

Collaborating with the Pacific Science Center, Corson has designed a collection of psychedelic flowers. If that seems boring to you, consider the fact that they’re 40-foot-tall street lamps and have built-in motion sensors that trigger music. When all of the flowers are triggered, they sing in trippy harmony.

In true Seattle form, the LED lights are completely solar powered. These massive illuminated flowers should be a popular sight in a state that has recently passed certain laws which might enhance such a display.

The post Musical Art Display Gives Seattle Streets a Trippy Edge first appeared on Gajitz.

Having a limb amputated can be one of the most traumatic and life-changing experiences of a person’s life. After the operation, amputees often feel out of place and conspicuous. Artist and special effects expert Sophie de Oliveira Barata helps amputees reduce those negative feelings by creating incredible prostheses that reflect the personalities of their owners.

While Sophie does make shockingly realistic prosthetic limbs, her bespoke alternative limbs are where she really shines. She gets to know her clients, taking their personalities, hobbies, and imaginations into account when designing their new limbs. Her practice is known as The Alternative Limb Project.

The goal of these very noticeable limbs is to stop hiding amputees’ disabilities and highlight them in a positive way. The artist wants to draw attention to what her clients do have, not what they have lost.

The artistic prostheses give power back to amputees by letting them display their personalities in a way that is completely unique and will never be duplicated. They are wearable pieces of art that are, quite literally, part of the wearer’s body.

Most of Sophie’s clients have natural-looking prostheses that they wear on a day-to-day basis. The artistic creations are worn on special occasions, much like an expensive dress or an eye-catching piece of jewelry. They can be fantastic talking points and give the wearer a sense of confidence and beauty that they may have not felt after becoming disabled.

The post Unique Prosthetic Limbs Highlight Wearers’ Personalities first appeared on Gajitz.