May 2011 01

Figure and Ground – Contact Festival 2011 0

Posted In Blog,design,Event,For the love of interactive,Press Release

Opening Reception: May 6th, 7 – 11 pm.
99 Sudbury, Toronto.

Figure and Ground :: Contact 2011 :: Simon Rojas (CD – Derooted Creative Agency) and Javier Lovera (Hermann & Audrey) are at it again for this years CONTACT photography festival.

Breaking down the traditional figure-ground dynamic, this collection defines the spectator as the figure, and the installations as the ground integrating them in a cycle. The viewer is allowed to change and define the installation by interacting with it, while the installation changes and affects the response of the viewer by changing his/her environment in real time. This installation is 3Dimensional and uses traditional photographic techniques, life casting, and electronics. The installation features Jillian Vanstone, first Principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada.

contact lovera rojas ex Figure and Ground Contact Festival 2011

Creating two interactive exhibits continuing on there exploration from last year, but this year integrating traditional photographic techniques, life casting, and Arduino Boards to create the interactive installations. So this year: no projections (love projections, don’t get us wrong).

This years theme celebrates Marshall McLuhan‘s 100 yr anniversary, and its based on his Figure & Ground theory and gestalt psychology. McLuhan said of the figure to define the ground and vice-versa. We take our spectator as the figure, and our installations as the ground and we integrate them in a cycle, where the viewer is allowed to change and define the installation by interacting with it, while the installation changes and affects the response of the viewer by changing his/her environment in real time.

We are developing 2 installations. For #003 we’ve done a life cast of Lawrence, a good friend of Javier Lovera who was kind enough to lend us his face for 2 hours. The next step is to shoot a picture of Lawrence in the same pose as that of the life cast and print it onto the cast in the darkroom using light sensitive emulsions.

In the meantime, we have to start building the electronics of the installation. We are using the Arduino to identify a viewer interacting with our exhibit via an ultrasonic proximity sensor. The Arduino also controls an ink dropper system that drops ink onto the installation using micro solenoid valves and small pumps that we are hoping to find at Wainbee Ltd.

This is where we are at. We will be posting more images and videos as we get them out building up to the Hermann & Audrey Exhibit in May.

Apr 2011 15

For the love of Pizza Pizza 0

Posted In Blog,For the love of interactive

New Plastic mobile logo 300x118 For the love of Pizza Pizza

Amazing news coming from our good friends and colleagues, Toronto application developers Plastic Mobile who you will probably recognize as the dedicated and extremely talented team who are responsible for the design & development of the newly added iPhone application for Pizza Pizza.

Homegrown talent, Plastic Mobile CEO Sep Seyedi and company president Melody Adhami were ecstatic as this week they revealed to us the awesome news of there apps recent nomination for the 15th annual Webby Awards. For those that may not know, this is one of the interactive worlds most prestigious awards, it’s kinda big deal.

Webby Logo 300x178 For the love of Pizza Pizza With thousands of applicants, the Pizza Pizza app was selected as top five in the category of Mobile: Shopping. The Webby Awards are the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet that includes mobile, websites, online film & TV, etc.

Plastic Mobile is competing against large US brands like Target, Walgreens, Consumer Reports, and Gilt. And they could do with your support to earn the Peoples Voice Award.

There are many nominations as the Plastic Mobile PizzaPizza App was narrowed down to the top 5 in there respective category. The app is amongst top American brands and is presently in second place and rising fast to beat American giant Walgreens.

The Pizza Pizza app is ranked as #1 Lifestyle app in iTunes store, and a favorite app amount Canadians.

Your vote would help them immensely. It’s easy and will only take a minute, click here to vote.

Share with friends on Facebook and Twitter – use a shorten URL:
http://bit.ly/guLUu0

Plastic Mobiles Twitter & Hashtag:
@PlasticMobile
@PizzaPizzaLTD
@TheWebbyAwards
#webbys
Download the Pizza Pizza app

Graphics of the app available here.

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Pizza Pizza has been serving Canadians since 1967, and recently released their iPhone app. This app allows for orders straight from your iPhone–it doesn’t get any easier than that. The future is here, folks and it smells like pepperoni

Here’s the app description:

Come on board and be a part of the Pizza ordering revolution by:
• Creating your favorite pizza order
• Select your last order
• Specify order type (delivery or pickup)
• Track guarantee time
• Place future orders

The free Pizza Pizza application is compatible with all versions of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and can be downloaded at the App Store.

Features Include:

• Browse through the extensive menu with a flick of a finger
• Variety of payment options; at the door or through the app
• Favorite order feature allows one-click ordering (save a maximum of 5 orders)
• View your last five orders (automatically saved and repeat with a click)
• University students can use meal cards as a payment mode (*limitations apply)
• App only specials
• Ability to view the updated price while creating your favorite order
• Track the time guarantee on your order with a count-down timer; Pizza Pizza provides a 40 min or free delivery guarantee (some restrictions may apply)
• Save multiple addresses on your profile (e.g. work, home, cottage)
• Search for restaurants located near you with the intuitive map application. Restaurant operating hours and a quick call number also available
• The iPhone app is synced with your online web-profile

Bring in an Old Cell Phone, Get a Free Slice of Pizza

Pizza Pizza locations are celebrating Earth Month this April by giving out free slices of pizza to people who bring in old cell phones for recycling. The Cells for Slices program generates revenue for Food Banks Canada. So, if you have an old phone in a drawer somewhere, bring it in for free pizza!

Click here to download the Pizza Pizza app. It’s free. Please let me know how it works for you and please take a moment and vote for the app here.