Musart Web Application

Abstract

The MusArt web application was created in the hopes of combining available audio and visual technology to be used for good. The origins of this project were inspired by Professor Ico Bukvic, my client, who conducts a significant amount of work at the intersection of music and technology. Many people, who will be recognized throughout this paper, helped in the ideation phase of this project, providing insights from their respective experience. As a result, this project rests on a very broad foundation, pulling together many different ideas into one cohesive final product.

The goal of MusArt is to provide users with an application that allows them to express themselves, regardless of self-perceived creative abilities. A parallel goal is to provide an activity to actively relax by using engaging audio and visual stimulation. This benefits the user due to the powerful effects that music has on our biological functions, combined with the benefits of tuning into our senses of vision and hearing. This idea of tuning in is common in meditation practices.

This product works on the idea of limiting the amount of choices available to a user, giving them enough freedom to feel that what they are creating is theirs without giving too much freedom that would lead the user to feeling overwhelmed. Regardless of experience, anybody should be able to use this tool as long as they have access to a computer.

The MusArt interface consists of a control center, a workspace, and a visual display.  The control center allows the user to choose from a set of given music/visual templates, which cover a wide range of styles, then play, pause, and reset this music-visual piece.  The workspace is where the user is able to manipulate various aspects of the music/visual piece, using different input devices.  The visual display is where the responsive visual appears.

Included in this submission are two versions of the final report (PDF and editable Word document), and two versions of the final presentation. These together cover my progress on this project up to 04/29/2021, along with my current goals for the near future.