How have our digital visual systems transformed our perceptions of human beings and society? Has this digital world opened a new means for self-extension, self-representation, and self-archiving?
1. Self-picture
2. Style Transferred
3. PIFuHD
4. Animated avatar
5.Avatar Generated
6.Augmented
Brief
In the modern era, digital interactions generate data that is processed and aggregated into alternative realities across the globe, shaping and multiplying our identities and personhood. Yet, all we are left with is a fictional reflection of ourselves, assembled from our Amazon purchases, Instagram stories, Yelp reviews, and guided meditation videos.
In this project, we explored the minimum amount of data, representation, and objectification required to generate a decent archive of our current selves. By creating avatars that mimic and reflect aspects of our personality and corporeal form, we will reflect on our digital footprint, data, and representation. We did not choose a filter on Instagram; we became the filter. The most exciting part of the project was asking our family and close friends to operate our filters. This module encouraged us to explore social media opportunities and combine various software to complete the project impressively. Inspired by the movie Ready Player One, we created 3D avatars with artistic skins as our digital selves that live in the internet world, free from physical limitations.
To achieve this, we used machine learning (PIFuHD) for avatar generation, Blender for UV editing, Mixamo for rigging, and Style Transfer for personalization and visualization. We then created animations, and personalized textures, representing our personalities and interests through video. Following the curation style of a MySpace Home Page, we used Unreal Engine to represent ourselves to the world and created a shared Instagram filter using Spark AR. Through this process, we archived a version of ourselves frozen in time, ready for use in the metaverse.
#sparkar #photoshop #aftereffects #GoogleColab #PIFuHD #styletransfer #blender #ue5
1. Personality Composition in UE5
2. Final filter export on Instagram
3. Image after Style transforming