Integrated Media Medal Winner Myles Borins
Myles Borins. Photo: Christina Gapic.Borins' interests include music theory, programming and human interaction. His thesis work, The Autonomous Speaker-Bot, is a "self-sufficient integrated media command centre" in which the audience explores physical and digital space and interacts with the work to change it. Borins is the recipient of a research scholarship at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University.
Q. Where did the inspiration for your work come from?
Over the course of my undergraduate education I made a number of different interactive electronic installations that required quite a bit of programming to make things work. After each instance I was left with a working final product, but the code behind the project served a single purpose and was not useful beyond the scope of the original project. When researching my thesis I had a grand vision for what I wanted to accomplish, but the more time I spent thinking about how to implement it, the less satisfied I became with my methodology. I questioned my process, and rather than make another single-purpose installation, I created a platform with which I could create many different installations. This process has become a guiding principal in my work: I strive to create tools that help mitigate the process of creation.
String Theory (2010) by Myles Borins. Wood, steel, string, max/msp, big red buttons, arduino, embedded electronics.
Q. What part of your project are you most proud of and why?
That things work! The Autonomous Speaker-Bot utilized multiple computers, languages, and programs to make everything happen. Much like in a kinetic installation each element of the Speaker-Bot needed to work; if a single element within the system had a problem the entire installation would cease to operate.
Q. What was your reaction after you found out that you were the Medal Winner for your program?
(＾▽＾)
A look inside Borin's work, The Autonomous Speaker-Bot.
Q. In looking back at your time at OCAD U, what is your fondest memory of the program you were in and what will you miss the most?
My fondest memory from the program is definitely Thesis year. Having the opportunity to see a multitude of large-scale works develop over a year was both inspiring and humbling. Having the chance to work closely with a small group of peers I have gotten to know over the last three years pushed me to create, learn and grow.
Q. What are your plans after graduation?
I have received an Denning Family Arts Fellowship from the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts to pursue a Master's degree in Music Science and Technology at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. While at Stanford I will continue both my artistic practice and academic research, exploring sound and human interaction.