Workshops Galore at ITP Camp!

So this was my second summer working as a camp counselor for ITP Camp, a summer camp for adults where the campers put together their own workshops and teach each other all kinds of stuff. The core memories I have from the previous summer were that camp was kind of chaotic … and so were the campers (respectfully). Counselors were not only facilitating camp and all the various sessions happening day to day, we were also working as staff, manning the fabrication shop and equipment room (ER) checkout. We were spread thin to say the least.

This summer was totally different. A lot of the post-pandemic kinks seemed to be sorted out and the culture around camp was chilled out. With this new found peace, I wanted to use this chance to actually put together some workshop sessions of my own. Here’s an overview of three workshops I developed and facilitated at ITP Camp this summer

Let’s eat (bio)plastic!

All me baby, June 25, 2024

This was my solo workshop debut! In this workshop I facilitated a hands-on and collaborative group cooking session to make an agar agar dessert. This cooking process and recipe ingredients are much like the bioplastics I had been developing over the last year for Material Kitchen, an online resource for sustainable materials. I set up two cooking stations with all the necessary ingredients and tools. The lecture guided participants through the cooking process and gave a brief overview on bioplastics and the work we’ve (me + Yeseul) been doing for Material Kitchen. Participants had fun getting to know each other and the material through cooking and admired our tactile material library. At the end, we shared our desserts and dreamed about the future of sustainable materials.

You can find a copy of my presentation here.

Into the depths of Depthkit

with Cindy Hu and Elif Ergin, June 18, 2024

I collaborated with my friends Cindy and Elif to create a workshop to share ITP’s specialty Depthkit volumetric capture rig with the people at ITP Camp. This rig consists of video cameras and depth sensors which combine to create 3D video capture assets that can be used in all kinds of 3D environments.

We started with a brief history on photosculpture and volumetric filmmaking. Then detailed the hardware of our custom rig and the Depthkit workflow and the structure of the output files. We gave some tips for filming and lighting the subject. We described the post-production process and migrating the captures into Unity (game engine).

The highlight of the demo was when got hands-on, starting with the Depthkit’s lengthy calibration process. It was so fun getting people into the rig and capturing their poses. We edited and exported all the captures, shared them with all participants, and hosted a follow up help session for working with the files.

For those interested, you can find a copy of our lecture here.

Community Mural

with Elyana Javaheri, June 23, 2024

Toward the end of camp, we literally set up a blank canvas for campers to take time to unwind and follow their creative intuitions.

Elyana and I have had big dreams for our camp project since last summer, but when we found this giant roll of canvas, we couldn’t be stopped. We created a mural station, with a bunch of paints and a few guidelines, and let people paint for the next two days. Many campers are on the “ITP floor” all hours of the day to make the most of their time and resources. Allowing people to come together to co-create, with few constraints, was a relaxing and freeing alternative to sitting in technical sessions all day and the self-made pressure of making a project for the end of camp show. Hopefully the community mural can be added to in future years of ITP Camp!