#HACKTHESCREEN
Last weekend I participated in my first ever hackathon! It was the Digital Cities Hackathon organized by Northern Ireland Screen and sponsored by BBC. I was really damn nervous before going there, because a) I didn't really know what a hackathon was (but it sounded cool) b) I was sure everyone else would be professionals in their field and I'm just a hobbyist amateur.
The evening before, I googled what a hackathon actually is, and I fount that (according to Wikipedia) it is
"a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including subject-matter-experts, collaborate intensively on software projects".
So essentially a game jam! That killed at least half of the nerves. And when I finally got there and found an awesome team, the rest was just super fun.
We ended up making a prototype of a phone app which, according to the fancy promo text we wrote for it, "bridges art with technology and history with our hopes for tomorrow". It provides a way for the user to explore points in Belfast either in person via and AR marker or remotely in a VR headset, while providing local artists and other collaborators with a space to showcase interesting things about the city.
Our team was pretty graphics-heavy, but that worked really well with our consept. I created some graphics assets, as well as worked with audio recording. I ended up learning a bit about a skeleton style animation app online called Marionette Studio (not great, it has potential but the interface isn't very user-friendly) and Audacity (which, to be fair is like the simplest audio program ever, but I still had barely used it before this). All in all it was a surprisingly stress-free and fun weekend!
1850s lady! I experimented in drawing in a style representing the historical period. Is it amazing? No. But did I learn a thing or two about choosing good colors? YES, finally.
The Salmon of Knowledge, a remake.
I feel like the best in me comes out during events like this. I'm really a cruncher, and not someone who can stick to weekly goals with discipline and rigour. I thrive on insane deadlines and 48-hour challenges. It's in settings like this where my insecurities and negative voices making toxic comparisons are forced to subside. And clear objectives with a high-pressured deadline get me into the mood to actually learn that fucking program that I've been meaning to, watch that damn tutorial, and just experiment and get shit done.
The evening before, I googled what a hackathon actually is, and I fount that (according to Wikipedia) it is
"a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including subject-matter-experts, collaborate intensively on software projects".
So essentially a game jam! That killed at least half of the nerves. And when I finally got there and found an awesome team, the rest was just super fun.
We ended up making a prototype of a phone app which, according to the fancy promo text we wrote for it, "bridges art with technology and history with our hopes for tomorrow". It provides a way for the user to explore points in Belfast either in person via and AR marker or remotely in a VR headset, while providing local artists and other collaborators with a space to showcase interesting things about the city.
Our team was pretty graphics-heavy, but that worked really well with our consept. I created some graphics assets, as well as worked with audio recording. I ended up learning a bit about a skeleton style animation app online called Marionette Studio (not great, it has potential but the interface isn't very user-friendly) and Audacity (which, to be fair is like the simplest audio program ever, but I still had barely used it before this). All in all it was a surprisingly stress-free and fun weekend!
1850s lady! I experimented in drawing in a style representing the historical period. Is it amazing? No. But did I learn a thing or two about choosing good colors? YES, finally.
The Salmon of Knowledge, a remake.
I feel like the best in me comes out during events like this. I'm really a cruncher, and not someone who can stick to weekly goals with discipline and rigour. I thrive on insane deadlines and 48-hour challenges. It's in settings like this where my insecurities and negative voices making toxic comparisons are forced to subside. And clear objectives with a high-pressured deadline get me into the mood to actually learn that fucking program that I've been meaning to, watch that damn tutorial, and just experiment and get shit done.