Ruby Bell
Ruby Bell

Slit-Scan Photo-Booth

Slit-Scan Photo-Booth was an independent project I made at the Royal College of Art as a way to explore my research question—how can we use digital technologies in public space to get people to play?

Participant Photography

Digital Mirrors

The project began with a fascination with the concept of ‘digital mirrors’ and the potential they have for encouraging people to have fun together in public space. What if one combined the concept of a digital ‘funhouse’ mirror and a photo booth?

'Portal' by Benediktas Gylys
Snap's AR Mirrors in Retail
Super Slit Scan by Kitasenju Design

Made in TouchDesigner

I initially came across slit-scanning from playing with this code snippet in p5.js—but so far being relatively inexperienced in coding, I switched to learning and working in TouchDesigner to build out the project. I modified a community tutorial to add a photography feature so that users could take their own portraits, and designed basic UI to teach people how the effect works.

Slit-Scan Self Portraits in TouchDesigner
Using slit-scanning to distort type for the booth poster

Installation

I installed my prototype booth in the RCA School of Communication café. People really loved taking portraits and playing with their reflections. While the technical demo itself was modest, I think that installing it in a communal space and giving it some framing turned it into something quite delightful.


School Royal College of Art

Role Designer

Project Duration Approx 8 weeks

When Feb–April 2024

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