TimeTraveller™
2009-2010

Thanks to a Canada Council New Media Residency grant, Skawennati was able to spend a year researching and developing TimeTraveller™, a multi-platform project that includes a website, nine machinima episodes, several sets of digital prints and a Hunter mega-figurine.

Highlighted Residency activities

– Designed and launched www.TimeTravellerTM.com website

– Worked with professionals at Concordia to develop an optimal workflow, including figuring out the best settings (framerate, resolution, codecs, etc.),

– Historical research on Dakota Sioux Uprising; Fort Calgary; Indians of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz; Tenochtitlan, Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk Crisis

– Interviews with participants in the Mohawk Crisis

– Built sets for Dakota Sioux Uprising, 1862; Behind the barricades in Kanesatake, 1990; St-Francis Xavier Church, Iroquois village, longhouse interior, “Indian Church” interior; pow wow stadium of the future; Karahkwenhawi’s home; Alcatraz island; Tenochtitlan (interior, exterior, sacrifice and boat scenes; and TimeTraveller™ boutique. Improved Hunter’s apartment.

– Designed multiple HUD screens

– Wrote and storyboarded each episode

– Designed costumes for each episode

– Identified, rehearsed with and directed voice talent for each episode.

– Shot each episode.

– Identified and worked with composers for the music for each episode.

– Worked with a sound designer both to record voice talent and for the sound design of each episode.

– Identified and learned how to use new hardware (the SpaceNavigator, a 3D mouse used to better manipulate the Second Life camera controls)

– Edited, edited, edited

– Presented my work to various audiences, including twice to Hexagram Concordia’s community.

– Made a FaceBook artist page to let people in on my process: www.facebook.com/skawennati

– Began a series of large digital prints called “TimeTraveller™ Production Stills.”

– Experimented with outputting Second Life avatars to 3D modeling software and created the 3D rapid prototype “Hunter Mega-Figurine”.

– Experimented with porting various digital creations into Second Life, such as the clothing worn in the Aztec episode, and importing Hannah Claus’s “cloudscape”, shown in Episode 09.