Creative Technologist
With a background in engineering, design and education, Bryan Costanza joined the MS–Creative Industries program to take his work developing educational science exhibits, art installations and mobile apps to the next level. Specifically, he sought experience in hardware/software integration, physical computing and software development.
Backstory
After graduating from Cal Poly with a BS in aerospace engineering, Bryan worked for CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics as their education and public outreach specialist. In addition to creating exhibits and educational material for LASP, he pursued various science communication projects, including teaching high-altitude ballooning for CU Science Discovery and creating videos about aerospace engineering.
Coursework
Core:
- Creative Industries Professional Seminar: The Business of Creativity
- Creative Technologies
- Design Methods
- Design Studio
Electives:
- Design a Science Exhibit
- Product Development Studio
- Information Visualization
- Master's Independent Study
Projects
So Much Coffee: an iOS application that provides serious coffee aficionados with in-depth information about regional coffee shops and the coffees they sell.
Bryan's culminating Design Thesis project is a beta iOS 13.1+, easy-to-navigate app that provides coffee drinkers with detailed information about nearby coffee shops before visiting. Equipped with a dynamic map showing the location of nearby coffee shops, the app details food and beverage selections, WIFI speed, ambiance for studying and upcoming events. Most importantly for true aficionados, the app details each shop's roaster or if they roast their own, and the origins of their beans.
2019 Canal Convergence: A temporary art installation that brings large inflatable algae sculptures to life with nuanced and lifelike interactive experiences.
Bryan collaborated with sculptor Nicole Banowetz to enliven inflatable algae sculptures for the 10-day, 2019 Canal Convergence Water+Art+Light Festival on the Scottsdale, Arizona waterfront. To realize the artist's vision, Bryan employed 13 microcontrollers, 15 LED strips, 9 capacitive touchpoints and 2 WiFi networks, which allowed the three inflatable sculptures of giant, glowing strands of algae to respond to different types of touch. Left alone, the sculptures pulsed lime green, reflecting the natural color of algae. When a visitor first touched the sculptures, tendrils of red and orange light emanated from the points of contact, simulating the organisms' reaction to the disturbance. As more people engaged with the sculptures, colors transformed into a more soothing turquoise spectrum, suggesting they were more accustomed to the contact, and even found it soothing.
Career Goals
- Create immersive experiences, ranging from art installations to escape rooms, in collaboration with other artists and designers.