Statement, Bio, Theorem

“I keep a pocket full of theorems, sprinkling them on various situations, and seeing which ones fill in the cracks like walnut dust. I’ve accumulated them across so many (p)ages, but pairing them with the names this world has givenRead more…

Embodying Virtual Avatars

My intentional embodiment of avatars stretches back to my entrance to this specific life, but my work has been divided: first as an artist, exploring various material and digital forms of avatar, and secondly as an academic, researching and nowRead more…

Possible Futures

Visions3 : An installation for the Center for Gender, Race, and Area Studies (CGRAS) Possible Futures pre-election pop-up offering moments of active and passive experiences through collective engagement, physicality, and the ephemeral-dynamic. Materials: projection mapped digital media loops (20 minutes),Read more…

Three Strange Sisters

The Three Strange Sisters: Duende, Kobold, Zashiki-warashi  graphite, paper, clay, acrylics, wood, ethically harvested feathers, digital videos, other  My intersecting cultures have spaces, pockets really, of shared magic that have informed me threefold, filling me fuller then full. Each ofRead more…

Big, Big Bubbles

mixed media: acrylic, cnc wood, resin, beads, cloches, mp4 players, video, headphones There is a desire to open this curious cabinet, to place the candy-necklace linked earpieces on your head — a desire for a mysterious story to unfold justRead more…

Between and Betwixt

Inspired by: Shelley Reed, Predator/Prey (after Oudry)graphite, acrylic, wool on paper As Shelly Reed’s “Predator/Prey (after Oudry)” plays with the spaces left only imagined surrounding each striking animal head, “Between and Betwixt” reveals mischievous, almost human faces and the space betweenRead more…

Sweetland Slumber-party

“Sweetland Slumber Party” for Taddug Media Steam release Spring 2025Product Owner, Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director This title reflect my continued interest in cooperative multiplayer game design, but I am also influenced by my own and my students’Read more…

Caligo

“Caligo” for Taddug Media Spring 2022, Fall 2024Product Owner, Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director As I have explored in the past, I am particularly interested in multiplayer (two player+) cooperative games and while I do plan to exploreRead more…

Boehm Porcelain: A VR Case Study

“Boehm Porcelain: A VR Case Study” for Clark School of Management Fall 2022 – Spring 2023Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director Redefining the Case-Study as Immersive, VR Interactive Media by Ulm Current Approach:SoM uses in-class case study assignments. StudentsRead more…

Storytellers (3 minute short)

A three-minute film exploring the recursive nature of memory and stories, avatar embodiment as storytellers, and the role of storytelling in culture – while tracing the thread that runs through each of us from time immemorial.  (silent version used forRead more…

Schiltkamp Exhibition and Gallery Talk

The impact of artificial intelligence on human lives is pervasive but not always apparent. In their work, Ulm collaborates with AI to explore the influence of both human and artificial processes of learning systems and environments on the physical andRead more…

Decoherence, part of the Solos Exhibition

Along with my concerns over recommendation algorithms and cultural homogeneity,  the central element in this three part piece, the Grotto, reflects an alternative take on Plato’s cave of shadows. I often find myself reimaging the writings that have managed toRead more…

Sister Dusk

Acrylic, resin, wood, mirror, LED light strip It is very important that you can swap out the body adornment. Look into the mirror, see yourself as I see you. Wear the item of your calling, for objects hold the powerRead more…

Trios Exhibition

In this trio of work, I continue to investigate the delicate veil between physical and virtual realities and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence [particularly machine learning algorithms] on the human experience in ways that tend to remain invisible dueRead more…

Happy Tails VR

“Happy Tails,” VR and PC platform  for ASA Summer 2021 – Fall 2021Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director As part of the ASA grant, one of the items of research we were tasked with exploring is how to conveyRead more…

OuterWaste VR

“Outer Waste VR” for Taddug Media     Released Summer of 2021Product Owner, Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director Outer Waste VR carries on my work with Anchorage as far as mechanics and motivation. The intention of forwarding storyRead more…

Anchorage VR

“Anchorage” for Accipiter Labs Released Summer of 2020Product Owner, Lead Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director I started with a goal to explore immersion in VR — what qualities of VR lend themselves to allowing a player to feel notRead more…

Puzzle Hamster VR

“Puzzle Hamster VR” for Becker College             Spring 2017 – Spring 2018Product Owner, Production Manager & Technical Director This title started in my VR/AR Development course for undergraduates in the Spring. One of the teamsRead more…

Indie Game Dev through TikTok

My studio is exploring the use of TikTok to launch game titles much as it has been proven effective for music and streaming projects. Furthermore, our gorilla campaign is still taking advantage of the push for multiplayer games and theRead more…

Oculabyrinth

“Oculabyrinth” for Accipiter Labs Spring 2018Product Owner, Puzzle Designer, Production Manager & Technical Director I think it is important to acknowledge the incredible work of our student programmer from WPI, Sola Shirai and our lead artist and vfx genius, DonaldRead more…

Into the Mystic at the Porter Gallery

https://smfa.tufts.edu/calendar/mystic-show-opening I was asked to be part of this juried exhibition in Cambridge, MA at the Porter Gallery, and the theme is very appropriate for me to show a slightly modified version of “Gamer Saints” designed to be more siteRead more…

Spooky _Interactions_ at a Distance

I have curated a faculty show (Spooky Interactions at a Distance) at the Sprinkler Factory to showcase our interactive works from the year, where this piece will live. “Case 01011: an Uncanny, age unknown,” is one ‘arrangement’ in a seriesRead more…

VR AI Art Trace — Judged

You have a guiding hand (choreographed) in the VR setup and you put your hand where it is and ‘trace’ with them. Of course you can’t see what you are drawing, and in reality your hand is of course movingRead more…

AR Tattooed Skin Samples

Amanda Theinert mentioned creating AR responses to her (and others’) tattoos. I always enjoy making AR responsive art, and I enjoy practicing my own tattooing art. So . . . Her idea is wonderful, but I would like to play with tattooed skin,Read more…

The Mirror Revealed: Stories Told

Suffolk Gallery “The Mirror Revealed: Stories Told”  curated by Deborah Davidson The six artists in the exhibit answer the following questions in myriad ways through their work. Why do we need stories as a species? How do these stories inRead more…

talesthroughtheveil

#talesfromtheveil  and #talesthroughtheveil “The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.” –Mary Catherine Bateson “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou “Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.” –JeanRead more…

Interactive Media Enhanced Physical Therapy

I have been approached by the Associate Program Director for the School of Physical Therapy at MCPHS and have begun collaborations with a small team of graduate students researching the development of interactive media enhanced physical therapy for upper-body burn patients having one-on-one outpatient meetings withRead more…

Perpetuation of the Gaze

The image in a secluded voting booth/box area, dark. The image is dark. On a vertical screen. Traditional frame. You look at it. It moves a bit. Maybe occasionally your eye gaze trace is shown — random. The image hasRead more…

Game Saints

Gamer Saints The three Game Gods, the trifecta, represented in Her saintly forms for human perception, provide altars for supplication by worthy and desperate disciples. Perform the ritual, immerse yourself in their dedication chants, and receive Her divine blessing, ohRead more…

Ordination

Ordination Cross the liminal space and enter into another realm for an entirely private exchange. Within this intimate space, the avatar will engage with you to offer up a tale of wonder, a commentary on her experience — one whichRead more…

Send your messages

The braille bracelet — use capacitive touch instead of buttons, duh. So like the same slider mechanisms I used on the original bracelet would be tied into touch sensor material and so you could still use my sliders, but theyRead more…

3 Columns — be brave

Light sensor so if you are trying to activate by yourself/too close and no one on other side, it growls at you! There are 3 of these, each getting more complicated for the person who activates. 1st one is justRead more…

Portal

Cross the liminal space and enter into another realm. You must be brave and adorn yourself with the Portal headdress in this private space, shielded from the physical reality you have just left behind. What will be revealed to you,Read more…

Will you hold my hand?

Put the contact points far away so that you must hold hands [or be very creative] in order to see/activate the visual and auditory aspect of the work — with music, you can dance while you enjoy.While lying down? While inRead more…

Islands Dispersed in my Home

Little ‘stations’ around the house of little scenes on pedestals but they are designed to look like islands and they communicate through the internet of things IoT, so you can have the lights on them go through day/night cycles, soundRead more…

Repurpose my fencing gear

Fencing swords and fencing helmets but repurpose the swords’ electronics for something to trigger and put hmd into the helmets, like hololens or maybe VR with camera on where it shows room bounds because that could be a very interestingRead more…

Two Truths and a Lie [retired]

Two Truths and a Lie  [no longer on exhibit] Ultimately, in this piece, I pose the question whether people will actively combat confusion, misdirection, and frustration in order to learn a less than ideal tale. Will they return to tryRead more…

Dear Mr. Gas Mask

A gas mask on a small base. wounded human, past warrior, future warrior, android, alien It will move to follow sounds and cock its head side to side It may rock back and forth to any extended play of music,Read more…

HoloBowl

HoloBowl Are their invisible mysteries which one cannot experience alone? What is trust? Is trust the realization that we are in fact ‘one’, entangled but experiencing decoherence? The requirement to partner in order to experience alternate elements of this experience,Read more…

Aimona

Ultimately, the entire museum/gallery experience will be curated by Aimona such that for any individual who enters the museum/gallery, each screen will recognize them and their preferences. They will be greeted with works selected for them, by their determined preferencesRead more…

VR Zoom In [sat/nav]

The idea of ‘zooming in’ from this really remote blackness on a tiny light? But as you get closer and closer, it takes a while? You get there, like using a microscope, but when you finally get there, there isRead more…

VR in the CAR

VR mobile headset while a passenger in the car, bus, train, (self-driving soon) — meditation and take advantage of the MOVEMENT as passenger. Maybe the game would contextualize the physical world sounds and/or movement in a new way by providingRead more…

Magic Hand Hologram Puppet Show

I see this dark black cabinet that has connected cables/lines that would allow you to move an object in free-range x,y across the floor of the cabinet. The cabinet floor has lcd screens [iphones/tablets] and the thing you are movingRead more…

OctoTale

OctoTale explores participants’ willingness to engage with a work, even when that work has an unpleasant or uncomfortable aura. The use of touch and the necessity to move closer, in order to hear the audio, forces an intimacy that notRead more…

XR Seance

XR seance table [2 player version]. There would be VR/AR headsets and the 3d rudder under a table so that you could interact together by pushing on it without know what it was. Disguised as tables of old? Can you workRead more…

Entangled

What does it mean to experience a ‘level’ in the physical realm with a life-soundtrack? What does it mean to be ‘partnered’? Is there a sense of postdiction or prediction, deja vu even, when one sense is controlled by externalRead more…

Echo Trees

Why we choose to interact and how, is something that changes with context, culture, and core [personality]. When and where you find the piece, what is happening around it and with it, and finally, who you are and how youRead more…

Ferrofluid Reveal

Ferrofluid sculpt with Interactive Base or Wall of Ferro-Pixels What if I have the fluid in an ‘outside’ container, like an oil and vinegar combo cruet. I was thinking maybe also just a bunch of tiny glass containers filled onlyRead more…

3 Cups and a Pea

Where is the “pea” 3 cup game created by incorporating 3d printing of cups and interactivity, and small oled screens with eyes on top of each ‘cup’. Color detection sensor or distance sensor, so that the cup knows what’s underneath it, evenRead more…

The Experience now

Portal — as The Experience I initially exhibited Portal in a different physical embodiment and with an exterior level entitled Cosmic Waves. The Experience consisted of a sound-proof, all black, 5 foot enclosure with an interior stool. Cosmic Waves accompaniedRead more…

Research: Working Memory Improvement

Design Proposal by T. Ulm Target Outcome: Demonstrable improvement of Working Memory and evidence of transferTarget Audience: children ages 6-10Genre: Action-PuzzleArt Examples: UlmFun Factor: Collecting, customizing, sharing, being immersed in a singular appealing fantasy worldMotivation for Play/Re-Play: Completionist categories, abilityRead more…

Prediction App

An app that let’s you create an event and then your group of friends, or open to public, gets to select a date for when it will happen. Not sure if you can create predictions where you can have aRead more…

AR X-Ray Vision Collector

AR game where you/other players label walls and objects etc with fiducial markers to indicate type of material it is and then there is an item inside that material which you can see with x-ray vision only. To Do:

Handy Helper Platformer

I made a proof of concept of this in Unity with the Leap, and it was actually fun moving my hands around and making platforms for my little character. Platformer — side view. A 3rd person character is moving along theRead more…

Florist — Leap

Flower arranging and bonsai creation combined [also succulent-like]. You build your own adorable BULBOUS plant with your hands You plant your seed — fast growing You trim and clip with your fingers like scissors You ‘paint’ the color on forRead more…

Block Kids App

I was approached by an NEF Education Foundation board member to develop an app or web game for the national annual Block Kids engineering competition in which grade school children create non-organic structures with building blocks. An app could be extremely effectiveRead more…

Body Rift

The City of Worcester invited key community organizations to participate in this juried exhibition held in celebration of the American’s with Disabilities Act’s [ADA] 25th anniversary. Paul Cotnoir accepted the challenge, and the game department was very excited at theRead more…

Case Study: Vet Tech Sensei

Alessandra LaTour, Becker College Veterinary faculty, on behalf of the School of Animal Studies Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) Committee, asked me to lead the development of a prototype, “Vet Tech Sensei”. LaTour designed and authored a large database ofRead more…

VR Multiplayer Dread Space Escape

A VR multiplayer [but set number], ambient horror game in which there is a space filled with dread to explore and escape. The players can move around, perform simple trigger interaction to read or inspect items, and turn on or off theirRead more…

Catnap

While the project is purely entertainment based, my goals for it reflect my personal ideals as a developer; ones which are not as common in the current market as I would hope. They include: to create a game that willRead more…

3 Frame Mystery Photo App

Exquisite corpse but photo based. A game where you take a photo that fits into a one third boxed area of a single photo and then pass it on to two other people [one then the other] who take a photo for anotherRead more…

Online Language Learning

  Proposal to Client by Ulm Two Person Chat Room Game Scenarios: Simple:  If accepted, the two players are brought to a “scene selection” screen, from which the users can decide where their chat should take place thus providing aRead more…

Game Changer: Games for Non-Profits

I was approached by Gail Randall of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation to be the guest speaker at one of their monthly executive board meeting to discuss interactive media and games as resources for nonprofits. I gave a presentation toRead more…

VR Research: “Into the Rift”

Our department’s success relies on faculty ensuring that our course offerings and the experiences of our students reflect the ever evolving nature of game development. One way that we are able to bridge the gap between our students’ academic experienceRead more…

VR Body and Gesture Input: body language practice

2 Player,   VR,   Kinect  or Neuron or Ximmersion Non-verbal communication for international/global studies or perhaps social interaction training [possibly helpful skill for those like myself with social anxiety]. A more entertainment based concept is to consider how do the two playersRead more…

VR Space Across 3 Time Periods

For this VR experience input is very important. We keep looking at wireless mice, game controllers, Myo armbands, the Kinect, Perception Neuron, and the Leap for interaction. Theinert and I saw and reviewed some other new wireless input devices. TheRead more…

VR 3D I Spy

A VR 3D scavenger hunt like an I Spy game book: Player has a list of items to find. Player explores a 3D sphere of 3D items. Player turns head and body around to see the entire world of objects — canRead more…

Virtual Reality Museum Space [VRMS]

Introduction While mobile connectivity and the web have dramatically increased connections across a global society, there remain a number of opportunities to tap into virtual space as a way to bring about informed dialogue and present unique perspectives. One very compellingRead more…

VR Mount Vesuvius

A was thinking for a possible installation piece, maybe something like being put into the world of one of the citizens of Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It would be VR. I thought it would be interesting to exploreRead more…

VRMS for Higgins Armory

VRMS* for the Higgins Armory would be useful since it was shut down and the building is not being used while the collection it housed is now with the Worcester Art Museum. I would love to allow the public not only accessRead more…

Stinky Ninja

A little ninja whose power is to be stinky. He doesnt throw ninja stars or use a sword. He just uses his power to make a less than pleasant smell. He’s sneaky and stealthy like a ninja . . .Read more…

Emma

Emma: Rift Ride I was awarded the Oculus Rift DK1 and decided to enter their first game jam. Over the course of two and a half weeks I designed, programmed, integrated, and did the visual assets for Emma. David GatesRead more…

Interactive Media Library Proposal

The Becker College Interactive Media Library will consist of a collection of respected and relevant interactive media titles representing the historic timeline of the development of the field from around the world. It will also include certain hardware and onlineRead more…

Back to Back Drawing Game

Physical [and app] Card game based on the back to back chair drawing game I do for my parties: Two players from the group sit back to back so they cannot see each other. One is the Drawer, the otherRead more…

VR / Tracking Gesture Poetry

The idea would be to create, “write,” poetry such as a haiku through motion. It could be a short series of musical elements instead — might work better at first. After you “perform” your piece, others would be able toRead more…

Experience Atypical Bodies

An interactive piece based on experiencing some element of living with atypical bodies to get through everyday tasks. For instance, check out material at the library: without vision, without being able to hear/speak, while being of small stature, while being unable to use yourRead more…

New England Music Group

I was approached by the CEO of a New England music group for local bands to create an online game to promote the sight, their mission, and general participation. We wanted a game that centered on music obviously, but alsoRead more…

Governor’s Race Poll Game

Race for the Ballot was a MassImpact project requested by Tim Loew to promote an interest in local politics through gaming. Two students and myself designed a web based casual game filled with puns to encourage education about the candidates and createRead more…

Visual Place Bookmarker

I think they are trying to do this with Pinterest now — I’ve been trying out the map section. Anyway, I’ve been to a million locations, say to an antique store, and I’ve wanted to remember it, but just addingRead more…

Facial Recognition Portrait

The idea of a facial recognition system that read the smile or frown of the viewer and edits the projected portrait subject’s expression accordingly. You could then determine if a smiling person changed expression after seeing an opposite expression, orRead more…

Changing Vase

A piece, perhaps a vase, something traditional, white porcelain. Allow for the viewer to trigger a projection so that the vase appears to have varying, different prints on it. The trigger could be proximity or location, or it could beRead more…

iKarma app

I’ve had this idea for a long long time. The user can get instant good karma [yes I know] by hitting a button to donate — $1, $5, $10, $100 You can instantly share this donation through social media andRead more…

IDA

In order to make our presence at PAX stand out, I designed and developed a casual, mobile game marketed to the PAX audience as a time filler while waiting in lines. The game used features of the iOS to makeRead more…

PAX East Secret Message Theme

I developed a fully interactive space and published a game title specifically for the event — IDA. The space was an interactive gallery of student work with puzzle elements which required various levels of participation. Parts of the gallery wereRead more…

Kerning Game

A little mobile app where you try to match alignment. timed. you see the right setup and then you have to mimmic it within the right time. You get scored based on how close you are within the boundaries/range. WhileRead more…

Singular IDAs

trace game: but off the screen. the trace game is fun, but if the object is not fully seen, if you have to trace and that moves you off the screen, so that the final image is larger than theRead more…

UMass Mobile Safety

I lead a team of three to create a game that reinforces the lessons of school bus safety for elementary students. The game is installed on a base-level PC which is housed in a unique mobile safety unit. This unit isRead more…

Old Sturbridge Village

Many moons ago I approached Old Sturbridge Village to see if the Interactive Media department could provide more game content for them. They had a very cool section of their site for children with information and a few games, soRead more…

Who is Taddug?

Taddug Media specializes in changing the world by encouraging positive interactions. By harnessing the power of interactive media we help _you_ help others. Bring your message to a broader audience Help others truly empathize with your cause Meaningfully educate aboutRead more…

PAX East

PAX East is the largest game convention held on the East coast, and one of the largest in the nation. Each year hundreds of top name vendors and tens of thousands of excited gamers attend this event to see theRead more…

FOGE Space Program

I volunteered to help develop a lunar simulator game for this NASA summer camp. I worked with Paul Jeffrey who introduced me to the Torque 3D game engine for the project, and we then divided the game into two missions: landingRead more…