This project will make you question the definition of graffiti, and also possibly of friend. Behold the latest ocular assault weapon from the Graffiti Research Lab, openFrameworks and The Ebeling Group: The EyeWriter. It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus + custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes.

Artists known as YesYesNo are currently in Los Angeles working on building old school LA tagger an EyeWriter.

TEMPT has Lou Gehrig's diseases and is paralyzed and at a hospital in Alhambra.  The artists are working with the paralyzed artist to be able to allow him artistic expression once again.

They are helping TEMPT write again - using just his eyes.

From The EyeWriter website:

The EyeWriter project is on ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people, who are suffering from ALS, with creative technologies. The project began in Los Angeles, Caifornia in 2009, when members of the GRL, FAT, OF and TEG communities teamed-up with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, named Tony Quan, aka TEMPTONE. Tony was diagnosed with ALS in 2003. The disease has left him almost completely physically paralyzed… except for his eyes. But, the ALS hasn’t touched Tony’s sharp mind, creative energy or his desire to write graffiti. In August of 2009, artist from around the world: London, Hong Kong, Madrid, Amsterdam and New York City, converged for 10 days in southern California, converted Mick and Caskey Ebeling’s Venice Beach house into a laboratory and began to work with Tony on a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system that would allow ALS patients to draw using just their eyes.

10 days later the EyeWriter 1.0 prototype was finished. This system is constructed from material found in local Venice Beach hardware and electronics stores and the software is written using an open source set of C++ libraries for creative coding from openFrameworks. Phase 1 of development culminated on April 12th when TEMPT drew his tag for the first time in over 5 years. His tags were transmitted in real-time and projected outside on a wall he could see from his hospital room window.

Tempt’s first count of “eye vandalism” in real elapsed time, using a GRL MBU, two wireless broadband USB sticks, the mytobii eye tracking systems and custom software Zach wrote in the back of the Wildcat.

Tempt’s throw-up from the 80’s and his first “eye-tag” in 2009.

Follow more of this incredible project’s development at fffff.at/the-eyewriter

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