made this for you | the future isn’t what it used to be

The Eyewriter program is one of those initiatives that is inspiring and humbling at the same time. It brings together every discipline of new media culture into one cause- giving artists with debilitating illnesses back their creative voice. This video explains it all:

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

The site explains:

Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities have teamed-up with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, named Tony Quan, aka TEMPTONE. Tony was diagnosed with ALS in 2003, a disease which has left him almost completely physically paralyzed… except for his eyes. This international team is working together to create a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system that will allow ALS patients to draw using just their eyes. The long-term goal is to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.

Eyewriter is a new collaborative project in a long list of urban communicative design from G.R.L. For anyone not familiar with the Graffiti Research Lab; they use open-source tech to expand the creativity of urban art. They have completed dozens of projects from the first LED throwies, to 3D laser projections. Their site is definitely worth a long visit.

More pics from Tempt One below-

Art is a tool of empowerment and social change, and I consider myself blessed to be able to create and and use my work to promote health reform, bring awareness about ALS and help others – Tony Quan, aka Tempt One

Visit Eyewiter.org for more info, or to get involved.