Tony Quan is a Los Angeles-based graffiti artist who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2003, which eventually paralyzed him. The EyeWriter Project gave Tony the tools to use the movement of his eyes to make art again.
It’s an amazing story which has gotten some significant, well-written coverage from NPR to Gizmodo to the summer 2010 issue of Antenna magazine.
But in case you haven’t heard:
The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from ALS with creative technologies.
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.
“Art is a tool of empowerment and social change, and I consider myself blessed to be able to create and use my work to promote health reform, bring awareness about ALS and help others.”
– Tony Quan, aka Tempt One
About: 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.The team: The core development teams consists of members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks and the Graffiti Resarch Lab: Tony Quan, Evan Roth, Chris Sugrue, Zach Lieberman,Theo Watson and James Powderly.
With founding support from The Ebeling Group and the Not Impossible Foundation, and addition support from Parsons Communication Design & Technology.
Many thanks to: Keith Pasko, LM4K, Eleanor Dunk, Jamie Wilkinson, and Greg Leuch.
Check out the rest of the story at EyeWriter.
Images ©Tony Quan.
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