The aim behind this project was to find a way to create an interactive environmenal / architectural installation for the cirque de soleil show at Hangzhou, keeping in mind local cultural sensibilities and folklores. Considering the deep emotional bonding the citizens of this city have with water and the river that they so cherish traditionally, I proposed to do a fountain which could be controlled by way of drumming ala sonic interaction.This is the result. It combines the senses-namely aural, tactile and visceral with the elements namely water.Since the process of hydro engineering was deemed too tedious to do within the 1 month duration of this course, I opted to simulate the effect with a fountain. The installation was met with inspired enthusiasm from the visitors to the exhibition at our school.
This was one of my earliest projects.For our class we were required to do a clock using the processing software.After much contemplation on the meaning of time and a clock in particular, I tried to reason what time meant by itself. Considering the evanescent nature of time, I decided to create a conceptual clock that was congnitively interactive. There was also a semi historic aspect in that people had been counting with their hands for time immemorial(clocks/watches being widespread only in the last few centuries).
There being no clock which uses hands to count, I though it would be very appropriate to use hands that count time, without any rest, since we can't escape the clutches of time.
The way it works is so.I have split time into six sixes.Six divisions of ten seconds each, six divisions of minutes with ten minutes each and two divisions of hours each with 12 hours per division.The hand on the right counts the twelve sub-divisions of time while that on the left counts the combo of all this.So for seconds the right hand counts twelve seconds, which is registered in the first bone of the left, and so forth till all six divisions are registered.Then the first minute bone of the right hand registers a minute and so on.
It is both educational, in teaching people the base counting system and also a beautifully simple and elegant novelty piece.
In this project, we were required to create a project for a museum, to introduce children, in a playful way to the working of a scientific/technological concept.
My team chose to display the working of the pixel system used in picture/video displays.The child has to take a piece of paper and color it, place it on a bed of light sensors and the shape will appear in pixellated form in the LED bed next to it!
TOKI, an abbreviation for "Trace the origins of your cultural icons", was the resultant project of the thesis module for my masters degree. It is a collectible line of figurines from around the globe, based on native cultural icons, that help the users of this system to explore the global cultural landscape and share the unique traits of their own culture/location with other users. Based on the concept of mediating objects as a tool of learning.
The users of TOKI therefore get to exchange, express and reflect upon cultures, both native and foreign. They can also trade figurines with one another, across the globe.
The driving force behind this project was to help create a mass awareness of cultures around the globe and create a platform for intercultural exchange. The expected result would be an environment of better understanding and appreciation for the unfamiliar and a more open, empathetic and tolerant global human society.
