Thesis: Vernacular Interfaces

simplified flow

3 paths for the viewer

3 vernacular architecture groups explored:

group name - region within Yunnan

Bai - Dali
Naxi - Lijiang
Dai - Xishuangbanna

week 10 - more narrative

taking heed of the advice i have been getting, i've thought more about putting the photographs and illustrations i want to show in a narrative setting. it occurred to me that i should develop a virtual simulation for the mortar and pestle (like my very first prototype) so that in the event my physical computing prototype isn't working perfectly, i can at least depict my original concept with fake sensor inputs. the most important is defining the path or paths the audience will follow. how to make it interesting? because the mortar and pestle as an old vernacular tool that pulverizes elements in order to get the "essence", i think that's pretty obvious. it is as sigi said, a nice interface but beyond that, how can i capture their interest? there's so much i can talk about. how do i make it comprehensive? in defining this story, it will make my technical challenges a lot easier (what sensor triggers what)

Yunnan is my ancestral province and so it holds a special connection. When I went to study vernacular architecture in 3 of its minority regions, it was one of the most rewarding and interesting times in my academic life. And meeting some of my relatives for the first time (and perhaps only time) was personally, a significant event. sadly, alot of history is becoming lost to future generations in this age of chinese modernization. there is no money for preservation and renovations and so the last remaining structures are left to decay. i studied the native architectures of the bai, naxi, and dai minority groups and these concepts are also becoming lost. perhaps i want to build this installation to convey these ancient building concepts. these old methods seem "whimsical" to most people. based largely on Feng-shui, they involve the idea of balancing life energies in a built environment through a harmonious mix of the five elements (water, earth, wind, metal, fire) or yin/yang (female/male) characteristics. it all sounds very mystical and not at all scientific. however, time and time again, in whatever i do, i fall back into thoughts of these ancient concepts because i really believe and trust that they have merit. it is a very intriguing subject.

in showing the photographs and artworks, i will inject some of these ideas as well as my thoughts towards some of the shots captured since it is about relaying my experience. i think all of these together might provide more interest for the viewer.

quick sketch of interactive environment

week 10 - informal crits for group b

i have to skip this week's thesis class for personal reasons and i feel anxious that i'll miss something. this will be the third week in a row. except last week was really productive since i met with sigi and some people in the class got together for an informal feedback session. with one month left in thesis (or less), it is crunch time and every bit of feedback helps. i feel that i am making small steps every week. i will have to start the paper this week. i sometimes have to remind myself that i am doing this...what is now an art installation.. because once i graduate in a few short weeks, i won't have the luxury of playing with physical computing for my own purposes. it won't save the world or have any profound impact but maybe it will touch one person in some way. everything we do here has a risk of facing a "so what?" from an outside person. for me, it's challenging, it's new and it's fun.

next steps

-design narrative path!!!
-start paper
-design space
-buy materials
-begin building

my priority right now is to develop the software portion and make a meaningfully designed narrative. this is my biggest challenge right now.

week 9 - meeting with outside advisor - Sigi

i had a meeting today with Sigi Moeslinger at 4:30 and she was very helpful in giving me insight from the user's point of view.

general comments
-"i have no doubt the user will use this thing and intuitively know what he/she must do"
-"the (mortar and pestle) task is quiet, repetitive and by doing this might generate memories, thoughts about past"
-"right now it's a gimmicky - nice/interesting - but it's basically an interface to a slide show"
-it is semantically connected but not emotionally
-the prototype space looks good and i should try and build it

suggestions for enhancement
-should develop a narrative to sustain interest/attention
-what is revealed? how is it revealed? (just making it visible through crushing activity is not enough, user will get bored. maybe show in bits with text and a story.
-perhaps (in the illustration of traditional temple), an animation comes out of it or photographs of surrounding are shown.
-what was i thinking when i took the photos and drawing?
-think about tying in the memories and china experience with sounds/smells
-make up a story
-give a "reward" for this labor or a climax...seeing images is not enough.
-make it longer (more eye candy in how it is revealed)
-make them want to stay and learn something(perhaps the minority culture and architecture?)
-how do you make viewer remember this and care as they walk away?
-develop a meaningful interaction between mortar and pestle and experience from the images.

i think she reflected alot of Eric's comments. just said differently.

zkm - research in interactive environments

i think that seeing the works of other artists and designers can definitely trigger one's creative cells. during the midterm crit, one recommendation was to go see some exhibit designs, especially those involving innovative interfaces to digital imaging. during spring break, i went on a brief visit to Germany and was fortunate to visit the ZKM center for art and media which had some impressive works in interactive environments and exhibit presentation. so many "new media" projects i have seen thus far are just cool and flashy with no real connection with the user nor giving the user a sense of discovery. while there, i formed more concrete ideas of how to present my project and to build the type of thoughtful space that will evoke a sense of awareness. also, while in Munich on another day, I visited the museum of modern art that had great examples of simple spatial design that i like to draw from in creating my own "intimate" space. unfortunately, cameras weren't allowed at the ZKM but i want to jot down the projects that i found successful and inspiring (and delighted in).

Beyond Pages by Masaki Fujihata was a installation involving a book projection that the user was able to turn the pages of with a pen. Each page had something new to play with. They were simple yet it was fun to see what was next...a rock, a leaf, a chinese character that taught you how to pronouce it. you can also manipulate objects in the room (i.e. a switch on one page allowed you to turn on a lamp next to the book..)

The Interactive Plant Growing by Laurent Mignonneau and Christa Sommerer was one that i absolutely LOVED. it is the type of work i can see myself doing. it wasn't very complex at all and similar to my own project. it is straightforward yet i feel that anyone can get a sense of joy when interacting with it. it is based on interfacing organic, earthy elements with virtual images. as you touch the leaves of different plants, the corresponding plant image will grow on the screen in front of you. touching the soil of any one of the potted plants would wipe the screen clean. i loved this installation because it allows the user to touch natural elements and created a nice balance between physical and digital worlds.

week 8 - informal crit group A

Thesis Outline due in yesterday's class.

i presented my next hurdle in the tech portion by showing that my pestle can control the direction of the images in the processing software. next is to figure out the details of the interaction. sometimes i find it difficult to convey how i think the user will feel in performing this conscious activity with the mortar and pestle. i feel that he/she will intuitively get what it's suppose to do. the feedback i received is that i must have a stronger journey. there is the clear start (the physical interface) and the end (the images from china) but not a strong in between phase where i can demonstrate a stronger principle or narrative. my challenge is to portray how i feel about this region, the vernacular architecture...and perhaps uncovering them in a meaningful way, not just crushing away matter metaphorically....

prototype 4-getting the accelerometer to work

for the next step in my tech challenges, i got an accelerometer to work with my mortar and pestle interface. with this functionality, i can control the direction of the pestle as it hits the "contents" of the mortar. my plan is to then combine the direction and force sensitive natures of this tool to reveal images on the "screen". the grinding is basically an act of breaking something into something finer or clearer. metaphorically, this pulverizing action releases the "flavor essence" of a substance. as a vernacular tool, it's been used for centuries to grind herbs, grains, and medicines in order to capture their rich and beneficial qualities. i hope that through this laborious craft, some awareness will arise in the user.

this is a picture of the accelerometer on pestle prototype. it measures x, y in all directions. for the final model, i will either try to hide all the ugly wires or make a new model from plaster or wood. although, i do like the look and feel of the Dali stone i brought over from Yunnan.

week 8 - vernacular revisited

heading into week 8 (very scary that we are half way through), i am stepping back and rethinking my entire proposal. after receiving feedback from last week's midterm crit, i realize that i am trying to incorporate too many ideas. my project has definitely evolved. it is still object-based as i had wanted it to be. but since i chose the particular period where i produced work from studying chinese vernacular architecture, my project has become more about creating an experiential space where vernacular objects come into play in an environment where old tools meet new technologies. i am evoking all these metaphors in promoting interactivity using a physical object, but i still need to give it a logical form. why objects? - people have an emotional relationship with objects. they evoke a feeling or a memory. Objects allows you have an attachment to something and gives you a deeper connection. Attachments are what generates sentiments, judgments and memories. in this age of ubiquitous computing, i look around and i see something missing from how people interact with new tech tools. something feels unnatural. i don't value the graphics produced with clicks of a mouse nearly as much as i do an illustration or a painting painstakingly produced by hand with a pencil or brush. vernacular is defined as that which is traditional and native to a region. in architecture, it is the old ways of building that is being replaced by modern methods. this can be unfortunate since many of the old ways employ natural materials and simple concepts that are energy efficient. they are also beautiful and these constructions may be lost to future generations . similarly, i feel there is something beautiful and simple in using vernacular objects and see ways in which old things can be used to interface with digital elements.

03/03 presentation

T. I am exploring object based media and how sustained interaction with a meaninful object in a designed environment can allow a viewer to better appreciate an artist's work.

Q. Can a person be better remembered through a “hands-on” experience of viewing his/her work?

P: I feel there is a level of detachment when people view an artist's work (in particular, digitized art) via a cd-rom, website. I want the viewer/reader to have a physical involvement ("labor") in seeing someone's visual art work.

research:
-emotional design
-immersion in an activity (developing state of flow)
-vernacular objects (things native to a particular region)

outside advisors:
-sigi (contacted but haven't met yet)
-amit (preliminary meeting on 02/27/03)

current state:
environment mockup in flash

prototype demonstrated in class:

intended process:
-keep developing and designing this environment, look and feel of materials.
interaction design of the mortar and pestle, physically and visually.

thesis prototype 3

what?

my initial prototype is based on the idea of a 'mortar and pestle'. a primitive tactile action by the user on a vernacular object in which the force generated by the grinding evokes images from a certain place and time. work consists of photography and illustrations.

why?

one: i feel there is detachment when people view an artist's work (in particular, digitized art) via a computer. i want to show that the intimate interaction with an object can evoke a deeper understanding of the relationship between the artist and the work. there is a innate emotional attachment people have with objects that isn't fully utilized.

two: i feel current input/interface devices still lack the characteristic of enabling users to handle them intuitively. humans already have a highly developed sense of how to manipulate their physical environment. if you see a hammer, right away you know what you can do with it. if you see a bowl, you know that it can hold stuff. i want to take advantage of people's most primitive sensibilities.

scenario
user enters space and proceeds to apply force to mortar. images appear first as specks and become defined as more force is applied.

midterm prototype