Assignments – Hwee's

ASSIGNMENT: Response to Interactive Environments & Experience Design

Firstly, I am really amazed that how Timothy can actually remember each holes that the synthesizer can produce. The combination of different holes results in many way of playing with the frequency and beat. I really like the variety that this art piece can provide to the audience which there will always be a new combination of making the music. Its just as simple as everyone can make music!

One important point from this project was that it is really simple that you just have to plug in to the holes and something changes. Through the participation from my classmates, at first they seems quite unsure to play with the synthesizer however slowly they actually simply just play around with it. The interesting graphical image give us feedback about the frequency that actually was quite fascinating to look at. The change of movement flashing image really caught my attention which makes me really wants to try it, however after awhile I felt my head was aching probably due to the change of high pitch or frequency.

During Timothy’s presentation, he surprise me about his past experience where his art piece was affecting the dolphins near by due to the frequency from the synthesizer leaves me with deep impression. Indeed an artist would face various problem especially during outdoor exhibition. I am really impressed when he lower down the volume and did some changes to his piece in order to protect the dolphins which I felt that flexibility is very important. The provided environment is something we cannot change but we can make adjustment to the artwork. We also need to think about what can be done to optimise the experience for the audience yet still remain the core essence of the art work. Thankfully he shared this important points and giving us heads up about anything can happen during outdoor exhibition.

Lastly, from Timothy’s presentation I have learnt a lot from his personal experience that I can put in to good use in our iLight installation. He had consider many aspects for his art piece from the measurement of the box, user experience to interact with his art piece and even making adjustment due to unforeseen circumstances. I am sure we are given a wider perspective on the importance of small details would makes a great difference.

ASSIGNMENT : Diary of behaviour of Mobile Phones

DAY 1

create a diary of when, why and what you use your mobile device for. Observe how others are using their mobile devices. What are the most common uses and where do you see these behavior?

In my everyday life, when I wake up the first thing I would do was to checked my phone whether there is any messages or notification from my social media. Followed on by leisure scrolling and after that would be my game time “Mobile Legend”! This game actually took quite a lot of my time surprisingly as each games would last about at least 10 – 20 mins.

I also observe that when I am stuck at the work I do, I would tend to check my mobile devices more frequently. Probably an act that hoping that would have some idea sudden struck into my head. When I was commuting I would use my mobile depending on my mood if I was bored or if I wanted some “ME” time I would restrict myself from using but plug in with my earpiece. Where I can get some deep thoughts going in my head.

As for my observation from others, you can really see most of the people are using their mobile phone when they are commuting. I felt this probably to help them past their time during the long journey and to avoid this awkward staring with other commuters. Some also make use of their time catching up with friends and family which reflect that we are living in a busy city. While for the youngster around my neighbourhood tend to play games together sitting beside the basketball court. This new form of bonding session are quite different from my era which I find it quite interesting! They would communicate with each other and came out with some plans to attack opponent.

DAY 2

Do not use your phone, computer or electronic device for 24 hours. Create a diary documenting and describing the difference in your behavior patterns. How did you do the things you would normally do with your phone? What other alternative behaviors did you develop? What else did you notice about the difference in behavior?

I have tried this experiment while staying over at my cousin house with her. We almost forgot what we have this plan in the morning but luckily we have set the reminder! We actually like the “disconnection” because we can actually engage more with each other. Usually we would converse for awhile and browse our mobile and continue to converse again. As for this times, although without the mobile phone we feel we can engage in the conversation better without distraction. The burden of mobile is that you actually has the responsibility to reply them after you have read. It has become a manners and expected to reply messages. Whereas when our mobile phone is off the burden felt lesser, most probably was due to our “last seen” can show our timing so we have a valid reason for not replying.

I also feel that I live the moment more as compare to using my mobile. A bigger part was when using my mobile phone I feel is just like multi-tasking, you have to connect to your mobile and settle whatever that need to be settle whether is a group project or family matters. After that you disconnect to your phone and engage in real life which the switch process actually feels tiring to me now.

In my overall experience, disconnect [our mobile phones] to connect [our current real life moment] was more important to me. After this experience, I would limit myself to check my phone lesser and concentrate on what’s happening right now. Lesser time in browsing web can also buy me more time for sleeping time and definitely help to prevent my eye sight getting worst.

REFLECTION: Future World @ Art Science Museums

In April 2016 I when to Future World exhibition for the first time. After more than a year, the gist of the exhibition still remains! Unlike the usual quite and formal museum exhibition, I really like how Team Lab created their art in a more interactive way to engage both children and adults. In the exhibition it indirectly bring out our child like habits to starts playing around regardless your age that reminds me of saying “there is a child in each one of us”.

I feel that the Nature was really a great improvement. I remember vividly before was only movement of the flowers that was projected on the wall and floor. Yet for current version the experience was just like you are brought to another dimension and very mesmerising. The projection of art piece on the surrounding makes you fell like have the illusion just like you are on the journey with them. Although it can be quite dizzy after that. The energetic sounds effect enhance the experience even more by co-related with the visuals.

The above video shows the older version of Black Wave, called 100 Years Sea Animation Diorama which I felt it was a more interesting piece. I remember there was a different representation of the wave and there was a mountains and nature of landscape included. This would keep the viewer busy and wants to stay longer.

Nevertheless the current piece Black Wave, provides another kind of experience that has a calming effect just like how we would stare at the movement of sea. The sea was depicted by the traditional Japanese painting style by using curvilinear lines that move to create the overall moving effect. Large beam bags are place there for viewer to chill while looking at the artwork which it sort of mimic the feeling of seaside.

The tunnel that you need to bend down and crawl over to another side.

Follow on to the next exhibition, I really enjoy myself at the Town section. They even included the gigantic slides which is something very familiar yet we did not play with a long time. They also added projections of fruits, flowers and butterfly on the floor and slides which would bloom when people walk past, just like giving life to it. Such small little action create interests in us would makes people feel closer and wants to interact with nature.

The most memorable project was the Sketch Town. Regardless your age, this would project your work live on the screen! Even though this is my second time, I wants to try this again! This artwork provides us a sense of ownership while combining all the artwork together in the whole piece. It creates topic among my friends and I while we drawing and making the 3D paper art. However, after reading the artwork description I realise that the whole projection of the town are interactive. We could actually touch the car so it would speed up or change in direction. It is such a big missed, probably we are occupied by drawing.

Lastly, my favourite piece was Story of the Time When Gods Were Everywhere! I am really amazed by how they created the sensing using the laser technology which seems like everywhere on screen can be detected. The visual are beautiful which looks like watercolour painting that goes on live painting. When we touched on the hieroglyphic characters it would turn them into nature elements and even animals. There would never be a same visual just like no identical moments in nature. A very interactive piece that involved gesture movements.

In conclusion, my second experience with future world never bored me. Team Lab’s interactive still interest me even though I have came here before. I feel that it is because every experience is very different that it remains fresh and new to me. I really admired how Team Lab get people from different expertise to work together and create innovative and artistic art piece that we have seen today.

RESPONSE: Previous iLight festival project

The first project I though of was this piece that I went there personally on 2012 iLight Marina. I could not find any information about it so I would describe it from my memory.

This piece actually was place on somewhere that is not very obvious, however it attract my attention because it was only this straight of light with changing of colour. I was really confused what is it about until my brother in law came along to demonstrate.

Those images shown up when we set our camera in long exposure and turn the camera from left to right with tripod. It was really amazing and leave me with deep impression, I still not sure how they actually do this. Maybe they divide the image in to pixel in lines so while flashing different lines would result in the camera long exposure.

Although this piece was a really smart I feel that there was not enough indication on how we should look at this piece. I might really missed it without my brother in law explanation.

Next, this project was showcase in 2014 name CLOUD. The interactive sculpture was made up by 6,000 light bulbs created by Canadian Artist Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett. Light bulb are collected by the artist from surrounding community whether its new or burn. CLOUD allow the viewers to pull the chain to illumination of the cloud hope to create wonder and inspire re-imagining of their potential. As the viewer engage, indirectly creates a kind of social interaction between the viewer. Moreover, viewers out side of the installation would see a different dynamics every time. I feel this piece really catches my attention from far and near I would really want to play with this in real life.

Overall, I think a good installation art will leave people with some emotion through the experience. Because human are forgetful but the experience they attain would leave them with feeling. People will usually remember feeling as compare to what really happen. Also, indication are also important for people to understand the artwork. If the artwork is not intuitive design like the CLOUD sculpture, then it should specify somewhere that is visible to the viewer which the first example did not.

RESPONSE: Jan Chipchase – The anthropology of mobile phone

To understand people Jan Chipchase starts from the very basic “what do people carry” which will leads to people’s conscious and subconscious. It shows what people values and what people usually use. I felt it still very relevant now, the three things: Phone, money and keys. Reflecting on myself, thats the three thing that I would carry even a short trip downstairs. That bring us to the next point that he mention in his research was Survival. We do that subconsciously, just in case we need those item out of a sudden.

Another notable point was mobile phone can transcend space and time where one can send a message to another at their convenient. The another person can read it at their own convenient too. However I felt in the present days, we took this convenient for granted. Sometimes, probably during argument with another party on WhatsApp I would constantly check if that party have read or just ignored that message. Or even there is a function like last seen and blue ticks to indicates that person last activity or have they read your message. Of course it provides proof that this individual has read but indirectly creates some assumption or mistrust between both party.

In the part of art of delegation he talks about people who was illiterate would ask people for help to complete the task for them. It reminds me of my aunty who was also illiterate. She has memorise all her friends and family mobile phone number so that she can contact them which I am really surprise. In comparison, I could only remember my parents’s phone number.

I am also surprise to see that in India and China would repair the phones and even have a training school for it. In contrast in the present days we would just change our phones if it was broken. There is the sudden thoughts on buying new stuff might be an act of profligacy. There was once my dad wanted to sew his torn small pouch which it can simply just buy a the cost about a dollar or two. It really hit hard on me that actually I wasted quite a lot of money.

Lastly, I agree with him that people identity is mobile. It was more prominent now just like when we can assign our mobile phone to received the OneKey one time password from our Singpass. It was the security measure that everyone must set up. In summary this video are very educational which give insight about human behaviour and also evoke thinking and comparison of the present and past. In realisation we are all already connected, embracing each other from forum and learn to listen to each other problem and giving solution how to solve.