Final Project Pitch: [un]controllable

Overview:
This project is about using 5 hourglasses as the device. When they are being turned over, each hourglass will produce different variation of a certain sound based on different sand levels.

Context:
The idea behind this project is to engage people to play with the hourglasses to either see what sounds can be produced or to try and get the sound that they want, but in the end realising that they cannot manipulate all the hourglasses at once alone.

An Experience:
Inspired by the idea of time and the tendency to ‘play’ with it, the hourglass is a device; instrument that enables people to ‘turn and play’ with time, while being able to ‘see’ time flow, from the flow of sand.

Also, there is the Bottlogues from Tangible Media Group, which allow different narratives to be read out when a different bottle is uncapped. The idea of a narration/ unique sound feedback is also something that we want to explore for the different hourglasses.

Interaction:

The hourglasses itself may have the few interactions:
-Turning them upside down (ideally)
-Turning them sideways and keeping it stationary or rolling them
-Shaking and tilting

Interacting with the hourglasses itself has the idea of playing/manipulating time. The way in which it will be handled can be seen as how a person handles the ‘time’ in their hands.

The hourglasses can also be placed:
-At their original spot
-Moved to another spot within the given space
-Moved to another spot outside the given space

Implementation:
Technologies:
Arduino with photoresistors will be attached to the hourglasses.
At different sand levels, the photoresistors at different positions will detect the light, which will trigger a feedback – sound/light.

Planned attachment:
screen-shot-2016-09-27-at-7-32-45-pm

Weekly objectives:
18/10/2016: Gather sounds for the projects, source and make hourglasses, try out interface with i-CubeX.
25/10/2016: Tryout of sound feedback, make hourglasses
01/11/2016: Improve on sound and light feedback on 1 hourglass and start working on the other 4 hourglasses
08/11/2016: Work on sound and light feedback on 5 hourglasses
15/11/2016: Touch up and work on final presentation of the 5 hourglasses

Description of preliminary prototype:
1 hourglass attached to the arduino and photoresistors and able to give some feedback of sound and light

On Nov 18th:
Example of how the setup will be is as shown below:
img_8614

The 5 hourglasses will be placed on a table set up with lights.

Documentation:
It will be of the mechanism of the hourglasses, the interaction and reaction of the work by classmates, and other people during the end of semester show.

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