Roaster Bin Conceptualization

 

Reflection:

I think what I took away was really the exploration of different software and how it combines with other areas of design to make the eventual product a whole. While the use of coding poses much difficulty to us in terms of understanding the code and finding the code, the fact that Arduino is an open source software really helps us to be able to do some self-learning and exploration which is something I truly enjoy. It was also very satisfying to see how our modified codes worked the way we wanted them to.

However, I also realize how important is it to create a correct setting to provoke our audience and set the interaction at the right pace and push our audiences to do certain things. It is not just the process of making the bin or making the code work, but it is a whole process of finding out how we can make our audience interact with our product in the best manner and achieve what we set out to do.

If time permitted, we would have actually liked to link the programming with Twitter as well as printing out the images we captured in order to solve the issue of the images captured being overwrite and keeping track of the offenders just like a town council. Overall, we really enjoyed the project and we definitely enjoy seeing our audiences respond and interact with our bin while getting ROASTED.

Research Critique 4 – Uncomfortable Interactions

Uncomfortable interactions are defined as

“actions that cause a degree of suffering to the user”,

as defined by the reading. These sufferings can either be on a physical a mental level. Most of the time, uncomfortable interactions come as an unintentional result and is often viewed negatively. However, the reading states that

“the potential value of uncomfortable interactions as part of designing cultural experiences”

could become benefits to us due to its positive outcomes towards the society, entertainment, and enlightenment. This is provided that such interactions are well calculated and done in an ethically acceptable framework.

 

Image showing the different types of benefits of Uncomfortable interactions.

 

An example I would like to use to illustrate the benefits of these uncomfortable interactions would be the Desert Rain established in 1999 by Blast Theory that uses such interactions to achieve positive outcomes towards enlightenment (mainly) and sociality as reflections on our actions. It is a war game that involves virtual reality aims to highlight the problem of what mass media reported (virtual) versus the reflection of the real world (reality) especially during the period of the Gulf War.

Players had to make it through the game by finding their targets. Throughout Desert Rain, there are also numerous moments where these uncomfortable interactions are established strategically to bring about maximum benefits.

“Human suffering is a powerful and recurring theme among artworks,”

Desert Rain uses the constant play on sufferings by the victims and casualties through the game to evoke discomfort, fear, and guilt. This leads us to a specific perspective to view the work, allowing us to reflect and empathize, prompting us to find a deeper connection to the game, allowing greater understanding. This would eventually allow a form of enlightenment among the 6 players.

 

Image illustrating the different types of Uncomfortable Interactions and their methods.

Image illustrating the flow of Desert Rain Game

 

These forms of uncomfortable interaction can take place in the form of visceral, culture, control and intimate interactions. Through Desert Rain, it was obvious that cultural discomfort was experienced due to the dark cultural associations of the Gulf War and its casualties.

The game pushes the participants to make moral decisions. In Section 5, the act of pushing away the numbers representing the casualties suggested the act of turning a blind eye on the humanity. The players might not have considered ethical consequences until reflected upon.

Through designing devices that bring back direct memories of the unfortunate events, a sense of discomfort is evoked. In section 6, the revelation where the hunted targets were disclosed to be victims of the Gulf War, interviewed on how ‘real’ the experience of the Gulf War was in the very room the players were in. Emotions of guilt could be evoked from these moments since the players would reflect on how they cruelly hunted down the targets who were victims of the War.

In section 7, the 100,000 grains of sand were given was meant for the participants to reflect on the 100,000 Iraqi casualties and the decisions made by the governments in the Gulf War.

Overall, uncomfortable interactions are effective in provoking thoughts and reflections resulting in enlightenment in the society. The use of a virtual reality space and these uncomfortable interactions have allowed the participants to reflect that what they see such as the targets, may not necessary be the truth.

Presentation: https://prezi.com/view/MVDcz69zh8omox4zH4Nt/

References:

Desert Rain

http://multiplejournalism.org/case/desert-rain

Micro Project 3: Together Split

For this micro project, my group tried out 2 different concepts that were conducted at the location of the sitting areas near the sunken plaza. Regarding our chosen location, we did not have much time to decide as we were very much focused on the task at hand. Thinking back, filming outdoors may have not been the best choice due to the strong winds and the distractions as people walked around.

Work 1 – using 4 screens

The intention of our work was to recreate a “new face” using different features of 4 different people’s face. We wanted to showcase how a single feeling such as “happy, sad and angry” could be expressed differently for every different person. However, the outcomes were not as successful as we imagined it to be due to the face that it was extremely difficult to coordinate and align our faces properly to form a solid image of a “new face” using each of our features. In the end, we ended up getting a disfigured face.

Work 2 – using 2 screens

Since we didn’t manage to align our faces properly during the first try, we decided that we should film for each other instead. Hence, we quickly made the decision to film 2 of us doing the same action, while the other 2 parties will be able to adjust and make the decision for us instead. We first tried to eat bread as 1 person and then put on lip balm as 1 person. Although it was still unsuccessful, there were more scenes that were better coordinated as compared to the first time, making the video seem more cohesive and convincing.

Overall, this project was challenging because a lot of coordination was required of us while we made use of this new medium. It was also frustration at times since what we wanted to create often do not match up to what the actual reality was.

Which project did you feel you had the most creative control? Why?

I think the project which I had the most creative control was Micro Project 1. Since the project largely depended on individual decisions, I was free to decide where I wanted to take the photo, how I wanted to take the photo, what kind of caption and filters to use. Whereas for project 2, despite the limitations given to make a song, the fate of the final product largely depended on the participants. While in project 3, it largely depended on the members of the group to decide on an idea together that we could agree and work on.

Which project had the most unpredictable outcome? Why?

Micro Project 2 had the most unpredictable outcome. For Project 2, the responses were largely based on the participants. Furthermore, each answer given from the participants to form the lyrics were very different because all of them had very different characters and thought processes that would make their final product different. Since all the styles of our participants are different, it is difficult to predict what they might say as well as their intentions when an outcome is presented.

Which project best illustrates the concepts of DIWO & Open–Source? Why?

I think the project that best illustrates DIWO and Open Source was Micro Project 2. Project 2 allowed us to really interact with other people to create something together and we were able to decide the considerable pool of people we wanted for our interactions. Creating the song in project 2 thoroughly left the fate of the decisions to our classmates who helped us create the song despite some limitations given. It also broke away from the traditional ideas of a single artist and numerous audience, instead it felt more like numerous artist and numerous audiences as compared to project 1 and 3.

Micro-Project 2: Crowd-Sourced Art

What is the content of the work and who is creating it?

The aim of the work was to create a song using crowd sourcing, allowing us to form a song via the services of our classmates who so kindly helped us complete the song lyrics. This project involved Qi Yun, Zi Ling and me.

The general gist of the project was for one of us to message our classmates individually and provide them with the previous sentence of the song created by another member of the class. The classmates continue to create the next line of the song while adhering to the limitations such as having a maximum of 7 words and ensuring the presence of a specific random word given by the team in the lyrics they create.

The first sentence started with “Cause you had a bad day”.

At first, we wanted each of our class mates to sing the lyrics in the tune of any nursery rhyme, allowing us to compile and form a song. However, as many of them were shy, we had to simplify it and instead our classmates created the lyrics only.

Where does this work take place?

This work took place in the classroom where most of our classmates were located at.

How does this work involve social interaction?

This work is considered social interaction because it allows and creates both direct and indirect interactions between the different members of the class. Thereby, becoming a common base for the classmates to interact at and result in a form of cooperation to come about to form something bigger, in this case to create a song together.

How is your crowd source project different from one that is created by a single artist/ creator?

Crowd sourcing allows a much bigger community to come into play and therefore increases much of the creativity, allows more brilliant ideas to be inspired and formed due to the different perspectives people have and this exchange of ideas creates greater impacts and compositions to be made.

Our turkers contributed and formulated the existence of the song. Each turker/classmate gave us “advice” on what should be done to continue the sentence despite the limitations given to them. Through these minimal interactions, the team was able to perhaps get a hint of the class’s character and take a step into getting to know our turkers better instead of indulging in ourselves.

Song:

Cause you had a bad day
Needed some help sian to the max
Chicken essence helps the brain think faster
Smell my shoes pikachu
Oh how very tree-rible it is
Hey soul sister
Meeting an old friend down the town
Baby you the reason I frown

(Bold words represent the essential word required to be in the lyrics.)

Link to video: https://youtu.be/cUGu5CmbLr4

 

 

 

Micro Project 1: Creating the Third Space


Why did you choose this space or object to photograph?

This space showcases the infrastructure of the whole building of ADM made of glass and also the empty green fields on the top of the school. It makes me proud as many of my school mates envy our school’s special infrastructure. Most importantly, it was because the building encompassed the meaning of design within it which made it significant to me as a design student who studies there.

What are some of the characteristics of this alternative virtual space you had created collectively?

The virtual space created involves many different perspectives, ideas and inspirations behind each photo and angle placed to capture the essence of the image. It mapped out a new ADM for me exploring places that I have yet to see. Furthermore, each caption gave me a glimpse and hint of the photographer and the possible significant representation it may have to the person. It became a collection of not just places but a record of how ADM is special to each of us.

Under what circumstances will this alternative virtual space change?

When the people within the buildings have changed, our level of understanding and attachment to the school changes as we go along the years from freshmen to seniors to graduates. Hence, when we look at the virtual space, it can become a form of excitement, progress, history and longing depending on the stage we are at.

Perhaps, when the people viewing the photos have no prior knowledge of the place being photographed, the different scenes in a single location may confuse the viewer. (Image of the building VS Image of the green/forested area). Filters may also affect how the virtual space is viewed.

How does this project relate to what we discussed in the lecture regarding co-creation, the concept of  Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-It-With-Others (DIWO)?

Deciding on the location and taking the photo is generally the work of one person and involves more of the concept of DIY. However, as we move around with each other to the different locations, we often get inspired by the photos and concepts of our friends, giving us an opportunity to discuss and share with one another.

Furthermore, when the different images that were captured are place together using a similar hashtag, #1010adm, I think it becomes a concept of DIWO more than DIY. Despite all of us being in adm, we took pictures of vastly different areas in order to create a new virtual view of ADM.

To an unknown viewer, these images map out and create a perception to those who see the images, such as having both nature and classy infrastructures.

 Even though it was an individual decision on how and where we took the photos, together it provided and allows viewers to come up with one single perception of a place for others to view, thereby bringing all of our individual works together to form something bigger. Hence, the concept of DIWO.

 

Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece

How does it change the viewer’s relationship to the work?

The viewer and audience now have the freedom to create something without any boundaries that are usually provided by the artist. It is likely to have more impact and be more meaningful to the different audiences depending on their age and gender. The creator becomes the objectified target of the audience while viewers themselves become the creator. Furthermore, the creation is a collaborative work by the viewers themselves, domino effect where the previous decision on the work influences the next decision.

How does it alter the way an artist or designer create the work, when there is an interactive component?

The interactive component allows the artist to create a form of life in the experience itself. Instead of simply “seeing”, the audience now “seeing, doing, hearing and feeling”. The interactive aspect brings in much more senses of the audience and evokes more emotions in them through such components.

For this piece of work:

  • Seeing: How people reacted to the piece of garment being cut away; The size of the piece of garment being cut away; The change in the size being cut by different genders.
  • Doing: Cutting the garment itself as to how much to cut; Where to cut; What are the boundaries.
  • Hearing: The sound of the scissors, even if one does not see, he or she may estimate how much of the garment was cut away.
  • Feeling: Moving from being hesitant to being daring; Passive to active behavior.