The Happiness Project [Digital]

It is common to hear the phrase, ‘happiness stems from within,’ and while this phrase is true to a certain extent, I strongly believe that the happiness we project ultimately affects those around us – especially our closed ones. Happiness is shared in the most obvious ways, such as celebrating promotions together over lunch, spending time with your loved ones on your birthday, or sharing a drink together after a long day.

Initially, I wanted to create a gameplay on the water whereby I’ll attach a motor on the objects that I have created in my analog project. However, I had a test run with it and the motor got in touch with the water and the whole motor had short-circuited. I decided to scrap this idea off as a resulted.

Concept

I was inspired by this spark of happiness that children have constantly, and it resulted in the happiness project. Hence, I have decided to enact a mini ‘playground’ to model a child’s excitement when he sees a playground.

Wanting to justify how a happy act by us can actually affect the people around us, when my audience approach the playground, familiar childhood songs like will be played and when they get into ball pit and interact with the balls inside, the LED lights will light up whenever they are moved, signifying this happy act can actually spread the happy feeling to others when they see the led lights light up.

Another part of the project is a child tent with a ball inside. Children are known for finding joy in the simplest objects and can go for long hours just exploring with paint, for example. Hence, I created a ball that will light up whenever its ‘played’. With this, I want to emphasize the point of happiness is a state of mind to my audience, to which can be created by positive and good emotions and most importantly can be created by us.

Technical

Sound Play

I linked an ultrasonic sensor to arduino and from arduino, I linked it to processing for the sound to be played. One wrong choice her is that ultrasonic sensor measures distance and is really sensitive with the angle of sensing, if given, it would be better to use a PIR sensor in my opinion. By logging a letter to the sensor value, I send the value to processing so that whenever a ‘T’ or ‘K’ is read, this will play and pause the music play respectively.

Led light up when balls are moved

I connected LED lights to a sound detector so that when the balls are moved, the sound detector will detect the sound and hence, trigger the led lights to light up.

Playing ball that will change colour when ‘played’

I wasn’t sure how to make the ball flicker when its moved with other methods, hence, I used an accelerometer that will change its colour on the led strip when the x,y and z plane have recorded a change.

Conclusion

Through this experience, I hope my project has resurfaced old childhood memories and reminded them that happiness can be easily found anywhere and it comes from within. It was quite an enjoyable process for me as I really found joy in these colourful balls myself and that it brings joy to my audience too.

The Happiness Project [Analog]

Childhood memories are some of the most precious keepsakes to hold dear to your heart—especially as you grow up. Sometimes you have to remind yourself how it felt to be a kid, and memories from your adolescence can help you do just that. Whether it’s remembering something that made you smile or brought out the happiest part of you, certain childhood memories just stick with you for a lifetime.

This project aims to bring out the fond memories of childhood by recovering a common childhood that many kids have- colourful balls. In the world today, people are too cope up in their own circle of thoughts and so stressed with life that we tend to forgets the little bits of life we are actually thankful to have.

Connections, love, toys, justice, clothing, a house and many more…

We are equipped with so many things that some people in the world are not lucky to have. These are the things they thought to be happiness while we are taking it for granted. Hence, through this small installation, I would like my audience to stop and reflect on their own happiness for awhile.

I have placed my objects on water to signify something intangible while attaching them to reels situated on the land. This shows that while we tend to ignore the possesions of these objects we are entitled of, we can actually “reel” them in at an instant touch.

In Class Assignment

If given lightbulb and a room as my material, I would place my lightbulb in one top corner of the room. I would like to relate the lightbulb to that of a surveillance camera, whereby we will feel exposed and insecure under such scrutiny.

Nowadays, we will see long queues for salted egg shops by tourists and it made me realised that if I were asked by someone to introduce hand souvenirs to a foreigner, there’s only salted egg products that I can introduce. Firstly, its entirely made in singapore and no other countries will claim as its their product.

Hence, I would like to create a wall of these salted egg yolks!!!

Analog Project Pitch

H A P P I N E S S

This project aims to ponder over the topic of What is Happiness?

This idea came to me when I couldn’t finish my lunch one day and I had a sudden thought about the kids in Africa (as cliche as it sounds) not being able to have access to food and starving at the same time. They would be so happy now if they were able to meet ends meet but people who had their basic needs satisfied are often chasing after materialistic wants and things they do not have. This often leaves us disgruntled and unhappy.

I was also very much inspired by this British artist, Bruce Munro who used 65000 recycled cds to create this “waterlilies” piece. The installation mirrors the ever-changing hues of the surrounding landscape, hence, this installation is best viewed by day.

The definition of happiness varies among each individual and we often tend to overlook the little things in life that we might be taking granted for. For example, we have food readily available to our convenience but not many people in the world. We are pampered with toys by our parents when we were young, but yet again, there are kids who are less fortunate to have toys to play with. The connectivity to people we have round the clock but not to people in North Korea who would want to contact their long lost families in South Korea but aren’t able to due to their country’s regime.

Project Pitch

Whenever we thought of these colourful plastic balls, the first connotation will be kids playing happily in it. Even for adults, these balls produce happy vibes and many people even adults would naturally smile at the memories with these balls. Therefore, using these balls as a medium, I would like to bring a little happiness to the people in school.

At the same time, I would like to remind people about the subtle things we are taking for granted everyday that there are people in other parts of the world holding these things dear to them and cherish the opportunity to have access to these items.

Hence, I would be creating these items as shown below through the colourful plastic balls and be placing them on the adm sunken plaza. The subtility of the floating objects also shows the intangible yet omnipresent connection and power with have over these objects.