“Field is a dynamic and ever changing interactive ecosystem, where visitors can transform and pollinate the environment using their bodies. Flowing particles of color driven by movement cause flowers to bloom and grow, attracting ever changing, dynamic butterflies who interact with the plants, flowers and visitors to help pollinate the space.
Seasons are marked by dramatic changes in the environment and the visual language of the experience. From lush flowing grasses to more abstract stylized cattails, each season is rich, immersive and inviting, engaging visitors of all ages in playful, unique ways.” – Design I/O
To view the full description and a full list of credits, please visit the Design I/O project page.
Made while Minister of Interactive Art at Design I/O.
Glades is an interactive, abstract representation of human introduced impacts on the Everglades ecosystem. You walk into a room with two reactive displays on a wall.
On the left, your body movement forms toxic blue algae on a simulated water surface. The more you interact with it, the more algae is formed; touching on the current issues that humans are introducing toxic elements into the Florida water supply.
On the right an invasive python wraps around your silhouette as you move about the space. The python is meant to be slightly uncomfortable as it slithers and wraps around your body; conveying how this non-native species has invaded the Everglades.
A large projection of a stylized Everglades landscape connects the two interactives. An anhinga flys, swims and lands between the two displays. The Anhinga is very iconic for me; the way it spreads its wings to dry them after a swim. The projection creates an immersive environment; a sense of the Everglades in its natural, untouched state.
Depth sensors track your movement, so you don’t need to hold or put on any tech, just move your body.
Nove Bit is an interactive 3 x 3 matrix that allows users to record sequences of light and save them as 9 bit memories. Nove Bit addresses human to computer interaction by allowing the user to physically input the memory as 9 bits, as opposed to the traditional 8 bit computer memory. Nove Bit also touches on the notion of a personal memory by recording a users’ thoughts in time and replaying them as a pattern of lights. The visual memories are stored as 9 bits, represented by a corresponding button. Compared to 8 bits, 9 bits also allows for a visually even distribution of the memory as a square. The “Nove”, which means nine in Italian, also references the Arduino Duemilnove, one of the two micro-controllers that control the unit.
The programming mode is entered as soon as the user presses any button. The user can program light sequences by simply pressing buttons in the desired pattern. Patterns are recorded after several seconds of inactivity from the user. The patterns are replayed by fading the leds on and off inside the translucent white buttons. The buttons are placed in a wooden facade, while the square, white plexi-glass case forms the base and houses the Arduino and the TLC 5940 micro-controllers. The unit is powered by a wall adapter and can easily fit on a desk, nightstand or other flat surface with limited space.
The TLC 5940 was a little tricky, but thanks to Peter Macky and his source code, I could get it working.
The source code is available for download if anyone is interested. This older post shows all of the guts and an older, crappier video.
