Narrowing down the modalities “We should scale down the interactivity and responsiveness, perhaps… Performers only influence the cushiins in terms of vibration, ot light. It is the user(s) the ones who Should performers should be in the room or not?

Revibe – if we geared the tool towards a more therapeutical context – sense of reviving.. A bit cliche but it’s catchy. Taction – Literally refers to the sense of touch, but it also sounds like cushion. Vibe-Live (GROOSSSS) AtmosPheel – Atmosfeel – Like admosphere?.. Get it? No? Keywords to come up with a name: vibrations, pulse, sense, kinesthesia, touch, feel, music, relax, frequency, basse, pillow, cushion, performance, experience… Reverb : Sound is amplified and transformed into new experience (Rvrb. Revrb, Rverb)?

The main concept behind this object is to create new ways of experiencing music and sounds through sight and touch. The transmission of low frequency vibrations to surfaces and objects that are responsive to users and to music, along with the object’s ability to connect with one another, create an environment that is fully immersive. Thus, the context and environment in which this object might exist can vary from installation rooms, therapeutic centres, people’s homes, movie theaters, and any other place that allows for a comfortable music and sound appreciation environment; however, for this project we have decided that the object will exist in a private live-music setting. Description of the object at work: The most appropriate environment for Taction would be in an isolated room or an area with low sound and light noise. In this hypothetical room, lets call it the Holodeck, there will two musicians (e.i. a vocalist and a guitarist), and a series of cushioned objects and comfortable surfaces. The initial state of the room’s environment will be calm and quiet, in order to allow the participant(s) to feel comfortable and relaxed. The participants would then be prompted to pick up one or more of the cushion-like objects and place them around and on their bodies. Hugging this cushions and placing them under their head (as a regular sleeping pillow), or on their backs, if they are sitting down, will be highly encouraged. Once the participants are comfortable, the interaction begins. Musicians will start playing their instruments and transmitting vibrations to the participants who are in contact with the responsive surfaces and objects. Since the vibration of these objects is responsive to music, the musicians are able to guide the sensory experience of the participant with the frequency and amplitude of the sound they are producing. As a feedback system, the objects are also designed to respond to the participant. For example, when the participant squeezes one of these objects or moves it around during the performance, the object responds by changing its colour. When one object reacts to the participant it communicates this reaction to the other objects which then assimilate the initial object’s reaction. This way the performers can see how the person is reacting to the music and to the vibrations, by looking at the colours emitted by the objects the artists can decide how to guide the interaction. While the tendency would be to only create interactions that are soothing and relaxing, we do not want to limit the tool to these types of experiences. Perhaps musicians decide that at some point they want to create a tense or stressful atmosphere and start playing faster and or louder; it is also possible that the participant and the musicians agree on creating a sort of narrative or progression, in which the music will alternate between different kinds of sounds through distortion, delays and other sound modulations, and guide the participant through a garden of diverse experiences and emotions. Despite our intentions to not limit ourselves to creating a tool for relaxation or anything along this path, much of the research that we have conducted has led us to a lot of evidence regarding the power of low frequency vibrations in therapeutic contexts (both physical and psychological). According to most of these studies (see sources 1 – 3 below), low frequency vibrations between the range of 20 to 140Hz are considered to ‘be therapeutic’, meaning that when in contact with these vibrations over certain periods of time and in certain zones of the body, an array of healing effects may be produced, such as: increased bone density, lower blood pressure, lowering risk of heart attack, and accelerating tissue and bone recovery among others. Because of these very important applications of these type of technologies, we are not eliminating this aspect of the object from the design process, and will be looking to develop the functionality and overall design in a way that is inclusive of these different possibilities. Object-Human Relationship. Social and Cultural Implications One of our most immediate goals with this object is to challenge the current state of media production/consumption, which lives mainly within the visual and auditory fields. By creating a tactile and more immersive experience, we intend to bring participants back to their bodies, to feeling as opposed to simply watching or listening. Designing a physical interaction between the participant and the multiple objects and surfaces in the room allows for a very intimate relationship to be fostered, not only between object and human, but also between human and performers through objects and vibrations (as well as light and sound). This intimacy might step on the boundaries that define the line between immersiveness and invasiveness. This physical invasion may serve as a door to open up conversations about invasion of privacy on certain media platforms, which in contrast to this object is rarely physical or consensual. Another crucial aspect of this object is the fact that despite having a feedback system with light, the object it is not controlled by the participant. In this regards, being a semi-passive member in such an immersive environment places the participant in a state of surrender, in which the only thing that one can do is to experience the events that unfold. This concept of surrendering is an important practice in many spiritual traditions, and is often understood as ‘living in the now’ or ‘accepting what is’. This again, has the possibility of creating tensions, especially in our society and at a time in history where we are constantly attempting to control every aspect of our lives. Thus, this object has the potential of putting the users in a place of reflection regarding the way in which they relate with their environment, technologies and other humans, and the impulsive disposition to want to control everything around us. Empowerment Besides possessing a therapeutical effect, this object can be empowering to both participants and performers by creating new forms of expression and interaction. Many would argue […]

Teensy 3.5 (2) (Abra) XBee Mesh (?) (Spikenzies) Large Surface Transducer (5cm x 3 cm) 19.95$ (Spikenzies) Cushion filling First solution: 2lb // 20$ — Would make two normal 16×16” pillows (Amazon) Second solution: 10lb // 77.05$ — Would make 5 pillows (Amazon) We use one pillow at home, and then see the weight of the filling we actually need, and if the vibration and stuff doesn’t get absorbed by the filling Bean bag filling: First layer of cloth : Free (I got enough cloth, I believe…) Metal non-conductive sheet to construct box for surface transducers//Plastic The more fibrous a material is the better the absorption; conversely denser materials are less absorptive. The sound absorbing characteristics of acoustical materials vary significantly with frequency. In general low frequency sounds are very difficult to absorb because of their long wavelength.   http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/acoustic_IOI/101_7.htm Fluffy cloth for extra sass (35$/meter) http://fabricville.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=faux+fur Pressure sensor/Velostat (28x28cm) – 5.95$

What should we focus on and what do we have to implement in terms of the code? Test tilt sensors Test pressure sensors Voice detection Guitar detection Vibration output Particle system/Projection Serial communication from Arduino to Processing Theory: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-communication Exercise from Arduino to Processing : https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/connecting-arduino-to-processing Design foundations Texture Agency How much freedom does the user have? Is the user free to influence rules of the system? Opacity How clear is the network? Are the connections easily visible or are they hidden? (Easy to interact with, without necessarily knowing the connection exists) Reflexivity How do you know what is happening in the network? Feedback – knowing that the rules of a system are enforced

  Participants would be laying down to look at projections on the ceiling. Balls of colour that are held by participants become projected Using participants motion and other actions to act on the particle system. Every person has a role in the particle’s performance.. What can be changed in a particle system? Movement Size of one particle Size of the entire system Colour Strength of the force Introduction of new particles /What they look like  How do we introduce those changes? Create a cushion/mat that would detect a person sitting on it Pressure Create the mean value for weight Voice + Guitar controlling: Cushion Plants Lightshow

We needed more than ideas to visualize what we were aiming for – inspiration. It seems still in pieces, and not an environment. Under water : https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/00/fc/47/00fc47660adf8d38c1e87adb2175d026.jpg Lanterns on tree : http://www.stylemepretty.com/vault/image/2875710 (Wind Chime, instead of wind use music to create) Kinetic Symphony : http://www.joachimsauter.com/en/work/symphonie.html Murmur : http://chevalvert.fr/installation/murmur/ Nimbes : http://joanielemercier.com/nimbes/ Sensible : http://www.biopus.com.ar/biopus_eng/sensible/index.html Antrum : http://www.fubiz.net/en/2015/07/18/graphical-louminous-interactive-installation/ Parsec : https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalarti/ Una Lumino Portentum : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krMpPsBbsRU Deep Ocean : http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deep-ocean-display-by-external-reference-architects Dazed : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYsqxWzg5Z4

We spoke about how it would be interesting to focus on performance, since we both like music. But performance is as important for the performer than the public. We want to create an immersive environment which would stimulate all of our senses – an environment that can be enjoyed alone and with other people. In common concerts, we are stimulated by sound and light installations. However, how can we incorporate other senses into our environment such that we go beyond the barrier of being in a performance into becoming the performance. We want something that may bring music, people and nature into one space, one organism. Ideas Projections acting upon different frequencies Reactive plants that have their own personalities, and react differently to different stimuli Cushions that amplify the bassline