This week we created flip dots. For my flip dot, I decided to use the embroidery technique to keep my coil. Making the coil open for electricity to go was challenging for me. I think flip dots are extremely cool and interesting to experiment with.
At first, I wanted to create an art piece to comment about animal cruelty so when I switch the button on the monkey will curl up to make it look like it’s jumping and swinging around. However, I made a big mistake to glue the back and the front of the monkey together with a glue gun and so when it meets heat, the glue gun melt and it’s a complete fail prototype.
Therefore, I thought of a new project and I wanted to be playful with this assignment so I created a human exercise machine. I put the flexinol on my cut-out illustration of a woman in a sit-up position. I sewed the flexinol to make a curve around the woman’s body and solder it with the copper tape. (It was really challenging to solder it for reals) I connected my switch so when I rang the bell the woman will sit up. I also used my handmade connectors to connect the circuit together.
However, I think I used the wrong resistor and it won’t successful turn on. But I tested the woman with hot air and she bends the way I wanted to. I enjoyed using flexinol a lot and I think I can make use of it in so many different ways.
I was inspired by the film Spirited Away when Chihiro have to clean up the stinky spirit and that has turned the monster looking spirit to a majestic looking spirit.
I want to make a critique on pollution and how it’s affecting living things. That’s why I created “Pollupets”
I drew up the pets on paper first
and I mixed thermochromic pigment with transparent base in the ratio of 1:1 then painted on my illustrations.
After that, I put my pollupets in a box and make signs to make audience engage with them
After thinking about what I can do with thermochromic pigment, I see many possibilities I can experiment and have fun with.
I want to make speakers for two people to hear the music so I decided to create a cylinder shape speaker with plastic sheets and tied them with plastic loops. In the three swatches, I also want to experiment the lengths of the speakers whether there is a difference in sound or not.
To check if there is a short circuit I tested with a light bulb and a battery, and it worked, so hopefully, it will be a working speaker when we test in class.
The first connector was the probe connector we’ve learned in class, we took off the inside of rope out and put in three conductive threads, then we make a knot around a pin and close it off using polymorph.
For my second connector(the bottom one of the image above), I paste copper tape onto a plastic stripe that is made out of a plastic sheet and on each side I put a paper clip into it. Then I solder the copper tape and the paper clip together.
For my third connector(the top one of the image above), I used the same method with the putting the conductive thread in but this time pulling the rope tighter so it makes a wave. On each side of the rope, I used a keychain ring and closed it using duck tape.
For my fourth connector(the bottom one of the image above), I did the same method as the rope we did in class but this time I used safety pins on the ends. I closed on safety pin with duck tape and another one using heat shrink tube.
It’s really great to find new fun ways to connect the circuit together.
For my midterm, I wanted to create an art piece in awareness to marine pollution so I created Jellyplastic. Constructed by found object, I wanted to depict this beautiful sea creature in contrast to the materials of human’s waste that is actually destroying their homes.
This is how I made the piece: https://www.instructables.com/id/Jelly-Plastic/
My circuit had some problems, the first problem is that one of the LED on the jellyplastic’s head works only when the conductive legs are touching each other, so when the whole piece has lit up and the legs aren’t touching anymore it won’t open. The second problem is another LED on the jellyplastic’s head is loose and when audience touches the head the LED will light up. However, I feel that even though the LEDs don’t work as I expected, I think it contributes to making the piece more beautiful, and more alive.
I see my piece in an exhibition to raise awareness about environmental issues. For future iteration, I think I will reconsider my switch because through observation, users are more drawn to touch the head of the jellyplastic than interacting with its legs. Also, I want to create jellyplastic on a whole new scale and have a different display under the same concept.
We used the switch Dylan has created to explain the circuit. We started by explaining the power that circulates around, finding a connection to be made and then introduced each led and the pins each led is plugged into. Then we explained that if the button that coordinates with the led is pressed then power will come through and the led will light up, this is to portray the if/else statements.
I want to create a tilt switch where I can close a circuit by tilting an object from sides to sides.
I choose to create a triangular model where I hang a conductive ball (which I made out of a wooden ball covered by foil and sewed around with a conductive thread) in the middle of the pyramid.
My first test of the conductive ball on a wall of the model.
I decided to experiment with different kind of illustrations for each one of the swatches to experiment more ways of tilting the switch.for instance: bringing the ball to the center of the slide to activate a circuit or bringing the ball in between two sides to activate two circuits at the same time.
There are many ways to play with this swatch: bringing the ball to the center of the slide to activate a circuit or bringing the ball in between two sides to activate two circuits at the same time.
From making this I can imagine some games that can use this as a controller to play.
