interactive on LEAFCRUNCHER

PORTAL (there is still time)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

PORTAL, also known as there is still time, is an installation in the bombay beach desert bordering california’s storied salton sea.

100 TVs were transported from a hotel in Times Square to be given a new life on the decaying shores of Bombay Beach. each TV was mounted inside of a structure designed by joylabo and networked together using raspberry pis. each day the portal captures the sunset and replays it slowly over the course of the remaining evening.

as part of the inaugural year of Mars College, the portal also functions as a creative canvas for its community.

location: bombay beach, california, 2020
open: feb 07, 2020
close: apr 05, 2020

cloud bathroom

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

cloud bathroom is a permanent installation at Luxury Escapism’s “Oddly Satisfying Spa” – a relaxing space in DUMBO that provides wellness experiences made of digital and immersive media.

the interactive bathroom provides a private oasis within the spa, where the door lock and faucet create whimsical moments of light and sound.

location: luxury escapism: VR spa, 2021
open: oct 15, 2019

light arcade

Sat, 15 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

the light aracde is an interactive light web, controlled by a classic arcade machine. mini-games that use a joystick and two buttons allow users to change the visuals of the oversized web. the piece was installed for a gallery party on a rooftop overlooking the nyc skyline, and at a party in arcade, new york.

IN DREAMS

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

IN DREAMS is a full-body instrument exploring skating as it is in my dreams…
without gravity
without endings
and, most importantly, without bruises.

for whatever reasons, i was never really excelled at skateboarding when I was younger. yet, my imagination was always wild with possibilities. i set out to bring that imagination to life.

deep down, this instrument explores my anxiety and shyness. and so i composed the music and designed the instrument to force myself to play loudly. here, it is performed live using a custom instrument designed to encourage large gestures, taking up space, and a joyful smile. the instrument was developed for new instruments for musical expression.

performed live
venue: the paper box
location: brooklyn, ny

search divides us

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

location: MakerFaire 2018

a museum exhibit that invites users to understand internet segregation, especially the role of algorithms and how they might silently reinforce existing racial biases in the society.

research

dr. charlton mcilwain, associate dean for faculty development & diversity, associate professor of media, culture, and communication at nyu. his work focuses on the intersections of race, digital media, and racial justice activism. his research reveals how internet’s categorizations create opportunities for inequality and more importantly how it has implications on the real world. he was also recently featured in the atlantic’s the internet may be segregated as a city.

background

this exhibit playfully communicates serious research about internet segregation by dr.charlton mcllwainthe current architecture of the web encourages categorization. however, this categorization can negatively affect real-world outcomes. in our exhibit piece, we examine the pre-existing, technical, & emergent bias of web traffic segregation. search divides us is an exploration of systemic racial bias through machine learning & tactile interaction.

exhibit goals

encourage visitors to criticize the mainstream view of the internet being equitable.
feel unfairly forced into an outcome.
confront the scale of internet segregation beyond individual choice.

ideation

our interviews with the researcher had a strong take away that the researcher compares web pathways to highways and internet segregation to discrimination in a city. so we wanted our project to have a ‘city ‘element in it while talking about differences. we ideated a bunch of concepts and presented it to a few of our friends and classmates to see what they interpret out of it and to see if the message was clear. in the initial concepts, we abstracted privilege with shapes and the goal is to find the most diverse neighborhood to live in.

iterations

after user testing, we found that abstracting inequality wasn’t communicating the message of discrimination and segregation. moreover, it did not make them question about the internet. some of the questions we asked while reiterating the concept are:

how do we force comparison?
how to design it so that users are willing to interact more than once?
how to make it clear that different profiles end up in different places?

low & hi fidelity prototypes

we decided to go with direct filters (income, race, and education) on the physical interface that decides where the user should be living on the fictional map. special attention was given to the color palette and iconography of the map to depict good and bad neighborhoods.

technology

there are two tech components to this interactive exhibit - tangible and digital. the tangible kiosk acts as an input and the visuals on the screen are the output. we used rotary encoders, buttons and a limit switch as inputs to the master mkr1000 which then communicates with the slave arduino uno which is connected to the neopixels. we used a master and slave arduinos merely because of insufficient pins on the mkr1000. visuals are created on p5.js using a p5 scene library that talks to the browser using node. these visuals are projected on a custom map cut on a cnc using projection mapping.

interaction design

feedback of user action is given in the form of visuals and sound. neo pixels on the physical interface are used to illustrate the user’s selection from the rotary encoder. each parameter(‘race’, ‘education’, ‘income’, ‘search’ and ‘refresh’) are color-coded on the physical and digital interfaces for easy recognition. the angled design of the console is inviting and giant sized buttons enable multiple users to interact with the system at the same time encouraging them to discuss. timings of the interaction have been refined after multiple user tests.

team

asha veeraswamy
kathy wu
keerthana pareddy
anthony bui