Mountain Dew Voltage

Its not a new commercial, but within the context of interactive wearables, I kinda appreciate the creativity and the humor.

Its even a little bit inspiring, the possibility.

textrual exploration

At the moment I am still at lost as to what my final project should be. The above pictures are experimentations I am doing for my grad project. Although a different context all together, I am very much inspired by the same textural exploration for all my ideas.
So far I've been doing these experimentations without a definitive project in mind, that is to say, once I've built enough of a textural for myself, I can apply elements from my findings to different aspects of each of my projects.

It is however VERY exciting that I will have the opportunity to take these material explorations a step further, and possibility develop more of a interactive surface. Interactivity has been one of the main reasons for my explorations, so it will be a super bonus to incorporate technological capabilities to my library.

tree lamp in a bag

My project with thermochromic ink: tree lamp in a bag. I figured with a halogen light bulb it was a sure way of generating enough heat to have some effect on the disappearing ink, and also I liked the idea of an interactive lamp shade. My concept was simply a depiction of deforestation due to human settlement. Electricity--lamps--are sure signs of urbanization, so I thought it would be an idea to communicate the concept every time someone turns on a lamp.

As for the process, although screen printing would have given me the best result, I chose to simply apply my vinyl template directly onto my fabric, and dabbed the paint on, just to save time, paint and energy. I only applied the thermochromic ink to some of the tree icons and the rest was with regular paint for effect, so perhaps dabbing the paint on was the better way to go.

I did make a frame for the shades at some point, but decided I didn't like the effect, so I stuck with the bag-on-a-pole idea. Some might think its tacky, but I kinda liked the effect, although I do agree it can be worked on a little more.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the final product, but it will be added asap.

Dune 4.0

I love fusions of man-made materials with organic entities, especially in context of environmental and architectural settings. Almost always these combinations result in extraordinary sensory experiences.


Dune 4.0

Commissioned by Netherlands Media Art Institute Montevideo in Amsterdam & CBK Rotterdam, Daan Roosegaarde designed Dune 4.0, strands of artificial interactive rods that reacts to movement and human presence. These grass-like rods lights and dims when it senses any kind of movement or sound, creating a scenery that changes constantly. Project technology was developed in collaboration with Axis & Stuifmeel Techniek and Peter de Man.

It may seem a little creepy when we've reached a point where artificial landscape may be demanded, but with ethical reasoning aside, imagine the future of landscape and architectural design as not only an spacial existence but also a site for boundless experimentation. We can construct our environment to reflect fantastical imaginations that would have otherwise been non-existent in our natural world. In addition to innovations in entertainment, such advancements may also pave new roads in health care and education amongst many possibilities.

stretchy embedded circuits

I was watching Daily Planet when I came across a segment showcasing a new "flexible embedded circuit". Unfortunately I couldn't find the one that was presented in the show, but I did find two other versions that also posses the same quality:





markpascua.com: stretchy, flexible circuits.

The first is a circuit developed at the University of Illinois. Embedded in silicon and plastic, this transparent circuit can be stretched up to 15%. Silicon wiring is bound to a stretched out thin sheet of rubbery plastic, when the components are assembled together, tension is released. In neutral state the silicon chip is wrinkled, this allows for expansion when the plastic membrane is stretched.




pinktentacle.com: Stretchable circuitry for soft machines.

The second is developed by researchers led by Takao Somea at the University of Tokyo. The university mixed carbon nanotubes with an ionic liquid containing charged particles that prevents the nanotubes from bunching and clumping, evenly distributing them on a rubbery backing. This allows for even more flexibility than what has been achieved before. Apparently this formula "conducts electricity more than 500 times better than other commercially available carbon nanotube-polymer blends." (pinktentacle.com)




Engineers can now stretch electrical circuits around awkward shapes or delicate areas. With this new material, researchers are envisioning applications ranging from biological (brain) implants, to "smart clothing" for athelets, to life like robotics and cyborgs.

Cool!

first post

This blog will be a record of my research, insights and process for the works done in the first ever interactive wearables course here at Emily Carr University. I have named my term long exploration "Fingertips", a body part that has fueled many of my inspirations in the past.

Some past explorations: