Play pattern storyboard

Ways of connecting materials

A couple of very rough sketches for a building toy.

Preliminary sketch for algae pixels

This week I’ve been doing some preliminary sketches for what I’m starting to think of as algae pixels. The idea is to create a way for people to experience an interaction with bioluminescent algae that’s not too far off from seeing it in the ocean. For the first prototype I’m going to be testing ways of agitating small groups of algae at a time in response to a finger touching the display.

Drawing in the dark

Flush hexagon pixels (mini tanks of algae)

Round pixels (tubes or petri dishes)

I also made some progress on my annotated bibliography this week, started an outline for my paper, and developed a more detailed  work schedule.

Mood board for a building toy

For Toy Design Workshop I’m developing a building toy that will integrate well with outdoor play and natural materials. As a kid I was always frustrated by the disconnect between the aesthetics of Legos or blocks and the twigs and moss I liked to build with in my yard. So, my plan is to prototype a kit that would allow kids to build outdoors and incorporate natural materials into their designs. I’m going to focus on wooded environments first, but I’d like to do some sketches for deserts, beaches, and urban parks, too.

Stuff this board includes:
Lincoln Logs
Tinkertoy
Fairy houses
A model I made in elementary school
Works by Andy Goldsworthy
Wooden blocks
Sewing toys
Soft felt leaves
Natural wood building toys
Natural wood dollhouse

]]> http://carolineabrown.com/2010/02/thesis-timeline/feed/ 0 http://carolineabrown.com/2010/02/bio-materiality-bioluminescence/ http://carolineabrown.com/2010/02/bio-materiality-bioluminescence/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:27:13 +0000 Caroline http://carolineabrown.com/?p=1128

Algae cultures (Pyrocystis fusiformis)

Our first assignment in Design Frontiers in Biology and Materiality was to recreate favorite science experiments from when we were kids. I immediately thought back to summer evenings I spent on Orcas Island, skipping stones into water that sparkled with bioluminescence. After doing a little reading to see if I could actually grow bioluminescent algae at home, I ordered some cultures. They had to be shipped overnight so they wouldn’t freeze en route, and they required a little recovery time after shipping. They seem to be thriving now.

These algae are very strict adherents to their circadian rhythms; they require 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness every 24 hours. I set up half of the cultures to photosynthesize during the day, and the other half are exposed to artificial light at night and kept in the dark during the day. The algae will only glow when it has experienced a period of darkness (i.e. if you take it into a dark room during what it’s accustomed to as daylight hours, you won’t see any glowing).

Thesis Mood Board

Stuff it includes:
America Windows by Marc Chagall
Bioglyphs exhibit at MSU Bozeman
Rocky Shore exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Wind Board by Leah Buechley
Funky Forest by Theo Watson
Bestiary by me and Bryan Lence
Firefly by Jason Krugman

Music:
where_have_all_my_files_gone? by Rachel’s

from the Bioglyphs exhibit at MSU Bozeman

Last semester I developed an interest in using brief moments of delight to open up opportunities for people to contemplate or create a little space of mental clarity for themselves. I’d like to pursue this idea further with my thesis. This week our thesis group, led by Despina Papadopoulos, began with some brainstorming. Here’s a rough sketch of where I’m headed…

What is it that you want to make?

I want to build a piece that uses small points of light and gentle interaction (most likely touch or proximity, but possibly breath?) to create a sense of wonder and delight. By offering this brief interaction, I hope to provide people with a small moment of clarity or contemplation. My first vision of this is as a large scale panel piece. After struggling to complete a large panel last semester, though, I’m worried about running into some of the same problems (space, material size and cost, difficulty in troubleshooting large, complicated circuits, the stress that comes with putting all of your eggs in one basket). So, I would like to build it in modules, if not as a suite of objects. I’m currently experimenting with bioluminescent algae for Design Frontiers in Biology and Materiality, and I would love to incorporate it into this project, but I’m not sure yet if I can find a way to do that with any sort of stability. So, while I am doing tests with the algae, I’m also thinking about ways to mimic bioluminescence with fiberoptics or backlit perforations. Playing with the algae has made me wonder if there is a way to use water as a material for this project (and possibly change it from a vertical piece to horizontal), although I was originally vacillating between wood and fabric.
Why build it?

Too often we move through our days without stepping outside of our entrenched thought patterns. By experiencing a brief moment of delight, we open up the possibility of approaching problems more creatively and increase the likelihood that we will be patient with others. By sharing a moment of delight or contemplation, a community’s members may strengthen their sense of connection.
Who is it for?

This project is meant to be used by individuals or small groups, although it makes sense to stiuate it within a larger community. Anyone from children to adults may enjoy it.
Where?

Ideally, this piece would be placed in a semi-public site such as a school, museum, library, or hospital.

Some inspiration:

Bioglyphs exhibit of paintings with bioluminescent bacteria

Leah Buechley’s Wind Board

Jason Krugman’s Firefly

Jellyfish movie controlled by heart rate from Caroline Brown on Vimeo.

HRMI + video playback code

A few favorite museum experiences

Week 8: time to distill what we’ve loved and hated about all of our museum visits over the past few weeks into our own experience design manifestos. Here’s mine…

Transport and/or transform the audience, if only for a moment.

Inspire wonder, curiosity, and delight, even in the face of difficult subjects.

Expect the best from visitors; don’t limit engagement with the public to the level of the lowest common denominator. Provide for multiple points of entry to material.

Exclude gratuitously interactive exhibits. Any interaction should support a clear purpose.

Have a sense of humor– about the materials, about the museum itself.

User test at least at the prototype stage, preferably more.

Invite people who genuinely care about the materials to share their passion for those materials with others.

Be flexible and self-aware, adjusting and reframing museum contents appropriately, and addressing mistakes.

Offer an opportunity to read, but don’t require it or rely on it as the only method of explanation.

Compel a sense of “flow” in visitors (i.e. help them feel engaged and challenged, but not overwhelmed).

Convey a mood relevant to presented materials and inspire appropriate behavior in visitors.

Avoid using signage as a crutch.

Provide surprises and mental treats.

Stick to the main idea for any given exhibit.

Furnish adequate space for reflection.

Use people’s emotions to help them identify with stories and engage with materials, but don’t abuse this power.

Be a gracious host.

Do not employ security methods that intimidate visitors.

Provide opportunities for visitors to pursue further learning about the material presented.

Food, if offered, should be delicious and reasonably healthy. Otherwise, provide recommendations for dining nearby.

Be an integral member of the neighborhood (whether virtual or physical). Be ready to provide directions, suggest itineraries, and pass the time of day, like any good neighbor.

Ignore any of the above tenets, but only with well-considered intention and purpose.

Images:
Jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Tell the Bees at the Museum of Jurassic Technology
Joseph Beuys: Multiples at San Jose Museum of Art
Miss Rockaway Armada at Mass MoCA
The old Getty (now the Getty Villa)