This project based on control is an exciting one for me as this is something I haven’t done very much of but I love having a physical outcome to a project so this was something that generated my interest.

Research and Development

To begin with I decided to research responses to control that we already know, things such as haptics like that found within modern game controllers, macbook trackpad and mobile phones.

I also looked at different examples given of like wacky / humorous examples of physical computing such as old game boys and sega mega drives from given sources, even looking at things like playing doom on a pregnancy test.

I then proceeded to create some small basic circuits to get a good understanding of Arduino.

I generated a few basic sketches in processing to get a feel for using both processing and arduino in tandem.

In my early development of this project I looked at my older creative coding sketches looking into the term “generative art” and the idea of a more on the nose representation of this.

This is one of my sketches from creative coding 2 using the mouse you control one half of the drawing with the other half being controlled by the machine I want to experiment with this idea using dials and buttons to control various aspects of the sketch but still allowing the machine a deal of control.

This was one of my first experiments with a dial using it to change the colour of the line as it goes around the page.

I then inputted the dial to the original Creative Coding sketch

I then conducted a series of studies by getting my family to create their own drawings with my circuit. I used a button and a Dial to achieve this

I then chose to get back into researching, I looked at various examples from last year on the IxD blog just to see what was expected of us.

I then went to research a bit more about my concept that I had developing in the back of my mind, I cam across this project, Drawing Operations 1 and 2 by the artist Sougwen Chung as it seemed to explore a similar idea to what I had originally thought of, although hers being much more advanced and deliberate I feel it shares the same basis. Her machine mirrors whatever you draw below it and later iterations it learns to draw over time.

I then looked into the idea of lack of control. Something I felt that was a deep connection to me.

This all stems from over the summer, one of my best friends was stabbed just outside Glasgow Central station, he made a full recovery and is fine now but for weeks we all had feelings similar to those listed above. This was something that I wanted to express in this project as a way to draw positivity from this experience, it was life changing for me and I wanted to reflect my change in attitude in my work.

I then started to research inspiration for my device, I looked at gameboys as well as more traditional consoles like the NES and various Playstations.

I then also looked at some more adventurous types of material for me to use with my box, I looked at brass and steel as my girlfriend just graduated from S&J at GSA and is now a graduate in residence at the Precious Metal Workshop in Edinburgh so she would be able to point me in the right direction of etching brass etc and over the lockdown I learned how to weld as my stepdad is a welder and fabricator and I welded some steaks in order to practice climbing when the gyms were closed.

I liked the idea of the box to be almost monolithic in nature but not quite so serious, similar to the IT crowds version of the internet.

After this I did some more experimentation with my dials, how I could manipulate things such as grids and scale with them, for this instance I used text,

These manipulations are all something that I may take forward into my final however I am still undecided.

I also have put some consideration into some parts I may buy for this project, including a slider, dial and buttons

I want to include these in some form or another in my final as they are all intuitive and there is something about buttons, sliders etc that makes you want to mess with them.

After giving some considerable thought to my theme / concept I finally arrived at the idea of Self Reflection

I thought best to use the camera for this idea as it is the most upfront way to represent reflection. I started by experimenting with get functions in processing by plugging the camera in to various old creative coding 1 examples.

I then began to prototype using mouseX and mouseY with my sketches and creating my own outcomes. I chose red text here to play off my theme being a very personal and emotive subject for me.

I experimented with different filters as well, trying to use things that I hadn’t really touched on before in order to create a more varied outcome. Although for this I decided that the grid wasn’t necessary.

I also chose for my work to pose different questions to the user things such as; “how do you see yourself?, are you happy?” etc. These are all questions inspired by the definition of self reflection.

https://www.holstee.com/blogs/mindful-matter/self-reflection-101-what-is-self-reflection-why-is-reflection-important-and-how-to-reflect

I also came across the quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” by Socrates, I see this as being quite overly dramatic and false but it does sort of ring true to my theme, has good shock value and is quite edgy too.

Also realised that my sketches looked like funhouse mirrors, this is something id actually quite like to keep as it contrasts the existential nature of my theme

Experimenting with adding type to my sketches, is it too much? Perhaps more effective with just the camera, Jen also suggested to have it more considered in my feedback sessions which I do agree with and will take forward.

Upon further thought my idea of using metal seems a bit far fetched due to time constraints and that it was much easier to source acrylic from GSA than it was to get metal etc, I have been looking into vinyl wrapping as I have a vinyl cutter at home, would be good to use it to wrap the box in with various cutouts showing the red acrylic underneath. However I think ill just have to wait and see how difficult that actually is.

Listening to some music while working on the project also proved to have some inspiration, these aphex twin sets from 2019 seem to have a similar final outcome as to what I was going for.

I also experimented with the box maker web app with the different sizes of my box.

I decided to put some more thought into the typfaces and fonts I wanted to use. I want a bit of a wider font to use, experimenting with both Helvetica and Acumin as they both have multiple variations. Im more drawn towards using the heavier fonts as I feel like it’ll allow the effect I want to have a greater impact.

I also looked at more stylised typefaces from Swiss Typefaces, probably wont use as I don’t want the laser cutter to have a heart attack.

Also looked at signage using Helvetica due to its use in informational signs as well as the Swiss style used on a box which I thought was a nice callback to this project.

Looking at various things like gameboy attachments DJ decks etc for inspiration for the interface even my step dads mig welder looks like something from this project.

Jen in feedback also mentioned that I should maybe think about if its like a game or a drawing tool.

With this I realised that drawing tools seem quite 1D and only have one function this is something that I wanted to try and avoid however I feel like it doesn’t matter what someone sees it as; a drawing tool or a game just as long as they use it.

Jen also mentioned as it’s reflection to maybe look into vertical screens for staging etc.

I looked into this work by Ela Boyd due to the staging of it, Refracted projections etc. I chose to look into projections as I had a brain storming session with my friend Scott who studies at DJCAD studying Graphic Design, he asked me “How would you see memories?” my first initial response was like a projector, absolutely no idea why, I was thinking because of the way I personally visualise memories is almost like a hologram. Something interesting to look at for my staging though.

I also found this project by hyun jean lee to be of inspiration as it directly relates to memories, particularly that of “looking up at the sky under the shade of a tree on a hot summer afternoon”

This idea of memories is similar to my theme, reflecting on your life and memories etc.

Finishing Box

I decided to focus in on my controller as it was getting close to the deadline day for laser cutting

For a rough gauge of size I looked at the dimensions of the various game controllers I took inspiration from. I then repurposed some scrap foam board to serve as a quick mockup for my box.

The box is the definition of botched, its ugly and I love it, despite this it serves its purpose I was able to hold it and get a feel for the size I wanted.

The laser cutting induction was a bit of a mess due to technical faults, however the laser cutting guide book provided the necessary information for the cutting to be successful. I decided to engrave REFLECT into my box just in case my idea for vinyl wrapping goes south which I have a feeling it might.

Generated these in illustrator for potential use cutting them out of vinyl and attaching them to the box.

my placement for the dials / buttons was also inspired by the claw grip for gaming, something that is popular with FPS’s. Unsure if the “claw grip” will be the best way to hold my box though.

Now I have both my dials working I experimented with more code a button press draws the text at various points on the screen, however again I want it to be more considered vs just being slapped on.

Neil also suggested to look into more ideas for my monolith suggesting the Monolith from 2001 A Space Odyssey.

I also researched the monolith that had been found in various parts of the world, still unsure exactly what it was for though. I however did watch various videos of the interpretation of the monolith in 2001 and found it very interesting, realised I had never actually seen the film in it’s entirety so should probably watch that at some point.

Picked up my box from laser cutting and shortly after got to work fitting my components to it, I realised that my holes for the buttons were far too small which worried me a bit so I had to go at them with a drill in order for them to fit but they’re perfect now. Also realising that I like the red more and more now that I have it in real life and afraid the vinyl will ruin it.

Final Solutions

I then decided to hammer on down to my final solution, I decided to go much more linear with my approach.

I decided to then consider the order of my questions as to almost engage conversation and make sense with the sketches that come after them.

My slider also seems to be weird, it’s running really hot, apparently this means its not wired properly so i’ll need to sort that so it doesn’t set the place alight.

Final thoughts / Conclusion

I found great enjoyment in this project, it was a good challenge, I am proud of the outcome I produced as well, both the processing sketch and the box I produced, I feel like I have successfully considered the box to fit in well with my sketch, the vinyl wrapping idea kind of fell through which was kind of sad but I feel like I was doing it for the sake of it and it was quite risky to do it considering I only had one piece of acrylic and didn’t want to mess it up.

Video

For the video I wanted to keep the general theme of my project and apply it to the video, I considered filming vertically to replicate the staging of my final but for ease of viewing I have decided against it, I will also directly capture my screen via processing and link it with my video, the vertical orientation of my sketch also helps with this.

These are some songs I wanted to try and use in my final, however they didn’t really fit, I tried using ableton to cut and loop certain parts of the songs but they ended up not sounding right and took away from the final overall, I even tried FL studio but its been a while since I used it and I had no idea what I was doing, ultimately I left it silent as I felt I was spending too much time on things that didn’t really matter, the piece has no audio so it fits the video doesn’t.

Taking it Further

I would love to take this project further in the future, possibly with open share, I would love to have this outputted on various different formats such as a series of vertical screens or even projections, however this will need to wait until I have more time to dedicate to the staging such as mounting screens on walls etc and finding a better way to deal with the mac’s lack of HDMI ports. I did however still really enjoy this project, it opened up a new lens for me in terms of physical computing as I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this project at the start but it has become one that I found great interest in I especially enjoyed using other peoples work in the studio and see their thought processes and concepts and how they differed to my own, this was our first real project in the studio and it was a big change from last year but it is a positive one. I can’t speak for everyone else but I enjoy coming and working in the studio it means I can properly relax in my house rather than associating it with work, which is what I found myself doing last year.