9. Idea Refinement + Sketches

Managed to talk to both Julian and Michael on Wednesday to work on the idea, and Julian's managed to give very useful technical input on what's feasible. I've decided to work the launchpad music into the sculpture/mold of the heart itself, and Julian told me about conductive cotton, which I can try to incorporate into the veins/arteries of the heart. With this in mind, I wanted to further develop the associations of the music beats and rhythms with the anatomy of a heart. This required a quick refresher in basic anatomy, which I haven't really thought about since graduating high school.

I'm thinking of associating the parts of the heart which pump oxygenated blood (orange parts) with sounds that represent life and hope, and the blue parts which pump deoxygenated blood with sounds that are associated with death and despair. I also want to find a way to incorporate the different parts of the heart (valves, major veins and arteries, and different chambers) with different types of sound. For example, the user could squeeze the left ventricle in order to trigger a basic beat that was a little cheerful. Squeezing the veins or arteries could trigger certain melodies.


Another thing I'm considering is the presentation of the artefact. Currently toying with the idea of hanging the upper torso of a mannequin from the ceiling, with the mannequin's arms posed to look like it's cradling the heart, which is hanging out of the torso (note: find out if mannequins have hollow torsos). This would be an interesting way to present, since it means the installation might be made to look like it's "floating". I'd need to take a look at whether this is possible though - I have no idea if the ceilings in potential exhibit spaces have hooks or can bear any weight.


I'm happy with the current progress, and will continue to map out my 'heart launchpad' as I collect ideas and feedback on what types of sounds to include. Furthermore, I'm considering whether I'll need to sculpt a heart that is larger than a human heart in order to fit all the sensors or triggers I'll need to place inside them.


Bonus pic: Haven't had to draw human anatomy in a while, so I posed for a reference pic






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

16. Material Research #1 Sculpting, Silicone Mould Making, Resin Casting

Image
I initially wanted to caption this as a technical tutorial, but decided to file it under "Material research" in the end since I don't have the materials to try it out myself. At the very least, it's a look into the methods, and understanding that what I want to make is achievable. For the heart, Julian had mentioned the possibility of making a mould directly from an animal's heart. However, after asking around in 3D Lab 1, I can see how there might be concerns of hygiene, and also trouble creating something of a custom size. Due to that, I decided to go sculpting the heart instead, in different parts, and then combine them.  This first video is a pretty comprehensive look into sculpting, making a mould out of the master, and then filling that mould with resin. For my purposes my final product needs to be silicone rather than resin, so I'll need to look into that. However, the video shows how to tape together a silicone mould properly when filling it...
Read more

1. Initial Ideation

Image
As a part of the first week's exercise, I started thinking about what I might make for my final year project. According to the handout given during the Level 6 Induction, and IMD final year project needs to fulfill these requirements: Interactivity and coding. This means that I'll need to create something which reacts to a user's input, created with the use of code and digital media. The final year project also needs to demonstrate skill, reflect my interests; be related to my intended career field; fit into a professional portfolio; fit into my available time frame and resource level; and most importantly be memorable to users. The activity of the first week's lesson was to think about problems we've noticed in a game, app, or museum experience and suggest possible solutions. We also needed to ask the opinions of our classmates to see if they agreed with the problem and proposed solution. Finally, we were asked to think of problems we faced personally and conside...
Read more

18. Project Technical Equipment and Outcomes

Image
Things I'll need basically Software Arduino IDE  - to edit and load code onto the Arduino Uno Adobe Photoshop - Creating assets Adobe Illustrator  - Creating assets (will probably use this more) Unity  - Making the interface Adobe Audition - editing audio files FL studio  - creating audio loops Hardware  Arduino Uno - it's the brain! Easy MP3 Shield - helps play the required audio files Wires - connections  Buttons - or rather, whatever sensors I end up using CPU  - powers the screen/interface Monitor  - the screen, for people to see things Power tools  - cut cut drill drill sand sand Sculpting equipment  - to make the sculpted heart Project Outcomes This artefact will be a physical installation. The torso of a mannequin will be suspended from the ceiling, with its electronic guts hanging out and holding a heart in its hands. The heart will be the controller of the inst...
Read more