I struggled a bit with this project initially. I struggled to see a genuine need for yet one more communication device. In an age where mobile phones are ubiquitous, and social networking and video conferencing are widely understood and accepted, why would we need something else?
This train of thought, and the early LifeTech experience, guided my initial concept design towards an assistive device; something that would encourage and facilitate communication for those that, for whatever reason, found the process difficult.
When we shifted into the group project I carried this with me. Although we analysed each others concepts, and agreed that Dharawan's offered the best potential in terms of the three project dimensions, the concept revolved around a hobby and it took me some time to develop a scenario for this. I kept coming back to "So what?". I felt that for the product to have meaning it should somehow be solving a problem. It wasn't until I began to understand the importance of hobbies and the interactions between those that shared a similar passion that saw the potential in the concept.
Painters love to share their work and comment on the work of others; they find encouragement, motivation and inspiration from each other. I feel that our product can bring an extra element to the process of painting - it allows painters to share the actual process itself. It takes the elements that create the art, their gestures and movements, and uses them to communicate to others, to share this experience and engage in whole new way. With attention given to the environment of the painter and the key elements within this, our product marries the traditional art and modern technology without interrupting the natural process of painting.
I believe that in this modern world, bringing tangible elements into our digital environment is of great importance. Seeing someone else on a Skype call for example, being able to 'show them around' your home, extends the experience of a phone call in ways that for years, we only dreamed possible. It may not solve a problem, but it adds an incredible amount of value and meaning to the moment, an interaction I believe we have been successful in bringing to the world of a painter.
Many thanks to Lauren & Dharawan; they are such a pleasure to work with and I admire, and appreciate their passion and dedication.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Final Week: Paintmotion Presentation & Context Video
Paintmotion is an interactive tool that brings together like-minded people with a passion for painting. This crafted device fits naturally into the painter’s world and enables a wireless connection to other painters. Through the gestural expressions of their painting, members of this artistic collective can share the process and the experience with one another. An online forum enables further communication allowing artists to see who they were painting with, make personal contact and explore the work of others. Art is an effective, creative and emotional means of communicating without words; Paintmotion is a tool that provides a sense of belonging, encouragement and motivation for those within its community.
The video below was used to introduce our product and our user, William. To give the viewer an understanding of the intention of the product, how it enables the communication of presence and encourages further social connections within the network.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Week Twelve: The final product
Both Lauren and Dharawan have been working incredibly hard to finalise the model and the input and output behaviour demonstrations.
The final product will be a pair of devices; a wrist band, and a rinsing jar with a base component. The materials selected for the jar and base are glass and timber respectively. These were chosen for several reasons; glass can be machined to create a finish that will aid in projecting the output of light, it can be recycled and it will communicate an aesthetic of quality. The base will be used to house all of the necessary electronic and communication components. Timber was essential for this component, one in terms of its manufacturing potential, but moreso to fit comfortably within the environment of the painter and the other tools used in the process. We wanted the product to have longevity; to feel crafted, but not precious. Painters have their favourite brushes and we would like for our painters to develop this kind of emotional connection to our product. For this it was important that it fit seemlessly within this environment, where, like and easel or palette, paint splatters would only add to its appeal over time... Painters will wear a light weight wrist band which connects to the base and enables their gestural movements to be shared with others in an online network. This evolved from testing regarding the context and environment. Earlier concepts had wires that connected to a tiny device on the finger tip, however these wires had the potential to interfere with brushes; we also began to better understand that the majority of the gestural movements we were looking for were generated from the wrist and arms in painters, not just their fingertips.
I am pleased with the way in which the product has evolved over the course of the semester. I feel the output of the movement of the jar and water in relation to the gestures of the painter is a lovely subtle, unobtrusive way of communicating presence to another.
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| Lauren's final rendering |
The final product will be a pair of devices; a wrist band, and a rinsing jar with a base component. The materials selected for the jar and base are glass and timber respectively. These were chosen for several reasons; glass can be machined to create a finish that will aid in projecting the output of light, it can be recycled and it will communicate an aesthetic of quality. The base will be used to house all of the necessary electronic and communication components. Timber was essential for this component, one in terms of its manufacturing potential, but moreso to fit comfortably within the environment of the painter and the other tools used in the process. We wanted the product to have longevity; to feel crafted, but not precious. Painters have their favourite brushes and we would like for our painters to develop this kind of emotional connection to our product. For this it was important that it fit seemlessly within this environment, where, like and easel or palette, paint splatters would only add to its appeal over time... Painters will wear a light weight wrist band which connects to the base and enables their gestural movements to be shared with others in an online network. This evolved from testing regarding the context and environment. Earlier concepts had wires that connected to a tiny device on the finger tip, however these wires had the potential to interfere with brushes; we also began to better understand that the majority of the gestural movements we were looking for were generated from the wrist and arms in painters, not just their fingertips.
I am pleased with the way in which the product has evolved over the course of the semester. I feel the output of the movement of the jar and water in relation to the gestures of the painter is a lovely subtle, unobtrusive way of communicating presence to another.
Monday, 10 October 2011
The gestures of painting
Further to the previous post where we were looking at the input devices and how this would fit into the gestures used by painters, below are some demonstrations - albeit a bit exaggerated... but it would seem as though, there may be just as much movement in the arm and wrist as there is in the fingers.
If the painter is doing incredibly fine work - the wrist and arm are quite still, sometimes they would even need to rest on a surface. Whereas canvas work and more open gestures involves movement by fingers, arms and the wrist. Perhaps the input device need just be on the wrist...
If the painter is doing incredibly fine work - the wrist and arm are quite still, sometimes they would even need to rest on a surface. Whereas canvas work and more open gestures involves movement by fingers, arms and the wrist. Perhaps the input device need just be on the wrist...
Week eleven: Re-thinking the brush
In our last group meeting we were analysing the devices we intended to use for our input (the brush) and our output (the water jar).
It has always been a concern that any attachment for the brush must be light weight - and perhaps easily move to another brush. But with so many possible brush that an artist may use we were unsure how to acomplish this.
Instead we are now looking at having the artist wear a device on his hfinger and perhap wrist.
A tiny sensor would sit up near the finger tip and be attached by wire to the electronics in another device on the painters wrist. This would then transmit even the tiniest of movement and avoid having the painter have to change the device to different brushes.
A couple of videos below demonstrate a mock up of this, with some potential issues...
We felt that having the device that detects movement placed on the finger would allow for the most precise and detailed recording of activity and gestures. However that then requires a wire or cable down to a band on the wrist - as this secondary device would be a more suitable size capable of containing all of the electronics etc to enable connectivity.
But it appears the cable could cause some interference with the act of painting - something we explicitly want to avoid. We want the product to blend seemlessly within the framework of painting and to all of the tools already used by the painter. This cable will get tangled in the brush and may become a distraction and annoyance....
Need to rethink....
It has always been a concern that any attachment for the brush must be light weight - and perhaps easily move to another brush. But with so many possible brush that an artist may use we were unsure how to acomplish this.
Instead we are now looking at having the artist wear a device on his hfinger and perhap wrist.
A tiny sensor would sit up near the finger tip and be attached by wire to the electronics in another device on the painters wrist. This would then transmit even the tiniest of movement and avoid having the painter have to change the device to different brushes.
A couple of videos below demonstrate a mock up of this, with some potential issues...
We felt that having the device that detects movement placed on the finger would allow for the most precise and detailed recording of activity and gestures. However that then requires a wire or cable down to a band on the wrist - as this secondary device would be a more suitable size capable of containing all of the electronics etc to enable connectivity.
But it appears the cable could cause some interference with the act of painting - something we explicitly want to avoid. We want the product to blend seemlessly within the framework of painting and to all of the tools already used by the painter. This cable will get tangled in the brush and may become a distraction and annoyance....
Need to rethink....
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Week Ten: Possible Connections
Dharawan's original concept for this painting tool was a connection between two friends that enjoy painting; it was to be able to see when the other was painting and therefore encourage you to keep painting. The product connects like minded people. People with a passion for painting.
The painter's brush strokes are translated through movement of the other person's water jar.
That person can acknowledge this presence by touching the device , this gesture will be depicted as light emitting from the original painters jar.
The painter can also choose to 'follow' one of the options (One, Group or All).
When painters as part of these group begin to paint - their gestures will be translated as movement inthe original painters jar.
The two options are not connected. If the painter doesn't not see a response, it would indicate that perhaps that person is not painting, or connected and then painter can 'change the station' if you like.
To further this communication we have opened the concept up to allow for communication between more than two people at a time and potentially between people that have never met. This poses numerous possible scenarios for connections - inputs & outputs....
I've tried to visualise this as best I can just to see if its all making sense...
For this purpose I have envisioned three 'settings':
One - allows you to connect with on person
Group - allows you to connect with people you are 'following' (possibly up to five?)
All - connects you with the entire network
The painter chooses what option (One, Group or All) to 'send' to.The painter's brush strokes are translated through movement of the other person's water jar.
That person can acknowledge this presence by touching the device , this gesture will be depicted as light emitting from the original painters jar.
The painter can also choose to 'follow' one of the options (One, Group or All).
When painters as part of these group begin to paint - their gestures will be translated as movement inthe original painters jar.
The two options are not connected. If the painter doesn't not see a response, it would indicate that perhaps that person is not painting, or connected and then painter can 'change the station' if you like.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Scenario Research:
Given our scenario will focus on a retired man, it was worth considering the implications of the ageing population in Australia.
The family structure has changed dramatically in the last few decades; families are not only living further apart, but many of our seniors are living alone and tragically, dying alone.
Research conducted by CIRCA the Cambridge Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing identified key factors that can increase the risk of social isolation and key factors that can protect older people from becoming isolated (source www.cota.org.au/):
At the top of this list is social relationships, connections and networks.
Risk factors: Protection:
Increasingly, local councils and community groups are seeking ways in which to engage older members of the community and art is one such method. Our concept could provide immense value to not just amateur painters and hobbyists of all ages, but most certainly to the older demographic.
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