Material Installation

I was most impressed by the complexity of your installation - it seemed you replaced a tile in the ceiling with one you specifically made to hold the papers in place. You accomplished this with the added difficulty of constructing top down, so that everything has the tendency to fall. The projections felt a bit disconnected from the surfaces of the paper, maybe because the vent wasn't blowing air and the projection was not centered exactly. Overall, I liked the project and how it presented small patches of "jungle" in the library.

The way your project looks and is built is very reminiscent of ivy, particularly how it grows and takes over walls. Your project overtakes somthing inherently functional, walls in a library to separate rooms, and layers it with something that library-goers can respond to. You make the walls no longer static just taking up space. They can be touched and just as it branches out more and more, it calls for more and more participants to hold down buttons. Composed all of elements we know, buzzers, christmas lights, the combination is something we must discover for ourselves, through touch. This way your project has a calling of its own.

I was definitely impressed with your installation when I saw it! It was very beautiful, and I would love to see it hang around campus in more places.

I think you could expand on this with other shapes besides linear lines. To make it more similar to rain, you could have incorporated irregular length lines that fall down at different intervals and such. I think it would add to the illusion.

I think your project has the potential to attract a lot of people. Have you thought about how to incorporate viewer participation?

I really enjoyed reading about how and why you came up with this project! I think the final result is a great iteration on the original idea- it shows clear signs of development and revisions.

I would have liked more information on the exact methods of creating your tree. For instance, how did you shape the wires? How did you collect the wires together?

I think your project is a great combination of nature and technology. Not only is it functional (like tech), but it is also pretty (like nature). Congrats!

The final product of your project is really beautiful! The goal of creating the visual experience of rain was definitely successful, especially with the material you used, and the project works really well in the dark space between the bookshelves. I also like how the project is placed so that people might stumble upon it, instead of having it out in the open. I think it would be a really enjoyable experience to randomly find your project, and I agree that having some audio would be useful in drawing people in. Your documentation was clear, and the context was well written and informative. Great job!

I really liked the final product of your project! I like how you created your own personal, dark space to project your soothing projections on, so that people who interact with it can be truly removed from the library space. I thought the black fabric effectively created a relaxing space, although it could be a bit larger and could be made more inviting with signs or more exterior information about the project, especially because it has a clear message about stress culture. In addition, I thought your documentation was very clear and the videos were really useful in sharing the experience of physically walking into the space.

This is a very technologicaly advanced installation (both sewing the fabric and designing the projection)! The completely black and long fabric that wrapped all over a "sofa" was indeed a little scaring. It kept people away from it in some way, but on the other hand, also made some others feel curious about it and would like to explore it. Overall, the documentation is very detailed and clear and it was a pity that I didn't get a chance to experience it in person... still the videos provides good illustrations about what a participant will experience inside the "tent". Excellent job!

Although this might be the most straight forward way to work with twine by hanging them up, the outcome combined with projection was really wonderful! It looked so elegant and enticing that whoever has a glance at it would be fascinated by it immediately. But, to be honest, watching the projection pattern moving down the twine didn’t remind me anything about the rain… I guess it might be the reason that the pattern was projected onto each twine in uniformly, which makes it unnatural. Yet, I enjoyed the overall effect very much and the outcome created a sense of liminal space very well. As also suggested in the other comment, you probably would like to incorporate a longer video demonstrating the fascinating effect of your work! Besides, there are some minor issues with the documentation, but overall it’s good and understandable ;)

I think your project is beautiful though it does not take a complicated approach. The idea of creating a relieving toy for the hardworking students is great, and I believe the colorful LED lights as a design element can effectively attract passers-by to play with your project. As you wrote in your critique, I think it would be nice if you can use better texture and heavier materials for the balls so the whole series of balls will be more playable. But overall, the outcome is really great.

Your outcome turns out to be beautifully presented, and it incorporates water as a material well. I think the idea of using the reflection and refraction of light in water is brilliant and smart, and the animated colorful patterns projected through water creates a different spatial experience in the study room. I would suggest that you project the patterns not only on a single wall, but try to create an environment of colors by projecting them on all walls or even the ceiling and the ground.

This looks like it must have been a cool final product, from what I could tell in the short clip that was posted. Perhaps one area of improvement would be a longer video of the product for those who could not be there to see it in person. The idea was really nice, and I am glad you decided to go with it, despite the fact that it was fairly risky since creating the rain effect is easier said than done. The context section of this documentation is very well done, because it helped explain your process and the pieces that influenced your idea. Perhaps another thing that could have helped would have been choosing a darker area for this installation to go. In this way, the "rain" would be easier to see and perhaps could even become more interesting if you chose to vary color or speed of the projections. Overall though, great work for how little time we had!

I like what you did with this project, and although it did not work out exactly as you had hoped, it seems it was still successful in at least garnering interest in those walking about the library. As you suggested, of course a bit more planning could have improved the final outcome of your project, but we did have very little time and many of us were new to installations so that is understandable. Great job on your documentation, it is very clear and outlines your process and intention very well.

This is an interesting use of twine, as a functional material and not necessarily as the one that most attention is directed towards. A scaled up version of a toy is a certain way to engage viewers. I'm looking forward to see how you make this concept your own.

The perceived complexity of your project intrigues me. You view water in an interesting way and that is reflected in the title, that the substance is the same but you introduce it through two forms.

I really love the intention that the project embodies. It fits the site – Hunt "library" very well and invokes the audience to really think about it. And I am not sure whether it's feasible/beautiful, but it occurs to me that wires involve the concept of progression in themselves. I feel it may be interesting to use projection to visualize/mimic the "flow" of electricity in the circuit to represent the idea of progress. Look forward to the final outcome!!

I like how the project features the functionality of paper (to be written on) rather than the materiality of paper. Although I agree with the comments above that to create some sort of liminality, it may be better to include the material aspects, I feel elaborating on the functionality of paper may add to the intention of the work. The act of writing on paper has many interesting cultural annotations. And I feel it may be interesting make the work engage the audience to re-think about the act of "writing on paper". (like install the paper on something that people don't usually consider writing on) I also love how the work involves audience participation from the very fundamental of it. Looking forward to the outcome!!

I like how you guys plan to use water and light together. It is also interesting how you intend to explore different states of water, instead of just using liquid water. I think it adheres well to using water as your theme, because although there will be lights, the medium through which it shines will be water, so while light will be a part of your installation, water will still be the focus.

This is an interesting concept. I am kind of wondering if this is legal because it seems like recording someone without explicit permission. But that would be pretty cool to experiment with anyways, and the speech-to-text seems like it would be good enough to document the conversations, but also with current speech-to-text technology would still leave some room for mistakes which would be fun to look at.

It is really cool how you want to show progression using wire landscape and moving projection. I have a question though, how are you going to make sure your wire stays on the wall? Because duck tape would not be very good to look at, and we aren't allowed to use material that will damage library property so pins might not work either. I look forward to your outcome!

I think this is a really cool idea! It's going to reflect what most people talk about in Hunt and reconstruct the library environment online using text, and I like that you decided to capture what the environment is naturally like without obstructing people or anything. The speech to text step seems very difficult to me, and if you want to show people what your installation did, are you planning to leave a laptop near it to show the twit? This means that you might not be able to place your installation(s) in many different areas unless they are all coupled with a laptop. This is just some thought, but I look forward to your outcome!

I really like this idea of waterbending through electricity! It also corresponds well with CMU and Hunt. But it does seem a little bit hard to realize since the actual installation would ask for a lot of logistical concerns. Besides what people have already said about the project, I feel like another thing would be how the water is going to fall and whether the static electricity produced by friction can actually produce the desired effects. I hope it can work out and look forward to the project!

I really like your idea of projecting people onto wires to represent progress! It sounds interesting and has a great potential, and like previous comments mentioned, I think the abstraction of the idea would make it more profound. I also agree that you can just have black wires and colorful projection. At the same time, you can possibly add in some interactivity since you mentioned the studying environment of Hunt and how you want to encourage people to be more perseverant. I feel like the idea would be best spread if people can actively participate in it. Good luck!

This idea is very nice visually, and definitely would get across a calming feeling to those interacting with it. One suggestion I have, though, is to somehow make the fabric interactable through it moving to the people's motion. Specifically, if there was a way to implement distortions in fabric due to the motion of those walking under it without getting too in the way of the people moving around, it might add another layer of pattern variation that would be natural in feeling.

This project proposal really creates a clear image of how the project will look, and would definitely be a good addition to enhance a stairwell, but a few aspects of it might need more detail. First off, with the paper itself, in the proposal it says that it will be placed in a way such that it would not interfere with people walking, yet it will also be affected by fans, which makes me curious as to how the paper will be anchored or placed to move yet not enter the stairs. The second thing is that it sounds like the paper will be completely opaque, and it may be an idea to experiment with clear plastics or thinner paper to change shadow to colored lights, which although may add another layer of complexity, it may provide a better experience for those on the stairwell and create an effect which would have less potential to be too big of a contrast to the lighting of the stairwell.

I like your idea of using a humidifier to alter the form of water, and I think it would turn out really great if you can decorate your installation with LEDs. Your explanations of the probable installed sites are very considerate. However, I think you may need to consider how to incorporate the shining LED elements with water so that "water" is still the theme of your installation (since LEDs will easily stick out).

I like your idea of using wires not only as an art component, but also as an actually functioning material. I also love how you intend to design a floral shaped charger, since this might allow multiple phones to be charged at the same time. I think you may need to work on the technical skills that allow you to create this installation, since making a phone charger out of wires may not be that easy. What's more, I would suggest that you consider safety issues for your self-made charger.

The world has needed this for so long I'm glad someone finally made an accessible way to charge phones but also makes it fun! I really hope Hunt can keep this on display forever should you succeed because that's awesome.

I really like this idea. It's a modern interpretation of a classic toy we all understand. Though speech to text may not be easy, mistakes could be played for laughs. I just wish you had documentation.

I like the idea of making a calming atmosphere in the library. Have you considered adding seating into your installation? It would invite people to remain inside your "tent" for a longer period of time!

Your proposal reminds me of those charging stations that are everywhere in the airports. By making them into an appealing shape, I think you can have something that not only is functional but also looks cool.

I would consider adding more floral elements, maybe like a ring of petals around each lightning cable!

I like the idea of waterbending with static electricity; it's very creative! I do worry about how this creates a space, however. Perhaps you could create a few shallow puddles or create a waterfall along a wall (albeit a small one since a large one may be a logistical nightmare). Also, if you used balloons, you would have to tie them to strings or something so that people wouldn't just take them (unless you want them to, but then you'd have to restock often). With a little more thought and experimentation, I think this could be a cool installation. I want to see how this turns out. :)

I like the idea of putting wire creations on a wall to get people to remember their goals and not lose sight of them. I think the idea of projecting onto these wire creations is also cool. I wonder how possible it would be given the time constraints, but if you wanted to add an element of interactivity, you may make a simple "game" where you can grab a joystick that moves a figure back and forth on the wire. Even if that's not something that you think is accomplishable, the rest of the idea is solid and I think the other two comments address any other concerns I had. Good luck and hope the final project turns out well!

This seems like it would be really cool, but challenging to implement. There are a lot of unknowns you have in the description that seem rather urgent. Motion sensing will be non-trivial, especially to have it be variable (as in, farther away produces a different). Also, the balls might be hard to obtain, especially with the properties that will make them bounce properly. That interaction seems like a major part of the project so it won't be great if it's not right. For hanging it somewhere, you should have the metal clips like ones that go on a clipboard and clip it to some of the ceiling panels that have raised centers.

This installation is certainly perfect in terms of interactivity, and I actually think this would become very popular once installed. I saw a similar installation on Forbes Avenue, right across Oriental Express, and it was very popular; people wrote lots of stuff there, expressing their emotions, political views, or complaints. However instead of simply putting in paper there, it would be great if you could also make this artistic, so that once it's filled with writings, it could stay there and people could appreciate it like an art piece.

The idea of making a stairway into a piano is one that I saw many times before. So I think the way you implement it would be very important to the final outcome. I also think the technical part of this would be a bit challenging so I would test it multiple times to make sure it's working the way you wanted it to be. Overall, I think this would make a beautiful installation and be shown to many people since it's going to be installed on the Hunt stairway, where plenty of people go by everyday.

I thought it was great that you decided to create a project that would address the stress culture at CMU, especially as our projects will be displayed in the library. I'm interested to see how you will make the projections appear on the fabric, especially in an already well-lit environment, and on separate sheets of fabric. I'm also interested in how you will hang the strips so that they will withstand people walking through and possibly interacting with the fabric. I agree that audio could really enhance your project, by adding another sensual element to aid in your intentions! I'm excited to see the final project!

I think your ideas for this project are really creative! I really like the idea of projecting a figure moving along the wire; I think this would be a really engaging and entertaining way to draw in people that are walking by. I agree that it would be awesome if you were able to hide the projector, to make the wire sculpture and projection seem almost like a magical world, moving on its own. Additionally, it would be really interesting if one were able to interact with the figure or the wire, thought that might be quite complicated to integrate! I also like that you have a strong sense of purpose in that you want to communicate the notion of progress. Your documentation is also really clear and understandable. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

I like the expression that the project invites. To make it more meaningful, you may want to add some sort of sectioning to the column that forces people to interact with it in a certain way. You definitely should add something so it's not a blank canvas. For a media aspect, you could add some form of lighting to the inside of the column (as mentioned in other columns). It would be interesting if the light was dynamic, with the projector playing a video. Those writing on the column might react in a special way because of the light.

I like the idea to create a standing object where people can write on. As the outcome compiled by a lot of people is usually very interesting. In response to Professor Byrne’s comments, the idea that occurred to me based on your project is, perhaps fixing a theme for what people can write about (to make the outcome more meaningful); and as to interaction with media, perhaps you can create a huge paper pole with light source inside it (so you might want to use some sort of translucent paper to increase the effect of light) and ask people to write down their response to the project on it (I imagine that with increased and sufficient amount of writing on the paper, its transparency will change and thus changing the light effect and people’s response to it and so on). Or you can create an even larger paper pole which people can enter and write on the inside :)

This sounds like a good start because the stairway could be really cool for hanging paper. However, the proposal could be a bit more detailed. For example, what kind of paper do you intend to use? And will the light just be a solid source or will it change colors or patterns or direction? I feel like this project is very easily adaptable and you can make it more complex and have even more features which would result in a better experience for the audience (if you so choose). Although my group does not intend on using the staircase, I hope we get to visit each other's final products!

This idea of interaction between light, wind and hanging paper strips is simple (the good meaning) but also aesthetically appealing if, as you mentioned, the light source and fan are set up in appropriate places. I guess you might need pins or scotch tape in order to suspend the stripes from the ceiling.
Since you are going to position a fan and light source on the ceiling, I assume that the shadow will be projected on the ground. But, the relatively reflective floors of both the 2nd and 4th floor might be hard for the shadow to be easily recognized.
What occurred to me when thinking about your proposal is, perhaps hanging white paper strips on the ceiling and shine colorful light (from the ground) onto the paper to create some “rainbow” effect (also with a fan blowing wind from below to create the wave movement).
Overall, nice ideas and I’m looking forward to your mockup!

This sounds like a really cool idea. It's pretty interesting how you guys plan to combine aspects of this module with the spreadable media from last module. Although the proposal sounds cool, I wish it was a bit more detailed. For example, how do you plan to show people near the exhibit exactly what is happening with the words they are speaking (or do you intend for it to be secret)? Also, in order to plan with other groups, where do you intend to install this project?

The description of the installation is pretty clear. In response to the comment that Professor Byrne posted earlier, I think you can add a digital media component by having a speaker that amplifies the noise of writing, or shine light on the written marks (or something of that kind) in order to increase the level of interactivity.
I agree that this project needs some more thoughts before getting down to the installation part, but I really look forward to seeing your project!

I really like your creativity of working on the two states of water. Here are some issues that I think you can think about when executing your ideas.
First, the I am not sure how you are going to pump vapor into the tank without mixing the vapor and the outside air.
Also, it might be the case that when light is shined upon vapor, it appears the same as in air. If you really want some difference there probably needs to be concentrated vapor.
Those are some issues that I came up with. I really look forward to seeing your project!

I like how interactive this idea is and it's pretty clear how you plan to integrate media into the space. I don't recommend using the study spaces unless you choose calmer music, since people go there for a quiet space. With calm music, it might serve as a nice study break. If you just hang them along the walls on the 4th floor, my concern is that they won't really create a space, but just be an interactive toy, which is something Professor Byrne mentioned about my group's project.

While I really like the idea that you're proposing, I don't think you've included a media component. You mentioned you'd be using lights so maybe you could replace the lights with an image projection to make shadows instead. My group and I also planned on using a place in the stairwell so maybe we could coordinate to make sure we choose different areas. Our installation includes an audio effect since the stairwell echoes a lot. Maybe you could take advantage of the stairwell's acoustics as well and include an audio aspect. Although, I'm not sure if two different sound installations would clash.

The idea sounds interesting, but I'm not sure about the practicality of it. Depending on the size of your installation and the final decisions on what electricity/materials you'll need, it might get difficult to put together. I'm also wondering if this will be something that students play with on their way between classes/meetings, or if it's just going to be something that we'll see during our class demonstration. Your idea is really unique though, I'm excited to see the final product.

When I saw the title, I imagined that this would be a scaled-up version of Newton's Cradle, where the balls collide with each other and pass on momentum. What you described in the sketch is pretty different from that, and I don't know if viewers will realize they are supposed to push the spheres around (especially if they do not look sturdy). I would also recommend putting this in a noisier area like the first floor- since it produces sound, it could be pretty annoying to people who are trying to study in a quiet room, especially since the sound will come in irregular pulses. If you have trouble with the electronic components, I would suggest just doing a Newton's Cradle like the header image suggests.

I think the idea seems really cool, and definitely something enjoyable to someone passing by on their way to classes/meetings.

I would also really like to see the project featuring more than just piano keys - maybe even simulating a drum pad to add some more creativity and options for music being produced. I think some big decisions you'll have to make include the actual size of your installation, as well as how obvious you want the piano to appear to students just walking by.

Also take a look at: https://estlaurent.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/artist-ann-veronica-janssens-“nothing-is-more-beautiful-than-a-person’s-own-perception-i-try-to-push-it-to-its-limits”/

Think this might offer a very different perspective on the 'tank' idea

The overall idea is simple and easy to understand and has a lot of potential. But it seems like an obvious first step. Conceptually it isn’t too rich: it needs depth in either the idea, the content at play - its simply a translation of the piano into a new interactive domain - or the experience in space.

I am concerned that unless you develop a conceptual backbone for the project it will just feel like an interactive musical toy and not an experiential and immersive space. One way to develop this is to think about the content that is played back. For example in A Bicycle build for 2000 Aaron Koblin works with a specific song "Daisy Bell” for a very clear reason. Portée is a spatial homage to Xenakis. By working with specific content they create a very clear statement. But work like the Fun Theory’s Piano Staircase is just an interactive toy.

Alternatively, you can draw on the idea of the piano for collaborative music composition but you need to push hard on the aesthetics, form and experience of the installation space so it is not a literal embodiment of a piano through fabric.

Remember too, the goal of the project is to create a liminal media space - something experiential and immersive. 12 strands of fabric might not create enough physical volume to give it a sense of weight and dimensionality in the world. The form is black and white and resembles identically the keys on a board. While that’s intuitive direct interpretation, it isn’t very creative. And it isn’t using the full potential of the material. Explore the material more. Develop how the material and the media can intersect in rich way. How do they flow? How are they arranged? How do they drape? What is the quality of the material that you want to work with?

I recommend you avoid literal translations and explore abstractions. Think about how you can have the behavior of a piano (playing notes) without necessarily the representation of one.

There’s lots of potential to push this concept, implementation and material interaction further. Iterate a few times on the concept to develop it more.

Technology: It’s very feasible. I’d recommend looking at Makey Makey (http://www.makeymakey.com) a super useful tool for creating interactive media surfaces from everyday materials. These are perfect for working with wire and would allow you to have media playback happen as someone directly interacts with your wire.

For conductive thread and tape you’ll find them in the Physical Computing Lab downstairs. You might need to request access.

Power: I wouldn’t rely on batteries / arduino alone. A laptop is going to be the better way to drive audio interactions - richer sounds, higher quality and easier to plug into speakers for volume.

Precedents to look at:
- http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase
- “Piano – As Media Image” by Toshio Iwai.
- 21 swings - https://vimeo.com/40980676
- Marshmallow Laser Feast’s Laser Forest - http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/04/an-interactive-forest-of-musical-lasers-by-marshmallow-laser-feast/
- Portée/ - https://vimeo.com/118226187

The proposal thinks about the potential of your material - this is a real strength. The idea to use humidifiers is clever and a sound one; not only for the visual effect it’ll create but also as a great way to create a canvas for light and the LED’s you’ll use.

In some respects, I’m not sure why the tank is introduced. Constraining the vapor in this way mightn’t be the best thing. First, the vapor will collect on the sides of the tank (creating droplets), and that might reduce the effect you’re going for and the clarity of the mist. I’d say remove the tank and just have the vapor spread naturally. That way it can fill the space and create an unconstrained volume. It’ll also allow visitors to touch it and move it with their hands increasing the potential for interactivity.

Technically it’s unclear how the microphone gets translated into light. There’s lots of ways to do this (simple volume mapping, looking for components of sound, FFT + spectral analysis, etc.) How do you imagine this happening and what are the types and qualities of sound that will activate your space and why? Where will the microphones be placed and will they be obvious/visible to the people in the space? Is the opportunity to create a magical space that is enlivened unknowingly for the people in it or to signal the opportunity to participate by making the microphone’s placement visible to passers-by and the obvious point of interaction/control for the installation? Both are equally valid but you should design for one or the other.

The idea is good and has a lot of potential, but flesh out the details more.

The documentation could be a little more detailed and it would be helpful to illustrate your idea and storyboard the interaction with the installation.

- What scale do you imagine this operating at? How tall, wide etc is the tank ?
- How does it create a space rather than just a small object of interest (the tank)?
- Do you have references to the method for translating sound into light?
- No primary site in the library is identified. Where will this live and why? Think carefully about where you put this as well as the features and the design opportunities of that location
- How is media used and how does it interact with the mist? Does the color change and with what effect? What is the nature of the media you’re going to deploy (visual quality, etc.). Will you also use sound?
- What are your design references / inspirations that can inform this project?

Look at:
- http://www.olafureliasson.net
- http://www.kimchiandchips.com/#lightbarrier
- Ned Kahn (http://nedkahn.com/portfolio/tornado/ , http://nedkahn.com/portfolio/rainbow-arbor/ , http://nedkahn.com/portfolio/cloud-portal/, http://nedkahn.com/portfolio/breathing-sky/)
- http://www.tempescope.com
- http://www.av-controls.com/#/lull/

I think this is a cool idea. Cans hanging on string from the ceiling fits in well with the other projects we looked at. The speech translation aspect seems very difficult to me, and I wonder how you are planning to do that (is there an Arduino module that does that already?) Also, the text being tweeted is very separate from the space. If it was more connected somehow (e.g. the text is displayed on a screen in the space) I think it would be more effective.
Where are you planning to put this installation?

The strength of the proposal is in its simplicity. You’ve thought about a great way to use the material and to animate it in a simple and effective way. The notion of paper and wind working together (almost a clothes line effect) has a lot of potential and can create beautiful, and expressive interactions with the material.

That said, I’d like you to push further on the media components of this. There’s more opportunity than just casting a shadow and I think using projection will take this further. Look at Eddy’s examples from Tuesday for the kinds of possibilities for media and material to interact. Really push into this territory and explore how a piece of looping projection can become much more dynamic when placed on a movable material.

Add sound into the mix: to create an immersive space you’ll also need to introduce sound. Combine the visual with looping audio that evokes and abstracts the movement, the ruffling of paper, and the wind. This will add depth to the hybrid liminal space you create and make it much more affective.

For a project about space, you’ve overlooked the importance of site and where this is located. This is perhaps the most important element of success and I’d encourage you to think carefully about it and define it as soon as possible. Don’t be agnostic to space. Site matters and it defines almost all aspects of your installations success.

You really need to define it as soon as possible. Make sure you know how and where you’re going to place and arrange the paper strips in space. Consider how it will be mounted and where the fan will be placed to give optimal movement. Decide if you want people to move through or past the paper. etc.

The sooner you identify the location the sooner you can lock down these kinds of important mechanics for deployment.

Finally in terms of documentation:
- Consider your precedents. Do some research there are many examples you can draw inspiration from. What are your points of reference for the space you want to construct. Talk about them.
- Illustrate your idea: A diagram, or sketch would go a long way to communicating how you envision the liminal space being created
- Media is almost entirely overlooked, but its a key part of the assignment. Define how is media integrated.

The proposal is conceptually interesting. needs a little more detail. Please flesh it out (e.g. how does it create a liminal space, .etc) and let me know. I’m happy to take another look.

In the meantime as a precedent, you should definitely look at Kyle McDonald's Conversnitch (which also provides open source code for this - https://github.com/brianhouse/Conversnitch)
- https://vimeo.com/87564506
- https://vimeo.com/87564506

I really like the physicality of this proposal. As is working with a well known corporate toy - everyone knows it and everyone understands how to interact with it. This gives you tonnes of potential for interaction, play and fun too.

The proposal itself needs a little more detail, and particular in terms of the site.
You really need to define this early and make sure you know where you’re going to place it. How you mount to the ceiling is a big issue to address and the sooner you identify the location the sooner you can lock down these kinds of important mechanics for deployment. I’d suggest you look at corridors in particular. It’ll give the ability for people to observe it from afar and then move up close to interact with it.

The materiality of the Cradle will be really important - try to find large metallic balls so you can really play into the visual reference of Newton’s Cradle.

In terms of references - definitely look at 21 Swings (which is very similar and you can learn a lot from the interaction) and the work of Art+Com in preparing kinetic sculptures.

- 21 swings - https://vimeo.com/40980676
- https://artcom.de/en/ more for visual precedents
- Also take a look at United Visual Artists Momentum which was 12 pendulums installed in the Barbican - https://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=15620

P.S.
I’d recommend looking at Makey Makey (http://www.makeymakey.com) a super useful tool for creating interactive media surfaces from everyday materials. These are perfect for working with wire and would allow you to have media playback happen as someone directly interacts with your wire. We have a few in stock in IDeATe for this project

The proposal could be defined a little further. The sketch is helpful but its not clear what scale the object is? How large is the flower pot - is it 2ft tall or is it 10 feet tall? These details matter.

There’s also some technical components to this work. How are you going to detect that a phone is plugged in and charging to any one port? Can you do this reliably. Do you have precedents for this technology to work reliabilityy. Adding this technical component adds complexity and you should weigh it carefully.

You also need to define the non-interactive state. What happens when the installation doesn’t have any devices plugged in? Does it still produce audio or is it ‘dead’/inactive. How do you signal that something can happen?

I think your site also needs to be defined further. The bottom of the stairwell isn’t an ideal choice for this kind of installation. People don’t gather or wait there - they won’t be willing to spend 10-15 minutes waiting there to charge their phone. Instead you should find places where people naturally wait and there would be this willingness. For example near the benches outside Studio A could be more suited.

You should also look for precedents where people have created installations with cell phones or plants e.g.
https://www.disneyresearch.com/project/botanicus-interacticus-interactive-plant-technology/
https://vimeo.com/8118831

The idea behind the work (collaborative participatory construction) is well explored in the field of art. Look at examples of this. There’s plenty that can be found.

What’s unclear is if there’s an intentionality behind the messages or co-creation of the piece? What is the ultimate message or statement this will make? Is it written messages or visual elements?

Beyond this, it’s not clear why this is a liminal space? How does it create a hybrid space which blend media and the physical world? There’s no mention of media, projection, audio in the proposal. As it stands you’re not really exploring the material properties of paper and how it interacts with media.

Take a look at the references section and example projects given as part of the assignment in more detail and reflect on the Eliasson documentary and revise your proposal. I’m happy to take another look when you do.

The intent behind the project is clear and responds to direct cultures of the CMU campus, which is smart for a site specific work. However, don’t feel like your installation needs to be problem-centered. A beautiful, interesting experience is equally valid as a pointed one. And there’s plenty that you can do with water to create stunning effects. Don’t be afraid to experiment and be less purposeful!

The idea is interesting but there’s not a lot of detail right now.
- What scale do you imagine this operating at? How tall, wide etc is it?
- Do you have references to the method for water bending that can be presented?
- How does it create a space rather than just a small object of interest?
- No site in the library is identified. Where will this live and why?
- How is media used (sound or visual) and how does it interact with the water? What is the nature of the media you’re going to deploy (visual quality, etc.).

In addition, working with the combination of water and electricity is a dangerous one. What are your considerations for safety and how do you build them into the deployment?

If a pump can’t be sourced, how do you imagine the interaction unfolding? How do you signal to a audience member that they can interact with it and how they can do it? How do you make this obvious?

In terms of the proposal it need to be fleshed out a lot more. A sketch (even a simple drawing would be really helpful).

But it seems like there’s a lot of mechanisms that are needed to make this work. That introduces a lot of breaking points and a lot of potential pitfalls. Instead I’d recommend you simplify and explore the basic material properties of water. You can control and stage this a lot more.

If you want to flesh out the details I’m happy to take another look.

No details provided. Let me know when it's available and I'll give you feedback on your proposal

The concept behind your piece is really clear and well defined. What I missing is why? Why do you think progress is an interesting notion to integrate into a physical space and represent in an experiential material installation? Is it related to the nature of wire - as a means of construction, as a root component of technology and electricity? etc.

The illustration included is incredibly helpful to the documentation.

Here are some things I would suggest to drive further

Site: I’d suggest looking at the basement as your surface. There’ s a long white wall downstairs outside the Experimental Fab lab (opposite media lab) which would be perfect for mounting a wire wall sculpture.

Technology: I’d recommend looking at Makey Makey (http://www.makeymakey.com) a super useful tool for creating interactive media surfaces from everyday materials. These are perfect for working with wire and would allow you to have media playback happen as someone directly interacts with your wire.

Color: Introducing color wire could be complex, especially if you plan to add projection over it. I’d avoid this and working with simple black or steel wire you’ll get the most out of projection on the wire. It’s an additional component you won’t have a lot of time to work with. Keep it simple!

Abstraction: I’d recommend avoiding literality in representing progress e.g. don’t create outlines of urban landscapes; it’s too obvious. Instead abstract your ideas and focus on foundational elements. If you have to just work with white light moving on a wire (or series of wire) how would you evoke progress? Is it the nature of the movement e.g. left to right movement indicating a timeline; a gradual acceleration of pace or increase in the complexity of projections, etc. Research and test simple, effective basic ways to evoke the ideas of progress working on simple abstract geometries.

Setup and Scale: How big is the wire sculpture going to be? It’s unclear from the documentation. But you have some constraints that will help you define it. I’d go and take a projector to the place where you plan to deploy and see how much throw you get from it. See how much of the surface it can fill easily. That tells you exactly how big a size you can work with in terms of wire (it probably won’t be as big as you think). Also I’d keep it relatively small to allow for higher fidelity projection (aim for about 3x3 foot) Also think about how you are going to mount the projector, speakers, etc. Where you’ll place (hide the computer controlling the interaction, etc.).

The intent behind the project is clear and responds to direct cultures of the CMU campus, which is smart for a site specific work. However, don’t feel like your installation needs to be problem-centered. A beautiful, interesting experience is equally valid as a pointed one.

The integration of fabric as a media surface but also something that defines the space and the qualities of it is also smart too. You mention “some sort of matrix” as the arrangement - I’d like to know more about this. Experiment further and do a series of material tests quickly so you can define how this operates and how you can work the material. You should also try different thicknesses and qualities of material too!

Your biggest challenges are going to be mounting your projector and your fabric. How do you propose to do this - keeping in mind that you can’t damage any surfaces? Test and design this component early.

An overlooked component in defining a calm space is audio. It’s clear how you’ll work with light and projection - but how are you going to work with audio too?

In terms of the documentation of the proposal, it could be a little clearer. It took me a while to discover that you were assigned fabric. Make this really obvious. Divide out component too to make it a really easy read e.g. give subsections for location, material, experience, etc.