Newton's Cradle

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

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.