Anamorphic Reflections
Description :
The goal of this piece
was to intrigue the user to consider the way they usually perceive a
mirror. A mirror is usually thought of as a way to see yourself, to
show yourself what is on you and behind you. This piece, in contrast
takes something that is not "normal" in the real world and makes it
look "normal" in the mirror. We are used to fun house
mirrors making reality strange, but not the other way around.
This prototype was made
by stretching a 3D model of a bird along a circular path, then 3D printing that
warped model. When the model is placed in front of a cylindrical
mirror of the right radius the bird appears “normal” in the mirror in
comparison the shape of the bird in real life.
After interacting with this piece a visitor might think…about mirrors creating illusions, not just reflecting reality.
Ways it’s successful :
This piece definitely produces a moment of
excitement and disbelief when the user is able to properly position the piece
in relation to the mirror.
Ways it’s not successful :
The bird form is not skewed enough to make it
unrecognizable before it’s placed in front of the mirror. I had imagined the interaction with this
piece to take place with three different radii of cylinders giving the user the
opportunity to see how the radii and distance from piece of the cylinder affect
the success of the phenomenon. I don’t
think this interchangeability of cylindrical mirrors is interesting or
different enough to be the interaction of the exhibit.
Potential improvements :
The discovery could be made stronger by using
pieces that were skewed into forms the person playing with the exhibit could
not recognize until they were properly positioned in front of the cylindrical
mirror. It would also be stronger if
there were multiple skewed pieces to explore with one mirror.
Pseudoscope
Description
:
The
pseudoscope is meant to change your depth perception. The brain is wired
hard to recognize normalcy and familiarity in what you perceive and has great
difficulty reconciling disorienting ways of seeing.
After interacting with this piece a visitor
might think…about the way your brain processes images (would need a good
description/diagram for this).
Ways it’s successful :
It elicits a fairly obvious act on the part
of the viewer.
Ways it’s not successful :
It doesn’t really work. It is disorienting, but did not significantly
change perception because the brain is so resistant to those confusions.
Potential improvements :
I think this experiment would work
better if the mirrors were places farther away from each other to create a more
dramatic stereo effect.
Harmonograph
Description
:
The
harmonograph is a way of translating the motion of two pendulums swinging in
sine wave patterns at a right angle from each other into an elliptical
drawing.
After
interacting with this piece a visitor might think… that the motion looks really
cool when it’s drawn out. (But I think
it would require a solid exhibit description in order to explain the phenomenon
a bit more)
Ways it’s successful :
It demonstrates this phenomenon of two sign
waves working in three dimensions to become an elliptical form.
Ways it’s not successful :
The difficulty in this piece comes from the
required level of precision it mandates in order to work. With time and material constraints I was able
to build a harmonograph that works when it has assistance swinging, but wasn’t
calibrated finely enough to maintain the rhythmic swinging motion I was hoping
for. It also lacks refinement in
determining what exactly the interaction would be. I’m not sure if someone would swing the
pendulum to get it going or whether it is more something you just watch and
don’t physically interact with.
Potential improvements :
I think the biggest improvement would
just be improved calibration at this point.
Sine Wave Generator
Description :
The sine wave generator is a piece aimed at
creating a complex mechanical set up that translates into something beautiful
and simple : a sine wave.
After interacting with this piece a visitor
might think…about the complexity behind simple technologies.
Ways it’s successful :
It allows the user to directly interact with
the piece by cranking the cams to make the mechanics move.
Ways it’s not successful :
It doesn’t do anything wowing, just a
translation of motion into a different form.
Potential improvements :
This could be improved by making the
mechanics much more complex and creating some sort of mechanical version of
Rube Goldberg machine that would translate into a simple and beautiful
motion. In order to improve this I would
also need to think more about how to design the interaction so it would be more
than turning a crank and so it could be properly placed to allow the person
interacting to both instigate the motion and see that final translation of the
motion.
IR Camera
Description :
This exhibit allows you to see thing that are
only visible in infrared which is not part of the visible spectrum.
After interacting with this piece a visitor
might think…that there’s a lot more to the world that we don’t notice.
Ways it’s successful :
It allows the user to see the world in a
different way. It also has a strong WOW
factor.
Ways it’s not successful :
It doesn’t actually work yet…
Potential improvements :
Getting it to work! Designing a dark box that
allowed for straight-forward and interesting user interaction with the
camera.
Spinning Color
Wheel
Description :
This exhibit encourages the visual mixing of color. We are all used to mixing color with liquids
and paints, but mixing colors with our perception itself is an unfamiliar
concept.
After interacting with this piece a visitor might think…that we can’t
see motion as discreetly as they had thought.
Ways it’s successful :
It allows for a playful interaction and unexpected discovery.
Ways it’s not successful :
It doesn’t work very well because I need to properly design the colors
to mix together.
Potential improvements :
Make it easier to spin and make that motion obvious when you pick it
up. Create colors so they mix together
fluidly.
