Is This How Nature Talks
This wall mounted installation merges nature, technology, and human interaction into a captivating, large-scale, wall-mounted experience. Designed with rubber and elastic materials that mimic natural forms, such as stones and leaves, the piece is brought to life through integrated sensors and actuators connected to Arduino boards, transforming it from static art to a dynamic, interactive entity. This piece welcomes violent interactions by the audience to test the boundary between humans and nature.
This project invites audiences to engage through touch and movement, with each interaction prompting unique reactions—lights, sounds, and music ambiances. Multiple distance and brightness sensors enhance personalization, responding to different audience movements, while adaptive lighting shifts the mood in response to audience engagement. This installation tests the extent of nature's capacity to absorb human interference, questioning the relationship between us and the other seemingly static species around us.
Project Timeline
Week 1 - 2
Research and order flex sensors, motion sensors, miniature vibrators, pressure sensors, motors, liquid silicone, LED lights, and Arduino Boards
Make 2 silicone rock molds and 1 branch mold. Model out two rock prototypes and one tree branch. Test out punch and bend interactions.
Week 5
Proof of Concept. Demo Arduino IDE Code: Demo ability to interact with silicone rocks. Demo ability to change light and vibrations when detecting punches.
Week 6 - 8
Concept revisions based on feedback from midterm crit. Adjust the level of interactivity based on budget and time constraints. Prepare for a demo wall with all interactions coded and wired.
Week 9
Demo parts of the interaction and wiring, present plan for next quarter.
Week 10 - 12
Demo LED light interaction part, finish composing the winter part of the seasonal-themed music piece. Solidify collaboration with ICAM Music student Andrina Zhang.
Week 13 - 14
Arrange audio, music, and LED light parts of the project to the wall, finish wiring distance sensor, stones, and leave components.
Week 15 - 16
Demo almost complete project with all components arranged on the wall and all electronics wired.