Message from the past
Project statement and proposal
Throughout this semester, I have seen a lot of amazing and dazzling projects, but after reading Ernest Edmonds’s article, in which he mentioned that a good project can be influencing and communicating, I just keep wondering if I can make something with deep meanings that can be both fun-sustaining (people will want to re-visit, not just know how it works and lost interests in it) and influence people’s feelings and maybe change peoples lives in some way.
And when I think of the midterm project, I think the most exciting part of it is that it involves two people playing the game, so in a sense, the communication in this project will not just be between the machine and human, it will also be a communication between the two. And the first project I researched (the Door) is also about communication between people. So, what if the varying results of the feedback could come from the varying responses of human communication?
So, I came up with a project that is very much like a message board, only the message you get is more personalized. So, it will be like a bridge connecting the past and the future, allowing people to communicate despite the gap in time.
Project Plan
Aim: The visitor can flip the cube (card) according to their mood, gender, and age. With different question prompts under each column, people can choose the picture they like or the picture that best answers the questions and turn it toward themselves. And, then the installation will recognize your choice and give you a message that someone in the past sent to you (when sending the message, the computer will ask you to whom you want to send the message, you have to pick the other person’s gender, mood, and age… ). So, the design can make people feel like they are actually communicating across the time, sharing their ideas and feelings, or even sending a short note of encouragement to the future.
Components: The project consists of three parts: body, sensor, coding.
Plan:
11.25-11.28 3D print/ laser cutting design drawing+buy magnet and reed switch on Taobao+buy the pole on Taobao+figuring out how to make the body+distribute questionaire (increase data base)+learn how to use array() online.
11.29-11.30 start 3D printing and laser cutting +testing sensor+coding (ask for help for the array if still confused)
12.1-12.5 building the body, connecting cables+coding
12.6-12.8 debug coding
Context and Significance
As I was saying, My project was focused on the concept of “influencing and communicating“. The message delivered by my project may be more personalized and it may influence one’s life after reading the message from the past. It can store people’s memories in a place, and the contents of different cubes may vary based on the specific setting or the place in which it is installed.