Lydia's Documentation Blog

NYUSH IMA documentation blog

Inter Lab

Group Research Project: Research Reading by Dianyu Lin

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I would like to define interaction as a circulating communication process. It can be built between human and human, human and machine, or even machine and machine.
                                                INFECT by Elsie on MANA: https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=186661#!zh

One of the interactive art projects impressed me with the deeper understanding towards the definition of interaction is INFECT designed by Elsie. It’s an imaginative art work using particle system and lighting interactive device to visualize designer’s understanding of internet discussion. And the magnificent visual effect when the bulb lights and small light spots gathering just leads to the direct sense of how data and ideas inside the network flow, and inspires me of how the interaction works in the circuit. Once the artist press the controlling button, she start to communicate with the lighting device. The device responds to her command thus provide us with a feast of arts. Depending on the interaction between artist and the device, there’s also an interactive communication with audience and the artist, communicating each understanding of the art work.

<a href=""> <img src="透明乌托邦.png" alt="MANA transparent utopia page"> </a>
Transparent Utopia by Mr.Li on MANA. The video can’t be downloaded. Please click the following link https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=207432#!zh

There’s also an art work which, in my opinion, doesn’t belong to interactive art project. That is the Transparent Utopia designed by Mr. Li. This is also an awesome art work with wonderful visual impression describing the inner world of people who have gone through the painful pandemic. However, the designed frame of the “Transparent Utopia” doesn’t build up the communication circuit between artist, audience with the art work. We’re just appreciating it, but can’t participate in it, can’t talk to it. But still, the fragile, lonely but soft world created by the video just bring out the exact message the artist expected to convey.

Recitation 1: Research Reading by Dianyu Lin

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After a weeks reading, I’ve regained a deeper vision of what is Interaction or Interactive art. And following is my thoughts towards the two given questions:

Question 1: After reading The Art of Interactive Design, in what way do you think that the circuits you built today include interactivity? Please explain your answer.

As the Crawford’s definition on interaction, interaction is “a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak”(1). When we’re building our circuit, the circuit and ourselves, the builder, can be seem as the two interactive actors. Take the doorbell circuit as an example. When I intend to ring the doorbell, I press the button of switcher, which conveys my intension to the circuit, using Crawford’s words, “the ball” is passing to circuit’s court. The circuit analyze my request and then respond, ringing the doorbell. I receive the ringing as a signal of the circuit works well, then the cyclic interaction process is completed. Though it seems like a simple command of ringing a bell, it have gone through a whole process of interactive communication between me and the circuit.

drawn by myself!

Question 2: How can Interaction Design and Physical Computing be used to create Interactive Art? You can reference Zack Lieberman’s video or any other artist that you know.

The interactive design and physical computing can provide medium and technical support for interaction art. Zack Lieberman’s Eye writer is an excellent example. Physical computing applies to computer programing, and that finally transforms the movement of eyes into painted lines and shapes. And the micro CCD CAM connecting to the computer program enables the computer to receive and respond to the movement of the artist’s eyes, which uses the interactive design to build up bounds between artist and devices. In other words, the interactive design provides the basic idea of how to build up bounds between artist and the device, while physical computing put it into practice and finally makes the art work function as expected.

 

Recitation 1: Electronics and Soldering by Dianyu Lin

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The first day of my interaction lab’s recitation is doubtlessly more than exciting. In the class we were asked to complete some circuit according to the diagram and fulfill the task of electric soldering. The circuit and functions of its components are as follows:

voltage regulator：to lower the voltage to fit the rated power of the speaker as well as keeping it stable

speaker: to function as doorbell

switch: to keep the ringing doorbell under control

capacitor: to keep the supply voltage stable

 

When I was trying to match the diagram with actual wires, I found it hard to understand the function of the breadboard and the connection between other elements. Following is the first circuit I built, and there’s something wrong with it.

When I’m building up the circuit, I didn’t realize that the restriction has its own direction and I just plugged it in a wrong side, which caused the element became extremely hot. Luckily I fixed it by comparing it to my classmate’s one and was finally conscious of the importance of following the correct direction in a circuit.

The soldering process is also inspiring as its high efficiency and neatness changed my impression of soldering, which is sparking and tiring.

After all, everything I’ve gone through in this recitation is just a glance of the entrance to the interactive art work, but it’s wonderful enough for me to expect to explore more.