For this week’s meditation, I decided to make a digital spirit board that is controlled by a single user. Controlled by both hands of the user, I utilized an Arudino and two sensors: FSR and photocell. FSR controls the y-axis of the planchette, while the photocell controls the x-axis. The value of FSR changes depending on the player’s right hand pressure onto the sensor, while the value of the photocell depends on the distance of the user’s left hand (I did not have a distance sensor, so I decided to use the photocell to ‘measure’ the distance of the hand from the sensor. Lower value of the photocell would indicate that the hand is close to the sensor, while a higher value would indicate that the hand is away from the sensor).
Sensors:
- The photocell measures brightness. However, I decided to use this sensor to sense the distance of the hand. The value ranges from 160-640, which would be mapped into the height of the spirit board.
- The FSR measures force/pressure. The value ranges from 0-500.
Inspiration:
I was inspired by traditional Korean totem poles, which are called jangseung (장승). Jangeungs are commonly made out of wood or rocks, and they act as the ‘guardians’ of a neighborhood. They are believed to block and scare away negative energy, diseases, and evil spirits, which is why jangseungs often have a scary look.
I decided to incorporate jangseungs into my spirit board so that it can better faciliate the connection between the user and the ‘good spirits.’ My board is intended to connect with harmless spirits, thus contacting the evil is unnecessary.
Another reason why I used jangseungs as an inspiration is because I wanted to incorporate Korean art style into the board. Spirit boards are not a popular concept in Korea, and I thought the two ideas would be an interesting collaboration to bridge togehter.
Process:
- brainstorming ideas
2. semi-final design process: 
The two jangseungs I drew are the following (from left to right): 1. goblin jangseung 2. bride jangseung. These designs are widely used in traditional Korean masks as well.
Arduino code:
Final:
https://editor.p5js.org/jiwonyu/sketches/P_JL9FbYc
Below is a demo of what the screen would look like.
Breadboard view:
IN THE FUTURE:
As mentioned before, I incorporated Korean art art styles into my spirit board. If I have more time to do work on this in the future, I would like to explore how I can make my spirit board function in Korean alphabet as well.
I would also like to redo the planchette to an actual design on procreate, rather than having just a red circle.