Group Name: Mood Bubbles
Part One:
Discussion
On February 22nd, our group decided to meet up for our group project. Since I was on duty at that time, I could not come to the meeting. However, I asked Leander to tell me about the discussion results.
On February 28th, we booked a group study room again to further discuss the performance. Everyone participates in the discussion aggressively. My contributions include purpose a part of the story outline, facial appearance, how the helmets look like, and how the track can be made. Eventually, we reach a consensus that the story is about four people with different emotions, happy, sad, angry, and dull, who can not understand each other. When they are arguing, a scientist brings her new invention, Main Brain’ come in. She uses the tracks on the main brain to connect to the helmet she asked us to wear, and we can pass our emotions and memory to the main brain and the other people. To embody the four different kinds of emotions to the audience, we decided to use the balls painted with colors to emphasize. Finally, after four people all try this amazing device, they are reconciled and can understand others feeling.
I think our artifact is quite successful. First of all, it reached my definition of interaction. It received the ball as orders to process it, produced three other balls, and output them to the other people. Moreover, it is a loop process that the main brain can keep repeating the process. It is also a significant invention for people who could not understand each others owing to different emotions have the opportunity to receive a copy of others’ memory and learn to understand others. However, our artifact also has a few failures. Because the device needs a person besides to help pass the ball, it is not that interactive because there is one additional person besides. I think that’s the point maybe we can work on.
Prepare
On March 1st, from one o’clock, we take turns making props. First, Leander and Miranda made a small model of the helmet in his mind. However, we both think it is ugly, hard to make, and not that suitable for our performance due to the shape. Therefore, the second version of the helmet is a hollow cube with a topless cylinder on top to not only people can wear but also carry balls that symbolizes emotional memory. The helmets took a lot of time for us to make, not to say we need to make four of them. All the group members participated in this process.
Furthermore, Loki painted faces on the helmet so that we can easily switch facial appearance to help the performance. Also, there are many tiny holes on it to let us see the outside world.
When we finished making the helmets and painted all the balls in different colors, a new problem appeared. What’s should our main brain look like? We want to make it distinct from our normal helmet and look like an edge-cutting technology invention. After brainstorming, Loki put forward an amazing idea that we can stick bubble wraps randomly and looks like a bowl. The other group members and I assist him and put it on a cardboard-made stander we found in the morning. At nearly half-past ten, we finished all the props apart from tracks.
The next day, Angela purpose that we can use the technique she learned in ‘Remade in China’ class, which used a machine to heat the plastic and make it flatten. She also hind two heavy metals to help stable the stander of the main brain. Angela, Loki, and I contribute to this step.
After I went to work, they decided to use the wire to fix the track and brain so that it can pass the ball well and be put away quickly when we perform.
Rehearsal
On March 4th, we clarified the props situation and rehearse many times. We also make sure the performance details.
On March 5th, the formal performance day. We arrived at school early and film our rehearse to see what our performance look like from the audience’s angle.
Final
Contribution
Engage in the second discussion (ideas about the story, helmet, trackers, emotions), brainstorming, making helmets, making trackers, assisting others making the main brain, participate in every rehearsal…
Besides, I very much appreciate my team members’ efforts and admire their creativity and genius ideas.
Part Two:
I like the group “Earthilusionia’. I think their performance is very creative that they represent some interesting interactive devices. I think this device is relevant to “Newton’s sleep” since it can show a vivid Earth environment and give hope to people who lived in an orbiting space station. If the person wears the helmet and the gloves, he or she can see and touch the virtual beautiful environment, such as picking the sunflower. The most interactive part in my opinion is the elegant lady Pheobe played. We know the whole scene is built by a 3D projector in the presentation part, so I think this device is very cool because normal people can actually talk, interact, and even fell in love with the projected ‘lady’.
I think the shortcoming is that their story lack details and interpretation. For example, if they did not explain, I would not notice the object on the ground is a 3D projector. What is more, they designed different helmets to show there are many manufacturers and stopped the performance suddenly to show humans can not rely too much on this. However, I can not know until their explanation after. Overall, I like the way they represent and the creativity of interactive devices, but the whole performance is not that clear.
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