Nature As Interface — FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL

Nature As Interface

For my final project I decided to work on more challenging and unconventional interface design/installation — I want to use water or air as a natural interface and controller, using Arduino sensors such as liquid level sensor, pressure sensor and wind sensor as input intriguers in order to talk to openFramework and generate visuals and control permitters in a game or live scene. This format will create a pair of paralleled worlds that at some point sync and intertwine with/affect each other at the same time.

INSPIRATION

1. Unnatural modification and interference to natural elements as unnatural intriguers of “natural” forms

I try to demonstrate the indirect relationships between human, nature, and the screen, with an emphasis on interactivity and curiosity. Also, a composition of the idea of “chance” is being transferred from sound pieces of John Cage.
“Gestural interaction is the new excitement in the halls of industry. Advances in the size, power, and cost of microprocessors, memory, cameras, and other sensing devices now make it possible to control by wipes and flicks, hand gestures, and body movements. A new world of interaction is here: The rulebooks and guidelines are being rewritten, or at least, such is the claim. And the new interactions even have a new marketing name: natural, as in ‘Natural User Interface’.”

2. Natural User Interface Are Not Natural

Gestural interaction is often critiqued as being robotic, static, or unnatural, I feel uncomfortable to use Leap Motion or Kinect as direct tools for generating visuals. Most gestures are neither natural nor easy to learn or remember. Very few of them are innate or readily pre-disposed to rapid and easy learning. I believe that the interaction is always the essential part of the design itself. Given that, I choose natural elements such as water and air as interface, which may seem fairly difficult to handle as they are extremely fluid and smooth. However, it also offers endless opportunities and measurable permitters as useful data. On the other hand, natural elements provide strong aesthetics to the work as either interaction design or art installation that attracts and influences. Finally, the gestures that are going to be use is extremely flexible and innate.

Natural (and What Not ) Inspirations:

Works of Inspirations (credit – TAKASHI AOKI):