Reflecting & Finding Threads
I wouldn’t say a new connection / thread was made (yet), but I do know that I would like to keep some kind of connection between the main areas (fabrication, PComp, sound, and art) I mentioned in my thesis project. Also, I am also very much interested in data → sound so I’d like to incorporate this somehow if possible. This semester I am also taking the class “Seeing Machines” and I’m hoping it can help make an interactive project for my thesis. In PComp during the Fall 2021 semester I made an interactive musical activity, where a user can play the spoons (spoons + glasses of water tuned to different notes in a musical scale) by pressing buttons corresponding to each note and also play/listen to pre-programmed tunes. This has been one of my favorite projects that I’ve created so far because I liked the interactivity of it and watching people’s reactions – plus I love PComp-y things.
I’ve played with the idea of having an interactive (I’ve said that too many times) art generator / analyzer. I feel like sometimes when talking about and viewing art there’s often someone who makes a comment along the lines of “Oh I wish I could draw something like that…” or “I can barely draw a stick figure”. Not that this isn’t something everyone can practice and learn, but many don’t have the time or just have more prominent interests. I think it’d be fun for someone to generate their own piece or art maybe not by having those skills in that moment, but by being in a space that senses their presence and translates that data into imagery (maybe then translating that into sound?). I also think it’s fun when people are able to take away something materialized/physical from an experience that they can keep.
Duncan’s Dollarstore Ouroboros is one of my favorite projects from last semester, not only because I enjoyed the final piece but because I got to witness parts of his process during a class I shared with him – “Code of Music”. I love the presentation of this piece and that everything is very tied together and doesn’t need too much explaining in order to just watch and enjoy it. I hope my thesis project can have a similar quality in the sense that it looks and is presented as a very coherent piece and has an air of simplicity but also complexity – and also this project feels like the structure of it is an art piece in in itself along with the actual functions of it. I also enjoyed Elias’Abacusynth, the fabrication was neatly and simply done and I especially enjoy the interactiveness of it for the user as the movements needed to be used are fun and engaging. Which are traits I’d like my future project(s) to have.
Bianca Gan 