As an exploration into the materiality of toast, I toasted an entire loaf of Wonder Bread (18 slices, not including the heals) for different durations. The first piece was tasted for 0 seconds, the second piece for 10 seconds, the third piece for 20 seconds, and so on until the last piece toasted for 2 minutes and 50 seconds.
Hair Dryer & Balloon is a series of interaction experiments that explore iterative process through video documentation and written reflection. It also explores the relationship between physical and digital inputs and outputs, and questions the affordances of performance and video.
Iterative process, accompanied by documentation and reflection, has revealed to me a type of design that lives as a progression of ideas and not a final piece. This methodology produces a stream of questions that guide the project into many forms and variations, all of which make up the piece. Each question sets up the next iteration, and occasionally, is the foundation for a new line of inquiry.
Physical computing brings together two worlds that are governed by different laws, each with their own set of affordances. When these two worlds exchange information, the questions of how and why the transmission occurred is based on the tangible and coded materials used. When an exchange is repeated with incremental changes, the subtleties that inform our daily existence are revealed.
The question regarding performance or video first came out of Hair Dryer & Balloon 5. Video as documentation works for my own reflection, but lacks the subtleties found in person, sometimes losing the experience all together. On the other hand, some iterations rely on the camera and editing to communicate the idea. This observation has led to questions regarding who I am performing for, and how the same interaction might be altered to use the unique affordances of a particular output.
Through making and reflecting, a simple question became a process and direction for future work.
Keeping with the low/no tech approach, Hair Dryer & Balloon 9 is about the physical space between the objects as well as how accessories can be used in the interaction. It also explores the affordances of a camera and video editing.
The accessory, a vacuum tube, is attached to the end of the hair dryer as a way to redirect the air flow and play with narrative through the lens of the camera. To start, the hair dryer is on and the balloon is in front of it, but the balloon is not moving because the tube is redirecting the air. On the next take, I am holding the tube, pointing it at the balloon causing it to move, then pointing it away from the balloon, causing it to float upright. This interaction is very similar to version seven, but it also sets up the next shot. The third take is where I use the affordances of editing to create humor. The only change from take two to three is that the hair dryer is facing the other way, away from me and the balloon, though it still has the same effect on the balloon. The fourth, and final, take is me redirecting the air back into the hair dryer, completely ignoring the balloon. This stems back to my interest in feedback loops.
The interactions were both planned and improvisational, but each one was made knowing that Hair Dryer & Balloon 9 would live as a video. The more Hair Dryer & Balloon interactions/performances/videos I make, the more I question what output best communicates the idea. Sometimes, it makes sense to use the affordances of a camera and editing software while other times the mood and subtitles are communicated only in person.
My question of appropriate output has become the new question around Hair Dryer & Balloon. In the same way one iteration informs and inspires the next, this question is both a result as well as a beginning.
Moving forward, I intend on exploring the affordances of video and performance by creating similar interactions to see what translates across both mediums and what is medium specific.
A quick test to see how two fans pointed at each other interact.
Hair Dryer & Balloon 8 goes back to basics. I continue exploring the space between the balloon and the hair dryer, but this time without accessories. This iteration seems to have an inverted quality about the energy of the interaction. In prior iterations, the balloon rests upright. However, in version eight, when the balloon is upright, it doesn’t seem to be “resting,” as my hands are holding it in place. The resting or relaxed state comes when I let go of the balloon and let it be taken by the wind.
This inverted energy brings me back to animism. The role my hands play feel like an authority figure, reining in the eager and free spirit of the balloon. The ease in which I bring it back to the center shows an obedience, while the eagerness of the balloon to leave when my hands let go shows a disobedience.
The only shift in the interaction from take one to take two is that I use only one hand to keep the balloon upright. This came out of my experience in the first take and wanting to try and achieve the same result another way. I started with two hands because that is how I initially envisioned it, but through the act of making, new ways evolved. Both ways achieve the immediate goal of centering the balloon, but there are different characteristics that can be found. Take one is discussed above while take two has a slightly lighter touch to it, which, to me, communicates a more nurturing and less authoritative tone.
Though my action in the video is repetitive and mechanical, the interaction maintains the performative element I am interested in. There is still a lot of space to explore between the hair dryer and the balloon, but I am also curious how more removed and subtle influences, initiated by me, can affect the balloon or the hair dryer.
I love to drive, I am a NASCAR driver. My favorite part is the feeling of speeding into a turn and accelerating out of it. I have circled the track many times, and have made twice as many left turns. However, when I’m not on the track, I desires a different type of driving experience. Left then right, left then right.
See me drive.
1. Drive home
2. A right turn must be followed by a left turn.
3. A left turn must be followed by a right turn.
I am training for a triathlon. I have years of experience in running and biking, but am new to competitive swimming. As a training method, I have decided to work on the timing of my breathing while walking. Counting each strike as a stroke.
See me breathe.
1. Breathe in
2. Take three steps
3. Repeat
