Bringing it Together and Being Realistic

Things are getting tough and I have to put something out there. The problem is not creating something, it's the way to present it.
So from now on, I am building something, but my main focus is the presentation/the art of decribing a project.

Schedule:
March 29-30: Technology sketch, research
March 31: Finalizing sketching
April 1-3: Integrating technology
April 4: Rough-ish prototype for user testing
April 5-6: User testing / Feedback
April 7-10: Re-iterating
April 11-13: Final Usertesting and final "iteration"
April 14-18: Presentation

why are you so great "Design and the Elastic Mind"?

I've been to see most of these works since the first time I've heard of them. The overall idea of Design Noir felt both appealing and repelling, but when contexted as art it became closer and closer to me. Taking an everyday/common norm/idea/activity/feeling and twisting/exaggerating it with simple technologies makes most people to realize how those norms/ideas/activities/feelings are important in an everyday context.

Here's something to get some people jealous: I was lucky enough to get into the openning of the exhibition. Dunne & Raby and Noam Toran were my primary goal. Noam Toran's Accessories for the Lonely Men work was the first art project that made me question my previous concept: Can we substitute a human or a feeling with technological design (if that's a word)?

He actually led me to not only doubt my previous concept, he also challenged me to be stronger in my words. Rather than looking for "temporary relief", now I'm "substituting" the feeling.


Another project that I was eager to see was Body Modification for Love Project. It sort of relates to the idea of having someone to record sound clips of the loved ones and listening to them later hugging the pillow, it's just greater and VERY tactile (which, everybody knows, I like).
"By embedding out emotional background into our own bodies, we could create "growing memories" to keep our recollections alive."



Elio Cacavale is an artist that I've never heard of before. I've came across with his works in a fast pace research but I really wasn't aware of who he was. His hypothetical works simply question the emerging technology and the ways these effect our lives. Also he is working on a "plush sci-fi" feeling, which is something that I'm very interested in.

My Bio is a very provoking project dealing with biotechnologies and hybrids of animals. Especially the My BioPig is something very interesting and an on-going discussion that has been going on about organ transplants from pigs to human. It sound quite disgusting as a technology, but wouldn't it cure a lot of people?
The thing about this project that I can't really get the feeling of whether Caccavale is agreeing with these or not? Maybe it's not about agreeing, but simply putting it out there.
What does the quality of plush adds to the project? A cozy accepting approach or a sarcastic idea?



The best part of this exhibition was that it challanged me to think about projects more open and design-wise. I've never though these simple ideas would stand out very effective. To see where I'm standing, I constantly question the similarities and differences of my concepts and the ones that are out there in the exhibition. Obviously, they are using technology and design in such a way that the project stands for itself: they are obviously questioning some concepts and they don't really need words. When words are added, it gains more and more meaning, even push the visitors to think more.

Ah, I love this exhibition.

Oh, beyond all the great things, I was "honored" to see one of my least favorite designers.. Maybe the only one..


Last, but not least, the geek graffiti instructor, Evan's project was in the opening and it had huge success..

breathing v0.0000002

After the sketching I started working on the breathing effect. Last year I've made a small platypus, which breathed in a few times and sneezed. Albert the platypus was programmed in PIC and worked pretty well.


For the last few days I've been trying to translate the code into arduino and try to get a good breathing effect. For now, it looks like it's working OK, but the best testing will be after putting the padding.


From last years' experience, I'm aware that you don't need to have the motor to move that much.



Also it looks a little fast, gotta slow that down.

Sketching to fight Thesis Depression

Since tasting and smelling work together, why not integrate them in the same parts?

Looking at mom's image, after hugging the blanket

Crying out and hearing the favorite lullaby

The imitation of the breathing of a mother

two approaches

So what am I looking for? What is this project?
It's looking for a temporary relief / substitution for loneliness. So the core is about loneliness.


There are two approaches to the concept.

The Practical Way:
Here the thesis statement changes into: Moomy is a security blanket for children who are hospitalized or housebound with health condition and bring temporary comfort in difficult times.
The current prototype is providing comfort during taking the temperature of a child. Also the idea of comforting children in their painful moments is suggested.
What is tested when a child is admitted to the hospital? What are the procedure?
Peeing in a cup, taking temperature, heartrate,


The Crazy Artsy Way:
Moomy is a set of blankets that are aiming to substitute the feeling of loneliness with technological tools. It relates to the five senses because they are the tools of communication!
Hearing: A socket for ipod/cell phones // A pocket where the recorded sounds can be integrated // soothing music/lullaby
Smelling: Small pockets, when opened they spray a nice smell of strawberry, hamburger or a mother
Looking: Integrated screen that the user can plug in their tv's
Tasting: ugh..
Touching: A play with Thermochromic ink
Nope the five senses won't work.. What can substitute a human.. The ways of communication? A blanket that substitutes loneliness? What kind of technology do people use to substitute loneliness? When does it hit?

A presence of another:
- Feeling someone: Someone carresing the back, hitting beer bottles to cheer.
- Speaking to someone: Speaking to ones self, pretending to be answered. Imaginary Friends
- Sleeping with someone: Hug blanket, put leg over a pillow


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loneliness
Blanket

Children x Adults
hospital


what do we do when we're lonely? What do we miss tha most?

Adults/chldren who miss mommy.

I've been trying to set my keywords and choose between two paths.. so here's where I've set on... hopefully i won't change it anymore.


Being away from the loved one, may create some complications. Sometimes they take their clothing to have the smell near them, or carry a photo to remember the moments they had. Or set the ringtone as their voice. Certain foods , especially cookies, are constantly compared to the missed ones dishes.


Five senses:
Look: mommy's face x when hugged.
feel: mommy's chest (breating up and down) x when senses a head
smell: mommy deo x when squeeze
taste: mommy cookie x when bit on a certain part
hear: mommy voice x when cry into something

Here are a couple of points that I'm stuck at:
- The senses are triggered from different senses. Would that bring a conceptual dilemma? The taste is triggered by mouth, hearing is triggered by voice. Those have a connection between, but does it make sense when the "look" is triggered by touch? They should all have the same strategy. no?

-ugh.. I can't remember the second one.

Post-presentation depression

Since I couldn't rehearse my presentation well enough, there was a lot of ambiguities flying around. Here's the feedback I've got:
-The project is for a noble cause.
-Meaningful, and important
-Frame your investigation
-The Target Audience is non-verbal and physically challanged
-You're apologizing for what's missing/apologelistic presentation
-Establish why this project is important
-Temperature.. is it as important as pain?
-more background, research and medical information
-Not doing well by changing what you had in the first semester
-Closeness of a patient. What do kids associate with? Smell? Mother's Smell?Embrace?
-Don't go crazy with the functions
-radiowaves is an absolute no no for projects that work with children because it effects their brain.
-Is this an art piece like dunne and raby is looking into design noir? or is it a practical object that you are willing to use in the medical field?
-disconnected presentation
-build your case


Long story short, I couldn't present my project and I'm angry! ARGH!

Sometimes things just work out

So after getting depressed for not being able to demonstrate the inks, luckily my presentation was postponed to Friday - hooorrraaayyy!!!
Still, there's a lot to do and so little time..

Yay! (?)

So here's some nice news:
Finally I'm getting my hand on the the ink. Matsui is sending me some samples, which are probably ridiculously small. It will be shipped either today or tomorrow and will be here in 3 days. Here's the issue: It seems like I won't have any fabric changing color. Instead just to show the before and after would be enough for the midterm?.. hmm..

Another point, none of the doctors got back to me. It's either because my proposal wasn't that strong enough (which seems to be very possible) or they weren't interested at all. Joel Murphy suggested that doctors wouldn't have time for something like that, but instead he suggested me to contact the parents! Seems like a good idea.

Now I'm looking for foundations and blogs that are about a certain disease.

I hope I can get my hands on user testing soon!

Questioning the concept... again

Hi I'm Cicek and I'm a quitter.

It seems like whenever the concept is questioned I step away from the project. This is not only related to thesis, but every other thing I do...

but guess what, this time it'll be different.

The question was : "What is the relationship between the blanket and the patient? Is it person to person or person to machine?"

in a way: "How does it heal the child?"
The question derived after the idea of having a story on the blanket..

So now I'm focusing on ways to express the concept (which seems to be my biggest challange/problem) and maybe work on some design issues.

I know the concept is good, but I can't put it in words.

It's time to stand in front of the mirror and talk to myself like a crazy person

Success in screenprinting

WeeeEEeeeEEeeeEEee