After the first discussion, we decided to adopt my fifth option as the way forward for our project:

Vibrations of music (amplified) – water/vibrations of lines/line drawings/other media.

Initial Project Concept

As I think the feeling of water dripping down is very beautiful, and referring to the Buddhist concept of “one flower, one world, one leaf, one Bodhi”, the appearance and disappearance of a drop of water can also be the birth and death of a world, a life. After some discussion, we decided on our initial project concept.

A drop of water evaporates for 30 minutes. During the process, the vibration of sound will change the refraction of light, and display wonderful light and shadow exhibition. The process can be divided into three stages, similar to a person’s lifetime. Also, the music will be separated into three steps to cooperate with the changes. At the same time, there will be a projector for casting various environments and animation to create a more immersive experience for the audience.

In terms of sound design, the music is selected to represent the trajectory of different periods in life, using the vibrations of the speaker’s diaphragm to make contact with the wooden board, allowing a drop of water to resonate with the sound, which is perceived visually through the amplitude of the water drop’s rippling vibrations. Over time, the water droplets slowly and unconsciously evaporate, allowing for an association between perception and imagination, engaging the senses, and bringing about an interactive experience of time and space.

Mood Board

Our project visuals, for the time being, refer to some of the project effects I found earlier:

Criticism

However, after our clarification to Jules on Thursday in week 3, Jules pointed out that our discussion was limited in the practical aspects, without the dissection of the concept of “Process” and the inclusion of AI. Therefore, we carried out an analysis of the concept of “Process” in two dimensions: the first one is the dissection of project content and connotation, and the second one is the dissection of the design process.

We analyzed the “Process” based on our initial concept of water projection. The analogy is applied to explain the project objects and connotations.

The water (the project object) is equivalent to me (the analogy object). The dripping speed of the waterdrop represents the speed of my growth. The size of the water in the container represents the extent of my development. The light expresses society. The beam of light striking the water means the influence of culture on us. The vibration of sounds or music represents the influence of our family/others’ evaluation of us. The light and shadow of water projected on the wall represent my image in the eyes of others. The flow of water from less to more to none in this device shows the period of my life from birth to the completion of my sentence.

The Flow Chart

Based on the design concept, I used Xmind to create a flowchart of the project:

(This image was drawn by Rudan Zheng)

I then mapped out our project process, based on a flow chart, to better facilitate understanding of our project process:

(This image was drawn by Rudan Zheng)

The installation includes a distance sensor. Once the audience approaches the sensor, the speaker, the light, and the water-dropping system start running. The speed of water dropping changes according to different stages. Ripples appear, and the speaker’s vibration can influence the water’s morphology and dynamics. Ray thought the laser paper and water project had notable water changes on the wall. When the water is full of the container installation, it will be poured away from the container. The process can be divided into three stages, where music and water-dropping speed continuously change.

The speaker is placed flat under a table with a container, on top of the speaker’s diaphragm, water drops are placed in the container so that the drops create ripples through the sonic Hertzian vibrations of the music. We will take photos of the shadows and lights of the water and record some sounds. Those photos and sounds will be learned by AI, such as Mubert-text-to-music, disco diffusion, and clip interrogator, and then AI will generate some pieces of music. Before each stage starts, we invite an audience to pick one piece of music from our three parts to influence the ripples.

References

– light art – light installations – reflections and shadows: Light art installation, light art, light installation (2023) Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/731483164496784888/ (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Ellen Barratt – light work: Light art installation, projection installation, light installation (2023) Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/731483164496686680/ (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Momento wonderglass (2023) Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/731483164496784817/ (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Mrxccc (2022) TouchDesigner tutorial_bilibili, _bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1EG4y1g72Z/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Nbdbbbutme (2022) Touchdesigner_Sound and picture interactive lines_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1BV4y137kL/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Oldzsir (2022) Simple motion visualisation_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Pd4y1o71B/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Qttting_F (2020) “Water” ambient light – arduino_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18X4y1u7XP/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

TEACommunity (2022) Audio and Video Interactive-Aurora_(bileam licensed touchdesigner official Chinese tutorial)_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1d84y1k723/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

幽灵电力 (2022) Interactive artwork as if_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1hP4y1c7PN/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=c0cd555c871b3d6c3923522ce3b0a1a8 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

草学人士 (2022) Plant sensory visualisation / A grass interactive installation哩_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1LL4y1T7oG/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

那我呢没起够 (2019) Processing–interactive_bilibili, bilibili. Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1PE411k7bf/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8711564270b15c0c52431a25b613a14 (Accessed: February 10, 2023).

Feb 12, 2023