Slow Design Principles
Karmen Franinovic is a Canadian architect that creates works of interactive technology and installs them in a public space to stimulate social interaction and bring awareness to peoples surroundings. One of her most interesting pieces is called Recycled Soundscape, and it is a system that explores the auditory aspects of the city through kinetic, human scale interfaces. Now depending on the location people are invited to modify or perform the sounds of the landscape by listening or recording sounds that are difficult to notice. People are able to orchestrate the sounds of an urban environment which reveals the sounds they don’t notice everyday and puts them in a setting where they’re technically able to hear them for the first time. It’s an interesting piece that allows you to have fun with your auditory surroundings and allows you to make other people aware of these noises as well.
Monika Hoinkis is an artist who is intersted in the idea of how we live with things and the amount of intimacy we share with the objects around us. In 2005 she made a series of objects that require direct affection from their user, for example, a desk lamp that begs you to craddle it in a cupped hand. In order for the objects to function fully they constantly need to feel “loved” by the user, if they feel neglected the user must negotiate with it so it can function properly. It’s an interesting concept because in life we depend on machines and devices to perform tasks for us without expecting anything in return. Of course we act this way because objects don’t have any emotional needs so we don’t owe it any affection in return. It gives people a chance to have a new experience with their devices and not take them for granted. It fits the subject of reveal because it gives an object a purpose beyond it’s actual functionality.
Concepts based off Principles:
Reveal:
If I were to make a project based off the principle of reveal I would do something similar to Monika Hoinkis’ series of objects, but instead of everyday items I would apply this to toys. As a child I always wanted my toys to come alive or show some kind of responce to how well I took care of them. A toy is an object that is meant to entertain children, even though it does not perform any more than its original function, children still treat it as if were a live being. So it would be interesting to see their experience when the object can actually respond back to their behavior. I would also like to incorporate this idea into toys that adults would most likely keep like action figures or collectable dolls or cars. I would like to see the difference in which adults and children would respond to these
objects. I personally think that children would be more fascinated by it, while it would make adults nervous or annoyed. I would first make plushies and the type of toy would eventually change as the child grows older and older, and I wouldn’t include an off switch to the toys so they would constantly require attention.
Participate & Evolve:
If I were to make a piece in this category I would create it based off the idea that you are participating in an action in order to not participate in another action. For example, I would cerate an app that would be installed in to your phone and links to the speaker, and can recognize when your in social situations like being with friends or family. When it it recognizes this the app will then prevent you from being able to use social media and text messaging. Nowadays young people tend to intentionally or unknowingly avoid social situations by using there phone as a distraction something to look at when they don’t want to insert themselves in social situations. As the user shows their willingness to not use their phones to avoid socializing the app will then start to give you your ability to use your text messaging and social media back again. But if you continue to be antisocial the app will then start cutting you off from, games as well, it will even cut you off from the ability to delete the app itself off of your phone. So it evolves off your ability and willingness to participate in something without participating in something else.