Social Bathroom Appliances - 11

Today Kristian and I modified the sink and mounted it and the mirror on the wall. It’s starting to look and feel like a bathroom. Tomorrow we will try and mount the whole thing together so that we will be able to mount the electronic and water system.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 10

Today Kristian and I put on the “fogmassa” which was a hell of a job, but it turned out alright.
The “only” problem we have right now is the lack of group members !!!!!!

Social Bathroom Appliances - 9

Yesterday you finished cutting the tile structure and we also started painting. I painted the final layer at 10 o’clock. I think it will look really good.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 8

We are still waiting for our build material to arrive. Meanwhile we’re creating some video scenarios for the exhibition. The material will hopefully arrive tomorrow so we can start building out wall.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 7

Today we created a miniature set of our project, and it works and it looks really good. We managed to create a real bathroom feeling. We “spårade” the board so it will look like tiles.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 6

Today we will start to build our wall, we have got most of the material but we still miss the tap. Hopefully we will find something that we could use.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 5

I haven’t blogged for a looooong time but here’s the current status of the project. Today we soldered together the second circuit board, and they both work together. Next week we’ll start to build the many different parts, the wall, “touch boards” and the pump thing. So we’re on schedule and looking good.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 4

Today we have to figure out what kind of pump we will use and also buy one. We rally have to get going experimenting with the pump and sensors so we won’t waste time doing nothing. We should also try and make a drawing of the wall/floor that we are going to build so that Mattias in the workshop can order the material.

So much to do and so little time !!!!! ( but we like pressure )

Social Bathroom Appliances - 3

Today we had a lab session in the morning where we tried out some IR sensors. Perhaps this could be useful in our project. After lunch we ha a meeting with Erik and Björn where we discussed our project. It went well so tomorrow we will try to find some companies that want to sponsor our work.

Social Bathroom Appliances - 2

Today (Monday) we presented our video prototype and I think that we got some good critique.
The project is called Social Bathroom Appliances and it’s about
changing the private space. We want to try and change the behavior of people when it comes to bathrooms. Why do we want to go there alone? What happens when you have to be two or more to make the toilette facilities to work? That’s what this project is about.This could be a really interesting idea to work with.

Watch our video prototype

Social Bathroom Appliances - 1

Today it’s Friday and had another brainstorm which finally generated an idea. We shot the footage for our video prototype in a bathroom at Rönnen. We are done (so fare).

PC2ESSAY

I’ve read an article about how the Philips company has designed and prototyped two sets of garments that according to their creators demonstrates “how electronics can be incorporated into fabrics and clothes to express the emotions and personality of the wearer”. These garments will also behave differently depending on who is wearing them. One of the garments is a dress that consists of two layer of textile. The inner layer is equipped with sensors that reads and responds to the changes in the wearer’s emotions and projects them onto layer number two. Are clothes filled with sensors really able so show how we feel and who we are? Or do the clothes only show what its creator thinks is our feelings and how he and the computer chip interpret them. To be able to answer this, I think that one must try to understand what define personality and self-identity. I’m no doctor or psychiatrist so I can’t give an answer to this. But I do think that emotions and peoples identity is a really difficult thing to interpret even with the help of sensors, maybe even impossible.

The texts that I’ve been reading (Eno, Pirinen and Giddens) are about identity. Earlier societies that were based on tradition created individuals with more clearly defined roles. Today we all have to work out our roles for ourselves. Brian Eno says ‘that people abandon the increasingly perilous old definitions, such as race and ethnicity and class and blood, and start thinking of identity as something multiple, shifting, blurred, experimental and adoptive’ I think that many of the people today who lives in well developed countries have a hard time finding their own identity. They are all surrounded with all kinds of information and things that influences them in many ways and directions. Giddens writes ‘even those who would say that they have never given any thought to questions or anxieties about their own identity will inevitably have been compelled to make significant choices throughout their lives, from everyday questions about clothing, appearance and leisure to high-impact decisions about relationship, beliefs and occupations’. Just because your father is a carpenter doesn’t mean that you have to follow in his footstep like you would if you were born 200 years ago. You have to work out your own role and identity for ourselves.

Today “normal” clothes tell a lot about the people who wear them. Different groups in the society have created their own style, representing their ideas and personality. They try to make their statement with the help from their clothes. But they only reveal what they want to reveal. They are in control of their clothes, not the other way around. Might clothes embedded with electronics be the next step in statement making? Yes, I think that when it’s about making or spreading a statement technology could be really useful. But I don’t think that the average person wants their garment showing everyone his or her state of mind. I also think that this kind of technique will create new subcultures that will embrace it with open arms.

What will happen with all the colours that we today associate with different moods and occasion. Will their meaning be wiped out or replaced with something else. If a woman today is getting married, she will most likely wear a white wedding dress. And if we are attending a funeral we would most likely wear black or some kind of dark coloured clothes. But what would happen if a bride standing at the alter just about to say yes, for a fraction of a second has second thoughts. Will her dress then change colour? These are things that we have to take into consideration when we try to make clothes or what ever object read and react based upon our feelings.

As a future interaction designer I think that it’s really interesting idea to try and fit technology into our clothes. To be able to create wearable technology that reacts and changes depending upon our feelings and identity must be every interaction designers dream. But I’m also having a hard time finding a good enough reason for doing it. Maybe it will open up new ways for people to find their own style and identity. Or maybe it will change the way we communicate with each other. The answer to this is something that only the future can tell, we’ll just have to wait and see.

The article "Emotional clothing"
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/008955.php

PC2 – Lecture session 3

Today we had a lecture about model making. The lecturer (Björn) talked about things to bear in mind when doing different kind of models. He also talked about material and how to use them. He also showed things that he and other people had created, which were fun and inspiriting to watch. I thought this was a really great lecture because this is the stuff that we need to know when we’ll create our own models.

Let’s break out the clay and start modeling

PC2 – Lab session 2

This week we tried to create a touch sensor and it worked.
Well that’s about it.

PC2 – Lecture session 2

Yesterday we had the workshop called ” Tidernas kafferep”. It’s all about creating a story with the help of some easy made props. We created some cardboard fruit that we tried to swap for some real food at a supermarket. The only problem is that the store owner is a grumpy old man and it feels like he hates everyone else. But we got three apples and a good story and nobody died.

PC2 – Lab session 1

Yesterday we had our first lab session in PC2. We were trying out the DMX. It was fun but hard to understand and get it to work. Hopefully we’ll be able to use it some more later in the course.

PC2 – Start

Today the Physical Computing 2 (PC2) course started, I think it looks really interesting. Hopefully we’ll be able to try out and create some really cool things

Assignment number 3 - Presentation

Last Friday we had our presentation. We spent the entire Thursday painting the damn thing but we managed to get the tree finished in time. The presentation went well and I think that we got some good feedback. I think the entire group was really happy with the result and the work that’s been put into it.

That’s another 5 credits – only 15 more to go until Christmas.

(If you wonder why we chose to paint the tree blue – its because it was the cheapest colour that they had at ÖB)

Assignment number 3 - Part 8

Today we assembled the tree parts and made a support thing to help the tree stand. We also had a meeting with a designer that brought new ideas into the project. Tomorrow we have to paint the tree, but we haven’t decided what colour yet.

Assignment number 3 - Part 7

Today we started over with our tree construction. We abandoned the box idea and started to create the tree from chicken net and paper mache. We worked the whole evening cluing paper and hoping that it will be dry tomorrow.

Assignment number 3 - Part 6

Today we started to create our tree, we went to Grace place and got some cardboard boxes. We spent the entire afternoon cutting and gluing them together in the shape of a tree (or a bunch of boxes stacked on each other). We also started talking asking us questions like: how should we get the people to interact with the tree? Should we all dress in the same way to be “a part of the tree”? Questions generate questions…….

Assignment number 3 - Part 5

The meeting with the other group went well. I think we got some nice feedback and our instructor praised us and our work. We went to the disposal plant after the meeting to look for building material. We found a lot of crap but not much that we could use, so we have to find something else. We celebrated the weekend and a hard week’s work with a couple of beers at Möllan.

Assignment number 3 - Part 4

The project is taking shape, and I think we start to have a good plan how we want to visualise our idea. What we have to decide is how we should make it (material, colour etc.). We’re having a meeting with another group tomorrow, hopefully we’ll get some got feedback.

Assignment number 3 - Part 3

Today we continued to develop our project. We had a meeting with our instructor and today she thought that our idea had some potential. We spend the afternoon thinking and discussing how the “thing” should be presented, and what should be presented. We got some good ideas that we will present tomorrow.

We have found our passion !!!!!

Assignment number 3 - Part 2

We started today’s work with a meeting with our instructor. She thought that we lacked “passion” for our project. So tomorrow we HAVE TO find that passion. We spend the afternoon trying to develop our thoughts and ideas. We came up with one idea that could be really interesting to carry out.

Assignment number 3 - Part 1

Now we’re of to do the 2 week final project. We spend today discussing what we would like to do. The only guideline that we got from out teacher was that “we could do what ever we would like to do” (not that this made it any easier). We got a vague idea what we would like to do. We are having a meeting with our instructor tomorrow, maybe she’ll be able to clear our some of our questions.

Unsworn.org - Part 2

Today we executed our ”street dance” performance. I think it looked really cool and it was also fun to do. I think we made many bystanders wonder what we were doing. One person that we pasted (a student) said “they are from K3 – they’re always doing these silly things”.
ARE WE?????

Unsworn.org

Today we had a lecture held by Unsworn.org (the Digital Peacock guys), they showed some really neat things. Then we did a really funny and cool exercise. We all walked very slowly from the start of the pedestrian precinct at Stortorget to Gustav Adolfs torg. The condition was that it should take precisely 30 minutes (it’s normally a 3 minutes walk) and without talking to anybody. So there we were, a group of 100 persons walking really slow and silent. All the people around stopped, stared and wondered what the hell we were doing. “Are they some sort of a cult” or “is it a protest” they asked. It was really interesting to hear and see the bystander’s reaction.

We spended the afternoon doing our group assignment for tomorrow (I’m to tired to write about it, and we all now what it is)

THE POWER OF MANY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Assignment number 2 - Presentation

Today everyone presented their group projects (there were quit a variety). Our presentation went well. The only problem with the whole presentation thing was that the “room” was too small so everyone wasn’t able to see and hear. Otherwise it all went fine and I think that Kami and his mates were pleased.


One more kiss could be the best thing
But one more lie could be the worst
And all these thoughts are never resting
And you're not something I deserve
In my head there's only you now
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make believe
And this seems real to me

You love me but you dont know who I am
I'm tore between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you dont know who I am
So let me go
Let me go

From Let me go by 3 doors down

Assignment number 2 - Part 3

Today we spent the morning creating our”poster” and after lunch we walked to Pildammsparken to try it on some innocent victims. I don’t think that the people we met in the park understood what we wanted to do. Our idea was to amplify the size of the “plate” and make people realize how small they really are. That we’re all part of something larger (how prophetical does that sound?). Anyway it was fun to do and we functioned well as a group.

Assignment number 2 - Part 2

Today we decided what we wanted to do, first our group divided in half and later on we divided one more time so now we are only three in my group. Steven, Ester and I, but that’s alright, easier to handle when theirs fever people involved. We decided that we wanted to do something with “the plate” in Pildammsparken, so later in the afternoon Steven and I went there and took some pictures that we will use tomorrow.

Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Assignment number 2 - Part 1

Today we all walked in groups around the city of Malmö. We all got a selected area were we should walk to places that we thought we interesting or had special meaning to us. Our group went to David halls torg, Pildammsparken, Möllan, Folkets Park and the water tower that looks like a dick. After that we met up with New Beginings and Kami at the city library and had a discussion about our observations.

New Beginings

Today the collective New Beginings held a presentation about themselves and their work, they had created some really interesting things (and some weird). Next assignment will be carried out in groups, which could be really interesting. When working in groups their are two alternative. Number 1 is that all works great and we all function as a group. Number 2 is that it all goes straight to hell and a handful of people have to do all the work. Hopefully the second never occurs. But it will be interesting to se what New Beginings and Kami have come up with. But that’s tomorrow, so we just have to wait and see.

Signing of, over and out.

Links: http://www.nbgngs.com/
http://www.ccred.org/

Assignment number 1 - Presentation

Today we presented our design projects. Everyone mounted their project on a wall for everyone to see. I found some very good and fun ideas, and also some that I didn’t understand. It’s always fun to see people’s creative work. So after 20 minutes everyone went home. All in a hard days work.

Feedback from UglyCute

Today we were divided into small groups and presented our ideas to “UglyCute”. We all got feedback and now its time to create a model and some presentation material for the final presentation that’s tomorrow.

Assignment number 1

Today we had a visit from UglyCute, they talked about their former projects. It was really interesting to listen to their ideas and thoughts about design and their own work. We also got an assignment until tomorrow, the assignment was to invent and design a low tech product. That doesn't look like anything else. That has a purpose no one knows of. But will help you in your future profession. I find it very hard to design a product that fulfils all off these criterion. But what the hell, time to warm up those brain cells of mine and do some brainstorming.

Good luck to all of you out there……….

It’s alive!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Noooooooo it’s my first blog ever.

Back to school and grade 2.
It feels good to be back after working a couple of month. The first course for this semester is Art, Culture and Design 2. I hope its as good as number 1, I really liked that one. First assignment was to create a blog, and that’s what I have been doing for the last couple of minutes, so now it’s back to the couch and season 2 of Little Britain on DVD.

Live long and prosper
See You!!!!!