MODULE 2Cara Brogno and Shane Siy Cha

Sensoree; The Breathing Wall ‘Sensoree’isanarttechnologydesignlabwhichbringstogetherateamofindividualstoexploreabstractnotionsandproducecreativeandinsightfuldesignsthroughSensoryComputerFace(SCF).Somedesignthemesincludebodyarchi-tecture,interactiveinstallationsandsensitivetechnology,inspiredbyinvestigationsofproximity,telepathy,intimacy,intuitionandhumourbetweenmanandmachine.Thedesignsseektopromote‘extimacy’orexternalintimacy.Oneoftheirworks,‘TheBreathingWall’,wasconceptuallydesignedbyKristinNeidlinger.Kristenisadesignerofexperienceswhoaimstoprovokesensorymeaningthroughherworkand visually enrich andmagnify physical embodiment through unique design.

‘The Breathing Wall’ is an interactive installation which reacts to hu-man movement, touch and flow. Her inspiration came from the nature ofsea anemones and puffer fish which translates into a vibrant display of col-our and layering which I personally believe captures the serene underwa-ter experience. Single-use plastic bags were the selected materials andwere fused together, creating an inflatable fabric with unique textures. Mo-tion sensors connected to computer fans sense human movement and re-spondbyinflatingthefabric.Thedesignseekstoconnecttheaquaticenviron-ment with the current evolution of plastic whilst exploring sensory behaviour.

Thisprecedentsexamplemaybeusedthroughmydesignbycreatinganinflatablesecondskinthatputsanemphasisonexperienceorsenseoffeeling.Iwouldlikemydesigntocaptureasenseofenergyinadistinctiveandobserv-abletransitionrepresentingpersonalreactionsfromfeelingsofsafetytodanger.LikeKristen’sdesign, theshapeandflowof itwhen inflatedwillbecharacter-istic of internal feelings and discoveries brought outwards in a visual display.

JoshuaAllenHarris’ inflatablestreetartwasactuallyanewwayofmakingartonthestreets.Hehasfoundawaytoworkwithandtakeadvantageofcheapmaterialstomakeinventiveworksofartnoticeableandhead-turning.Theinflatablestreetarthehasdonewasnotjustartistry,buthisfirstwork,thepolarbears,alsosomehowgaveamessagetosocietyastheyarepervasivesymbolsofclimatechange.AccordingtoHarris,withtheartdeflated,itwouldjustlookliketrashonthestreet.However,whetherornotHarris’selectiononpolarbearswasanenvironmentalstatementactuallyremainsunknown.Al-though,peoplewhopassbyitorhasseenitinterpretsthestreetartassomethingabouttheenvironment.Onhowtheinflatableswereactu-allymadeisquiteinterestingconsideringthatsimplematerialswereusedtoconveysuchmessageandcreatesomethingeye-catching.

The animation of the street art inflating and deflating – orhowpeople like toseeas representationsof lifeanddeath—wascreated with the use of ordinary plastic and garbage bags com-binedandwere tapeddown tosubwaygrates.Harrisfigured thatwith 4 paws— letting the inflatable have more holes—it wouldlet enough wind in to have the figure stand up, which workedperfectly. As the train passes beneath the vents, the air caus-es the ‘garbage’ to inflateand thendeflateagainasairflowsout.

Thisprecedentmaybeagreatinspirationandausefulstudyformydesign.Harris’ inflatablestreetartmaybeagreat inspira-tionforcreatinganinflatablesecondskinthatstressesonthesim-plicityandastrongmessage.Inthiscase,Irealisedhowthecom-plexityofmydesigndoesnotactuallymattertoomuch.Thedesigngiving a big impact andmessage would bemore important thanhavinganextremelycomplicateddesign, just likeHarris’artwork.

StreetArtbyJoshuaAllenHarris

Gibson,E,photo1ofTheBreathingWall,Sensoree,viewed24August2013,<http://sensoree.com/artifacts/the-breathing-wall/>.Gibson,E,photo2ofTheBreathingWall,Sensoree,viewed24August2013,<http://sensoree.com/artifacts/the-breathing-wall/>.2013,Sensoree,LinkedInCorporation,MountainView,California,USA,viewed24August2013,<http://www.linkedin.com/company/sensoree>.Sensoree2013,viewed24August2013,<http://sensoree.com>.

Joshua Allen Harris’ Inflatable Plastic Bag Subway Art | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building. 2013. Joshua Allen Harris’ Inflatable Plastic Bag Subway Art | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building. [ONLINE] Available at: http://inhabitat.com/joshua-allen-harris-inflatable-plastic-creatures/. [Accessed 24 August 2013].Joshua Allen Harris: Street artist turns trash bags into inflatable animal sculptures | Mail Online. 2013. Joshua Allen Harris: Street artist turns trash bags into inflatable animal sculptures | Mail Online. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082169/Joshua-Allen-Harris-Street-artist-turns-trash-bags-inflatable-animal-sculptures.html. [Accessed 24 August 2013].The Inflatables - JOSHUA ALLEN HARRIS. 2013. The Inflatables - JOSHUA ALLEN HARRIS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://joshuaallenharris.com/the-inflatables-#/id/ev12883. [Accessed 24 August 2013].

SketchesExploringtheinspirationofwingsasashelterandproviderofpersonalspaceintheformofasecondskin.Thewingsrepresentprotectionaswellasconfidencethroughitsconno-tationsofflightandbeauty.Thissortofideationisenricehdwithmanypossibilitiesforinflatabledesign.

Wantedtobreakawayfromthegenericandtraditionalformsofinflatabledesignandfunction,andinsteaddrewupontheideaoftubesandcurvaciousformsthatformatypeofwrappingtechnique.Theideaofringsfollowedthispathoftubesandcurves,itbuildsupontheideaofanormalinflatableringbutwithdentsandirregularitiesthatoffersomethingdifferent.

Thisdesignmimicksaspiderwithitslegswrappingaroundtheneck,pro-videsaninterestingformthatoffersafeelingofpro-tectionfromtheoutsidewhileappearingaestheticallydynamic.

Ontheleftisasortofflowertype,hereweareexploringtheideaofacocoon,theprocessofbeingwrappedupandisolatedfromtheexteri-or,asiftocreateanindivid-ualspacewithinthesecondskin.

Theideaofringsfollowedthispathoftubesandcurves,itbuildsupontheideaofanormalinflatableringbutwithdents and irregularities that offersomethingdifferent.

Bubblesseemedatfirsttobeaoverlypalpableconnotationofinflatablefunction,howeverwhileitisveryobviouslyassociatedwithassociation,andthusaverygenericform,itcanbeutilisedtoformawiderangeofdif-ferentdesignsforthesecondskin.Theideaofbubblesalsoenforcesthisideaofcomfortabilityasthecompressedairupontheroundshapewouldprovidealevelofcomfortthatcouldputusersatease,thusprovidingadifferentformofpersonalspace.Ascanbeseeninthesketchesbelow,therearemanypossibilitiesforbubbleforms.

Spikescanactuallybeusedinavarietyofsecondskindesigns.Theideaofspikesbringsoutasenseofneedforprotectionandselfdefense.Atthesametime,itmayrepresentonesalertness.Wedecidedtofocusontheneckuptotheheadareabecausewefeltlikeitwasthemostvulnerablepartofthebody.Withthesedesigns,asenseofcomfortorafeelingofsafetymaybeobtained.

Herewefollowonandaccumulatethepreviousideasofbubblesandtubestocreateauniquesecondskindesignthatexplorespersonalspacethroughthepossibilitiesofcombingphysicalcom-fortwhichincreasesthementaleaseofauserandthusstrengtheningthepsychologicalbeliefofbeingwithinone’sownpersonalboundary,alongwithphysicalisolationthroughvulnerableaspectsofaperson’sbodysuchastheneck.Hencewhytheideaofcoveringtheneckbecamethefocusforthesecondskindesign.Thebubblesatthebackalsoprovideoptionsforaper-manentcushion/pillowatthebackfortheuserwhileappearingfashionable.

This design shows that each second skin on a per-sonareactuallyconnected.Thisisbecauseintherealworld,nomatterhowbigorsmallyourpersonalspaceis, everyone is still connectedor united in someway.Inthiscase,therearetwocompletelydifferentdesigns,butarestill joined together. Bothdesignsdisplaydif-ferenttypesofpersonalspaceandemotions.Althoughbothdesignsdonotshowmuchofthespikesforprotec-tion, it representsan individual’sattitude towards theirviewsonpersonalspaceandhowitmakesthemfeel.

Digital Models