Interactive Installations
Frankenhead
Awarded the California Library Award in the Wild Card Category
Presented at HCI International 2022
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s immortal gothic horror novel and feminist text, we created an interactive installation that embodied the concept of creating our own monster for a USC Visions and Voices event, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Re-animated. We designed the experience around the idea of cooperation, surprise, and replayability for the 1000+ attendees that consisted of families and younger participants.
After ideating and brainstorming, we designed and constructed a giant 8-foot tall head sculpture using wood, newspaper, and wire, with a flat wooden board for the face. Seven styrofoam balls were cut and glued with RFID tags that were read and detected readers installed behind the face. Each tag was programmed to be a specific part of the face (i.e. mouth, nose, left eye, right eye, etc.), but because the balls were all identical, this created an element of randomness and surprise. Upon inserting the ball into the face board and pulling a switch, random images of each body part are chosen from a database of hand-illustrated animations and photos captured from our face-detection station, and projection mapped onto the sculpture. Upon pulling the switch a second time, the balls are ejected by springs (installed behind the face), and the participants can play again.
Hardware: Unity, Arduino, RFID Tags, Wood, Paper, Styrofoam, Plastic
Zombie Zoo
I love doing awkward poses and strange movements, but most people don’t. I designed Zombie Zoo as an experimental navigable space project that explored the idea of having people be in awkward poses and do weird motions that are out of their comfort zone, and to eventually become comfortable with their actions while having fun.
The game starts with 10 hoomans who have been killed by zombie zoo animals at Zippy Zoo! Four players play as one of four different zombie zoo animals: Creepy Crab, Decaying Duck, Bloody Bear, and Ghouly Gorilla. The players imitate the walk styles of their respective animals and walk along the tape-marked pathways in order to escape from the scene of the crime. To avoid detection from the patrolling JoPo, the players must drop to the ground on a dead hooman outline and pretend to be the dead hooman (take their pose). If the players mimic the pose within reason, the JoPo won’t suspect them and continue their patrol. Once the coast is clear, the players may resume their escape. However, if the players do not mimic the pose accurately enough, the JoPo will suspect and expose them, and the player is out.
Materials: Tape
Everybody Wants to be a Pet!
A life-size physical project based off the game Up The River, Everybody Wants To Be A Pet! is a 1 vs 3 game where four players take on the role of either a dog or one of 3 cats. The cats need to accumulate points and make it across the board without getting caught by the dog, while the dog has to catch all the cats before they cross the board. The goal of this project was to create a fun, life-size competitive and cooperative game that immersed the players into the game as they take on their respective roles.
Materials: Tape, Paper, Cardboard, Chalk, Spray Bottles, String, Glue
Arduino
Coral Ichthyocentaur - Arduino Experiment
I wanted to explore bringing my artwork to life through a medium I haven’t used before. I experimented using Arduino, a button for a light switch, UV lights, and UV ink to create a transforming piece of art. What people see at first when they switch on the white lights is a simple landscape inhabited by a coral ichthyocentaur and a few small corals. Upon switching the UV lights on, the people will see the environment in its original state and natural splendor, with abundant, vibrant, and healthy corals. This experiment reflects the transitioning state of our coral reefs to becoming the sparse landscape we see today as a result of coral bleaching and ocean acidification.
Used: Arduino Uno, C++, UV Lights, Solder Iron, Copic Markers, UV Ink, Paper
Filmwork
Hunter - An Experimental Narrative Film
An experimental film about my life during the years after graduating from undergrad and before getting into grad school. After undergrad, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to pursue: should I go into research using my Environmental Science degree, or should I try using my life-long passion of creating art to get a career? The 2-3 years following undergrad were filled with self-doubt, internal struggles, mild depression, and fluctuating emotions and tempers. Thankfully, I had the support of my family and the guidance of my mentor throughout this difficult time. Hunter unexpectedly coming into my life had a huge impact on my outlook that could only have happened with his existence. Like the flow and dynamic properties of my favorite medium, this film conveys the transformation of my emotional mindset before and after Hunter came into my life.
Used: Adobe Premiere Pro, Watercolor, Paper, Ink
