I had another tutorial,

where it was discussed that I needed to formulate a more proper working circuit proving that the light bulb could in fact be triggered by touch.

A0 BOARD IN THE CENTER

Space and elements

How to build an ideal sensory rooms and which senses should be prioritized?

After reading the article from James ward-sinclair I learnt that sensory areas should be somewhere that cannot be destroyed, but they can also take up any environment and do not necesarily need to be too extravagent. As long as they do the job of stimulating the senses in a positive way thats what mostly matters.((Ward-Sinclair, 2022)

It might be a great idea to maybe have a test run to see how effective the room is, and possibly invite people annoymously and ask for what can be improved. I could lay out a quiz without names needed.Depending on the feedback maybe if the light in certain areas is irritating I could maniopulate that design, and perhaps if some colours are not contrasting greatly and arent visiblt I could also make some alterations.

I could introduce other senses like smell and sound perhaps in a subtle way that does not threaten the viewers away.

Ways of introducing senses:

For my project I will focus on the senses, sight smell and touch. I have chosen a few since I don't think I have enough time to properly centre each sense.

-I could use flowers with lovely fragrence smells, although I may not use actual flowers because of the potential risk of an allergic reaction, I will therefore use substitues like diffusers. Although, I will have to make sure the diffusers are not positioned directly towards heat since the essential oils used within them can be flammable.

According to a research from "Gardener know how" , Roses are the number one most pleasant smelling flowers. they are quoted as being the "most trendy and the most popular pleasant smelling flowers in the world".(Pleasant Smelling Flowers: the top 20 according to experts., 2022)   Using this information I may use rose scent around my installation, or perhaps jasmine as it was the second favourite.

With sight,I could use some bright colours and continue using the light bulbs with the ardunio . Since I am using conductive paint which is black, any bright ajacent colours would really stand out. Although, I need to be careful not to make things extremely bright nor dim as well.

 

1-Ward-Sinclair, J., 2022. Autism Sensory Room Ideas: Building a Safe Space for Autistic People. [online] Autistic & Unapologetic. Available at: <https://autisticandunapologetic.com/2020/04/12/autism-sensory-room-ideas-building-a-safe-space-for-autistic-people/#room> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

2-Gardener Know How. 2022. Pleasant Smelling Flowers: the top 20 according to experts.. [online] Available at: <https://gardenerknowhow.com/pleasant-smelling-flowers#:~:text=%20Pleasant%20Smelling%20Flowers%3A%20the%20top%2020%20according,tropical%20regions%20of%20South...%205%20Sampaguita%20More%20> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

Images:

(https://www.regannursery.com), R., 2022. Bare Root Roses - 1,000+ Bare Root Roses Available - Regan Nursery. [online] Regannursery.com. Available at: <https://www.regannursery.com/> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

DEGAS (artist research)

I did some artist research for more inspiration for my designing. I looked at Edgar Degas a french artist during the impressionism period in the 19th century; I mainly looked over his 'Spanish Dance' sculptures. I enjoyed how poise they appeared and even though they are still , they evoked movement. I like the first one below especially as you can imagine the dancer is just about to commence into a series of complex moves just from how she is initially positioned.

 

 Sensory research ,

Autism Sensory Room

James Ward-Sinclair

Ward-Sinclair expresses in his article how within the general public many of us have attempted to try to sit with our thoughts and without warning are interrupted for example by  "the world’s noisiest eater". he continues to state how "In any other circumstance, you turn the other cheek, but something about that exact sound makes it impossible to ignore", to emphasise how overpowering some external stimuli can be for humans.

This is a more occurring feeling amongst autistic people as moderating stimuli can be very overbearing and may cause powerful discomfort. (Ward-Sinclair 2020)

Sensory rooms were designed to temporarily deflect uncomfortable stimuli, they were firstly introduced mainly in the 1970s but they were called Snoezelens.

-IMAGES

This is a installed sensory room with a bubble tube, I like how there is a great contrast of the neon coloured lights against the dark background, and that the objects are inviting for people to touch.

Bibliography

1-Ward-Sinclair, J., 2022. Autism Sensory Room Ideas: Building a Safe Space for Autistic People. [online] Autistic & Unapologetic. Available at: <https://autisticandunapologetic.com/2020/04/12/autism-sensory-room-ideas-building-a-safe-space-for-autistic-people/> [Accessed 21 February 2022].

2-Sensory Technology Ltd. 2022. Sensory Rooms Gallery | Sensory Room Ideas. [online] Available at: <https://www.senteq.co.uk/sensory-room/sensory-rooms-gallery/> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

 Feb tutorial with Mike.

From my tutorial with Mike, we discussed that I need to have a deeper focus on what people will visually see.

Additionally, since I am making therapeutic art I need to really practice what that may look like and what I want it all to really mean.

Another great point was too focus on things or textures that are generally therapeutic amongst many people outside of myself, and to perhaps look at sensory playgrounds designed ,for example, autistic children and people, since they are deeply concentrated in providing a mentally comforting experiences.

 

 circuit screenshot

With a help of a colleague this circuit map was created on simulink to reflect how I would like my components to align together.

They are all connected to one power source, and the 'touch point' where the artefact would be touched is a trigger point. This is represented by the small squares, and there are 6 of them as I may want 6 touchable points that trigger a reaction to the Arduino and bulbs.

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