From my last two tutorials, I have decided to incorporate the touchable textures on the actual artefact instead of just below/around it.

This will make the board even more engaging for the viewer and it will make it 3D as these elements can be touched. Moreover, I now plan to make a large board where the electrical paint touches upon these 3D surfaces so when touched they each generate a light response.

I need to decided which elements I will use for the board and the 3D elements. I could use mount board, paper mashe , cardboard etc. 

Prototype 

I created a prototype with my A2 board , I first painted on it with conductive paint , and the flicker still worked. Afterwards, I created a 3D figure representing a flower. I  used a lot of cotton buds which I stuck together then I painted them with oil paint for a smooth consistency.

I then applied conductive paint in the middle of the flower and placed the wire right there.

Although now I feel as though one it would be better to place the wire from behind the board so it is not visible to the viewer in a strong way.

 

Creating a reaction in the arduino ,

I have followed 'Aatik's lab'  instructions on making a conductive paint light switch.

I bought the components, the 5v relay ,arduino  uno , wires , led and the 5v power stick. I connected the wires from the Arduino to their assigned places in the relay and then on my laptop I downloaded the touch sensor code placed it into ide , although I had difficulties placing the libraries at first.

So I watched some more tutorial videos on how to properly export library’s into the arduino ide software and learnt that there were about 3 good methods.

After this I exported the code into my arduino uno and then connected the wire pin on the number 6, position on the arduino onto my sheet of paper that had conductive paint.

I realised that everyone I now touched the paint there would be a flicker on one of the arduino lights , and I tested that again and again getting the same reaction.

Now my next thing is to attach led successfully into the relay , the ones I used I did not sufficiently attach them so I need to learn how to do that better.

 gallery visit

 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.