Devashish

From Wiki

I was a little apprehensive about taking this class primarily because i am intimidated by technology. I don't know what can be made possible and hence i feel may lack a certain foresight.

But shifting through the larger (what this project is about) and the smaller picture (the processing bit) of this project is helping me associate the two. A means and a possible outcome. Possibility being a word to hold on to.

WEEK 2 to 3

Reading David Dunn's article helped me see a certain co relation between these two ends somehow. Its experimental to a great level. You set up a dialogue with the environment, recording a reaction to a stimulus (that being you) a consious part of your surrounding. Interventions into a landscape. Like Murray Schaffers opera "Princess of the Stars" , the ambient sounds of the landscape lend to the actions itself...made me feel like we take sound for granted. The ability to enhance a quality of life or diminish it. We disconnect ourselves from natural sounds and familiarise ourselves to instruments.

Talking about the nature of information and the dimentionality with which it can be handled. The ability to visualize and help co relate. "What new forms of advocacy are enabled by contemporary location based or context aware media and information systems?" "How can monitoring become redesign for what it monitors?"

All the data we collect regarding air pollution Who is this for? who are the people that matter? How do you represent all this? emotion v/s logic. art project v/s design project?

We're fiddling around with basic electronics and have gotten introduced to different sensors. The gas sensor isnt here yet. We've got the rotary sensor and the flex pin sensor which is pretty cool. Its pretty cool when it comes to physically interacting with it and checking out how it shows up visually... Victor showed us some fun that he had with the sensors. Its good to start thinking laterally for a change... Trying to visualise what one could do with these.. we're supposed to disguise them. Gotten my hands on 2 metal plates and Bharath and me are trying to figure out stuff... we're zero-ing on working with contact and completion of a circuit (like a switch).

We've hidden the contraption under the mattress on the bench near the sculpture. We've got a speaker and an Led connected to the bread board and the whole thing's shoved into her mouth. We're trying o lure people to sit next to her.

WEEK 4

We've been trying to ideate :) Thinking of different set ups and things we can do with whatever we've done with the techie bit... with all the new found ablities to rig and hook stuff its easier to think of whacked out systems that you can develop.

We've been speaking to the scientists about how people respond to air pollution. Its different from stuff like being faced with a water shortage or even noise pollution as it can never really be or cause a visible or physical disadvantage or handicap. How do you materialise something like air?

Trying to work with something like a mascot or character. The initial idea was to create a character (in an animated loop). There could be 3 or more separate loops which played according to the data collected by the gas sensor as the animation travelled. Tamagoochies/koochies happened to be an existing form that could work if hacked into in someway. Have the creature die if it went into a really polluted area and the only way you can save it is by running into a clean place. From here Vishnu branched off into the idea of constructing tamgoochi farms where you can breed them in clean air :) sounded like fun but Victor was looking for stuff more local... V showed us some products and installations. Most of them had like a narrative quality to them. Something that moved them beyond their function or in some cases form. We're trying to come up with some quick products as well. Ours are centered around addressing air pollution in particular. Im trying to think of an object or appliance that comes in direct contact with air..

WEEK 5

Rustam's in class - going into details of air pollution - worry about what your information is showing - politics in information activism - the battle between pollution and the pollutors - cars being the most targeted - 'Government is throwing smoke in the regulators' eyes' - who are the stake holders in this? - everyone / policy makers / fuel - oil ministry

So when you've identitfied who these people are and where their coming from... how can help switch how they think... Talking about cars and what kinds people buy and why... cars as status symbols could change... what defines status could change... on the basis of how fuel efficient your car is.. how can communication help do this?

Trying to figure out different audience and marketing strategies for selected products. Bharat's switched from analog to digital and is working the chart and class! :) [[Image:]]