WEEK #5

I've successfully connected the Arduino to Ableton as a midi controller. 

Actually, I didn't used Max Msp. I followed a tutorial to help me make a MIDI controller with Arduino. I've also changed my Arduino code to make a random note each time we touch the plant. 

In Ableton I've created a Midi instrument with a post-apocalyptic sound. I've added an arpegiattor to make it sound more melodic. 

I found an acrylic tube in the trash. I think it's perfect to grow algae.

WEEK #4

Idea of presentation :

- Algae tubes on the ground

- Levitating  algae tubes

Connection Arduino capacitive sensor to Max Msp : DONE

I mapped the output data from the sensor to a 0-255 scale because Max doesn't accept number out of this range. (See Arduino code below).  

For next time, I need to figure out way to make the data interact with an instrument not an effect.

I would like to make this kind of sound.

WEEK #3

Capacitive sensor test

I will probably use this technology for my project.

This the global idea of my project : 

Title : Study of electrostatic emission of algae

Theme : living-organism and technology

Living organisms (like animals, bacterias, humans and plants) use complex biological mechanisms to function and low voltage currents is a part of it. We could channel this electricity to interact with it in many forms. Some have already converted a plant into a touch sensor by connecting electrodes to its soil. Others have linked 2 different plants thanks to their electricity emission. A carnivore plant triggers the movement of a touch-me-not plant.

I thought about a way to interact with the photosynthesis of a plant. I’d like to make a system, probably using arduino, that is able to sense the change, produced by the photosynthesis reaction, of the electrostatic emission intensity of an algae. We could imagine triggering something by lighting this organism. Or simply, the light of the day could be the trigger. I would like to use spirulina because it’s a simplified form of vegetal organised as a network and easy to grow and harvest.

Plus, it’s famous to be the food of the future, so I want to get familiar with it. This could help humans to cut themselves from food industry and to be more self sufficient without too much effort.

My research to briefly understand how we can extract live data from living organism :

http://www.satomunehiko.com/works/botanicus-interacticus/

http://www.musicoftheplants.com/en/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150728091728.htm

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-chromochord-a-protein-nanotechnology-based-bioelectronic-musical-instrument#/

https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/4207/photosynthesis-electric-motor-symbiotic-machine/

1st Post

Social Isolation and Depression

It has become the great sickness of our time.
The debilitating result of modern life. Isolation and depression have become the
New ailments that are crippling society globally.

Cited by many studies as the cause for a plethora of disabling behaviours and neurocies social isolation and depression has been linked to amongst other things as shortened life expectancy. The causes of social isolation are as numerous as the illnesses and disabilities that result from it.

Our task is to map the causes of social isolation and with that data test creative solutions to the sickness. It may be paradoxical that designers have played a part in the problem from products such as smart devices and the social media that have been implicated in the cause of social isolation, it may be that fighting fire with fire could be the solution.

Three sections for study and output.

1 - What is the status and present day understanding and research related to Social Isolation.

2 - Creative and broad solutions and designs

3 - Quantifiable analysis of the proposed solutions.


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I will propose an other point of view.

Social Isolation and depression are 2 different things and they are not directly the great sickness of our time. Indeed they are the result of modern the live-style as you mentioned it.
It is useless to fight the result of a phenomenon. We, humans not only designers, should fix the problem's root.

Moreover, it seems for you that Social isolation and depression are connected and are connoted negatively. We can connect them according to the fact that they occur only in modern life situations.
But social isolation is, in certain case, a good thing. Isolated people don't recognize themselves in modern life and are confronted to their own humanity. They realize that the modern life they were living is not suited to humans.
Modern time's social isolation is a way of disconnecting from sick people. There is no shame at cutting our interactions with a sick social environment. That's why I think social isolation is a precious behavior for the fight against modern life. And we should try, as designers, to isolate more people instead of trying to fit them back into modern society's mold by using any inhuman methods.

Further than that, in my opinion, it is useless to try to change things inside modern society. This a long and complicated fight in a mind controlled society.
The only valuable project is to build a network of human societies, a neo-modern civilization made by "isolated people". Design skilled people can also help of course but not only them.

The solution is to put inventions on the side and focus on what we already have and know and fully use it.

That is why I don't want to make anything that suits modern life needs.