pineArt Box

pineArt Box, 2015

pineArt Box is an interactive installation that invites the viewer to create their own work of art using pine needles and digital color manpiulation. After drawing their image in pine, they are able to adjust the rgb values and push a button to save their completed work. Made in collaboration with Kevin Stirnweis, it was exhibited in December 2015 at ITP’s Winter Show.

pineArtBox_userImages
a selection of audience images, 2015

pineArtBox2pineArtBox3The experience was created using an Ardunio processor and P5.js.

For my fabrication final I had a few ideas but knew I wanted to work with brass. I wear the same brass earring everyday and i love it’s simplicity. I decided I wanted to try to recreate it. Using a ball peen hammer, I was able to make a basic tear drop form then cut it off from the rest with a hacksaw. 

 

the cube only exists in yr mind

I had the idea to laser cut images of leaves onto paper and then figure out a way to affix them to the brass. I was pleased enough with the concept and really enjoyed just looking at the two materials together that I decided to refocus on the earring and really trying to manipulate the brass.leavesmaking burning

The really thin grid paper burned a bit after it cut which gave a really wonderful organic quality to the edges of the leaves.

leaves | pillars | blades, begin. final.

Here is the current incarnation of my drawing program. I’m pleased that I was able to say “I’m going to make this thing” and then I made that thing. It’s not perfect but it is certainly a reasonable sketch of what I had in my mind two months ago. After using it a bit – the interaction makes more sense to me on phone. Open this with Chrome on yr phone please.

Above is screen shot of the working mobile version. I took out the frame/screenshot function because: a) i wanted to save space on the smaller screen and b) it felt more intuitive to simply use the screen shot function of my iPhone rather than tap to save.
world()Made1449026940370 copyThe interaction needs work. The grab function makes it so pretty soon when you move your mouse/finger closer to other blades they get picked up as well. and eventually you have a rotating ball of grass. It’s difficult to render an image without the other blades following yr current movement. It is easier on the phone, I think perhaps because there is a smaller frame and takes less time to place a blade where and how you want it. I want to continue working on this program and eventually iterate with different images, objects other than grass. More mobile, always.

The screen version has a delete function when you press a key. This is super broken and is most likely the first thing I need to work on when the semester ends.

House drawing attempts…
world()Made1449030260330 copy

drawing houses...

pineArt box

We have most of the components of the drawing box operating.  There are two images on the canvas, the first on the left is the stream from the webcam, on the right is created when a user pushes a button. S/he manipulates the image with the needles and three potentiometers which adjust an R, G or B value – then “clicks” their finished drawing into being.

This is my first laser cut house complete with Ray Eames’ patterned roof. I’ve never digitally fabricated a three-d object so I thought that was the place to start with the laser cutter. I found a simple house pattern online.
found pattern

And made some minor adjustments to the design. This was also my first time using Illustrator – somehow managed to avoid it despite a decade+ with Photoshop. So getting used to vector logic was fun/frustrating.

Below are the six final pieces – which were maybe the third or fourth try. Other attempts either were basic errors (leaving a stray vector that resulted in a errant cut) or needed more passes with the laser. The final version still isn’t perfect. I had to manually make the slots in the roof a little wider as the cardboard expanded somewhat after being cut. I did not bother fixing the bottom piece because I like the idea of using the surface the house rests on as the floor.