(13/1) Final Project: Body, Circuits, and Fiber Art

I feel very fortunate to have rolled the dice the way I did. For two years I have been wanting to return to this project, wearable tech, and finally I could. I rolled Body, Circuits, and Fiber Art. This fit some of my old work that included off loom bead weaving (fibers), Arduino and circuits, and jewelry (body).

When I rolled body, to me, that immediately meant: jewelry, and the body as a canvas. My favorite way to create jewelry is through the fiber technique of fine bead work. This project could not have been more up my alley. 

I started with some sketches of amorphous shapes similar to my general style and focusing into an art jewelry direction, jewelry for arts sake. Originally I intended to create a brooch mechanism that resembles a saftey pin but as the design continued it became clear that it needed to be a tie-tack mechanism. The direction that the pin lays on the body has also changed, however it can be worn to fit the wearer's fancy. 

In one of the comments from today's critique someone asked if I hoped or thought this is the direction that wearable technology is going. And the answer is a hope so! I think there is so much kitsch rave jewelry associated with it. As well as people thinking wearable technology can only be functional as a watch that connects to your phone. There is so much more to it! Design and art has to be a bigger part of the conversation. Just because a wearable pice has technology in it does not mean that it has to be ugly. (Like the fit bit ..... cough...... cough) 

From there I cut the leather for the base out of scrap hide. I always purchase scrap leather because it is more economical, environmental friendly, and more vegetarian friendly, in not letting the scraps go to waste.

I began beading the main component using the Ndebele Stitch. And using a paper cut out of the leather shape to use as a size guide. I picked colors that I knew would work with the leather and the LED's would defuse nicely through. 

From there I completed this first part. 

I began the circuit work on the piece of leather before attaching the beads and mapped the thread path  of the conductive thread out first. 

After that it was time to attach the beads and thread the conductive thread through the weave. 

I added some bead embroidery around the edge to add some dimension and interest. 

The snaps were added and I contracted the cap for the battery using Peyote stitch. 

I attached half the snaps and then the other half to the battery pack base. 

The battery was connected and all the edges were finished with a beaded edging stitch. And the piece was completed. 

 

(12/2) Reading Reflections

1. I is interesting to see how Piaget's theory of tinkering so closely connects to technology and maker-space tinkering. It would be a great piece of evidence if you were writing to a superintendent why you wanted to start a maker-space in a school. This could be very valuable for the art classroom.

2. It is so nice to see the foundation for maker-spaces, and the importance from so many sources. The idea of making and tinkering with technology, tools, and art materials make a more well rounded individual.

3. By adding technology to art, it brings something that feels current to the students. When fighting for art classes to stay in schools, this aspect seems so important, and could seem more valuable to administrators.

(12/1) Instructable

Light Box Collage With Paper Circuit!

Materials:
LEDs
Conductive Fabric Tape
Batteries
Paper
Glue
Collage Material
Acrylic
Laser Cutter
Box

Step 1: Laser Cut and Engrave a top for the light box.
Pick and Image of a circuit or anything you like and transfer it to Illustrator to set up file for laser engraving and cut to desired size with a bounding box. This is what we choose to engrave into a piece of clear acrylic. What ever material you choose make sure that the light can go through.

Step 2: Laser Cut

Step 3: Make box

We also laser cut our box but you can use anything, from a shoe box to a handmade wooden box frame. 

Step 4: Glue Collage Items to Laser Cut Acrylic. We chose, computer parts, and 3D printing rafts. 

Step 5: Decided how to set up your circuit. 

We chose to use two batteries and five LEDs. Drawing it out in pencil first helped us lay out the LEDs properly. The adhesive conductive fabric worked great!

Step 6: Fold and secure positive and negative to battery with binder clips. And place box on top or place paper circuit in to your box.

Step 7: Put your Collage on top and enjoy the magic!

(11/2) Final Project Idea

For my final I rolled, Body, Fiber, and Circuits

My general plan is to create something loosely based on work that I have done in the past and expand upon it. It was an interactive wearable tech class, and we had to keep a blog for it as well. My code, inspiration, and work can be seen at: Sophia's Wearable Tech Blog. Below is a video of my finished piece. I was supposed to make a second but I ended up biting off more than I could chew. I originally designed two neckpieces for my last class but for this I think that I would like to create a brooch. I think the brooches can be more of a body piece and worn anywhere on the body but for the most part a necklace is always a necklace. 

(11/1) 3D Modeling and Printing

Regina and I designed earrings to mimic hammered texture of typical metal jewelry, reinterpreted in a 3D, RP way. Our designs in Tinker Cad

The Process of 3D Printing

We sanded the backs and then attached earring posts. 

We would like them to be worn as a mismatched pair. 

(10/2) Responses to others work

Great work Nicholas! It was good to see that you used Rhino for your line work. The program gives a sense of precision that you can get from few other places and it really shows. If you could take this further and create something from your wood cuts and maybe make them into a repeat pattern and mount them they could look even cooler.

Regina! Great job making your own sheep! (and that you named her)
The change of color gives another level of complexity. If you were to do it again I found it a little challenging that Dolly is rotating maybe if she could move in a different way.

Hi Seung! When we were laser cutting together you realized that the hole for the O and D were not going to show up. To solve this you could have engraved the world even though I know you wanted to cut through, or created a join between the positive and negative space of the letter. That being said I really like the way it came out regardless. The large holes give it a bold look.

Trisha! Great work! It would be really cool to collect the information. However, learning about color is a perfect use for Scratch. It is so colorful, sometimes almost too much so, that having students think about the colors they are using before using them is so very important. Yeay color theory!  

Reflection: Great work to everyone!
I always love seeing what everyone did and it was nice to respond as well. I especially enjoyed everyones scratch projects. They were so creative and innovative that I want to do more research about the process before implementing it into my classroom. It is awesome to see what every one did for their laser cutting homework. There is so much that you can do with the technology, it is great to see it bing used in so many wonderful ways

(10/1) Laser Cut Project

This is my laser cut key chain. I engraved my personal logo on to it.

(9/2) Scratch in the Classroom

I found Scratch simple and yet a little confusing. I wish that there was a clearer way to find out information on how to use it. For example, there should be a way to restart the scratch when watching it but it seems to not do that. I am sure there is a way but it isn't obvious.

I think that this program could be a great way for students to present their work.

This could be used as an extension project when a student finishes early. This way they are learning and being creative without moving to something else.

(9/1) Scratch

(8/4) Reading III Take Aways

1. It could be interesting to explore creating movies with animated objects through Scratch. I look forward to learning Scratch.

2. The extensive lists of online platforms and communities that support creative endevors is encoraging, and amazing. It is so cool to see them all listed out and see which I have heard of and which I have not.

(8/3) Stop Motion Lesson Plan

Stop Motion Idea:

Students will bring in an object/toy for childhood. They will used this to create a short story. It can be related to the toy's purpose or a completely new narrative.

 I would say students will use Vine but I just read that article so thats sad. Students will use another free app.

(8/2) Stop Motion Process

For my stop motion project I used Vine. It fit my narrative - creating an active viewer and was also mobile.

To document my process, I photographed my friends in the space, the space its self, the artists to look them up later, ect.

The Steps and tools in the app:

1. Click Movie Button and click Ghost Button

2. Tap screen to record.

3. Press Arrow on top right of screen.

4. Click Next

5. Share Vine

6. I was saving them for later so I could continue my engagement and not be focused on posting right away!

7. This what what the saved video's looked like

(8/1) Stop Motion - Dia:Beacon

For my stop motion project I wanted to animate people walking through museums and interacting with art. I think for the most part, viewers just stand in front of art and do not engage with it, and experience it. At Dia:Beacon the work is so monumental that it forces the viewer to move past the passive interaction to active participant. This project illustrates that.

(7/2) Sound Reflection

Sound is so much a part of our daily lives that I think we forget to notice it. When I swam my favorite thing was hearing the rhythm of the stroke, while you were doing your laps. If you made it to a nice smooth pace you could hear it. If I could have recorded that I would have.

In my daily life, I am constantly regulating sound around me at work. The students in the class room I work in have sensory issues. And we are constantly trying to find new ways to cope from morning announcements to other children in the hall. Sound in this respect in the classroom is so important. I think as a teacher I will make sure my future students are comfortable with the classroom volume as much as I can.

In regards to curriculum, sound could be an interesting avenue to discuss observation. In art there is so much observation, drawing from observation, observing the world and interpreting it, etc. If a project could be based on students observing through listening they could have a greater understanding of the world around them. It could be called Sound Landscapes.

I do not see sound enough as a medium and I think given the chance students would be truly drawn to it.

(7/1) Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Sound Cloud

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

This week I have been listening for repetitive sounds. I had not truly heard any until I was cooking in the kitchen with my mom and she was scraping a metal bowl with a whisk. And in that moment I knew what I wanted to listen to. I wanted to hear the sounds of the kitchen. So I sat and listened for different sounds and then recorded the ones I liked and had a similar rhythm. I also created my own sounds by chomping on a veggie stick and tapping my fingers on the counter waiting for a pot to boil.

Impact 25

Avery and I posted out project on a Tumblr, so that people could see the collective result of the project, and so it can continue.
http://postcardsforpoliticians.tumblr.com/

(6/3) Video in the Classroom

Video as a media has so much potential in the classroom. From recording process to using it to create art, the opportunities are endless. Teachers are always looking for ways to explain information. A unique solution could be making their own how to videos. Students could even take this further and record experimentation, to then look back on how to replicate a happy accident.

Students can also use video as an art medium. It is a great way to tell stories, and express their vision. Many mediums can tell stories but video might be the most direct. Changing the color can instantly change the mood, and express a whole new idea.

IMovie was easy to use and it is great that it is a free tool. It makes it more accessible to a classroom, as the school does not need to purchase any more software.

(6/2) Lake Mist - Long Lake

(6/1) Lake Mist Inspiration

I like how the mist looks like is walking across the lake, and I wanted to create something similar.

(5/4) Hair - Edited

After you suggested editing my work I went back and played in Photoshop. I liked the darkness but thought again to see if I would like it any other way. When I was playing around in the Levels I found that you could see evidence of the scanner and I was able to make it look like an early digital photograph and I liked it even more. It gave it a more etherial look.

In any media I like to be able to see the mark making, if it is painting I love paint texture, in drawing I love hatching. It only makes sense that I also like the scan lines in Scanography.

(5/3) Takeaways

I have always interpreted remixing in a audio format particularly in music. When I was reading the first article it was discussing Photoshop as a form of Digital Remixing in Photoshop. I have never heard that before but it is an interesting way to describe the in-depth change of an image. 

We have been spending so much time thinking about Technology and Visual Art, I have yet to stop and think about Technology and Preforming Art, such as dance. In the "New Digital Arts" Section, it describes DDR, and other dance based video games as a way that technology has changed dance. I have tried various forms of these times of games and never considered them as a continuation of the art form but next time I will think differently.

Lastly, it is great to see all the fantastic free software that is described in the final article. I am looking forward to trying them out and making them available in my future classroom. 

(5/2) Scanography in the Classroom

Scanography has great potential in the classroom. It is a completely new media to me, and I found it really engaging and easy, that is once I got my scanner working again after probably two years.

It could be interesting to explore self portraiture through different media, including scanography. It is a quick way to include a different media. They could even draw the scanned image in color pencil and just use the scan for composition. It could be used as well as an alternative still life project.

The process is so instantaneous and trial and error, since you cannot truly see what the image will look like until you try it. I believe that students will easily engage with the process and having the opportunity to try and try again without the fear of doing something wrong.

(5/1) Scanography

(4/4) Thoughts on Digital Photography and Art Education

1. As a medium digital photography can be very immediate but you can also put a lot of time into it. It is conducive to the classroom because it can reach a large number of students, and their extent of interest.

2. There are tools they can use to create a photograph. This can make it more accessible to more people. The DSLR is no longer the most necessary piece of equipment for digital photography.

3. Many of them may be familiar with photo editing apps. It could be interesting to teach them how to create their own filters on photoshop or other computer based editing programs.

(4/3) Impact 25 Update

This is one of our first pieces.

Avery and I are working together to create postcards to send to political representatives. We are asking people to send us a piece of art work, three issues they are passionate about, and an address to one of their senators, or congress people. We will be mailing all these original pieces and showing people that it does not have to be complicated to make an impact.

Our idea started with the fact that we wanted to use the laser cutter.  Later on I was buying blank postcards to send to my brother and I thought it would be an easy way to connect people through art and mail. The idea evolved further to focus on what kind of message we wanted to spread. Last week we realized we both wanted to be more politically active and did not know how, so somehow with out talking first we both created political art work. We have sent emails out to 37 people, our goal is that 13 people respond to each of us. If we get enough individual addresses of politicians we could be close to reaching 50 people with this project.

This is an example of the email we sent out:

Dear _____,

I am working on a project where we have to impact people in a way that spreads a message about something we care about. My project partner and I came up with the idea of sending laser engraved post cards to your local senators and congress people about issues you care about. If you would like to participate in the project, please send us the following information:

1. A drawing you made, or image you would like on the front of the postcard

2. Fill in the blanks of this sentence "I am a voter, and I care about __________, _________, and ___________."

3. The address of your local senator or congressperson.

Find out your senators address at http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/senators_cfm.cfm

Find out your congressperson's address at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Thank you for your time and for getting involved with your political system!

Sincerely,

Avery and Sophia

We have already received a few responses.

If anyone else would like to participate please let one of us know!