For my project, I thought it would be interesting to explore the sense of touch, especially considering that this is an interactive touch project. The sense of touch in my opinion is the most underappreciated — we all have favorite music, foods, and smells, and appreciate visual art, but we don’t often think about how something feels. I recently had an operation where I was temporarily numbed, and I realized how odd it is to experience the world without being able to feel at all.
For the project itself, I will have an interactive assembly of different materials, and when touched, there will be an animation on the screen that represents my personal association with that feeling. For example, I will have a fur material that the user can touch, and it will display an animation of a cat napping when interacted with. Some other potential materials include grass/plants, an old book, and water.
Artist Question: What are some things that you personally have strong associations with when touching? (Or in general, what are some textures/surfaces that you think are notable?)
I’m impressed by how well the idea you chose to explore works with the assignment. Both in reading others’ ideas and brainstorming my own, I have had difficulty seeing how the “under-appreciated opinion” is supposed to be aided by the interactive touch. You’ve got an idea where the connection is obvious, and the sketch seems very well-executed.
As for coming up with textures, I would try to think in terms of extremes. Glass would be very smooth to contrast against gravel or sand. Metal conducts a lot of heat while rubber conducts very little heat. Wool is soft while thick plastic is hard. Water would also stand out if you can make that work.
Some textures I encounter on a daily basis and have formed a connection with are paper which can be either slick or crumpled, wood which can be smooth or rough, and fabric which can contrast with the smoothness of paper for example.
This idea is so interesting, it incorporates the spirit of makey makey really well! One place you could get some textures is at home depot- they have free squares of carpet, hardwood, etc. that you could take to use as inputs. I am a bit confused, though- what truth are you highlight? Figuring this out will help you create a more cohesive theme within your project.
I think of a wet sponge, reminds me of doing the dishes 🙂
I am intrigued with how well this concept can be applied to both touch and with other sensory nerves that we take for granted (such as eyesight). One strong interaction I usually have is flipping through pages of a book.
This is a simply intriguing idea, and I would love to see it properly realized. Personally, I’m a big fan of boo paper (which you already listed), but perhaps adding something to simulate something more unique, like snake scales could be a curious experience. I’m legitimately curious to ask how each of these would trigger the simulation for this project. Knowing nothing about the other substances, I would imagine fur and plants might be tricky to connect. I think that should be the first priority for your set up before you go into other components of the project.
Putting clay down would remind me of making pottery, but I am not sure how conductive that is with the Makey Makey.
I grew up going to a nature camp every summer, so feeling bark has always been familiar or relaxing to me. You could have an animation of a nature scene, maybe a group of friends going on a hike together.
For including other textures, the only limit to choices would be conductivity of the material, and even then there could be ways around it. So you could go wild with the nicest or grossest textures possible, like tree bark, paper, a bowl of wet spaghetti, fruit peels, a rod of metal, synthetic fur.
When it comes to touch I have some that instantly repulse me and some that draw me in. I love the feeling of a soft blanket, I always keep them around my room to keep me cozy and comfy. I also love the feel of smooth metal or polished wood! I hate the feeling of drywall, as well as certain papers and chalk. Hopefully, this helps a little, I understand they’re a bit specific.
A soft fluffy blanket always makes me feel at home and comfortable!
Well, for me, soft bumpy materials, like a bath towel, reminds me of maternal comfort. My mother wears/wore an Eileen Fisher coat that looks like soft chainmail, so essentially anything that looks and feels similar to it, reminds me of her love.
To answer your question, I think anything soft (like the cat’s fur) is a very notable feeling, Whenever I feel something soft I usually want to cuddle it!