The transparent paper reflects the two ways these characters, oogily eyes and starry eyes, see each other and the world. It is a narrative about how we view ourselves, each other, and the world around us. This project began with the question- if only I could see the world through some one else's eyes- how would an object or event be distorted?

The environment is mobile, houses a diverse community of people/strangers, and is a necessary component of many metropolitan cities.




The user is any commuter who may even be an unwilling participant.



The device is the rubber handholds that hang from the ceilings. Commuters use these for stabilization during rush hour even when they would prefer to be sitting.

The device reads the users heart rate. During specific times this rate would be elevated due to stress or when the user is trying to maintain balance while standing. At other times during morning tired commutes this rate may be lower.

Essentially, this is a bio feedback machine integrated into the daily functions of our life. Information is displayed to the user in real-time thus raising the user's awareness and the possibility of conscious control of heart-rate.


This is the feedback that allows the user to control their heart rate. Translucent handholds with imbedded LED's would respond to the person when it detects warmth and change intensity based on their heart rate. The output is a warm yellow light that pulses in time to their heart rate.

A light radiates above the user in time to their heart-rate. At certain times multiple users rates will sync up.

~~~~Narrative~~~~
Amelia just got off of work after a late night at the ad agency. She is wound up and a bit stressed about her projects and apathetic co-workers. Daily, she rides the subway in from Manhattan to her apartment in Brooklyn. The commute takes about 30 minutes on average and it is her time to unwind and relax after work. On this day, it is nearing 9pm and the subway is relatively empty. On the outside of the subway car she notices a subtle yellow light pulsating above the doors. It shines a subdued yellow color. Upon entering the car, she notices several people glowing. She realizes that the handholds on the car will glow when it senses body temperature. She decides to discover if the apparatus will work. She grabs the handhold and it begins to pulsate in time to her heart rate. She reads that this handhold is a bio feedback device that not only detects her temperature but also indicates her heart-rate. At this point it shows that both her body temperature and heart-rate are elevated indicating that she is stressed. She decides to consciously calm herself down using the color indicator. She begins to breath deeply and use de-stressing visualizing techniques. Slowly pulsing yellow light moves more slowly. As she does this, the light above the door of the car changes as well. She now realizes that the light above the door indicates the stress level of everyone in the car. When she exits the metro she notices that this car is being tracked real-time along a metro map. She watches how the pulsating speed of light change based on the stress level of the people inside.

double-click to view

METRO BOULOT DODO

At this point, the number of directions this narrative might take is just overwhelming my creative flow. So I continue to research.

Thinking of the directions my life may lead upon graduation I recalled a beautiful French saying I learned about 3 years ago- "Metro, Boulot, Dodo" This cannot directly be translated but it essentially means commute, work, sleep. The saying comments on our inability to separate work life from play. In July I will be moving to New York where I will partake in this metro boulot dodo that consumes city life.

How does this relate to the project? The rotation of light represents the rising and setting sun of our repetitive days and creates a perfect framework for the looping video. Perhaps each wall can represent one of the aspects of the saying.

Concerns: I don’t want it to look to cheesy. I want it to be crisp and tight but also have the jerky feeling of stop motion. I will need another person to help move the light and the objects as I film if I go in this direction.

I imagine strips of transparency paper with the words repeated over and over. These strips will bisect the box at various planes. The strips will be pulled through an opening in one side and then out the other side. This will give the appearance of scrolling text.

Experiment with sizes and scale- falling wall in this film is really cool. shifting planes

Poloroid Commercial by gondy- perhaps have the train printed on the transparent paper

Yup, I live at the W. Well I wish. Here are the writing and images from the 'See the light' presentation on Wednesday.

.......THE FARMLAB.......familiar.......
Every Friday the Farmlab out in China town hosts an open public Salon. On this particular Friday, it happened to be the 100th lecture. To make the environment feel extra special, candles were placed on a wooden shelving in the entry way. A grid of dimly lit flickering votives greeted each visitor upon entering the large converted warehouse. At one end of the space, an open garage door lets in radiant natural sunlight. This light fills the exhibition space and draws the visitor towards the bright sun. The space is illuminated with standard exhibition track lighting. Streams of light fall from a ceiling at approximately 25 feet high. The light reflects off brushed concrete floors to frame dark victorian furniture and pieces of sculpture. Under normal circumstances, the space might seem too large to be comfortable. However in this instance, the dim votives cast a warmth and intimacy that can only be obtained with the natural light of fire. The light dances; it is alive, bringing a sense of familiarity. The candles bring to mind memories of late night power outages, a Gothic European churches lit with white candles, the annual Christmas Eve service at my local church, or perhaps even an intimate candle lit dinners. It is traditional, romantic with seriousness yet whimsical approach to lighting.

.......THE HAMMER.......subtle.......
In this environment, on the corner of Linbrook and Westwood, the setting sun of the afternoon kisses the tops of bright green shrubbery. A brilliant green color makes the grey stone of the Hammer museum pop. The sun sets in the West creating a strong presence of bright sunlight coming from the right side of the photograph. A strange occurrence happens with another more subtle light source heating up the grey marble. This secondary warmth originates from the East (the left side of the photo). This light is noticed more easily by looking at the shadows cast onto the walls. This phenomenon occurs when the sun is at such an angle to reflect off of the tall mirrored office building across the street and back onto the exterior wall of the Hammer museum. It creates this strange etherial presence of reflected light for about 20 minutes.

.......THE W HOTEL.......abstract/modern.......
The W hotel is a chain that prides itself on impeccable interior design. While I have always been impressed with the interior of this Westwood hotel, on a closer observation, I found the lighting design to be a bit tacky and obvious. This may have more to do with the unnatural color used to emphasize certain architectural details. In lecture last Monday we explored various environments that had a warmth created with the harmony of soft light against wood. The design of the W hotel movies in the opposite direction when a cool pink light is paired with cool gray concrete. This light display walks the line between pretentious and ridiculous. In the first floor restrooms, frosted glass separates illuminated toilet stalls. This emits a diffused light that is pleasing, (and easy on the eyes), however this is feeling is lost with the placement harsh lighting that hangs in front of the mirrors to illuminate the tacky illuminated orange sinks. Various light fixtures in the ceiling have purple pink bulbs which is probably one of the most unflattering hues next to green. The atmosphere is dark yet there are many sources of light that seem to be illuminating the more banal aspects of the architecture. There is no warmth to make the space more cozy or inviting. Perhaps it was designed so guests would not linger.