TEI 2017

Arts Exhibition

The advancements in digital fabrication, material science, synthetic biology and nanotechnology have made it possible for us to process or even synthesize new materials. The key paradigm of programmable matter has introduced materials that can compute and dynamically change their properties. Researchers and artists have started warming up to the key benefits of these technologies.

In TEI 2017 Arts Track, we selected 6 works that are exploring new relationships with the physical worlds – our perception, cognition and expression. They bring the materiality dimension to the foreground from the perspective of art - a discourse around how our relations with materials are rapidly evolving and their potential to transform our fashion, creation and communication.

Visitors will be able to interact with many of the works on display.

The exhibition is located in the 3rd Floor in the main conference venue, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design, Yokohama, Japan. It is open to all the TEI attendees on Tuesday, 21st March from 1.30 PM to 5.30 PM.

Sparklry: designing “Sparkle” of interactive jewelry

Maho Oki and Koji Tsukada (Future University Hakodate)

At present, many projects embed smart LEDs –multiple LEDs dynamically controlled by computers – into clothes or accessories to support novel expressions or daily activities. However, most of them do not consider the “sparkle” of traditional jewelry. We propose a presentation technique for interactive jewelry called “Sparklry”, which can present "sparkles" on a jewel stone using internal LEDs. These sparkles are designed by integrating (1) a traditional jewel, (2) a light shielding sheet with small slits, and (3) an LED array. We developed a prototype and several examples of jewelry to explore appropriate designs of slits and LED patterns. Moreover, we developed two prototypes.

Second Skin: An Exploration of eTextiles Stretch Circuits on the Body

Rachel Freire (Rachel Freire Studio), Cedric Honnet (DataPaulette) and Paul Strohmeier (University of Copenhagen)

Second Skin is a stretch electronic textile (eTextile) garment that adapts to the shape of the body. It is designed as both a provocative outer shell and a functioning undergarment, or foundation garment. Using elastic materials and building on techniques from cutting edge sportswear manufacturing, it facilitates wearable electronics which can recede from the users attention. We consider Second Skin as a platform that other researchers can use to add functionality of their own. In our exhibit, people can interact with a prototype version of Second Skin as well as with material samples to gain a better understanding of its look, feel and material capabilities.

Brighter Than A Thousand Suns. A Uniform To Detect And Display Radiation

Susanna Hertrich (Academy of Art and Design FHNW) and Aiktoshi Honda (Ahonda.org)

This paper describes a recent art project in which a uniform allows to detect and display nuclear radiation. Here, wearable technology is interpreted as contemporary samurai gear. The uniform comprises of a helmet with an ornament, a handheld scanning device and a box with a microcontroller. It is completed by a protective suit.

The ground scanning device contains a Geiger counter kit which sends signals through the microcontroller to the ornament on the helmet which is equipped with an LED-strip. The ornament lights up in response to the measurements coming from the device. The major part of this artwork is a full HD single channel video of about 15 minutes duration that shows a young man wearing the uniform and scanning the devastated areas near the nuclear power stations in Fukushima. The video was filmed on location in May 2016.

Distorted Reality: Augmented 3D Photogrammetry Over HoloLens™

Denis Vlieghe, Austin Lee and Wayne Chung (Carnegie Mellon University)

Our work explores the vision of integrating 3d data collected through photogrammetry into the source of the information in a physical space leveraging Mixed Reality (MR) interface platform. As a proof-of-concept prototype design, we show augmentation of the 3D data associated with the physical surrounding using HoloLens and Photogrammetry technique. Our goals are two folds: First, to introduce novel interaction design technique to duplicate and superimpose the physical world virtually in a Mixed Reality setting. Second, to understand how people will interpret and interact in this new hybrid space where artistic photogrammetry 3D renderings of the space are overlaid onto the real world as a multidimensional Mixed Reality element.

InTouch Wearables: Exploring Ambient Remote Touch in Child-Parent Relationships

Jinsil Hwaryoung Seo, Annie Sungkajun and Meghan Cook (Texas A&M University)

InTouch Wearables is a set of wearables that consist of dresses and shoulder pieces that allow mother and child share remote touches through garments in an ambient way. This was developed to explore how remote touches can convey emotion and help people maintain being connected between remote locations. This project was created based on the lead artist’s personal experience with her child. In InTouch Wearables, a parent can increase the vividness of her conversation with a child through contextualized touch, and the loved ones may enhance the affective tone of their communication using a remote touch technology. All the electronic components of the garment for sensing human touches and actuating color-changing garment were integrated on the main fabrics. If accepted, we will be available to exhibit two dresses and four shoulder pieces on mannequins and hangers. Audience will be able to touch and activate interaction between garments.

Tea with Crows: Experiencing Proactive Ubiquitous Technology by Interactive Art

Young Suk Lee (Indiana University)

“Tea with Crows” is an interactive sculptural installation seeking to enable a poetic use of technology that offers stimulation and provocation. It does so by embedding aesthetic elements, experimental ideas and practical usage into ubiquitous computing. This multi-modal interactive piece connects people to each other, and constructs social conversation while engaging in innovative ambient design and technology. “Tea with Crows” explores experiential aesthetic by embedding playful kinetic motion and shape changing interfaces into everyday objects. The transformable form, function, and action of the sculpture are synchronized between the tea table and chandelier enriching the human experience. Ultimately, “Tea with Crows” aims to bring an expressive digital object with ubiquitous computing into the foreground of our everyday life by creating proactive interaction beyond the calm display.