Project Description
My involvement in the Media Balloon Project, was an adventure that really started to wet my palette for the idea of transforming into more experimental design as a form of creative expression.
To describe my time leading up to this experience, I was in my final year of university and after some turmoil with the university deleting my major I decided to continue my studies and move into some of the newer developed courses, in an attempt to follow a new interest in my professional development (UX & Interaction Design).
One of the courses that I did as a capstone to my degree was a pilot program called experimental tangible design, which reinforced my earlier hobbies in life as someone who enjoyed the aspect of making microelectronics.
Six months after doing that course, I had a course which offered some Work Integrated Learning(WIL), that WIL was with Dr. Ralph Kenke as part of FASTLAB, working on a media exhibition that was in its infancy, I jumped at the opportunity.
“as an aside Ralph was teaching at the University of Newcastle longer than I had been studying, he had taught a lot of the courses I did in my tenure there, somehow I never got him as a teacher in four years.”
Ralph had an idea
“Let’s put 100 balloons in the air above people’s heads and let’s make people as a crowd, as a moving cloud, change it”
The challenges were as follows.
I. The Sensors for detecting people needed to be bought, adapted or developed.
II. The total weight had to remain under the balloon’s buoyancy capacity(~1Kg).
III. The exhibit needed to retain some level of weatherproofing.
IV. The units had to be safe for people to be around.
V. There was a twelve week deadline…
How did Paragon Design Help?
My involvment was pretty early in the project, however it was agreed before my involvement that we were going to use illuminate type balloons to show the interaction
Because of aftermath of COVID, we had some constraints on the types of sensors we could use, so myself and Elmar Trefz and I, had to develop / adapt a touchless sensor and a touch based sensor.
My Direct Contributions
The Sensor
I designed and programmed a simple touch capactive sensor based on the use of a monowire filament type of embroidery thread that had a conductivity to it, the sensor had some problems with grounding and stability early on that was rectified, by a programatic reset that occured every few minutes, clearing any built up static capactitance.
This sensor was not used in the Burns Laneway Cloud, but was used extensively in later iterations of the exhibit.
The Enclosure
I designed and manufacured the tube housing that contained the battery, and all other essential components needed to be lightweight and durable, allowing for the SR202 ultrasonic sensor to stick through, but also allowing the touch sensor monofilament to exit the container without grounding itself, also requiring strain relief.
Testing
Testing weatherproofing, times till helium deflation, color saturation and brightness, etc..
The Grotesque Work
To quote Elmar "Grotesque work", between all of us we had to solder 100 x JST connectors for the Battery-PCB and 100 x JST for the LED, thats 500 solder joints
Visualisation
I had to, at times assist Ralph Kenke with some visualisation for management of heights and communicating with the local government shareholders
The Grunt Work
In the final week till deadline, i helped setup the exhibit, navigated around some delays,(theft of resources / safety equipment / Programing Bugs)
Outcomes
Burns Lane Exhibit
During the Event, the exhibit performed with minor technical difficulties and the crowd that transitted beneath the clould could concieve of the effects of their movment, thus they begane to explore with their intent, children began to play games, and adults even began to play as a result of the placement, with even one energetic parent lifting their child up and accidentally triggering the reset protocal for one of the units(causing the unit to flash red), this led to others emulating the interaction.
University House Exhibition
An indoors Exhibition which allowed public a more intimate viewing of the units and how they worked, with the integrated touch sensors working as intended.
AWARDS
This Exhibit was awarded a Distinction By the Australian Graphic Design Awards for Digial / Multi-Sensory Installations
This Exhibit was awarded a Merit By the Australian Graphic Design Awards for Digital / Technological Innovation
This Exhibit was awarded a Merit By the Australian Graphic Design Awards for Spatial / Temporary Installations
CITATIONS
Kenke R, Trefz E, Parker A, Floating Pixel Media Balloon, Singleton Arts and Cultural Centre (SACC), Newcastle CBD, Singleton, Newcastle (2022)
Kenke R, Trefz E, Burns Lane Cloud, Burns Lane, Singleton, NSW, Singleton (2021)
SPECIAL NOTES
Thank you Ralph and Elmar for the opportunity to work along side you on this project, it was an amazing journey we had to get this out there, a lot of long nights and snacks were required.
