Claw Machine
Physical Description:
The basic physical premise is to make a claw machine. The interior of the suitcase will have a bunch of objects (balls or stuffed animals) covering the bottom. Furthermore there will be a crane like claw that the user will use to try to pick up the objects in order to retrieve them. The user will control the crane through either a midi controller or some other similar type of controller.
Artistic Premise:
The inspiration for this idea the carnival and the circus where there are often games for people to play, which are often rigged. The same rings true for the claw games that are at arcades or restaurants. I wanted to explore the need for control through the user physically controlling the machine to get the prize they want. I wanted to explore making the controller not function properly. For example, I thought about having an arrow pointing to the right actually moving the machine in the opposite direction. In the same way I thought about making it impossible for the user to get the prize in the end. I also wanted to explore the need for material things and the need to win. From my childhood I remember my friends and I would play the claw machine or other similar games so many times and we would never win but we wanted the prize so bad. So by making it hard for the user to win and get a prize I would be invoking that need.
Materials:
This idea is still being worked out (if it would even be feasible in the scope of the class) but in term of materials, I would need to use several motors along with an Arduino, laser cut and 3D printed materials, and desirable objects to be placed in the suitcase bed.