Ammani, MacKenzie, Sujay, Victoria
We would like to present, Touch of Magic. We took to heart the decor as well as whimsy of the room in order to bring the magic to life, we wanted the installation to fit into the theme naturally. While the guests wait, we want them to play a game along the wall. The guests will have a chance to work together and contribute to the space. As the guests touch the golden bricks which are strategically tucked into the existing gaps, the overhead lighting will come alive. Guests have to find bricks with matching symbols and touch both the bricks to animate lighting. Some bricks will need multiple guests to hold hands to create the link. We wanted the placement of the bricks to encourage people to move ahead. The game of golden bricks will encourage them to go to the next set and try it out. We designed with an inclusive mindset, designing specifically for children and people who maybe in wheelchairs. We wanted to give them the power of magic and discovery.
Execution:
We will place a mixture of active blocks (those marked by a holiday icon) and inactive blocks, so that we can fill both sides of the room and create a cohesive design that is inline with the decor. Visitors can then touch these bricks, which will affect the lighting in a section of the other side of the room. We wanted the interactions to be rather simple and make sure the room has active and passive settings. Keeping in mind what happens when no one interacts with the sensors.
Phipps being a popular destination, the Winter light show even more so, these bricks are designed to be robust and can be replaced easily. Our bricks are cheap and easy to build. The Gold leaf tiles will face a waterproof box that houses all of the electrical components needed. The gold leaf will be sealed and the boxes can be easily reproduced in case of wear and tear.
The design also allows for flexibility in placement of the bricks. We can experiment to see what works best for the flow of guests.
• Gold leaf brick tile faces
• Waterproof boxes
• Makey Makey
Moving foward:
We wanted to design an interaction that not only fit the theme, but was also flexible enough to change to what would fit the requirements the best. Based on feedback from our presentation Sunday evening, we are beginning to think about next steps for this project. We are looking into how color and animation of the lights can also aid in moving people forward as well as some variations for the icons and bricks themselves. Some suggestions were larger icons or icons that are made of metal and affixed to the bricks, allowing for better discoverability as well as better accounting for the wear and tear of guests.