Category Archives: Introductions

Introductions, Uncategorized

Annelie Intro

5,985 Comments

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By now you hopefully know that I am Annelie, second year MFA DT.

I am an architect by original profession, but I have also worked in film, publishing, advertising and installation design and I now find myself here at Parsons.

For my thesis I am investigating semi-living buildings and biofabrication. I believe that we are approaching an era where the built environment will be hybridised with biological matter. With this we will need to develop a new language of design, one for which we don’t have a vocabulary yet, and develop a new toolkit with which to design, build or grow  semi-living structures. In this new system we will not only have to address the changing relationship between human and the environment, but also human and matter as this architecture will not be made of inert construction materials, but with materials that come with the responsibilities of life.

I will be researching two areas of study: speculative construction tools and actual biofabrication.

I have found that the explanation of semi-living architecture as a concept is not being understood nor was the aesthetics of what I am proposing digested very well.  I wanted to find a way through which to use this new vocabulary and introduce the general public to the potential look and feel, but without the initial trepidation that goes with it. I realised that to change perspective one needs to use familiarity. I will thus make a series of tools that you would be able to  buy in the future hardware store, but by then it will most probably be called  a wetware store.

I also want to work with actual biomaterials and I have recently become a member at Genspace. Here I will continue my studies on chitin in Mycelia and hopefully Algae as well. I am hoping to develop bioplastics and also investigate the conductivity of mycelia.

I am currently also involved with the organisation of a conference called Biofabricate which will be held in December.

www.anneliekoller.com

www.biofabricate.co

This is me….

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Assignments, Introductions, Week 1

Hi, I’m Leah!

13,928 Comments

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Hi, I’m Leah! I’m a first year MFA Design and Technology student! For my undergraduate degree, studied at Yeshiva University where I majored in Studio Art.  I love building things and seeing how things work  and since my background is more design based, I am beyond excited to learn P-COMP! I am interested in EVERYTHING, but  more specifically interactive design, and P-comp right now. I love studying human/animal relationships in different environments, reading the Science Times, Tim Burton, monsters, toy design and anything absurd!

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http://asimo.honda.com/default.aspx

I am really inspired by a Asimo, a robot created by Honda.  He is the first robot that has human-like characteristics: the shape of a human body, joints connecting his robot limbs,  not only voice command, but voice and facial recognition AND he is airborne when he runs.

Despicable_Me_Fart_Gun

http://despicableme.wikia.com/wiki/Fart_Gun

Another inspiration, is a pointless contraption from the movie Despicable me, The Fart Ray Gun.  Although there is no importance to the fart ray, the humor behind this maniacal device is pure brilliance.

Introductions, Week 1

{Intro} Nima Behravan

2,460 Comments

I have a masters of Engineering Management from University of Southern California. Also my bachelor is in Material Science and Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran.  I also work at Library of International Center for Photography(ICP), and my work is on archiving photobooks and research about news of publishing world. Here you can find my blog:  http://nimabeh.wordpress.com/

 

 

I chose this class because I want to interact with physical computing and making objects with inquiries.  I came to this program to improve my self-design abilities as I was working with lots of engineering designed solutions throughout my career before.Screen Shot 2014-10-19 at 2.26.52 AMread more on the obligation to self-design here:

 http://www.e-flux.com/journal/the-obligation-to-self-design/

 

Introductions, Week 1

Hi, I’m Lucy

3,421 Comments

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I’m Lucy Morcos. I’m a second year in MFA Design & Technology.  I went to undergrad in Philly for Interactive Design but that’s not important. My interests within this program are in physical computing, code, games, bio, storytelling, illustration, sound design etc. I’m really interested in pursuing product design or something in the physical market, so long as it’s creative and isn’t soul sucking. But we’ll see. On a less serious note I love robots and space. I’m not sure why but it’s often a theme in my work. So yes, some of my favorite movies do include Star Wars and the Iron Giant.

I also hate being called Lucille. I feel like I always need to make sure I say that.

Stuff that inspires me

Illustrations

I’ve decided to include some art that inspired this whole robot ramble. I love to look at art and illustrations, especially colorful ones. For whatever reason they inspire me, even when they aren’t related to my project topic.

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http://ericjoyner.com/?page_id=365

(no idea where these exact pictures are on the site, but the artist is Eric Joyner)

Mixed Media

A project I recently found interesting is a mixed media storybook. I’m looking into mixed media for my Thesis project, so this project was especially interesting to me. It is a storybook, and when the pages are flipped, the app communicates with it. I think it opens up a lot of possibilities for children’s storybooks and games. This group also has a few other interesting projects if you want to check them out.

http://www.bestinteractiveebooks.com/2013/06/bridging-book/
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I know I have plenty more physical computing projects that I love but I’m completely blanking on it. I’ll come back to edit this when I finally remember some.

Introductions, Week 1

Hi! I’m Ziqu

2,106 Comments

ZZ

Hey! I’m Ziqu Zou, second year MFA DT. As a UX designer and Web developer, I am interested in every interaction and technologies related to the web. Last year, I learned PCOM in my first year MFA DT, I began to be drawn to the physical world and tried to combine my web skill with physical computing knowledge. I did a lot of internet of things projects last year. I will continually explore on this area this year, too. This semester, I wanna have more knowledge on tangible things to create product level project in the future. Also, I wanna learn basic skill of designing and creating the circuit board.

 

MYO

MYO is a band tracking your body movement by continually tracking your action current of muscle. Users can use MYO to control their devices or playing games by the gesture of their hands and arms. MYO uses Bluetooth to communicate with devices, so you can develop apps or physical objects controlled by MYO.

  • NEST Thermostat

NEST Thermostat is a product connect with your wifi at home to control your AC system. It can control the temperature of your house by the current temperature or by the time. You can also manage your AC system through your phone. Currently, Thermostat opens some APIs for developers, so you can create more interesting apps for Thermostat.

Assignments, Introductions, Uncategorized, Week 1

Hi, I’m Ali

1,779 Comments

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Hello I’m Ali,

I am a 4th year BFA Fashion Design student focusing on bioart, fashioning bodies, and the relationship between the body and technology. I view fashion in the larger context of making or fashioning objects and as social practice. As a former ballet dancer, I am interested in the relationship of the body, other living systems and environments. I am currently a member of Genspace, the community biotechnology lab, where I am working on my thesis and growing biomaterials. I am very interested in DIYbio, hacking and subverting science, interaction and growing organisms and biomaterials to begin to explore the implications of science and technology in society,  and to increase interest in science in everyday life.  At Genspace, I am currently growing the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast in a kombucha tea media, and mycelium- the vegetative part of fungi. I am growing these materials to begin to understand how the they interact with the body, and what they can do, as well as how they can be investigated, experimented with, and grown.

Some Inspiration:

 

SemiDollG

Semi Living Worry Dolls, Tissue Culture and Art Project (Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr)

Based on the old Guatemalan story told to children- that any worries should be whispered to your dolls. At night, you can tell your dolls your worries and they will solve them while you sleep. Oron and Ionat created worry dolls for the public to whisper their worries(possibly of biotechnology and the dolls themselves) to. These were the first engineered tissue sculptures presented in an art gallery. The dolls were hand made from a degradable polymer and then seeded with cells from the McCoy cell line. During the exhibition they were displayed in bioreactors to sustain growth, the dolls were nourished daily, and at the end they were ‘killed’.  http://tcaproject.org/semi-living-worry-dolls/

 

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Invisible Resources, Zuzana Gombosova

Zuzana used bacteria which produce bacterial cellulose, she experimented with growth by creating a device which experimented with different patterns of nourishing and feeding. Her goals were to raise the questions of how devices can alter perception of products and how the patience required to grow material might change our material culture. http://www.zuzana-gombosova.squarespace.com/#/new-gallery/

 

Assignments, Introductions, Week 1

Hi, I’m Natasha

5,994 Comments

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Hi, my name is Natasha. I am a second year MFADT student. I am taking this class to support my thesis research, in which I will explore the relationship between identity, storytelling, and environment. I am interested in how our relationship to the environment is changing due to climate change, urban migration, and the convergence of physical and digital worlds through augmented reality and smart objects. I think these transformations will change how we perceive and interact with our selves, each other, and our environment.

I am interested in how our tools define us, by determining how we travel, understand, and interact with our world. In this class I hope to create devices that explore the relationship of the identity to environment as mediated by tool. I want to question the ways in which we perceive our place in the world and suggest new modes of perception through the creation of new tools.

In that vein, I am sharing some images of characters whose identity is deeply connected to their tools. They are inspiration to me because they highlight the connection between identity, story, tool, and environment.

The Doctor with sonic screw-driver
In the TV show “Doctor Who,” the identity of The Doctor is connected with his two main tools, the TARDIS (his space-time ship), and the sonic screwdriver, an all-purpose tool. The TARDIS allows him to traverse the universe in a non-linear time-stream, while the screwdriver lets him escape from tight situations. Image from http://www.therpf.com/f9/tom-baker-sonic-screwdriver-shocking-evidence-59377/index11.html.
Captain Jack Sparrow and Compass
In the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies Captain Jack Sparrow has a special compass. It doesn’t point north like most compasses do, but it still helps him navigate based on his own determination of what is important. Image from http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/Jack_Sparrow’s_compass.
Harry Potter and wand
In the Harry Potter stories, wizards and witches use their wands to navigate, understand, and interact with their environment. Image from http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Wandlore.
Frodo and the ring
Tools do not always help their users. In “The Lord of the Rings” the ring allows its user to see and navigate the world differently, but it also corrupts their perception and identity. Image from http://experiment627movies.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html.