Initial Idea
I was thinking to work on a new information data interface for my project. Therefore, I chose an interesting medium, liquid. Also in the lectures, I saw lot of examples of using liquid to present the data sculpture, like TeZ'e Optofonica project, information percolator, bitfall, Eavesdripping... The liquid display becomes more and more popular.
Then I was inspired by Oscar Diaz's Self-printed calendar and posterswhich are made by the ink bleeding on the paper. The Chinese calligraphy and traditional painting also interested me, specially the blowing ink to make a painting for drawing plants. I thinks plants always reltes to water. For water saving concept, I would like to start from tree.
Ideas for the Frame and Switch
The idea of using Push-pull button was from Naoto Fukasawa’s CD player for Muji 1999. (Photo from: http://www.ideo.com/work/featured/muji/)
Also the shape design for the switch is from the Weights of the Cuckoo clock.
My main concept was influenced by Brendan Dawes's Book "Analog in, digital out: Brendan Dawes on interaction design". Brendan told that "the creativity is not about playing safe and it never should be". I though liquid was changefully and having many probabilities, so that I could create fresh aspect for it.
Brendan wrote " the everyday into the not so everyday" in the "Walk on by" section of the book. My project was based on the everyday issue "water saving" for making people live sustainably. I questioned myself how i could make the everyday not so everyday, how i can remind people to save water by a special experence.
Brendan also mentioned the small details of how interactive things presented. I really like details, but still wants to keep my design in an aesthetic, simple and clean look.
The code using in Liquid Tree is based on the Stepper Unipolar advanced example on the Arduino website, Author: David Cuartielles, date: 20Oct2005, http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/StepperUnipolar
Please Click to see the details. Here
