fireLight?
So I have this vision… a beautiful object that is little and wood, and it lights on fire; and with magic, it turns on and controls a larger light source. I also have this class, Physical Computing Studio, where you can pick a project to work on all semester. So I thought, great, seems like a match made in heaven: I get to create this image my mind cannot seem to let go of, and better yet, I have enough time to make it really well and put it in the hands of real users. All sounds good… and it is… theres just one small problem. I am not entirely sure what the ‘point’ of it is (the object).
When I talk to people about the idea they always ask ‘why’ and I don’t really have a good answer for them. This would not bother me so much if I was thinking about my object as an art piece… but I’m not, I want it to be a product. Something where you have to pay attention to the engineering of the thing and the durability/interaction. So, I am kinda in between to areas: made for TV gadget vs. art installation.
I am not necessarily in new territory, there are lots of designers/companies that make high end art objects with really low production numbers, but somehow I still feel the project has not clicked. I think it has to do with the fact that I would probably not really use this thing… even if it does come out very beautiful, and I have a little bit of a hard time believing other people would use it too. So does that make it not worthwhile? Maybe there are contexts where this project can be ‘finished’ that I would be satisfied with? I think this is the biggest struggle I have with my work… where to put it.
All in all, I will probably ignore my unsettled feeling and go after what I am excited about… maybe someone will find a context for me.
As far as physical progress goes:
I started thinking about the ‘branding’ of the object… fireLight (see logo) (Its funny ow this helps my work through the project).
I also un-wirelessed the prototype so I wouldn’t have to worry about that for now.
Possibly decided on using DC powered lights and actually making my own lamp… this way the project is firmly planted in the ‘high end design’ area and I can be more free and frivoluous.
And good news, the test went well in a darker room… (see video).