A. Metabolic City - Yiyao Gao - Inmi Lee
B. Video Documentation
C. CONCEPTION AND DESIGN:
Initial design
Two goals I want to achieve with this project:
Users may appreciate the connection and similarity between human body and urban spaces
Visualization of the metabolism of urban spaces
In this project, users perform CPR on a human model to build architectural structures composed of capsules. The core concept stems from my awareness of the constantly changing urban landscape and research on the Metabolism movement in architecture. I view urban spaces and architecture as organic, living entities. Therefore, the interaction in this project mimics CPR on a human model to construct a building.
The architectural design was inspired by the Nakagin Capsule Tower, which consists of replaceable capsules. The surface images on the building capsules, created using Processing, feature photos of demolished buildings from around the world, destroyed due to human activities such as wars and demolition. As living spaces, architectures often hold human memories. This project aims to visualize the reshaping of urban spaces over time, reflecting the loss of memories and cultures in the process.
The interaction process mirrors CPR, involving chest compressions and rescue breaths. To replicate this, I designed a transparent round plate with three springs and a force sensor underneath, allowing users to experience the physical effort of performing CPR. Additionally, I incorporated flow sensors to enable users to blow into the model, controlling the movement of the building blocks. To ensure users stay engaged with the screen, I adjusted the blocks' movement speed to balance the physical interaction with the visual experience of the building process.
User testing provided valuable feedback, such as creating a "tummy" for CPR and strengthening the connection between urban spaces and CPR. I adopted this idea later in fabrication. Many users found the project too abstract, so I added pictures to the surfaces of the building blocks to provide clearer context.
D. FABRICATION AND PRODUCTION:
Human body: I designed the head and body pieces with cuttlexyz, laser cut these with woodboard and used hot glue to form a solid human body model. The size of these pieces were designed in accordance to the size of both sensors. The hollow part of the body was designed for "chest compression", which included three springs, a few smaller round boards where force sensor can lie on, and a transparent plastic board.
Inspiration for the head part
Design sketches
Laser cutting
The inner structure of "chest compression"
Wooden pieces
Flow sensors in the position of eyes
Decorations (indicator of the theme: Architecture)
Arduino: I chose flow sensor and force sensor. Flow sensor can accurately detect the flow rate of air which perfectly suit "breath rescue" interaction. I chose force sensor instead of touch sensor because I can set a threshold so that users are required to make more efforts which simulates "chest compression", creating more intense feelings. Arduino code was easy. I simply copied the code of calculating flow rate, read the analog signal of forcesensor, and put serial print there.
Processing was the most challenging aspect of this project, but I broke it down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable. I began by setting up an array of pictures and controlling the appearance of random images, initially using mouse clicks and later transitioning to force sensor values. To progress further, I referenced Processing tutorials on the Stack Overflow forum to set up an ArrayList and a Cube class.
One particularly tricky part was adding textures to the cubes. Initially, I tried applying texture(image) directly under box() but failed. Recalling a recitation session where I used vertex() to add textures to a 2D cat illustration, I decided to explore whether it would work for 3D objects. I even sought GPT's help to write the cube with vertices, but that approach also failed. I was advised to add lights() at the start, but the real breakthrough came when I discovered that textureMode(NORMAL) was the solution.
Despite resolving these challenges, I failed to visualize the collapse of the building as intended.
Sketch of code
E. CONCLUSIONS:
My project aims to convey the idea that urban spaces are constantly undergoing a process of metabolism, while also drawing a connection between the human body and urban environments. I successfully achieved most of my goals, although the connection remains somewhat abstract if without further explanation.
People interacting with the project during presentation
IMA show
Since the audience can associate this project with common emergency knowledge, they can easily grasp its purpose. As expected, it took some time for them to understand the message the project conveys. This project fosters deeper communication and resonance between the audience and the project. The interaction becomes more profound when the audience kneels in front of the screen, requiring no second person to enhance the level of interaction.
If I had more time, I would focus on diversifying the background and adding more visual details to the building. I would also spend more time on the design of the body. Probably, I would take Flora and Inmi's ideas, integrating more architectural elements into the body itself. Also, I'd like to add heart beat sensor into the project. Most importantly, I will fixate more on the consistence of the whole project.
Through this project, I learned that a ten-minute idea can take over a week to bring to life. Breaking tasks into smaller steps is always a good way to start when facing challenges. Additionally, participating in the IMA show for the first time taught me that, whether your project works perfectly or not, sharing your ideas with others is invaluable for personal growth.
F. DISASSEMBLY:
I disassenbled the project and recyclyed the wood board for future use.
F. APPENDIX
Processing code (includes some gpt generated code)
Arduino code
Wiring diagram
Reference:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3982550/creating-an-arraylist-of-objects
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14570848/how-to-create-an-array-of-images-in-java
Soundbase: https://citiesandmemory.com/
All the pictures are collected from open online sources.