GLOWING WAVES VOL. 1: ILLUMINATED HAPTIC CHAIR
SYNCHRONISED AUDIO, LIGHT AND HAPTIC PATTERNS FOR IMMERSIVE MUSIC EXPERIENCE
Inspired by a phenomenon of a batch of firefly squids gathered at seashore forming a path of blue light, we created a haptic installation that guided music listeners to get immersed and felt tranformed into a different realm.
PROJECT:PERSONAL WORK
DATE:APR 2019
LOCATION:AQUA LOUNGE GRANSHIP, NAKA-MEGURO, JAPAN
FIELD:MULTIMODAL INTERACTION | MUSIC EXPERIENCE | INSTALLATION
FROM INSPIRATION TO CHALLENGE
MUSIC EXPERIENCE INSPIRED BY NATURE
"As I walked along the seashore, I found myself stumbled across this rare phenomenon. A batch of firefly squids gathered together. They emitted this so-called bioluminescence light from their body, creating a road of blue light. This path that painted the beach intrigued me, guided me to the door of a new dimension.
The closer I was to the door, no other sound existed, except the rippling sound of water that met my feet, and the sound of ocean waves that crashed into the water surface. The firefly squids started to dance along the water streams. As if magic was involved, the sound, the bioluminescence light, and the water splash merged into a synchronized pattern. And, when I realized, I already crossed this door, standing inside the new dimension. "
How might we create a transformative music experience that transport people from a normal bar atmosphere to another realm?
IDEATION
DESIGN FOR TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE
We were inspired by the phenomenon of bioluminescence light emitted by fireflies squid on Toyama Bay, Japan. We wanted to create an experience of being drifted away into another dimension by leveraging different human senses: audio (sound of the sea waves), visual (bioluminescence light) and haptic (water splash).
USER JOURNEY IDEATION
CONCEPT SKETCHES
After a round of ideation, we decided to build a coral throne which allows users to enjoy the view of deep sea while experiencing some haptic sensation.
CORAL PATTERN DESIGN IN ILLUSTRATOR
THE MAKING
FROM PROTOTYPING TO ACTUAL PRODUCT
We started off by building a scale model of the chair. Then with the help from Kitewa Wood Workshop we built the actual size. We used arduino, processing and MAX/MSP to control the LED and haptic pattern.
EXHIBITION
GLOWING WAVES INSTALLATION
Our final output was an illuminated haptic chair. The light on the acrylic panel and the vibration pattern was programmed to follow music rhythm and beat.
When users sit on the chair they could feel the music with their body and see the lights pulsating, displaying the coral pattern. Participants enjoyed the experience and many mentioned that the experience was refreshing as it was their first time to feel music with their body.
On a practical function, we observed that the installation may serve as a conversation starter. The above image on the right bottom side showed 2 guests who initially did not know each other, but they shared this same unique experience and managed to build a relationship.