Do Not Disturb (DND), 2018
Watercolor paper laminate, copper tape, Adafruit Feather M0, haptic buzzers, mini-speaker, wire
A complicated piece and intended as a visceral reaction towards Trump’s border policies, this is a prototype for a series of FM-radio networked docadecohedron balls, each with individual identities. They respond negatively or positively to being touched and also to being separated from their “parents” or “immediate siblings” for an extended length of time.
Upon personal infraction, the hedron-balls are programmed to object mightily, by shaking themselves and making audible, human-recognizable complaints. Because they are a radio-networked family, the other balls will also protest and get angrier until you put them down. I imagined they would be displayed in a fenced-in area, where they would have autonomy and cohorts but would be subject to the whim of whoever picked them up.
They are constructed from a laminate of heavy watercolor paper from which a single pattern, called a ‘net,’ is cut out and folded into the ball. Also included is the Adafruit Feather M0, capacitive touch board, speaker, haptics, wire, copper tape sensors, and conductive paint.
