Brief Let's imagine we have received a request to pitch a new project that requires us to demonstrates the creative use of machines and making, applied in a series of artifacts.

The context is set to look at interpretations that visually express natural phenomena and their impact on the built or natural environment in view of uncertain futures.

The following starting points have been given to us to draw inspiration from:

Readings This is Distributed Design Made in China, designed in California, criticized in Europe Useless Machines A people's guide to AI

Phenomena Sun Water Growth Soil

Machines Plotter Laser-Cutter Micro-Controller Computing-Systems

From the readings provided, select at least one text from the publications below that catches your attention and extract a guiding fact for your contributions to this  project.

This is Distributed Design  looks at (design)communities, methods, projects that embrace future ways of designing where making plays an essential role.

Made in China, designed in California, criticized in Europe takes a more critical angle looking at and questioning contemporary design within techno-driven lifestyles, scenarios and context.

Useless Machines describes an early work and design approach by Bruno Murani (1907–1998), an italian artist, designer, inventor who's practice and methods were rather playful, tactile, experiential in its own ways.

A people's guide to AI takes a down-to-earth and open-minded look at how Machine Learning, AI and its associated tools and applications can benefit all of us, not just a small group of elites.

Readings 

1 This is Distributed Design

2 Made in China, designed in California, criticized in Europe

3 Useless Machines

4 A people's guide to AI

From the phenomena listed, pick one that you are curious about, study it, be curious, develop ideas about how it can be represented in more abstract ways than literal or figurative. Use the chosen phenomenon as guiding inspiration.

Sun  rays, hot, bright, energy, electricity, dangerous, life.

Water fluid, vital, wet, polluted, life.

Growth process, evolution, development, maturing, life.

Soil  bacteria, fungi, texture, layers, ecology, cycles, life.

Phenomena 

Sun

Water

Growth

Soil

Machines 

Plotter

Laser Cutter

Micro-Controller

Computing-Systems

Plotter A plotter is a machine that moves a pen across two axis to draw a vector design on a 2D surface.

Laser Cutter A laser cutter is similar to a plotter, it moves a laser across a 2D surface and cuts through or engraves an image into the surface, materials that are often used here are wood, acrylic or cardboard. 

Micro-Controller A micro-controller is a small device that can be programmed and receive signals from the physical world through various types of sensors. Furthermore a micro-controller is used to control actuators such as motors, speakers or lighting systems.

Computing Systems Computer systems here simply refers to software and, in particular, customizable software or code. Areas such as machine learning or cellular automata offer us amazing emergent behavior, as do all sorts of software tools that we use (un)knowingly on a daily basis.

Design a tool, wearable or object from 2D cut outs. Materials can be acrylic, wood or paper.

Use one of the 3 design references provided as inspiration for your own design ideas and interpretations. Then link the idea to the context you have established for your project.

What

How

After developing a better understand of the laser cutting machine and the materials that you intend to work with, make adjustments to your design. Then proceed to cutting and assembling your design.

F403

Deliverables

1 Images, videos documenting process and final outcome

2 Short description (~120 words) of  idea and outcome

3 Source images, code if applicable

Where

How

Try one of the suggested machine learning options in the next slide and develop from it a usable application that fits the context you have been working with so far.

Play with one of these machine learning applications: teachabe machines or posenet.

What

How

Deliverables

1 Images, screenshots, video(s) documenting interaction, final outcome

2 Short description (~120 words) of  idea and outcome

3 Source code (if applicable)

Teachable Machine is a web-based tool that makes creating machine learning models fast, easy, and accessible to everyone.

Tools

Use iMovie. Simple hard-cuts will do, no transition effects required.

Video Editing

Use Photoshop, but Preview does a good job as well when it comes to resizing or color correcting images.

Image Editing

Submission