aluminum, plastic, jack plug and socket, earplugs
2017
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
aluminum, wood, plastic, microcontroller, LEDs, jack plug and socket, earplugs
2017
As Within, So Without is an exploration of self-awareness through technologically mediated relationships. In our ever-increasingly connected existence, isolation and loneliness is still pervasive. This interactive installation challenges viewers to consider mindfulness as a technique for reaching a deeper sense of interconnection in relationships.
Near the gallery entrance a display of headsets are available for viewers to use. Around the perimeter, mounted on the walls of the exhibition space are pods, splitters and cords; handheld objects reminiscent of ubiquitous items in pop culture, and fluorescent orange cords that solicit a cautious exploration of the environment. In the center of the space is a table with vacant docking stations. By using the headsets and connecting to the devices on the wall, viewers choose to engage in a technologically mediated experience. This connection is illustrated through a subtle shift in the lighting environment; everything is connected and everything changes. Docks on the table in the center of the exhibition invite the viewer to connect to other viewers more intentionally to further enrich their newly found perspective of self, others, and environment.
While connecting to the objects within the environment, viewers are simultaneously disconnecting from the physical space in which they reside. Physical reality is muted; an experience that is amplified through the deprivation of sound. This is representative of the experience of connecting to handheld technological devices, such as smartphones wherein the experience of physical reality is muted as our attention is drawn into virtual space. By creating objects with highly reflective surfaces, viewers are confronted with their reflection. Through this interaction and reflection, the viewer is offered an opportunity to see their relationship with technology from a different perspective.
Design and Fabrication by Caitlin Marie Driver*
Documentation by Brian Slawson Photography
*We are grateful for all who supported this project; Graduate Thesis Committee Members: Frankie Flood, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Robert Grame, Joseph Mougel, and Adream Blair. Additional Faculty Support: Jennifer Johung, Nicole Ridgeway, Ryan Mandell, Nathaniel Stern, Rina Kundu, Kim Beckman, and Michael Dale Bernard. Visiting Artist Studio Visits: Kiel Johnson, Bob Ebendorf, Veleta Vancza, Mike Bray, Gary Schott, and Harlan Butt. Graduate Student Cohort: Austin Boechler, Anna Freerksen, Ethan Krause, Zachary Manners, Kayla Massey, Patrick Stromme, and David Kent Watson. Electrical Engineer: James Marquardt. Installation Assistant: Maksym Prykhodko. Fabrication Volunteers: Zachary Driver, Scott Kraehnke, Christof Sander, Patrick Charles Walter, and Kendra Zimmerman. Photographer: Brian Slawson. Models: Sheila Rad, Aaron Cochran, and Cory O’Brian Borkowski. And finally, all the countless others that shared their perspective and time participating. Thank you!
A handheld device that enables connection.
rubber, stainless steel, jack plug and socket
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Model: Matt Kuhlman
an accessory for the iAm interactive device that allows for an intimate connection with freedom to roam.
rubber, Velcro, earplugs, plastic, jack plug
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
an interactive object for deep looking and listening.
aluminum, stainless steel, rubber, jack plug and socket, earplugs.
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Model: Adam Wertel
an interactive object for connection and self-reflection.
CNC machined aluminum, polypropylene, plastic, microcontroller, neopixels, jack plug and socket, ear plugs
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
iAm Connected, aluminum, plastic, polypropylene, ear plugs, microcontroller, LEDs, 2016
Several small reflective aluminum objects are mounted on a wall at chest height. In the center of each object is an empty connector. Take, unwrap, and plug in a fresh pair of earplugs. iAm offers its user’s an oasis; more than a moment of silence, a chance to disconnect by connecting to oneself. There is no sound, and nothing in view, nothing more than the acknowledgment of participation. A light illuminates above each socket when occupied, feedback for participation. iAm challenges users to be comfortable in their bodies in space, and to observe themselves as the primary source of information. Different from the conventional interface technology provides, iAm allows it’s users a moment just to be in their bodies. There is nothing to search for, scroll through, or click on – just simply observe the body as the primary source of information.
an interactive device for connection.
aluminum, jack plug and socket, vinyl, rubber, earplugs.
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Model: Becki Johnson
Participant, Becki Johnson
Photographs by Caitlin Marie Driver
an interactive device for connection and self-reflection.
aluminum, jack plug and socket, vinyl, rubber, ear plugs
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Model: Becki Johnson and Fred Kaems
a portable interactive device for connection and self-reflection.
aluminum, earplugs, jack plug and socket.
2016
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Model: Patrick Aaron Stromme, Adam Wertel
An effective, seemingly technological device.
vinyl, ear plugs, jack plug
2016
interactive video installation. LED tv, mac mini, microcontroller, copper, wood. 2015
Design, Fabrication, and Documentation by Caitlin Marie Driver
Bound by Periphery is an interactive art object that explores aspects of peripheral awareness through human presence and touch. Upon approaching the object, the viewer is revealed a moving, meditative, wave-like image on a screen resting face up on the gallery floor. By crouching down and physically exploring the copper frame through touch, the imagery begins to change; the water becomes clear, colors increase and decrease in saturation, and the speed of the waves slows down. Through presence and an acute awareness of the boundaries of the object, the viewer's experience becomes more dynamic and descriptive.
Bound by Periphery is a metaphor for the mind through various states of being contained and containing. A container holds a screen, holding a sequence of video frames, playing over time. While screens can hold an endless amount of data, this object is restrained to the frame of the video. The video frame only allows us to experience what is in view, limiting our field of vision, but upon exploration of the periphery, the focus becomes clearer and transforms. By placing emphasis on the physical presence of the body on the edge of the object, the viewer is offered an incentive to explore, to relieve themselves of tunnel vision, to soften focus, increase awareness, observe, and play.