DOTKLOK will be an open source clock kit with multiple time-telling animations, some literal like the simple display above, and others showing the passage of time through abstract patterns, following on from my Electric Window 3 series.

The inspiration for this clock is to combine a bunch of cool ways to show time — such as in a sentence, with words, or retro game displays — along with my own original animations, while providing a platform on which others can further develop cool timepieces.

Thanks to a great RTC1307 tutorial and library by Adafruit, I was interfacing with the clock chip faster than expected, and soon had a rudimentary sketch up and running:

The font’s not too hot, but it’s the default one I had from the Electric Window 3 software.  I’ll be developing several special time fonts and and animations over the next few weeks, along with designing a cool laser-cut acrylic case to round out a kit that’ll be great for both those who want to hack and mod the clock, and those who simply want to plug it in and enjoy.

[ Eyebeam bio ]

Working with Hernani Dias on the Re:Farm project (see my previous post for some more info about the Re:Farm project), my first objective is to create the PCB for the Re:Farm On The Wall module, a data visualization module using an LED display to present data away from the computer screen.

[ details after the break ]

Here’s Hernani’s original sketch for displaying the soil moisture level from 6 sensors:

This design uses 7 LEDs to display the soil moisture level for each of 6 sensors (42 in all). The design concept has been formalized as seen below:

The module still has 7 LEDs for each sensor (or farm/garden), but with the addition of LEDs between the groups (for a total of 48) to create a complete circle which can be used with other templates, such as the one below, for visualizing other data such as temperature or humidity:

Ideally, the board will also incorporate a stepper motor to drive a needle (like a speedometer) for an additional data channel.

I’m going to first concentrate on the LED display. Since the board will make use of an ATMEGA microcontroller (Arduino) chip and an XBee radio (to receive the data), real estate on the approx. 3″ x 3″ board is already a bit tight, so I am currently researching Charlieplexing, an LED driving scheme which allows N*(N-1) LEDs to be directly driven by N pins of the microcontroller. 8 data pins from the microcontroller can thus be used to control the 48 LEDs since Charlieplexing with 8 pins allows control of up to 8*7=56 LEDs.

At The Next HOPE conference this past weekend (blog post about the conference forthcoming), Jimmie P. Rogers was demo’ing and selling his LoL (Lots of LEDs) Shields for the Arduino. He has a great post about his work with Charlieplexing which I’m currently consulting. Talk about serendipity!

In a way, the overlap between the needs of Hernani’s project and my own interests in lighting and internet-enabled lighting fixtures is serendipitous as well.  It’s great to be working on a project that is seemingly so diverse from my own projects, yet has so much overlap on the technical side.

It’s also been interesting to observe Hernani’s design approach/philosophy which stems from his graphic design background.  It seems like everything starts from the aesthetic: the documentation for the project has some of the nicest component diagrams I’ve seen; and even his calendar is created in Illustrator

This presented a perfect opportunity to experiment with interactivity and sensor input for my Electric Window 3 platform.

After sketching out several 1-button game ideas, I decided to move forward with some simple particle systems, controlled by users through their interaction with a single button added to an Electric Window 3 fixture.  Thus was born Electric Window 3B:

[ more info and VID after the break ]

Each time the button is pressed, a new particle (represented by a single LED) is born.  The speed of each new particle is based on the average time between previous births.  Thus, the system has a form of “memory” shaped by previous users.

There are several variants of the particle systems in terms of particle behavior: particles either constantly scroll across the screen and wrap around at the borders; bounce back and forth (or up and down) within the screen; or travel both up and down and side to side, creating the opportunity for collisions.  In the latter case, when the particles collide, they both die.  In all cases, the particle system only has room for so many particles, so after a certain number of births (via button presses), the system resets.  This teases users to find a balance between a “boring” system of few particles versus creating a busy/dynamic system at the risk of killing the whole thing.

The guiding principle was to create an engaging, evolving display from a simple set of rules and user input.

Here’s a video demo:

The curators — Heather Kelly of Kokoromi and Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music/Motion — accepted the piece into the exhibition which took place on March 11-13 2010 at the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts.

I’m now planning to implement particle system animations into future Electric Window 3 fixtures, and more generally, start adding time-based behavior and user input (both direct via buttons etc., and indirect via motion sensors, etc.) to my light fixtures.

It’s always great to have a specific project like this to nudge one along and try out some new ideas and add a new angle to one’s work

This work was generously supported by the art funding program of the City of Ottawa.

Gallery Lausberg specializes in abstract German sculpture.  Of particular interest to me were the works of Regine Schumann and Klaus Staudt.

Schumann’s work revolves around sculptural acrylic forms illuminated by black light:

Staudt’s work explores form and perspective through a variety of pieces built from patterns of 3D objects suspended in space (through the use of coloured and transparent acrylic):

[ deep stuff after the break ]

At Le Gallery, we discovered the work of Toronto local, Kal Mansur, who uses acrylic both as a canvas for his paintings, as well as a sculptural medium (photo by TK):

Le Gallery proprietor, Will Kucey, sent us over the Kal’s gallery, Median Contemporary, where we had a chance to meet Kal, who was kind enough to entertain us w/ a lengthy conversation about working w/ acrylic and the contemporary art scene in general.

Talking w/ Kal, and seeing his, Staudt’s, and Schumann’s work cemented my intersest in having acrylic feature heavily in my light works to come.

The discussion w/ Kal also touched on the use of technology in art versus the public’s huge expectations from technology.  He held up an iPod Nano and said, “this is what people expect from technology!”  His point being that people aren’t easily impressed with technology (in art) for the sake of technology since people are becoming increasingly surrounded by finely fabricated techno gadgets.  He stressed that since technology is so ubiquitos, artists should focus on what they do w/ the technology moreso than the technology itself.  He then countered with reference to Peter Todd’s work, suggesting that it might be interesting for audiences if artists bring the technology/circuitry of electronic art to the forefront, to not hide the circuit at all.  Unlike most commercial electronics, Todd’s work doesn’t prioritize a reduction in size and cost, but instead puts a focus on the circuit’s aesthetic:

So, on one hand, it’s all about the content, and on the other, it’s all about the packaging, or lack thereof, or some middle ground between the two?

Interesting food for thought . . . Please share yours in the comments!