Spring Semester:
I tested the project concept in our Spring “Show-A-Thing” sessions held virtually over Zoom in the absence of narratives and a prototype leveraging an excerpt of a pre-recorded story from The Moth Radio Hour titled The Weight of a Ring. I had a brief run-through of the physical reactions I was interested in replicating and showed the participants how to mimic heat, racing heartbeat, and tightening chest with their hands. Before we started, I asked participants to turn off their cameras for privacy. As the story played, I prompted the participants with slides that cued when to simulate physical reaction. This session helped me create more clarity in the storytelling of the topic/concept and emotionally-induced reactions to omit and dive deeper into. Sarah Rothberg conceived this mode of concept testing. In my anxiety about how to test something that didn't yet exist, her clever resourcefulness and support led to the ability to test my concept with an invisible prototype. This method resurfaced in the summer as a mode of showing my project virtually to folks in Shanghai and beyond.
I tested the project concept in our Spring “Show-A-Thing” sessions held virtually over Zoom in the absence of narratives and a prototype leveraging an excerpt of a pre-recorded story from The Moth Radio Hour titled The Weight of a Ring. I had a brief run-through of the physical reactions I was interested in replicating and showed the participants how to mimic heat, racing heartbeat, and tightening chest with their hands. Before we started, I asked participants to turn off their cameras for privacy. As the story played, I prompted the participants with slides that cued when to simulate physical reaction. This session helped me create more clarity in the storytelling of the topic/concept and emotionally-induced reactions to omit and dive deeper into. Sarah Rothberg conceived this mode of concept testing. In my anxiety about how to test something that didn't yet exist, her clever resourcefulness and support led to the ability to test my concept with an invisible prototype. This method resurfaced in the summer as a mode of showing my project virtually to folks in Shanghai and beyond.
Once the concept was solidified, I met with David Rios and Daniel Ryan Johnston to discuss materials, feasibility, and technical specifics to create the physical computing elements, such as the haptic vest and sound synching for the experience, and helping me align on a feasible scope.
Before starting the process of collecting narratives from participants, I wanted to be sure I was taking the necessary care ad respect with participants' stories, so in co-creation with my thesis mentor Cy X, we were able to review and craft content for a consent form, a questionnaire, and outline Before/During/After Care strategies for participation. This protocol development taught me trauma-informed strategies and how to prepare the best headspace for tough conversations with myself and the participant. I created an “open call” through my social media accounts to recruit participants to share memories. After discussing the project intent with folks who responded, I narrowed in on two narrators and shared a consent form and questionnaire to get initial data on the stories they planned to share, such as their sentiment toward the experience, where they feel the experience in their body when thinking about the memory, and any other notes needed to aid in their comfort for sharing these personal stories. Upon reviewing the documentation, I was especially interested in the fact that while their narratives resided on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, the sensations described were similar such as: ringing in the ears, change in temperature, and racing heart.
Summer Session:
The focus of the Summer session was the production and refinement of the experience. Before scheduling sessions with the two anonymous narrators, I created a one-sheeter for them each to review, which provided an overview of the processes Cy X and I collaborated on to prepare for their recording session.
Before starting our recording sessions, we reviewed these processes together, taking deep breaths and setting the space for safety and good intention. After the narrators recorded their experiences, I checked in on how they felt recalling their stories and made notations of what and where they physically felt their emotions in the retelling process to be scored in the vest. While the audio scoring sets the scene and ambiance of the memory.
With my collected recordings, I edited down the stories to fit into the experience and scored the audio with sounds to support the memory and the haptic sensations.
For example, such as ringing in the ears and the sound of a pulsing heart help underscore the sensations in the vest. While muffled sounds of a restaurant, the DC metro, and a college party help enhance the understanding of where these impactful experiences took place. It’s a balance of past and present to tie together the larger composition. Once these audio pieces were complete, I leveraged Apple Music to house the audio and created a title graphic for the playlist.
The biggest challenge and learning experiences from the making of this project was within the physical computing of the vest. I bought a few different vests to test the best material that allowed the sensations to pass through, as well as the ideal construction for higind and fastening the components. Researching materials, finding different source code and tutorials to piece together into my circuits, and using SO much wire and zip ties to best layout the technical specs within the wearable vest. I learned so much, and have to send a special thank you to the following folks for supporting my production process:
David Rios, for introducing me to Arduino, circuit building, and physical computing during our introductory Interface Lab course in the Summer ‘22 session. It was due to this experience that I knew I wanted to revisit this mode of production for Thesis, and I am very thankful for the insight and support he provided throughout this process and making this project possible.
Daniel Ryan Johnston, for being an amazing wealth of knowledge for tutorials, materials, and source code. I would not know what LilyPad, Loomia, or Conductive Thread was without your openness and generosity. Your encouragement and support made me feel like anything was possible, and your overall warmth and big hug when we finally met in person was a much needed push after a few all night sessions in the Fab Lab, wiring and re-wiring the vest to its final prototype configuration.
Leah Buechley, Kate Hartman, & Madeline Maxey, this project would literally not exist without you. Not only are you inspiring, badass female e-textile engineers, but your willingness to share your knowledge through your components, tutorials, and writings was invaluable to providing a tangible roadmap forward to my Thesis production process. An especially major shout out to Kate Hartman for letting me borrow your LilyPad USB after I broke mine just days before Thesis submission. In a true SOS moment, you truly saved the day and I am forever grateful for your kindness.
Last but not least, thank you to Allison Parrish, Patrick C. Warren, Ruta Kruliauskaite, and Davis Luceriaga, for helping me brainstorm the biggest conundrum of how to best convey the “haptic” nature of this work without being physically present for the Shanghai Thesis Show. Your production support allowed the truest experience possible to shine through in virtual form.
