Tea Party

Year: Fall 2017
Project: Interactive Pop-Up Window Display

Tea Party is a pop-up window display that invites the public to help a baby doll in power spin her wheel of fortune, causing unexpected changes to a digital tea party world.

// Featured: l
* Broadway & 10th St from Nov 15th 2017 to Nov 19th 2017

Story

A dystopian tale - a large baby doll has suddenly taken over as leader in a little girl’s bedroom. She needs help in deciding how she should control her digital tea party. She asks passerby to spin her wheel of fortune that will then determine an action to befall her subjects. The consequences of which are then viewed through a digital window.

From charming toys to a destroyed tea party, the user quickly realizes the window's dark tale

How it works: From physical to digital

The window contained (behind-the-scenes) components that were translating users’ physical actions into digital outcomes:

Physical Tools: Arduino, Capacitive Touch Sensor, Servo Motor, Rotary Encoder, Neopixels

Digital Tools: OSC, Unity

1. User’s conductivity is sent through wires to a sensor

2. Capacitive touch sensor sends signal to rotary encoder & servo

3. Servo rotates arm. Encoder calculates its angular position

4. Angle is sent from encoder to the corresponding LED light

5. Arm's angle is also sent to Unity tea party scene (via OSC)

Build Phase

We began testing the hand's rotation with a cardboard prototype, servo motor, and rotary encoder. After successful testing, we went to several thrift stores in search for dolls, toys, curtains, wallpaper, etc. to create the interior of our room.