Shimmer: an exploration of mechanized wiggling

What is a wiggle? The reverberation of force fluctuating through an object or a body part? Or is it an emotion, the playful shimmering of our bodies when we relax into them? Can a machine convey an emotion perceptible to humans through a wiggle?

Description

I am making a series of whimsical wiggling machines incorporating simple lines, organic forms and the sounds created from the frequency of their movement. The machines will be made from plastics, metal, wood and simple electronics. They will be made in a range of scale and materials to best capture the essence of a wiggle and to best convey the experience of mechanized motion. The works will focus on producing emotive wiggling through simple actuators--magnets, solenoids, pulleys and levers--while amplifying the motion through the ambient sound and refraction of light created by the movement. As of now, the forms are small and a lightweight mylar alternative, but as they grow in size their materiality will change in order to craft replicable wiggling motions. I hope to create one that is large enough for people to stand inside of the wiggle, but first I will focus on making smaller works to tease out the mechanics needed to convey a carefree wiggle mechanically.

Research Process

I’ve been researching wiggle-esque motion throughout ITP; I began creating wiggle machines my third week at ITP in Automata. At the time, I was attempting to create machines that would mimic sea anemones. I experimented with different materials, actuators, and shapes, but I failed to capture the essence of a wiggle. My work with nitinol is the closest I’ve come, but even those sea inspired creatures sway lazily, unlike the faster wiggle I imagine is possible. I’ve begun experimenting with different semi-flexible materials and methods of actuation from physical pressure in the form of a shove and the magic of magnetism. I want to distill the essence of a wiggle and replicate it through inorganic materials, and to do this I've been experimenting with varying the thickness of material, length and amount of force to produce different wiggles. I have also studied the works of artists including Theo Jansen, U-ram Choe, Tokujin Yoshioka, Numen / For Use, and Studio Drift for inspiration.

Personal Statement

Movement is my obsession, my passion, and my love. I live to move and move to feel alive. I strive continuously to be present in my body and true to its whims. In movement there is freedom and constraint: we ask of ourselves as proper humans to walk on two feet, sit in chairs, stand in lines--yet when we are happy, uninhibited and relaxed we wiggle, jiggle, slither and slide. Children are a perfect example of this. They move without the limits of social perception or expectation; they move freely, expressing their curiosity through movement. These wiggling machines are a portrait of my idealized self, sculptures that move in the free and fluid way I wish I might at all times. My hope in creating work that expresses movement is that I might inject some small bit of whimsy back into the overly civilized world.

Progress...

Over the last couple of weeks I have been researching materials, actuators and scale. Last week I focused on how sound might play a role in what a wiggle machine looks and feels like. I used the constraint of sound to lead me to the soft arches of Dur-a-lar to make the first prototypes of what a wiggle machine might look like.

Here are some of my early tests:

I have been looking at other artists making kinetic and playful work. (see bibliography for links)

U-Ram Choe’s work has always been an inspiration for me. His implementation of delicate materials to create elegant line and whimsical movement captures my imagination. I hope to incorporate a similar elegance and whimsy to my wiggle machines.

Theo Jansen’s work is an inspiration in the way that he has created a narrative around these creatures. Their origin story makes them all the more magical and captivating to me.

I’ve also been looking at a lot of actuators, and how I might repurpose them to make whimsical wiggling machines. This brought me back to my first weeks at ITP when I was making experiments for Automata. I realized I need to let go of the form for a moment and tackle the movement before returning to the form, and then if the form and movement come together i can look at how the creature plays with humans.

Bibliography

Brown, Stuart L., and Christopher C. Vaughan. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery, 2009. Print.

Corwin. “Electromagnetic Actuator.” Instructables.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

“Choe U Ram.” Choe U Ram. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

“DIY Super Electromagnet.” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

“Electromagnetic/Anti-Gravity Levitation Device.” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

“Magnets Fall Slowly Due to Eddy Currents.” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

Marom, ADI. “Adi Marom – PORTFOLIO » Archive » SHORT.” Adi Marom PORTFOLIO RSS. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

“My Keepon.” – Official Site. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

“Mini Beasts | Books Beast Photos Events Theo Jansen Contact.”STRANDBEEST. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

Roberts, Dustyn. Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Scherz, Paul, and Simon Monk. Practical Electronics for Inventors. 3rd ed. Print.