Rotating Piano

In exploring not only code but also how to create interesting sounds, Jana and I designed a small instrument that turns and creates noise as you play a note.

 

Our reading has been about converting what we can do into what we want to do. I find this a compelling idea, especially in the context of affordance and signifiers from the previous readings.

Within the context of their abilities, humans have innately, design, technology, and interaction become choices in the human world. We are able to decide how we translate what we can do into what we want. I find screens an interesting example in the text, as the screen is a flat surface. But in many modern phone applications, we find a reflection of physical affordances within the 2D frame. Sliding/swiping, turning, vibrating are forms of feedback that can be ways of mimicking less screen-based interaction. As technology becomes more and more a part of human life and experiences, what type of interaction and feedback become inherent characteristics of a world that we have regularly chosen to create.

A common trope in media is children in our generation not understanding the meaning of the save button on Microsoft programs. In a generation of humans that have never experienced floppy disks, the save button becomes the point of reference. What does the world look like when a simple analogue interaction is not the reference for new technology, but a screen-based gesture becomes the reference?

In the context of the capabilities of people, how do we design our world and translate these ideas, when newer generations don’t have access to older technologies that are viewed as outdated.

 

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