The Recursive Observatory: A Derivative of Space and Time

thingiverse

3D printing provides not only material synonymy -- in that a single tool can transform a raw material (i.e. a spool of plastic) into endless possibilities -- but most interestingly, it provides this operation repetitively. This repetitiveness affords a very particular quality to form, in that it can vary with time. The purpose of this exhibit is to inform the audience of this particular quality by providing an instrument that allows the viewer to observe, as an output of the machinery, a 3-D plot representing the flow of the audience viewing the machine (i.e. the thing-o-matic). The exhibit is comprised of a room with a thing-o-matic within, and a set of sensors (i.e. optical tripwires), organized in a 3-dimensional grid pattern. The sensors capture material movement through the exhibition space and these inputs are processed and translated into a printable, 3-dimensional form. The output of the machine represents the 3-dimensional grid of sensors, with spheres, placed at the axial intersections, representing the density of flow -- i.e. how many times the sensors were triggered in a given period of time (r ~ n / t) Instructions The grid of sensors can be cheaply built using a variation of a commonly-known arduino project, the laser tripwire:http://www.embedds.com/mission-impossible-laser-tripwires-using-an-arduino/ To ensure eye safety, focused, magnified light (i.e. led + lens) can be used instead of lasers. Alternatively, pulsating, low-power lasers can be used (that are not on long enough to be dangerous).