Maya Churi

Today I went to visit with Gene, a friend and woodworker who is building the physical interface for The Tree. He created a three-ring prototype to figure out the best way to get the rings to move and to play with different types of wood. We discovered a few things during this visit.

1) It won't be possible to use an actual cross-section of a tree as the act of cutting apart and drilling into it will weaken the wood (most wood when used is cut length wise not across as I had initially wanted). We went to a wood shop and figured out that we have two choices. We can either use a piece of Baltic Birch plywood or a single piece of maple. The choice between the two is purely aesthetic. The plywood will have a more "modern" look and the maple could potentially be more organic feeling and looking. I am leaning toward the maple but have yet to make a decision.

2) The rings, the way they are currently put together, do not move completely independent of each other. This was a concern that Andreas had brought up when I discussed the original mechanics with him. Currently, there are ball bearing balls in between the wood pieces. It would require the user holding some rings steady while turning others.

Watch the video

This is of concern to me but also interests me. There could be some positive outcomes of this mechanic. Firstly, it would promote cooperation between users and secondly, it would force users to think about what they were doing before taking action. I won't know specifics until the prototype rings can control an actual animation which will happen sometime in January.

Andreas had made another suggestion which was to have each ring attached separately to the pole in the middle that holds the ring up with ball-bearings. The challenge with this is that the sensors would have to be far away from the circuit to which they are attached by long wires. I am worried that this will make them less stable. If anyone has any thoughts on this let me know.

3) 5 rings may be too much. The prototype is 3 large rings. I am considering keeping it at three or making it four with a fifth ring in the center which does not turn. As I finish storyboarding this holiday I hope to have a better sense of the right amount.

Gene at work in his shop:

In my previous post I wrote about the physical interface prototype. Today I am working on the backgrounds for the animations.

I've been experimenting with different backgrounds. I've done some pinhole photography and some flat color and texture designs but none of them felt right. I started thinking about history a little more and the stories that exist in pictures from the past - particularly in stereo cards which document a wide range of subjects.

So, given that inspiration I went to the local flea market last Sunday and picked up a few. They tell some wonderful stories about trees, people, what people take from trees, the environment and war.

I did some basic tests with the animation I already had (the background images have not been touched up. Take a look at two versions.

Single Background

Double Background

My thoughts are that if I imitate the starting point of a subject in the stereo card image it will give users a guide as well as create a cohesive story between the backgrounds and and the animations that take place.

Here are two possible starting points.

Turpentine

Logger

I love this image because of the way the soldier is looking at the "tree." I wonder what he's thinking. And wouldn't it be wonderful if he got up and carved something into the trunk of the tree?

Solider

And what about projecting in stereo?

Today Gene and I found two slices of an Ash Tree.

We can make 4 or 5 rings out of the two slices. The diameter being between 12 and 13 inches.

These are beautiful pieces of wood. The rings are defined and the colors are rich. We also found two slices of maple - which is a harder wood - but the rings were not as strong and the colors muted. Hopefully the Ash will be strong enough to withstand the cutting process.