Primal Interfaces
Primal Interfaces Thesis made at IDII in 02-03.
My research question was:
Can I make physical interfaces more intimate by giving them a primal behaviour?
Can an interface that uses primal means of communicating like biting, sucking, licking, smell, scent, heating, cooling, stroking, pinching, tugging and scratching communicate more intimacy?
My aim with this thesis was to explore sensory behaviours in physical interfaces that I choose to call primal interfaces. I’ve chosen to call them “primal” since that they are based on the first sense that we perceive, touch.
I wanted to explore Primal Interfaces and to understand what reactions, usage and what connotation they will have. Mobile phones have often more than twenty different audio signals to choose from, but only one kind of vibration, although the vibrator mode is used as much as the audible signal. Right now, most digital inputs and outputs neither have an appealing physical form nor an interesting behaviour. They often encourage interaction but they do not consist of a sensual or tempting material or shape. More, they often reduce the number of users because they require some level of language. The difference I wanted Primal Interfaces to make was that they are tangible and work through a physical stimulation that is beyond letters, signs, icons and signals.
A primal interface can preferably send and receive signals through an interaction that have an emotional symbolism; and so it can be suited to perceive and emit the feeling of presence. When other media try to represent presence, it gets abstracted to a point where it loses the emotional connotation of intimacy.
Summary
When I started with this project I started by creating four scenarios that was about four very different persons that I thought would need and enjoy primal interfaces. From the persons abilites and the situation they lived in I got to the objects that I thought they would own.
From these objects I made an exploration of materials and electronics and tried to figure out how I would do them and what materials to use. I investigated everything from magnetic slime to breast stickers. I started by creating five objects with wich I re-iterated and made different variations of to try to map them as everyday objects to different persons…
Links to project Project site and Idii gallery