The Power of Making: Craft, Computation, and Carnival (TEDxPortofSpain Talk)

My TEDxPortofSpain Talk on the importance of Making, Craft, Computation, and Culture .

Have a great day!!

Research for my Thesis…

THESIS!!!!

Looking for designers to interview…

So.. I have been working on fleshing out my thesis proposal this semester… It’s quite an exercise which makes you think in squares, circles, and triangles. From choosing your thesis advisor and readers, to deciding on your topic, what you want to focus on now, for the next few years, what you want to do after your studies, what you want to do for the rest of your life, if you want to go into academia, the industry, whether you want to save the world, and if you have the time to do want you want… and the truth is, there will never be enough time.. I have to keep reminding myself that I should focus on “the” specific problem I am trying to solve and be clear on my contribution. I cannot save the world with one thesis…

My thesis proposal is due less than 4 weeks. My particular interest is in Design & Computation as it relates to culture and wearables/ architecture of the body –  I am working on the exact term that succinctly describes my proposed work.. There is much for me to flesh out, it is a work in progress. The context in which I would like to apply my research is in the design and production of “wearables” such as costumes and dancing mobiles. My specific context will be that of Carnival, Trinidad Carnival to be exact. This will be my specific context or case study.

Are there any designers in the costume/ fashion/ wearable industry who would like to be interviewed? I have a keen interest in the intersection between design, computation, and fabrication as it relates to Carnival. If you would like to be interviewed, or know of a designer – that person can be a fashion designer, a designer of wearables as artistic, social, or cultural objects, or designers in the Carnival industry – please contact me. I would love to interview you.

Wire-benders, costume designers and makers, those in the computational and wearable industry, etc… Contact me.

You can email me at: vernelle.noel@gmail.com or thinkinginsomniac@gmail.com

Have a GREAT week all!!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Photo Journal – Thursday 17 May 2012

Presidents, Picnics, & Pulling yarn…

I’ve been busy.. hence my delayed posting… Final projects, assignments, and reports are pretty much complete now… I have been packing and getting things ready for my trip… I leave the US today (31st May 2012), stay tuned… Here’s my journal for the 17th May…

It is a very beautiful day today… soo sunny! I got in early this morning and started some work.. Today we were having a Celebration Picnic in honor of President Hockfield in Killian Court… My friends encouraged me to go (food).. and so I went… I did not realize/ remember how gorgeous it was outside until I exited the doors onto Killian…

Look at the scene….

Students are so glad for the break from work for a bit…

Tables and stuff out… feels soo garden party…

I joined the line for food… Long line, but its moving quickly…

I always go for the cakes and cookies!! Love em! Red Velvet cake, cookies, brownies…. Mmmmmm…. Don’t worry, I will be sharing this with my girl Mik…

Everyone is really happy out here!

There was food and drinks for all…

Liquid Archive by Nader Tehrani in the background…

Liquid Archive by Nader Tehrani

Cops need to eat too..

Boston backdrop…

Ok.. back to work! I am working on my final project for my new textiles class… I am doing a string sculpture… a removable one…

Pulling yarn…

I would stick my tapestry needle in Antonio’s chair and thread as long a yarn as I could…

It’s going quite nicely…

The previous string sculpture I did.. after hardening with liquid plastic and removal from the structure…

So far so great..

Part one complete… now for part two…

Magenta colored yarn…

Almost done…

Part two (yarn number two) complete…

Part four, application of liquid plastic for hardening…

You can see more here New Textile Final Project >>>

Much love!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Photo Journal – Wednesday 18th April 2012

Visual & Artistic Feast…

This morning as I was going to Rotch (Library) to pick up some books, what do I see…? People walking on tight ropes, someone hanging from a trapeze, what was this here? On closer investigation there were mannequins/ puppets that were placed within the Main Lobby doing strange things.. Why were they here.. I have no clue. But they sure caused a stir..

This puppet was just swinging from side to side…. Thought it was a real person on first glance, but then realized it wasn’t..

It has sneakers on and everything!

I didn’t quite get this one..

That puppet was balancing on chairs.. Note the guy entering the building. he’s probably wondering “What the hell is happening in here today?!”

Some pretty big feet I think..

I don’t know…

I love this view.. and well this shot.. Tightrope puppet doing its thing..

Looks much more dramatic in the previous photo..

The crowds are gathering… I think this crowd included a tour group..

Even the janitors are wondering about this..

I like this shot too..

Still swinging…

and yet more people…

I don’t know about these singers either…When I was leaving class.. there they were! This is one of many things I love about MIT… about education at MIT… No school is perfect, but this is what I like here… even in the high stressed, and high-pressured environment, there are these cool things that people do every now and again that blows your mind and makes you wonder why.. that’s funny, that’s weird… but it’s cool.. not vandalism, but artistic or technological (hack for example)… Well done!

I spray painted the edges of my model last night so that it would be cleaner.. The laser cutter burned the edges pretty badly, so soot was distracting…

I enter the Media Lab for my Textiles class and apparently someone will be giving a speech of some sort in a few minutes….

Tim O’Reilly  giving a talk today..

This is a pretty good book my professor had… looking through it for ideas, case studies, and more…

People I have to remember to check, and read up on… they had some good work in that book..

Edward Mayer

Hilal Sami Hilal

Carson Fox

Piper Shepard

Cal Lane

Shane Waltener

Bennett Battaile

Niels Van Eijk

Henk Wolvers

Janet Echelman

Barbara Zucker (see her TED Talk here >>>)

After leaving my class I rode to Blick to try to get some plaster, or corn starch to try an experiment. Blick had plaster but no corn starch. I went to a Wallgreen’s I think and a guy told me that there’s corn starch at the Co-op.  “The what?” I asked him.. I had no idea what he was taking about. he gave me directions (just the next corner after the bank). I thanked him and went on my way.. Talk about a hole in the wall, but that opens up to a magical place if you ask me. I never knew this existed! There’s a cafe and seating as you enter, and a large grocery behind.. WOW!!! I thought.. this was a hidden gem! I got my corn starch, and some snacks (you know I can’t say no to snacks) and hit the road again… I had to go to the MIT Museum as there was a cocktail closing reception for an exhibition. My friend Mik had an installation there, so I went to support her..

The name of the exhibition was “Ways of Seeing.” This was Mik’s installation.. Beautiful I think!

There was also this cool piece I thought I would share with you… it’s a piece by Arthur Ganson from 1997 entitled “Cory’s Yellow Chair.”

You can see a YouTube vid here >>>

After it all, it was back to school. I was fabricating some pieces for another experiment.. hope it works out!

Yesterday I suggested we “Carry a message to Garcia!” Click on the link to read what I was referring to, in case you never read it… I found the piece a wonderful one! Thanks PHW.

And here’s a classic from one of my favorite couples, Grover & Madeline Kahn – Sing after me.

Have a great day!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

KNight Riders’ Glove

I know I haven’t posted in a while.. I have some sketches waiting to be colored before posting..  The semester has started and I wanted to share with you one of my projects for a course I am doing, New Textiles with Leah Buechley at the Media Lab at MIT. Our assignment was to “create a soft, flexible, textile-based sensor and embed it in an Arduino project.” Below is my concept and design…

Concept – The KNight Riders’ Glove
My mode of transportation in Cambridge is the bicycle and I wanted to make something that I could use while riding. I designed a glove that riders can use as an indicator when turning (or more) when riding at night. The LEDs on my glove will **FLASH** when the sensor in the palm of my hand is squeezed. Ideally, you will have two gloves, one for each hand.

KNight Riders’ Glove

Materials:

1. Felt
2. Velostat – a carbon impregnated black polyethylene film that is electrically conductive
3. Conductive thread
4. Snaps
5. Conductive fabric
6. Multimeter
7. Alligator clips

How to make the sensor
Cut a piece of felt so that they fit nicely in the palm of your hand. Cut them with little “ears” so that snaps can be attached to them. Iron piece of conductive fabric on the “ear” end of the felt. Attach snap onto the “ear” so that it goes through the conductive fabric. Sew conductive thread from one side of the felt to the other. Ensure that the conductive thread holds securely to the conductive fabric on the “ear.” Repeat this process on the other piece of felt.

Take a piece of velostat and place between the two felt constructions we just made. The snaps secure the two pieces of felt together. We now have a sandwich with the bread as the felt, and the filling, the velostat.

Felt with conductive thread, conductive fabric and snaps

Felt with conductive thread, conductive fabric and snaps

Felt with velostat between

Velostat placed on one of the felt pieces

Place other felt swatch on the other (on the velostat)

Completed resistive sensor with velostat between

Testing resistance of the sensor
Place tips of the multimeter on the “ears” of the felt construction. Be sure to turn your multimeter dial to Ohm for reading resistance. With the tips on the “ears,” press the sensor and note the change/ reduction of the resistance on your multimeter.

Testing sensor

Serial Monitor readings

Constructing the KNight Rider glove
I retrofitted an existing glove to make my Knight Riders’ glove. I examined the glove and decided where I wanted to place my LEDs so that when I make a fist (to squeeze my sensor), the LEDs light up. I will be placing my sensor in the palm of my hand.

Testing electronics and programming of circuit and Lilipad Arduino

Testing on/off program written in Arduino

Testing Flashing program

Stitching of sensor into palm of glove

KNight Riders’ Glove – when sensor is not pressed

KNight Riders’ Glove – when sensor is pressed

KNight Riders’ Glove

Hope you enjoyed!!

Resources

Click here for Arduino Code (Flash) for KNight Riders’ Glove >>>

This work byVernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.