#assignment_1 bauer

[connective-environments-fall2020]

Assignment 1: Communicating Emotions

Project 1 prompted us to design objects are spaces that had the ability to encode traces of human interaction, which could subsequently be comprehended by others. In my previous post, I discussed the idea of Emotional Traces, or the physical manifestations of a persons emotional state. With that in mind I tasked myself with creating a device which would act as a medium of communication utilizing these phenomena.

Prevailing Theory

The object I designed was focused on the effects on breathing that certain emotional states have. Breathing patterns are an intriguing means of transcribing ones emotions due to the fact that emotions have specific effects on the way one breathes, examples of which are...

Anger: Forceful breathing, longer and deeper breaths

Sadness: Softer, drawn out, comparable to a sigh

Nervousness: Short, quick, and occasionally faltering breaths

Fear: Forceful and quick, often times very unstable breaths

Happiness: Clear and steady breaths, maybe at a higher register

Function

The object is designed to be worn on the face with, additional pieces resting on the shoulder. The device would intake breaths from the nose and transfer them into a whistle, thereby producing a sound. These sounds could then be interpreted by another party, either displaying ones current emotional state, or used in the place of standard communication.

Context

The device was designed to be a companion piece to a standard conversation, indicating less apparent emotional phenomena to the persons on the receiving end. Upon further analysis, this object could start to take the place of standard communication, only permitting the communication of information to the limited palette of sounds that could be produced. When used in this way, participants are forced to find the simplest way to communicate the information that they wish to convey, by doing this it could start to help gain a better understanding of what is necessary and unnecessary in the pursuit of communication.

Reflection

This project is situated firmly in the medium of immediacy, meaning that in order to gain from it one has to be within its immediate context, there is no potential for storage or delayed release. I feel like this is an important avenue to address within the context of communicating emotions due to the fact that sometimes, as people, we wish to hide our emotions from others, or we wish for a means to release our pent up emotions in private. The immediacy in which this project functions limits ones options when it comes to portraying emotions.

[connective-environments-fall2020]

Emotional Traces - Visualizing the Invisible

Throughout the process of assignment one, I’ve been enamored with the connection between trace making and human emotion. With my first analysis of the padlock as a medium to interpret traces, I discovered a significant connection between the state or existence of the padlock with the users emotions, more specifically; their levels of trust in their environment and also their perception of value in regards to personal belongings.

This connection piqued my interest, and prompted me to investigate. Through my research I came across the concept of emotional traces, visual representations of one’s emotions that manifest through mannerisms, speech, breathing, or slight body movements. Emotions are consistently thought about as being mental concepts rather than overtly physical concepts, but once you look into the physiological make up of the human body you can start to realize that everything is connected. There are certain signs that the majority of people can pick up on regarding this topic, for example if someone is feeling nervous or anxious their speech might become timid or unsteady, they might start displaying more erratic movements like fidgeting or pacing. All of these things are subconscious, if you’re nervous you don’t actively choose to outwardly display it, this is the same way when experiencing other emotions.

This concept is mainly used in the field of criminal psychology, with a limited use in lower educational settings. The main goal of these fields is to enable the discovery of feelings and emotions that the subject may wish to keep hidden. I feel like this approach is limiting, as social creatures we have a constant desire to understand how and what another person is feeling. There’s is a negative connotation to the theory if you only consider it as a means to drag out hidden feelings which may be damning to the person in question, but if you view it as a means of coming to a greater understanding with a peer or peer group, a wide range of new possibilities present themselves.

Humans leave traces on their environment, traces that others can use to derive an in determinant amount of value and information from. At the same time, humans leave traces on their bodies, in most cases this may be subconscious and unintentional, but given the right environment, these can start to become an intentional means of communicating with those around you.