Arduino-Powered Mario in a Box!

Video Game in a Box from Teague Labs on Vimeo.

I found this particular project interesting because of my desire to be in game design. I think it to be an interesting experiment in taking a digital game and making it into a tangible product. What I like is that the game seems to still maintain an arcade-esque, simple, video game feel that is consistent with the classic Mario Bros. game. The one thing that is a disconnect between the videogame and this project is the ability to be mass-produced; I wonder if something like this (which is very much hand-made) could be made in large quantities. Again: I’m always excited to see something that is explained as “relatively simple” with a medium I’m learning.

Chris Eckert’s and Martix Fox’s To Do

The main appeal in Eckert’s and Martin’s work isn’t the medium used, but how relatable it is to my habits. I’m constantly making a to-do list, whether in my head, on paper, or most commonly on a word document. I do this most often (almost daily) for homework and studio projects, so much so that all the lists follow a predictable pattern and contain similar events. I bet if I were to make a project like this, the mechanism would eventually produce a list that is precisely what I would have to do. I find the translation from something so geometric and precise as the machine appears to a personal signature to be very interesting. It reminds me of Tim Hawkinson’s Signature.
 Signature

Chris Eckert’s & Martin Fox’s To Do

Compressed 02 by Kim Pimmel

Compressed 02 from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.

My understanding of Pimmel’s Compressed 02 is that it uses the arduino, along with some hardware (possibly magnets?) to control the flow of ferrofluid and ink through soap bubbles, capturing their motion in a time-lapse. I find this to be a very satisfying piece visually. I love to see the way the different liquids travel around the edges of the bubbles, pulling out patterns and shapes that are less noticeable (and much more commonplace) without them. The shapes and patterns they form almost remind me of Venom (of Spiderman) and his symbiote webs. I can’t imagine how the arduino is used here, it’s way over my head. One of the most remarkable things about Compressed 02 is that it uses the device invisibly, and if I was not told, I would not have guessed the arduino was involved at all. This makes me consider how broadly applicable arduinos are in producing various kinds of work.