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physical design
grove's design came from earlier kinetic scuplture sketches that used tension and compression members. i was intrigued by the grace and anxiousness of the flexing motions i was experimenting with, and wanted to move my sketches to a more architectural, inhabitable scale. grove is essentially just that - a space whose structure comprises three tension/compression members. as i fleshed out the design, however, grove adopted other elements that brought it from simple sketch to a full-scale interactive spatial installation.
the boundaries of grove's space are defined by its physical presence, by the rings of light circumscribed on the floor below the structure, and by the areas that fall within range of the three infrared sensors that allow grove to see visitors as they approach. the shape and quality of the space changes with the presence or absence of visitors.
as a visitor comes within range of the sensors, dc motors on top of the structure work a pulley system that flexes the bamboo legs on either side of the activated sensor, causing the entire structure to lean towards the visitor. once the visitor moves under the structure, out of range of the infrared sensors, the structure straightens itself out, granting the visitor an area of repose underneath its canopy.
construction
my single major design decision with grove was the choice of material for the legs. after considering titanium and fiberglass, i settled on bamboo for its ability to flex, its shape memory, its strength to support substantial loads, and its relatively low cost. once i decided on bamboo, the materiality of the piece followed the decision; all of the materials in grove are either natural materials, or are treated to appear natural.
the triangular top cap and the three spools are birch plywood. the top cap has a pale stain and the spools are treated with brown shoe polish. the string that wraps around these spools to flex the bamboo legs is sisal twine, and the circular foot at the bottom of each bamboo leg is a cork disc. the light from the clear bulb at the top is filtered through a pool of rusty water sitting in a scratched and dirty clear plastic bowl.
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with material selection settled, i detailed the structure. grove's construction is basically one complex joint, produced three times. fig. 1 and fig. 2 show the detail of one of these joints. detail drawing fig. 1 shows the attachment of a bamboo leg to the wood top plate and the pulley-motor mechanism for flexing the leg. fig. 2 is a photograph of this detail as-built, and also shows an infrared sensor hanging from the top plate.
interaction design
in its first installation, grove was programmed to respond the same way to every motion in range of its sensors. activity within sensor range on one side caused the two legs that flank that side to run a bending routine that would only return back to a relaxed position when no more motion was detected. this one-to-one mapping appeared too mechanical, and in the context of a crowded show, meant that grove spent most of its time flexed and not moving.
after some reworking, grove now has a bit of a personality: it considers its own state of mind before deciding how to react. when a single visitor approaches grove, it reacts with welcoming gestures and tries to establish communication with the visitor. if many people are present, however, and their motion is continuous, grove will likely become frightened or shy and stop moving until the room calms down. this simple abstraction of mood and personality lends a more human quality to grove's interaction.
