Interaction - Bachelors

Vegetation

An interactive stained glass mosaic representing connection and community. The artwork features imagery of three plants: the Green Coleus, Monstera Deliciosa, and Caladium. The plant types represent community due to their likeness to Australian homes, which is accentuated by viewers' interactive engagement through touch.

Charlotte Salt

Contextualisation

Encouraging audiences to go from observers to participants with technology in classic art. Aiming to further an artwork statement as well as engage a varied demographic from young kids to adults.

Image of the Artwork in a Mock-up Gallery Setting. Photoshopped image from Pexel.com Airam, Dato-on. (January, 2024). 'Painting on Wall of Rijksmuseum'. Pexels.com

Interactivity

Viewers’ interaction further depicts the artwork’s statement of connection due to its integrated technology. To interact, a viewer places their hand at the centre of one of the three plant types. Causing the allocated plant to illuminate. Up to three viewers can interact with the artwork at once, by holding their hands at the three allocated plant types and watching as each plant illuminates one by one. In scenarios where multiple viewers interact with different plants simultaneously, the collective illumination of all plants will visually represent interconnectedness and forming a community.
Close up of touching the artwork.

Materials & Technology

The artwork is constructed from stained glass, gold leaf, acrylic paint and mosaic grout. Incorporating Arduino-powered touch sensors connected through copper wiring to each of the three depicted plants. The touch sensors/wire act as an input signal resulting in the output LED activation. The simple interaction aims to make art more engaging, deepen the art’s statement, and further break the ‘no-touch policy’ placed in most galleries.
Design Process Images

The Design Process

The design process ranged from scoring stained glass to soldering copper wire onto touch sensors. Intialising with research of glass cutting techniques and creating/connecting the Arduino’s components and code. Through user evaluations, redesigning, and research the final prototype enabled easy user interaction.

Charlotte Salt

Charlotte is committed to designing systems, art, and interfaces to enhance and employ user-centric experiences. With a Dual Bachelor's degree in Design and Information Technology, she is particularly interested in incorporating technology into art to visually captivate and educate viewers.