Jinx
Clara Christopherson, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and Sebastiaan Reterink, College of Engineering
Consultations with: Nicholas Henry, College of Engineering; Ken Kalchik, Art & Architecture Woodshop Manager; Seder Burns, Lecturer II, Stamps; Alyssa Emigh, Adjunct Lecturer, Robotics, CoE; Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, Assistant Professor, Robotics, CoE; Don Wirkner, College of Engineering Lab Manager; Abhishek Narula, Adjunct Lecturer, Robotics, CoE
Our project is a synthesis between engineering and design, as it requires both fields to be successful. At the heart of our project is the engineered system, which enables an interactive installation. This will increase engagement with the user substantially (e.g. the puppet will have a face and hands that move). These mechanical components will be supported by the design aspect of the installation, which includes a painted front-facing board, a 3D puppet, and an appealing user interface to encase the engineered aspect.
Bas Reterink (I.O.E.) will oversee all engineered aspects of the product, especially the mechatronic components. Clara Christopherson (STAMPS), the second collaborator, will complete all Art & Design aspects of the project. Both will work together to create the final assembly and install the project. By initially dividing the project into segments, based on our fields of expertise we can streamline our process, while maintaining effective communication to ensure that all parts will physically and metaphorically fit within our intended vision.
Our general timeline is already in action: we have spent the last two months ideating, gaining access to workspaces and consulting with faculty. If we receive the remainder of our needed funds, we will reconvene on January 10th, 2025 in order to begin the actual production of the project. By the start of March, we hope to have all mechanical aspects of the project complete to provide enough time for the art & design aspects of the project to develop, given that our final exhibition date is April 18th, 2025.
We hope that this project can be a success within UofM’s community. We intend to spark joy and inspire students in their daily lives with this project, by inviting them to interact with our installation in the hallways of either Pierpont/STAMPS (TBD). In addition, it will also provide some food-for-thought on how college students think about food nutrition daily.