Gabriel Barcia-Colombo
Width: 8' 7", Height: 6' 10", Depth: 2' 2"
The location of this window is in the ideal location since it is right on Broadway, down the street from Union Square Park Holiday Market. There is plenty of foot traffic, so we wanted to create something that will fit in the window as well as spark the interest of people passing by.
We went with a winter theme since the installation will be on display during the holidays. We wanted to convey a story of a traveler, exploring a forest, and every page of the book illustrates a different scene of the story.
The window can be interacted with through a simple wave of the arm, as if flipping a page of a book. Motion is tracked through a Kinect, and actions are triggered using an Arduino and a series of motors.
The book will only have four elements that are interactive in the scene, however, the book will flip the pages infinitely in order to add to the magic.
Page 1: "A traveler chases light" - Lights on lantern turn on
Page 2: "To the forest in the night" - Trees rustle in the background
Page 3: "Golden birds take flight" - Birds fly up and down
Page 4: "While the winter fades to white" - Snow swirls around the scene
The Arduino and motors were built into the stand and designed to be as hidden as possible.
Foam core was used because the motors needed to be able to support the weight of the interactive elements.
Some props, such as the lantern and Christmas tree, were modified so that it can communicate with the Arduino.
The book stand was completely fabricated from scratch using a CNC machine. Decorative elements were added to enhance the atmosphere.
Finding a giant antique book was a difficult and expensive task, however, we located an old Leonardo da Vinci textbook. I used white gouache, Micron Pens and Sharpie markers for the illustrations and lettering.