Click thumbnails to enlarge: THE WORD SINK PROJECT An installation by Jeremy Newton Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University 2003 Inspiration: I wanted to explore the idea of displaying text as flowing water. I thought a sink interface would be an inviting and intuitive way to play with this concept. I also like testing the space between virtual and real - blending an everyday object with its digital counterpart. This installation is inspired by Camille Utterback's Text Rain installation and Poetry Garden by White and Small. User Experience: By turning the knobs on the sink, words appear underneath the faucet and flow downward to the center of the basin. Turning the "H" knob causes hateful words to appear. The "C" knob adds love-related words into the sink. A "virtual drain" sits in the center of the basin, catching words as they flow. By lifting the lever on the faucet, the drain closes, and the words begin to accumulate and jitter like collecting sink water. Making the Basin: I use a translucent security-cam cover for the sink bowl. A projector is hidden in the compartment below. The words are projected upwards onto the bottom of the curved surface. A mirror helps to flip the words so they appear correctly on the topside of the bowl. The mirror also helps to increase the throw distance of the projector. Hot and Cold: I program a BX-24 chip to read two potentiometers attached to the hot and cold handles. Depending on the position of these handles, the words "LOVE," "HATE" and a spectrum of words in between fall from the faucet into the basin. When both handles are turned in equal measure, the word "APATHY" pours into the sink. The more you turn each knob, the faster the words fall. Spectrum from cold to hot LOVE - RELISH - FERVOR - DESIRE - ADMIRATION - DELIGHT - RESPECT - FONDNESS - YEARNING - INCLINATION - INTEREST - APATHY - OBJECTION - DISPLEASURE - ANNOYANCE - AVERSION - DISGUST - RESENTMENT - SCORN - LOATHING - REVULSION - ABHORRENCE - HATE The Plumbing: I transform the drain lever into a switch using a photocell and LED. When the lever is lifted, the photocell raises into the path of the LED. This tells the "virtual drain" to close, and the dripping words begin to accumulate and jitter like collecting sink water. When the drain lever is pressed back down, the collecting words disappear into the open drain. Project Dimensions: 18" x 20" x 34" Materials Foamcore, Acrylic security-cam cover, Metal faucet fixtures, LCD projector, Laptop, Mirror, BX-24 chip Works Cited: "Text Rain" by Camillar Utterback, 1999 - http://www.camilleutterback.com/textrain.html "Poetry Garden" by Tom White and David Small, 1998 - http://acg.media.mit.edu/projects/stream © 2003 All images, text, and other media copyright Jeremy Newton unless otherwise noted.