Location: Irving Square Park, Brooklyn, New York

Irving Square Park can be described as Bushwick’s town square. This park takes up the entire length of a city block, and is popular with picnickers, dog owners, and families holding events and festivities.

Observation, Research and Initial Prototyping

At Irving Square Park we used various techniques to research and observe peoples behaviour in the park and came up with a few ideas of what could be done at various locations inside the park and a few of them were an installation depicting equality, another one was putting a Giant Jenga for people to play and interact in some unused locations inside the park, create a halloween atmosphere in the park by controlling lamp’s brightness whenever people passed through them, any a few more.

Iterating through ideas we got struck by personate a lamp that followed people whenever they passed by. We started with a concept of a lamp post having googly eyes which could follow people as they passed it. For a rough prototype we used a processing sketch on iPad to test look and feel of googly eyes on the lamp post.

Concept Sketch

Prototype 1 on iPad with eyes responding to finger drag

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Prototyping Stage 2

From iPad prototype we moved to a more realistic prototype. Using 1/8” acrylic, basic model was developed and assembled with two stepper motors along with control circuits for the same with a camera in-between the two eyes which would be used to detect the pedestrian passing by.

Observations and Failures

• Number of reactions we got on this installation were very contrasting. We got reactions such as surprising, creepy, funny, interesting, exciting, confusing, playful and many more.
• The installation attracted more children than adults
• Not everyone who passed by noticed the moving eyes.
• Many didn’t know the eyes moved until someone passed by.
• Due to software glitches not everyone who passed by was detected.
• The structure had some mechanical failures.

Intended improvements based on class feedback and suggestions

• Try and get more interactions, probably installing it on a new location inside the park.
• Improve upon detection algorithm so it follows everyone around.
• Make the installation more structurally solid.
• Add music for prolonged interactions.

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Final Prototype

We improved the stability of structure along with the detection algorithm, added sound effects when people passed by, moved eyes from left to right slowly when in idle condition. Apart from mechanical and technical improvements, we lowered down its height so it is more accessible to the kids and put it up on a new location inside the park.

What’s Next?

Possibility of making this into a permanent self contained interactive installation with minimal or zero maintenance. A newer version to be more reliable and better fabricated with a better material choice. Also, installing it not only on a single pole but on multiple poles in a row so it creates a more intense following effect and possibly convey the idea of government surveillance to adults while being a fun play installation for kids.