'Votive Connections'

Communication is a key factor in our modern lives and with new technology at the height of innovation, we have themost mediated relationships seen so far. However, in long distance relationships, e-mail etc is important, but it isn;tenough for it to survive due to the fact there is no physicalor emotional interaction.
By creating an interactive product which has emotional value, we enhance the votive aspect, turning it into atreasured item for commnication.I have developed a set of objects called ‘Votive Connections’ which are interactive and provide the missing tangible element.

Degree Show

Objects which have the greatest personal meaning are kept as a reminder of a particular person or moment in time, alocket, teddy or even a mixed tape which have no obvious meaning except to the person who recieved them.‘Votive Connetions’ would be an extension of the RFDI service,developed for use by couples who have to spend time apart.



A variety of different object would be made with RFDI tags already inside for the user to program a URL to. They would then give one or more objects to their partner which can be constantly updated with new actions and URls. The ‘Votive Connections’ service will act as a new kind of love letter or a modern take on on mixed tape with added interaction, as an addition to existing forms of communication.



I propose that the objects we keep for sentimental value can be brought back to life by mediating them with RFDI tags. This waywe keep the emotional value of someone giving you a gift, whilstkeeping up-to-date with technology.This gives the person more than just a tangible product to cherish, they can alsorecieve constant updates of personal information which allows them tocommunicate emotionally with their partner.

Renders

Using a program called Rhino, CAD style drawings are made then rendered to give a realistic effect. This shows 3 of the items; plectrum, crayon and key.

Key Words

By aiming to create concepts with technology based applications and tangible, votive elements will allow couples in long distance relationships to build on sharing parts of there day visually with their partner, with a comforting touch of home and personality.

Rapid Prototype

Some objects were made by Rapid Prototyping; a drawing is created on Rhino and send to the machine which gives you products made of a white sandy material that you have to harden by coating with super glue until they are hard.

Objects are they sprayed with a high build primer then sanded and sprayed with a satin white paint. Black vinal is then cut out and stuck on with objects with the name.

Process

Some objects made out of J-cast from a silicone mould.
RFDI tags are put inside during the manufacture.

Inspiration

The final objects must be simplistic and iconic.

Votive Objects

I researched into what items people carry in their pockets that mean something to them. These will act as the vessels for RFDI tags making the objects interactive, but still allowing them to hold emotional value.

Tangible Interaction

Although technology helps us to connect with people quickly and hassle free, it simply enhances words to be taken however the other persons sees it, therefore sometimes causing unnecessary conflicts between long distance partners, who cannot share a real hug or a kiss when comfort is really needed.

It is loneliness, boredom and lack of physical contact that makes people drift apart. We need to keep communication frequent, fresh and thought provoking to allow long distance relationships to thrive and grow, not simply to rely on e-mails, blogs and twitters.

A tangible interaction must be present in some form to allow for personalisation and haptic stimulation. It is not only the objects that are important, it is the process and the journey of how one piece of emotional information stays intact from sender to receiver and doesn’t get lost in the digital translation.

Keys

Using random objects as keys to mediated interaction with RFDI tags.

RFDI tags

At this stage I established that there would be a tangible and a mediated element of my project. The personal touch will be in the form of everyday things that mean something to a particular person, but perhaps not another; a haptic connection between you, your computer and another person.

New technology and innovations that I have researched for this stage include the established RFDI (Radio Frequency Identification) readers which can be part of a mobile phone, contactless cards and have tags on posters, bus stops and other everyday objects.

These objects will have exclusive and personal meanings to the individual and their partner and will help them interact online.

Secrets

Mssages are written on the back of the gum shaped resin and left around the house for your partner to find. A different kind of secret love note and something tangible to cherish.

Model Making

At this point I started looking into making models of things that wouldn't normally be treasured such as chewing gum and jammi dodgers. I used J-24 silicone to make moulds and cast them in J-cast and resin.

Everyday Objects

Any object can be important to someone, even if it's not visually obvious to others.
Emotional importance within objects is very personal and this is something I wish to look into...

Tangible Objects

During my concept stage, I found that the problem still lay with the tangible element; having something to physically hold as a token of a moment of your day, is an important factor. The potable nature of the mobile phone allows for instant communication and swapping of information, but we are still missing the emotional element.

Objects such as lockets, items passes down from generations and anything given as a gift that has personal meaning, would count as an emotionally durable object.

This is the main focus for my final concept; creating a tangible product which is emotionally durable and includes elements of technology which allows for instant communication.

Constant Updates

People in long distance relationships rely on constant communication and updates of how their partner is doing throughout the day, without having to dwell on the fact that they aren’t physically there.

So the start of my concept stage is finding a way to combine similar attributes to networking sites such as Twitter, allowing for contant updates, with a tangible element to replace the physical void.

Instant Communication

In modern society we are finding new ways of using technology to say what we need to say, in particular the transportation of our love notes have changed; they are delivered faster and more often.

Technology has certainly made a lot of transitions over the past years with e-mail, chat and various social networking sites and the need for a tangible product is getting less, except, in my opinion, when we apply it to personal relationships. I believe that even in this day and age, couples in an emotional relationship still require a physical connection and since people seem to have stopped writing letters and sending it by post, we are being bombarded with blogs, instant messages and twitters; we now seem to share our deepest feelings with our computers.

Our need for instant communication has gone from the invention of e-mail, where we got our mail faster, it was virtual and easy to access, so we could send smaller messages, more often. This does prove to be more convenient for people who are too busy to sit down for any length of time, but it still doesn’t fill the emotional and physical voids left when a loved one is far away. Mobile phone chatting is great for people on the move, as it allows instant messages and replies and doesn’t interrupt what the other person is doing, even if it becomes stale and detached.

Love Letters and Mixed Tapes

Have we lost sight of the significance of the love letter? The caligraphy style handwriting, secrecy and intimicy of recieving words meant only for your eyes, with the deepest emotions expressed as beautiful poetry and treasured in a safe place forever. The content of these letters are personal and communicate an important moment in time for the couple, as does a photograph or mixed tape; freezing a collection of memories to be kept and found later as a votive chronicling of your life.

The need to express ones love to another by exchanging gifts or other tangible objects, has always been an important activity within a relationship, but how does this difffer to sending an e-mail? When does technology take over as a more effiecient method but still keep an emotional element?

As well as including a selection of songs which mean certain things to the owner, a mixed tape can act as a kind of snap shot of specific moments in time; something that happened in your life or a certain person that made an impact to you, creating a collection of your life’s memories which become an extension of you.

The impact of the mixed tape specifically to my project, is the fact that even after it has been played hundreds of times, lost and found again, messages changed and remembered, it keeps gaining new meaning. It is the emotional durability that makes it stand out as an influential piece of technology that will always hold a personal and unique message when it comes to relationships and communication and is today’s retro love letter.

Stuck up

Gum Clips

Challening preconceptions

Medicine that looks like sweets

Case Study

This has lead me on in my development to the importance of tangible objects and how products that gain value are often of greater desire to the couples in long distance relationships...

I undertook a primary case study in which a couple who share a flat with each other, took a 7 day challenge to use a different method of technology each day and record their findings in a diary to be compared with their normal routine. The specific methods chosen included technology from instant messaging using webcams to sending a letter in the post, all of which brought up similar conclusions except from the ‘letter day’ which gave some unexpected results.

The most effective modes were that of which the responses were quick and able to be personalised in some form. Interventions such as exchanging photos, sending links to websites, playing games and using webcams over the internet, also made the experience more emotionally effective and more personal. Finishing conversations were low points in the day, especially at night, except when you could remember a voice or part of the communication that stood out.

Not having a physical person was difficult especially at night or when you were ill and need comforting. Also waiting for things was frustrating but exciting at the same time, but being able to carry on with everyday activities at the same time made it easier as there were more things to share and kept you active and interested.

Surprisingly, recieving a letter at the end of the week was a high point, as even though you got it in the morning post and had to go without communication for the rest of the day, it served as a keepsake and something tangible that you could carry around with you that had the other persons handwriting on it making it more personal and votive.

Mood Boards

Start of project development

There are many problems faced by couples in long distance relationships, the biggest of which being the lack of physical contact, so this is were I started the development of my project. My research has shown that as we fall asleep at night time, our emotional need for human connection is hightened. This is due to the fact that we need to be comforted in order to fall asleep and things like goodnight kisses, the scent of a loved one beside you and a physical person being there, are all factors.

The Table Connection

By Dipak Patel, it lets you keep in touch with the flow of your loved ones daily life. When an object is placed on one table, an image of that object appears on the second. When the object is removed its image turns grey, then gradually fades away.

“One”

A sphere split in half with two rods sticking out from the centre. It can be pushed in and out to communicate a sense of touch between two distant people. When the centre rod is pushed in at one end, the rod on the other end moves up.

F+R Hugs

Francesca Rosella, is a soft Lycra shirt with embedded sensors and electronics that allows you to feel the physical closeness of a distant loved one, bringing the sensation of a hug.

Mizar's Telesquishy

For people "in long distance romantic relationships." A blue glow means that the partnering squishy is not being squished. The red glow means that it is currently being squeezed.

'Boyfriend Arm Pillow'

The Hizamakura is shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm. It is marketed towards single women or people who need it to replace a loved one while they are away.

Why we need emotional design

Communication is a key factor in our modern lives and with new technology at the height of innovation, we have the most mediated relationships history has seen. This is perhaps the reason why people are beginning to have successful long distance relationships; the introduction of e-mail, texting and interactive web sites such as bebo, facebook and twitter are making long distance communication possible throughout the world by allowing fleeting conversations and swapping of pictures and videos when it is convenient for the user. This means we can catch a glimpse of what the other person is doing without having to make the time to talk to them directly. However, the problem comes when we apply this to personal relationships, due to the fact we are missing an important part of the communication. Simply transferring information to your computer with the hope of a reply in the near future is not emotional, and that is one of the main things that make a personal relationship work. The reason why long distance relationships more often that not fall apart within months, is there is no physical interaction and no emotional stimulation.

Accessories for Lonely Men (Noam Toran, 2001)

Accessories for Lonely Men consists of a collection of eight fictional products designed to alleviate loneliness after the departure or loss of a woman. The project is an attempt to understand what initiates loneliness; do we miss the individual or the generic traces they leave behind?

Images
Chest Hair Curler
Shared Smoke
Plate Thrower
Sheet Thief
Hair Alarm Clock
Silhouette Light
Heavy Breather
Cold Feet

Emotions

If you could translate emotions digitally...

The Mask of Emotion is a project from the Digital Media Design Dept at Hongik University in Korea.