Luminous Touch:
Wearable microcontroller and light installation
Luminous Touch is an interactive project that explores and redefines touch through two innovative suits covered with joysticks, combining technology and art. It explores human connection, offering new perspectives on intimacy, empathy, and communication, while creating a platform for creative interactions.
Client
Self-initiated art and research project
Time
August 2024 – September 2024
Tasks
Garment design, concept.
All elements and concept are development together with Matthias Krauß
The idea has existed on paper for several years. We have received funding from FeralAIR. This allows us to explore the concept, evaluate the technical possibilities and further develop the project with other artists.
What you can see here is the first iteration and exploration of the idea. our plan is to develop it continuously over the course of the next year.
How can we explore human touch in a new and different way?
Share experience and dive into another ones feelings
The project delves into the concept of shared experiences. When one person is touched and the lights illuminate on another, a visual bridge is created, strengthening the shared experience and mutual connection. This visual representation of touch reinforces the idea of interconnectedness between individuals.
Communication beyond language
„Luminous Touch“ explores alternative forms of communication that transcend spoken language. The project demonstrates how non-verbal communication can be amplified and interpreted through the integration of technology and art. It also investigates how communication networks can emerge when touch is extended to involve third parties, creating a broader web of interaction.
Body awareness and self-awareness, exploring your own and others‘ boundaries
The suits encourage a heightened awareness of one’s own body and reactions to touch. This increased mindfulness can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of physical presence and interactions with others, fostering a more profound connection with oneself and others.
The suits serve as an interface between people and expand the possibilities of physical and emotional communication.
The suits will be entirely equipped with joystick, LED lights and vibration motors. This setup turns a person into a singular MIDI controller, with the entire body acting as a control module. Using innovative sensor technology, every touch on the joystick suit is visualized in real-time on the LEDS of touching person and touched persons suit.
This direct physical interaction thus becomes visible and experiential for the viewers.
Bridging art and technology
By combining wearable technology with art, „Luminous Touch“ opens up new possibilities for communication and interaction. The suits act as an interface between people, expanding the boundaries of physical and emotional communication. This fusion of art and technology offers a fresh perspective on how we interact with one another.
Size-adaptive, modular garments for perfect fit and enhanced control
We explored different variations. Originally, we wanted to develop a jacket that could be made variable in size with different buckles. However, this did not meet our requirements in the first test.
In the end, the garment consisted of 4 parts.
This makes it modular, individual parts can be worn independently of each other. It also allows us to adjust the size to a specific frame so that the entire garment can be worn by different performers.
Everything made by hand: From 300 boards to every stitch and 3D printed detail.
Every part is designed, engineered and built by hand. This means that we have soldered 300 circuit boards for the current state, 3D printed for several hours and created, tested and adjusted several parametric models before the actual implementation.
The initial implementation and testing has already given us a lot of experience, especially in terms of assembly and the feel of the product, which will help us to create a further, optimised version.
First performance and testing
At the end of September we showed the piece in a short performance and tested it with a real audience.
People were invited to touch and move the joysticks on the jacket, not only to feel the feedback of light and vibration inside the jacket, but also to control the lights arranged in a circle around Alex.
It was an intense experience, both for Alex as the performer and for the audience, and we learned a lot not only about our piece but also about how people react in situations where they are invited to engage with the performer.
We really learned a lot about boundaries – our own and the audience’s – consent and movement in a group. At the moment we need some time to reflect on our experiences and what we’ve learned.
