November 11th, 2024

Secrets In a Bottle

by Ali Kargin, Wayne Kim, Dishank Gandhi, Gayatri Kalra

What

Messages in a Bottle is an art installation that reimagines the age-old tradition of maritime message-sharing, transforming anonymous storytelling into a captivating phy-digital experience. Individuals can share their deepest secrets or messages through an online platform, and these messages appear on an OLED screen inside a carefully crafted bottle. Everytime someone picks up the bottle, the message changes and a blue light appears as feedback for the viewer.

How

These bottles, placed in public spaces to be discovered serendipitously, spark wonder and create a silent dialogue between sender and reader. Contributors can anonymously share their stories and feel the thrill of putting a secret out into the world. They see how many people engage with their narratives through an online counter, bridging personal vulnerability with human connection.

Why

The project explores profound human themes: vulnerability, trust, and the universal need to connect. Each discovered message becomes part of a larger tapestry of shared human experience, celebrating the power of collective storytelling.

The Brief

Design a device that enables two-way communication between two entities (human-to-human, human-to-object, human-to-animal, or object-to-object). Your device should not just pass a message directly but transform it in a way that makes it understandable to the recipient, who may otherwise struggle to interpret the original form. In other words, it must be translated.

Think of translation as transformation: your device should take a message (sound, gesture, light, or movement) and convert it into another form or medium that becomes meaningful to the other entity. This can involve:

  • Changing sensory forms: e.g., transforming a sound into a vibration or light for those who may not hear it.
  • Encoding/decoding: making a message simpler or more universal, like converting text into colors or patterns.
  • Translating emotion or intent: using the device to convey abstract ideas like urgency, calmness, or excitement through sensory changes.

Requirements
  • Clear concept: By Monday at 2:00 pm, every group must have a clear concept drawn on an A4 piece of paper, that will be your guide for the week.
  • Work schedule: By the end of day one, every group must have a schedule and strategy on how to approach the project.
  • Input and Output Elements: Your artifact must still include at least one input and one output element. There should be a clear interaction loop.
  • Translation Logic:Your device should interpret or transform the input into a “translated” output that the other participant can understand or experience differently.
  • Intentional Interactivity: Both users should experience a communication that feels intentional and interpretable.
Making of

Notes