November 11th, 2024
Secrets In a Bottle
by Ali Kargin, Wayne Kim, Dishank Gandhi, Gayatri Kalra
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.