Ray Chong Portfolio 2022

On Re-count

In Mandarin Chinese, the word for “computer” is 电脑, meaning literally, electric brain. It is an apt christening for our design — a digital alter ego of the human brain. Yet the chasm between humans and our robotic cousins appears greater than ever; as technology evolves, fear of an artificial intelligence (AI) takeover looms. In Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking asks if AI “can be controlled at all” (Hawking et al., 2018, p.122), raising apocalyptic scenarios of innovation competition, government manipulation, and even high-tech war.

Could we teach machines to understand humanity? And if we can, perhaps then somehow, we can prevent the seemingly inevitable AI revolt.

In R for Repair, a 2022 London-Singapore exhibition, designers repair sentimental objects contributed by the public in a way that honors their memories. In one, a toy for a cherished late pet is turned inside out and plaster cast to monumentalise traces of their bite marks (Thwaites, 2022). I was fascinated by how an object unassuming to me could carry such emotional weight to someone else. Unlike machines, we experience the same duration of time subjectively; moments that feel important, sometimes do last forever (BBC, 2019). It became clear to me that demonstrating how we experience time variably could help explain to our mathematically-minded cousins why emotions are important to us, and perhaps be a bridge toward greater understanding.

This work, Re-count, is a sound archive and speculative educational tool that measures human lifetimes. Containing audio clips of memories lasting varying durations juxtaposed against an illuminated timeline, it demonstrates how emotions alter our individual experiences of time. Recount contains true stories of love and grief that I gathered from people over interviews; It was through these powerful testimonies that I realised I wasn’t simply designing for hypothetical machines but also for people out of touch with their emotions.

Fear of the Singularity is a “sexy global catastrophic risk” as Karin Kuhleann of University College, London puts it (Kinstler, 2022). Problems with no obvious culprit or solution like the loneliness epidemic, however, are a harder sell. As meaningful relationships become harder to maintain with our changing society, our disconnect from others is growing (Burnett, 2021) and our awareness of these emotional issues needs to catch up.

Emotional isolation, in many ways, mirrors the intellectual incapacity of AIs to relate to humans. It’s therefore ironic, but also valuable to see the task of solving machine-human relations as analogous to solving humanhuman relations. Through its sensitive portrayal of life, Re-count acts as an interface highlighting our shared connection as human beings to encourage empathy between people.

This undertaking helped me hone new skills in physical computing and was my first time carrying out a mainly three-dimensional rather than digitally-focused work. Above all, however, it strengthened my intentions for my design practice. Beyond raising awareness or creating pleasing work, my design endeavours serve a greater purpose. This precipitated my decision for a dual machine-human audience to ensure that Recount could ultimately do good for real people. It confirmed my fascination with the dissonance between scientific progress and human wellness, and how creative technology can help us build a better world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

BBC (2019). Tracks - Do we all experience time differently? [online] BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ articles/5mkM5x2ypnrNkzxpLdW4Y6K/do-we-all-experience-time-differently [Accessed 8 Jan. 2023].

Burnett, D. (2021). A psychologist explains how modern life is making us lonely, but it doesn’t have to. [online] BBC Science Focus Magazine. Available at: https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/a-psychologist-explains-howmodern-life-is-making-us-lonely-but-it-doesnt-have-to/.

Hawking, S., Redmayne, E., Thorne, K. and Hawking, L. (2018). Brief answers to the big questions. London: John Murray. Copyright, p.122.

Higgins, A. (2018). Stephen Hawking’s final warning for humanity: AI is coming for us. [online] Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/futureperfect/2018/10/16/17978596/stephen-hawking-ai-climate-change-robotsfuture-universe-earth.

Kinstler, L. (2022). The good delusion: has effective altruism broken bad? [online] The Economist. Available at: https:// www.economist.com/1843/2022/11/15/the-good-delusion-has-effectivealtruism-broken-bad [Accessed 8 Jan. 2023].

Thwaites, T. (2022). Lucky’s Ball. [Plaster] Available at: https://www.r-forrepair.com/luckys-ball [Accessed 8 Jan. 2023].

The Brief

Humans & Machines

A Machine Audience My approach to the brief centered around the “machine audience”. I took this literally to mean designing for machines. Mindmapping helped me identify the key differences between humans and machines. Defining words on machines: Impartial, Intelligent, Pre-defined, Precise, Objective, Inflexible.

From these I started to think how human thought represented the converse of these words: Biased, Emotional, Prone to Error, Changeable, Subjective

Human vs Mechanical Time Perception

Jana Eggers, CEO of artificial intelligence company Nara Logics Research suggests that computers might never understand emotion the way humans based on our current model of computing.

Meanwhile looking into psychology journals brought me another insight — human time perception differs based on our emotions. Traumatic events shape our lives and replay in our minds longer than we expect them to. From the point of view of a machine where time is simply mathematical this could appear bizarre.

This is where the conflict between humans and machines lies, and where instructions with the help of real data could bridge the gap.

FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 2015 The Perception Of Time While Perceiving Dynamic Emotional Faces

Ray Chong, 2022 Making connections and defining terms through mindmapping

Ray Chong, 2022 Gathering peers contributions on defining machine audience

TIME MAGAZINE, 2017 ARE COMPUTERS ALREADY SMARTER THAN HUMANS?

Practices: Computing 1

The Hidden Girl Lecturing on how advanced technology could change society, Jasmine Morris introduced us to The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu.

In Memories of My Mother young mother with a terminal illness chooses to stretch out her remaining time to experience the life of her daughter. The mother travels in a space at relativistic speed to experience time more slowly, returning to earth every few years to see her daughter.

The experience was similar to how a two-dimensional being might experience a three-dimensional being, never being able to experience their entire existence, only privy to slices of their lives like snap shots.

KEN LIU, 2020

The Hidden Girl

Understanding Human Diversity

WIRED MAGAZINE, 1960 Aliens, the Singularity, and Ken Liu's 'The Hidden Girl'

The story portrayed how at every visit by her mother, the daughter’s emotional state differed drastically. Confusion, anger, grief, acceptance, and relief all happened at different moments.

Although she was the same person the daughter grew and matured and changed throughout her existence. I realised that the key to helping a machine understand human beings would be to highlight the diversity in our individual lives and the changes we experience over time particularly in our emotions which machines lack.

THE NEW STATESMAN, 202 1

How to prevent AI from taking over the world

Idea Generation

The Human Experience of Time

Now that I exp ored how human and machine time perception differs, I o owed this by ookin a three different unique y human re ationships with time, eadin to different themes:

Dissatis action with the nite state o i Vicarious y experiencin a different time period throu h a person or objec

Experiencin the same time different y as individua s

CORPS REVIVER, 1927

A pub ication about how on the memory o each person asts a ter death, exp orin their “ i e ootprint”. I ima ined that its red cover and pa es wou d pro ressive y ade in co our rom the be innin o the book (start o i e) to the end (death). I cou d exp ore data visua isation o my connections to the peop e around me to ca cu ate how on peop e mi ht continue to mention me i I were to die.

This wou d be an insta ation with an archive o objects o sentimenta va ue taken rom peop e where each item brin s back stron memories.

Usin creative techno o y I wou d wire up each object to a te evision and upon touchin one o the objects video c ips and audio rom the time period o the object wou d start to p ay, trans atin that stored time into

Know ed e Process Communication

Enquiry

L’Heure du Cocktail

RONEN TANCHUM & Eden Offer, 2021

Ray Chong, 2022

Direction 1 — Publication on “life foot-print”

Ray Chong, 2022 Direction 2 — Sentimental object interactive installation

Thematic Definition

Sentimentality and Time Exhibition: R for Repair

I visited the R for Repair exhibition at the V&A which embraces human attachment to our things through creative repair of old objects to preserve meaning and breathe new life into them.

The implied notion was intriguing, that humans assign hierarchical value to different time periods in life. The objects embody and evoke sentiments associated with those times and by keeping them for nostalgia’s sake, we reveal a temporal bias that a computer lacks.

Direction 3: Final Creative Direction

My final idea was to design a kind of clock for machines that would highlight the subjective way that humans experience time. Some important memories and thus moments in time replay in our minds over again.

For this idea there was the potential to produce an outcome for two audiences. It would be a speculative educational tool for hypothetically teaching robots about human time perception, but simultaneously act as an interface to help humans empathise with each other and our unique experiences.

SINGAPORE DESIGN COUNCIL X LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL, 2022 R for Repair

GCD Cohort, 2022

Peer feedback on my 3 directions, chosen direction was based on research & advice.

I summed up the project in this sentence: I want to create a clock that measures life as humanly experienced by individuals by reframing objective time in order to teach empathy to machines and humans.

Ray Chong, 2022

Sketching out my initial vision for the clock.

Initial Data-Gathering

Investigations Through Data I began interviewing my peers abo t their experiences with perceiving time when infl enced by their emotions.

I initially began with as ing the following

What was one moment in yo r life that lasted longer than it sho ld have

What inds of moments feel different

What experiences did yo have that ended p feeling very impactf l Was there an experience that defined a point in yo life?

Feedback & Adjustment The answers that I was getting were low on detail and q ite vag e. They were also philosophical and dealt with the experience of time and emotion in general rather than in testimonies which was what I was interested in investigating.

I was trying to p rposef lly let my interviewees decide how m ch detail they wanted to give so that I wo ldn’t be insensitive b t I needed a balance between respondants’ comfort and foc sed q estioning.

Peer feedbac : To enco rage detail, I needed to develop a more specific q estion rather than a string of q estions. It was also important that I

MP3 MP3

Ray Chong, 2022

Summarising interview responses + crafting new quesions

Ray Chong, 2022

Ray Chong, 2022 Initial interview site: bridge white tables

Ray Chong, 2022 Interviewee 1

Ray Chong, 2022 Interviewee 2

Crystalising Intent

Time Travel Through Sentimentality

In an article the science magazine Nautilus describes how even at its quickest, the brain performs 10 million times slower than a computer.

I started thinking how a human life would speed by when processed through a computer making it hard to dicern the important from insignificant moments. This brought me to a realisation that if I could represent the more important moments as having a longer duration I could show a machine that proportionally speaking this period holds more meaning.

Detailing the Device I decided that I could use audio of varying lengths to represent the experiences in the life of a person. My interviews with those same people could then serve as the core part of the experience, providing a personal touch that could help cultivate a sense of empathy in my machine audience.

NAUTILUS, 2018

Audiowork

Second Interview Attempt With the time through audio idea set and following feedback from my previous attempt, I conducted another interview this time with a more focused question: What was the most memorable moment in your life? The recording I obtained was my most successful yet as I managed to get my interviewee to share a personal and captivating extended story from their memories.

I then scoured the web for sound archives of human experiences like the BBC Sound Effects, Sound Bible, and YouTube. These could complement my interview footage to convey the idea of less memorable moments

Working with Sound Archives Collecting clips from these sources, I spliced and edited them in Audacity with my interview in order to create an audio representation moments in life like birth, graduation, and making your first friends.

Considering annoymity, I also tried using AI programs like Voicemod and Voicechanger to alter the recording. This was unsuccessful as the modifications were too jarring and artificial, I ended up dubbing over my interviewee’s voice instead.

MP3

BBC, 2022 BBC Sound Effects

Voicemod, 2022 voicechanger, 2022

Soundbible, 2022

Ray Chong, 2022 Audio editing process in Audacity, I spliced sound clips, edited volume and added transitions.

Ray Chong, 2022 Edited audio file for prototyping

Ray Chong, 2022 Files recorded for 2nd interview and edited with Audacity.

Physical Computing

Teensy & Arduino Testing I looked into physical computing technology to carry the audio needed for the interior of the clock.

The Teensy is a low-cost, breadboard-friendly USB based microcontroller. With help from the technicians, I create a quick Teensy and Audio Shield set-up that controlled an LED strip and could also play audio from an SD card through a mini speaker.

LED Libaries NeoPixels & FastLED

I decided an LED strip to visually portray proportions of time could complement the audio with another layer of support for understanding.

I tested different effects achievable through NeoPixels and FastLED trying to experiment with different methods of visually communicating the concept of time as well as the different modes that the clock might take including stand-by, loading, and play mode.

MP4

Ray Chong, 2022 Sketch: proposed LED visuals

Ray Chong, 2022 FastLED code experiments

Ray Chong, 2022 BOTTOM: Testing different LED code combinations

Ray Chong, 2022 Arduino code controlling playing of audio

Ray Chong, 2022 Arduino and Teensy experiments

Structure Experiments

Ergonomic Testing I made rapid physical mockups with a cardboard box to investigate how handling a similar product might feel. With a series of post-its with different physical features like dials and buttons, I mixed and matched to produce structure variations.

These helped me to determine that a supine design would be sturdier, easier to work with, and reduce confusion by evoking the familiar shape of a vintage digital clock as opposed to a radio.

Considering Light I also began considering how light would project through the clock facade, experimenting placing the strip at different distances from the cavity. I also tried adding a covering in front of the light to act as a diffuser, making the experience of watching the light more comfortable and also pleasant.

Ray Chong, 2022

Electrical components set up within box

Ray Chong, 2022

These post-its helped me try configurations of interfaces

Ray Chong, 2022

Testing varying distances to diffuse light

Ray Chong, 2022

Final prototype for feedback, I realised that I didn’t need a separate LCD display to digitally display age, I could just label either end of the LED bar. MP4

Refining Circuitry

Troubleshooting & Functionality

I troubleshooted and also added more functionality to the circuit to prepare for the prototype. Adding different buttons I could now playback different audio files, I also stabilised the signal with resistors.

Using a Bi-directional Logic Level Converter I fixed an issue of dim illumination of the LEDs by stepping up the voltage coming through the Teensy.

I removed the speaker and replaced it with earphones for a more private experience.

Finished Prototypical Circuit The circuit was now complete to be fitted into the mocked-up facade. During my session with the technicians, I also started to think about the physical interaction with the clock. The different varieties of buttons would elicit different expectations and comfort levels. I started to plan which kinds of physical parts to buy for the next week.

Knowledge Process Communication Realisation Enquiry

Ray Chong, 2022 Stages of circuit setup

Ray Chong, 2022 Testing, troubleshooting, re-writing code

Ray Chong, 2022 ABOVE: Bi-directional Logic Level Converter BELOW: Considering different button types

Ray Chong, 2022 Final working circuit for the prototype

Feedback & Actions

First User Testing I cond cted ser testing with some friends and the feedback was generally positive ey insights

A dio effectively comm nicated time travelling thro gh experiences and did not come across as cl nky even in the mocked p state

Single LED bar was s fficiently clear at comm nicating time and did not see another one for machines as necessary

Consider age and stat re makes a difference to for instance how one views the police (scary or reg lar) when a child vs ad lt Consider the viewpoints of people from different c lt res

Actions

My peers feedback led me to think abo t what my project was really abo t and how I wanted to frame it when disc ssing it in the f t re They enco raged me to see the common thread between what I felt were the main topics this project was abo t, the perception of time, and memorable life events and the realisation that I was creating an archive of h man experiences.

Decisions

Scrap the LED bar idea for a single bar of light H man time perception is not homogeno s, age affects this It wo ld be interesting to interview people across the age spectr m, yo ng to old It wo ld be interesting for one of my interviews to be cond cted in a non-English lang age to help my a dience experience different c lt res’ takes on life

Getting peers’ thoughts on my prototype’s success

nowledge

Ray Chong, 2022

Ray Chong, 2022 Recording feedback

Practices: Computing 2

Binary — Machine Language In class Jasmine touched on the origins of computing, explaining how binary works as a system of 0s and 1s to be able to communicate every complexity of expression.

Since I was exploring ways to communicate with my machine audience I felt that it would be thematically relevant to base the design of a logotype on the binary system.

Symbols

And A Stalemate

The arms on a analog clock could be seen to have dual states: angled, and straight. I used this as a starting point for sketches, with a straight arm for 1 and angled for 0.

Using a text to binary converter I tried writing short phrases like “tick”. However I realised quickly how long the number of characters needed was. I then attempted to focus on a single letter and condensing the symbols created. Still, this proved less successful than I hoped.

COMPUTERHOPE.COM, 2021 BINARY

convertbinary.com, 2022 TEXT TO BINARY CONVERTER

Ray Chong, 2022 Using binary to create potential logo shapes

Research & Plans

Researching Product Design The final clock design was particularly influenced by retro vintage digital clocks but also by other physical interfaces including Walkman devices, old radios, and synthesisers.

As much as the LED display and audio were proportionised to demonstrate the subjective experience of time for my machine audience, I also wanted an incredibly tactile interactivity for my additional human audience. There’s a culture of being compelled to gather by the radio that I wanted to take advantage of by visually evoking it.

Setting the Stage + Project Title

It would be a challenge to design an actual product for the first time so I decided to plan out my week in advance to book workshops and ensure I was on task until the open studio day.

At this point I also had an epiphany while brainstorming titles for my

Ray Chong, 2022

Left: primary research looking for interesting forms and interfaces in Currys

OXFORD LANGUAGES 2022, DEFINITION OF RECOUNT

saori masudatang, 2018

FAR LEFT: Nsynth super

duo, 2017

LEFT: data duo

Ray Chong, 2022 Timetabling my final week

Daniel Nacamuli, 2015 henri

Visual Identity Design

Variable (Subjective) Design With the project name Recount finalised I started to design a visual identity. From the theme of time my strongest influence naturally became the clock and I considered both analog and digital clockfaces as references. The analog face eventually won out as it’s the most recognisable icon for time, even being used in digital interfaces.

Because my outcome would be an archive of different individuals’ life testimonies, I explored portraying multiple states of time visually. This led me to the motif of a differing clock arm patterns and a variable logo system.

Iteration, Typography, I vectorised my sketches in Illustrator and continued to test different variations. Eventually I settled on a simple circular clockface with 4 points marking the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions on the face for added clarity as a timepiece-inspired logo. I put additional arms on the face so the symbol could be adjusted as though telling different times.

I also considered different typefaces, prioritising sharp, digital-looking fonts like Moldiv and Anders. Eventually I chose N27 by Atipo Foundry which is a classic grotesk with additional sleekness from cut angles that add some futuristic sensibilities to a historic font style.

Ray Chong, 2022 Rapid logo sketches with different shapes

Ray Chong, 2022 Variable versions of same/similar logo system

Ray Chong, 2022 Vectorised logos

Ray Chong, 2022 Considering type

Ray Chong, 2022 Finalised logotype

DIETER RAMS, C. 1960 BRAUN CLOCKFACE

Facade Design

Design Development

Once the design was complete I used paper progressively folded to help visualise the proportion of different features to one another. I experimented to ensure that the LED bar the main visual focus would not be overwhelming and was ringed by sufficient visual space. This process also helped me confirm which type sizes would be appropriate. I prepared to-scale paper replicas of each side with measurements indicating the position of features.

Ray Chong, 2022

To scale paper sketch of sides of final design, measurements included

Paper

Ray Chong, 2022

Quick sketches of different options for the exterior of the clock

Ray Chong, 2022

folding with prototype to test for the right scale.

Making

Laser Printing I spent time going back and forth between technicians from different departments, initially I was advised to use the CNC machine and I prepared a design for the facade that would fit like a matchbox in two pieces. Eventually however I realised laserprint would be a more efficient method.

Ray Chong, 2022

Sketches made in discussion with technician regarding CNC

After considering different weights and different materials, for the main body I chose 6mm plywood for a more natural finish than MDF board that was still sturdy. For the LED diffuser, I decided on translucent white acrylic board as it left the light hue diffused but unaltered.

Ray Chong, 2022 Finalised pieces of facade design

Assembly & Refinement I took the pieces to the wood workshop for the final touches, sanding down the scorch marks, en-largening small holes and attaching all the pieces with wood glue.

Ray Chong, 2022 Material considerations

Ray Chong, 2022 Creating design in Illustrator Ray Chong, 2022 Pieces printed and fully sanded, with sanding block

Ray Chong, 2022 Cutting and glue ing

Final Recordings

Quality Recordings After reflection from feedback I tweaked my interview question once more to: Tell me about your most unforgettable memory. This suggested a more familiar query rather than the factual tone of prior questions.

For my interviewees I obtained a recording from an anonymous peer as well as my mother and grandmother to fulfill the young, middle-aged, and old testimonies I needed.

With both the recording studio and a DIY microphone set-up at home I also recorded high-quality tracks to serve as introductory and interface audio that would guide listeners in between tracks. In addition, I wrote translated transcripts for the audio with my grandmother who spoke in Teochew and recorded a friend reading it out in English.

Editing & Splicing

Ray Chong, 2022 Prepared script for voice actors to read out.

MP3 files for the final full audio files fo each channel are also accessible

The gathered recordings had to be painstakingly cleaned, adjusted, and raised to the appropriate volume in Audition and Premiere Pro. I weaved the disparate clips together into a single file for each interviewee. In addition, I took snippets of tracks from sound archives like Kinolibrary and Reuters to create the representative audio bites between interviews.

Knowledge Process Communication Realisation Enquiry

Ray Chong, 2022 Interviewing in booth Ray Chong, 2022 Using recording studio for crisp sound

Ray Chong, 2022 Noise reduction and cleaning

Ray Chong, 2022 Track editing in Premiere Pro

KINOLIBRARY, 1960 China, Harbin City Street Scenes Reuters News Archive 1965 Separation from Malaysia

MP3

Refining Electricals

Structural Integrity To make sure that the circuit was as sturdy as possible I worked on several refinements. I re-soldered the LED with new wires, twisting them on each other to form a stronger cable. I added steel push-buttons to replace the ones in the prototype and create a toggle switch that would turn on the device. Screw on wire caps were also put in place to prevent wires from easily detaching from the breadboard.

Final Touches With the technicians’ help we tested different power sources and eventually settled on a portable charger that could provide enough power and fit within the clock cavity.

Knowledge Process Communication

Ray Chong, 2022 Putting everything together

Ray Chong, 2022 Everything fixed and put in place

Animating LEDs

Planning Visual Effects

I began by planning animations would play at each moment of the user experience. The standby animation for the outcome for instance is an undulating rainbow.

I then carefully calculated the number of LEDs that would need to light up over specific stretches of time in order to render a bar of light that would illuminate proportionally to the length of audio being played.

Ray Chong, 2022

ABOVE LEFT: Checking if light up effects were accurate

ABOVE RIGHT:

Final Coding This particular stage required a lot of trial and error to ensure that the LEDs lit up consecutively without any error. I referred to the FastLED documentation while coding for troubleshooting and testing other effects.

Knowledge Process Communication

Ray Chong, 2022 Final code available on Github

Ray Chong, 2022 Coding process referring to FastLED

Ray Chong, 2022 Calculations to determine number of bulbs & duration of time lit

Ray Chong, 2022 Categorising and planning effects

All iterations of my coding work across the week

Presentation

Explanatory Poster I knew that because of how conceptual this work was it would need additional material to explain its intentions. To do this I designed a poster with a thematic explanation and also step by step instructions on how to use the device.

Filming and Video Editing I was proud enough of Recount to decide that I wanted to showcase it in my portfolio. Since the interactivity takes a long time to experience fully I felt the best way to document it would be through a long form video. I set up a clean space in the third floor photo booths and captured footage from various angles of the work before editing it in Premiere Pro.

Ray Chong, 2022 Considering different papers for print

Ray Chong, 2022 Final printed posters in different papers

Ray Chong, 2022 Sketch iterations of type placement

Ray Chong, 2022 Adobe Illustrator process shots

Ray Chong, 2022 Late night video editing on Premiere Pro

Ray Chong, 2022 Shooting from compositionally interesting points

Sound Archive and Speculative Educational Tool

Created with Teensy, addressable LED strip, headphones, 6mm birch plywood Concept by: Ray Chong

Recount

MP4

On Another Life

Philosophers Soren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger mused on the influence that death exerts on life, observing how it draws the boundaries of our limits as well as defines what we focus on (Critchley, 2009). Informed by the reality that life is finite, people across history have accomplished great feats in an effort to leave a legacy to be remembered by (Hunter, 2008). The awareness of our universal conclusion can frame the arc of existence in a more meaningful and deliberate way (Vail et al., 2012). But the end of life rarely features prominently in the thoughts of the average youth, even though they stand to benefit from its consideration the most.

My work, Another Life, is an interactive installation designed to help young people rewrite their lives. Antithetical to digital interfaces where errors can be erased, the physical interface here — a single scroll of paper — must be used irreversibly through the hefty keys of a typewriter. The text guides the user through a reflection on their relationship with their life, questioning if they are living the way they truly desire.

As users write, the paper — initially warmed by a heating plate — emerges into cold air and a layer of overprinted thermochromic ink opacifies, obscuring their words and symbolising our universal time limitations. Simultaneously, the ink reveals a text archive printed in the negative of hypothetical regrets collected from people asked to consider the possibility of dying today.

I was influenced by Before I Die, Candy Chang’s global interactive mural confronting death with resolution by inviting people to inscribe their life ambitions permanently and publicly. Seeing how mere rumination became concretised by putting thought to the pen, I was galvanised to pursue an interactive outcome. But I was also influenced by the psychological incredulity that happens when a physical interface animates (a typically digital phenomenon).

Sculptures in A Step to the Sky by Lingjie Wang transfigure in hue depending on ambient temperature, seeming almost alive. This essential connection between warmth and life, as well as the hypnotic awe induced by the thermochromic ink used cemented my experimentation with the medium.

My design approach incarnated the principles of transmediation, observing that beyond function, the medium exists also “as a conceptladen metaphor” (Adema and Hall, 2013). In inscribing a message about the future with a typewriter, my users create something new with the old — a hopeful message about the possibility of change so long as we are alive. The scroll, however, although influenced by the format of internet chatbots (Wallace, 1966), subverts permutable digital interfaces as it cannot be reversibly altered. In homage to this liminal space, I chose aesthetic influences from the dawn of the digital era like continuous stationary for dot matrix printers and monospaced typefaces which were used both for typewriters and early computers.

In a break from many previous works, Another Life was a bold experiment with an actively rather than passively interactive outcome. For me, it represented the apotheosis of my intentions to design for social good and emotional well-being. Working with an unfamiliar and temperamental medium like thermochromic ink challenged the limits of my resourcefulness, problem-solving skills and perseverance, but most importantly, has taught me the value of intelligent experimentation and personal resolve.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Adema, J. and Hall, G. (2013). The Political Nature of the Book: On Artists’ Books and Radical Open Access. New Formations, 78(78), p.138. doi:10.3898/ newf.78.07.2013.

Critchley, S. (2009). Being and Time part 6: Death | Simon Critchley. The Guardian. [online] 13 Jul. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/13/heidegger-being-time [Accessed 9 Jan. 2023].

Hunter, E.G. (2008). Beyond Death: Inheriting the Past and Giving to the Future, Transmitting the Legacy of One’s Self. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 56(4), pp.313–329. doi:10.2190/om.56.4.a.

Vail, K.E., Juhl, J., Arndt, J., Vess, M., Routledge, C. and Rutjens, B.T. (2012). When Death is Good for Life. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16(4), pp.303–329. doi:10.1177/1088868312440046.

Wallace, M. (1966). Eliza, A Chatbot Therapist. [online] Njit.edu. Available at: https://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/eliza.html [Accessed 9 Jan. 2023].

The Brief

Death & The Young

How Death Reframes Life Branching from the topic of memory from Recount, I began thinking about the definition of death. Besides biological death, permanent oblivion only occurs when memory of persons is lost for good. Likewise, until all traces of your existence through your actions on others is finally gone (when those people too expire), one continues to live on.

This reality has made legacy an important subject for human beings across history, inspiring art, architecture, conquest, and procreation in an effort to live beyond our time.

According to Martin Heidegger, death is that limit against which one’s potentiality-for-being (Seinkönnen) is to be measured. He contends that as the only inevitability that one experiences alone, the individual should reassure themselves in the fact that life ought to be lived solely on one’s own terms.

A Natural Audience: Youth Thinking about death can help to distinguish the important from the trivial. If you were to live till only tomorrow, many modern anxieties would simply no longer be worth caring about.

Young people — who are at the greatest flexibility for change — however are mostly insulated from dealing with death until later in life and hence simultaneously are the most oblivious while standing the most to benefit from its contemplation.

However care must be made to treat death with gravity. As Susanna Siegel, Harvard’s Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy says “one of the worst things we could do is get used to death, treat it as unremarkable”.

Martin Heidegger, 1927 BEING AND TIME Søren Kierkegaard, 1849 the sickness unto death the harvard gazette, 2021 how death shapes life

Physicalising Legacy

Communicating Legacy

Reflectively & Experientially

The extreme abstraction of death presented a challenge: how could I communicate its presence? I began by looking first at references that visually recorded traces of being, thus using legacy as a reminder to an audience of what they leave behind (the implication being that they must in fact die).

Contributive projects like Before I Die directed participants to inscribe publicly and collectively their intentions for the future, encouraging reflection as well as action.

Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse on the other hand translated a form of essence of its audience (their heartbeat) into light then collected in a repository of bulbs, creating a captivating experience that was more beautiful than intellectual although it continued to hold intrinsic meaning.

Choice of Material; Thermochromic Ink

Exploring visualising human legacy brought me to consider the physical trace we leave behind in the form of heat. Metabolic reactions, the very essence of life, produce warmth that continues until we die.

This lead me to consider thermochromic ink that changes its colour upon fluctuations in temperature. As a physical material with the ability to alter based on human interaction, it presented a means of encapsulating the concept of life while also being a spectacle.

Furthermore, I could print with the ink and use it to create a reflectivecentered outcome as well.

CANDY CHANG, 2012 BEFORE I DIE PROJECT

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, 2006 PULSE

John Philip Sage, 2020 Data Justice and COVID-19: Global Perspectives

WANG LINGJIE, 2012 A STEP TO SKY

First Experiments

I sourced some leftover thermochromic powdered pigment from the screen print workshop and began playing with the material right away.

My initial experiments at home involved mixing with cooking oil to see if the result would be usable. The pigment successfully transformed into an ink that also reacted to touch. With its potential confirmed I moved

Initial Screenprints

I chose some illustrations from the book Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien by Adolf Engler of Mimosa Pudica, also known as the “sensitive plant” due to its leaves that close upon touch. I wanted to create a poster to reflect the qualities of the Mimosa in changing upon contact through printing with the thermo-reactive ink.

Choosing cream, grey, and orange paper to complement the orange tone of the ink, I screen printed the poster. The prints came out clear and crisp with very little difficulty, now I knew for certain that I could work properly with the pigment.

Knowledge Process Communication Realisation Enquiry

Ray Chong, 2022 Home experiments with thermochromic pigment

Ray Chong, 2022 Pigment turns translucent with touch

Ray Chong, 2022 First screenprints

Thermo-enclosure

Automating Physical Dynamics Although I knew that thermochromic ink could change through touch I was also interested in exploring an automation of those effects, in a respect, animating the thermochromic ink through a machine controlled temperature interface.

Animation is nowadays a digital art, hence to create a physical interface that could produce the same effect not only provokes curiousity but provides an additional means of interaction by inviting touch.

Vijgen and Wang both introduce an impermanent quality to typically permanent canvases and textiles via painting with thermochromic ink while using technology to alter its colour in real time.

Set-up & Coding I created a very rough setup with a thermal element, temperature sensor, and arduino contained by a plastic enclosure. Through the code,

I recorded the temperature of the enclosure interior as the thermal element heated up the air.

A paper sample placed inside and printed with some thermochromic ink gradually became translucent as the temperature increased.

The experiment confirmed the feasibility of automation but showed me that greater insulation would be needed for a more reliable and rapid

Enquiry

Ray Chong, 2022 Enclosure, Arduino circuitry, code

Richard Vijgen, 2017 WifiTapestry LINGJIE WANG, 2019 In a Universe Where Everything Moves at All

Gathering Memories

Memory, Legacy, & Perception To get a better understanding of how memory relates to legacy I interviewed peers on how they remember loved ones through objects they left behind such as accessories or tools.

I discovered that people often had strong, positive memories of interactions with said loved ones evoked by those objects and that although these stories often went untold, they tended to have sentimental power that compelled my peers to wear or keep these objects.

A Publication To Rediscover Memories

The stories my friends had recounted through their objects of sentimental value were essentially the invisible legacy of those people they were recalling.

I wanted to create an outcome that could highlight how the impact of each person extends beyond their lifetimes, for better or for worse, and to help people discover these hidden stories.

I decided that a publication using thermochromic ink would be a thematically apt way of breathing life back into these loved ones through touching obscured sections of text that reveal themselves upon the heat of human skin.

Ray Chong, 2022

Ray Chong, 2022 Ideation and conceptual mapping

Ray Chong, 2022 Sketching out process of printing

Ray Chong, 2022

BELOW: Interviewee 1

BOTTOM: Recorded interview

Publication Design

Mocking-Up & Design I began with paper mock-ups, adjusting the size of the booklet to maximise comfort for tactile interactivity.

Since this was to be a rapid prototype I eventually chose a foldable zine format that would allow the entire booklet to be printed on one sheet of paper, hastening the printing process.

Ray Chong, 2022

ROW BELOW: Various iterations of booklet mockups

BOTTOM LEFT: Foldable zine miniature

BOTTOM RIGHT: Finalised print design

Rapid Prototype

Peer Feedback I tested the p blication samples with my peers who praised me for my q ick work I also received good advice on some new considerations ey insights

Fix the prototype by reconsidering colo r of paper and altering the ink density

Altho gh yo ’ve fo nd a medi m to foc s on, consider cond cting more material experimentation to bolster yo r final o tcome Consider scale and space for yo r work, co ld it take p more threedimensional space? Perhaps this co ld improve interactivity

Consider if yo can create an interface that records a dience interaction rather than merely being passive as it is at the moment.

iry

Further Modifications Following the feedback I ret rned to the screen printing workshop to print a version of the p blication that wo ld work precisely as intended.

This time I printed with orange reg lar ink initially on a light backgro nd, and then overprinted with an increased pigment concentration of thermochromic ink.

Now the obsc ring effect that I’d wanted was finally s ccessf l.

MP4

nowledge Process Comm nication

Ray Chong, 2022 3 prototype versions in different ink, paper colours Ray Chong, 2022 Testing interaction with peers

Ray Chong, 2022 Unfolded final publication

Ray Chong, 2022

Video demonstration of colour change through touch

Ray Chong, 2022

Extracts from written feedback

More Experimentation

Reflection & Ideation The advice I was given also encouraged me to consider if I could explore a technology as well as a tactile centered approach to interactivity.

I looked at interactive creative technology works like Lozano-Hemmer’s Voice Array which uses clips recorded by its audience over the course of days and translates them collectively into both a repository of light and a cacophony of sound.

Deviating from thinking purely about the printed surface, I imagined a device that could be held one’s hands. I wanted to evoke the cautious behaviour that holding a small object entails to tie back to the fragility and importance of life. It would also record and play back the whispered meditations of its users on their intentions for their life journeys.

A Recording Device

Working with Arduino once again I made a set up with the Audioshield that would record input upon the press of a button and then output it through a speaker once it was completed.

This provided some the groundwork for future potential functions like adding the audio being currently recorded to an archive of prior recordings and the playback for that.

voice array, 2017 rafael lozano-hemmer

Ray Chong, 2022

Hopes & Regrets The dichotomy between obscuration and revelation made me realise the potential for a two-fold interaction since both effects are possible with thermochromic ink.

My audience could write down their hopes for their lives in what they would like to achieve before death, but the other interaction would be to

Practices: Print 1

The Interface Esther Mcmanus introduced novel examples of considering experience through print by designers.

James Langdon’s Rare Bird Economics conveys information about a bird’s Size: with to-scale illustrations Weight: with paper weight Speed: with calculated rate of press matching bird’s speed Migratory Patterns: printing in New Zealand, shipping to Europe

I began to ponder the importance of choosing an interface that would communicate my ideas more intuitively. I wanted to find an alternative to the simplistic action of simply writing with a pen.

Scrap papers of different widths tested for ease of typing

These insights led me to consider procuring a typewriter over the pen for

Knowledge Process

Enquiry

Ray Chong, 2022 Peer feedback on writing experience during testing

Ray Chong, 2022 Esther’s slides about the Interface considering means of communicating with print

Ray Chong, 2022

james langdon, 2020 Rare bird economics

Data & Instructions

An Archive of Regrets To get an idea of what kinds of accomplishments people considered most important in their lives, I posed a question to people: ‘”what would you regret not having done if you died today?”

I compiled the responses, categorising them into regrets, dreams, and aspirations.

I also noted however many respondents that people seemed to confuse the question as asking about what they would do if they knew they would die tomorrow, rather than their regrets.

Refining Reflective Directions To create the best reflective conditions for my audience I wanted to ask a question that would address the heart of how death changes people’s actions in life.

With my disability tutor Stella Klein we discussed the emotions and mindset that should be evoked. We determined that a key sentiment was fear, nudging at this could guide the audience against just writing about lofty aspirations, towards a focused goal.

To counter-act the inherent negativity in this we realised that reinforcing a sense of control would help drive hopefulness. This could be done by asking the audience to identify steps to take toward the named goal.

Ray Chong, 2022 Regrets and aspirations written by peers Ray Chong, 2022 Categorised and rephrased

Ray Chong, 2022 Notes taken in discussion with Stella Klein

Structural Prototyping

Scroll Length With a better idea of the best width for the scroll I now tested various lengths.

The scroll had to accommodate multiple interactions from several people so I estimated the length needed to complete a full interaction and multiplied this. I eventually came up with a dimension of 170mm x 1400mm.

Considering 3D Space Since the paper would be not only used for inscription but also observation, I also experimented with holding the scroll at different heights and set ups to observe which position was best for viewing and for visual interest as a 3D structure.

I eventually determined that the scroll was best lifted to torso height since the user would get up from their seat to observe the writing from behind the typewriter.

Ray Chong, 2022 Scroll prototypes made through adjustments with masking tape

Ray Chong, 2022 Different scroll positions

Heat Experiments

Heated Air Delivery I experimented with multiple set up designs to deliver heat to a specific area of the scroll.

The initial idea involved a steampunk inspired design that would allow air from a hot air gun to be transferred via perforated tubing to points at the edge of the scroll.

Besides this, the tubing would contribute to the industrial aesthetic of

Technical

My first test involved copper tubing because the metallic surface made for a very polished addition to the typewriter. However it was immediately clear after testing with the heat gun that its conductive properties produced a stream of cold air that did not react at all to thermochromic ink of paper.

A further material exploration was heat resistant rubber which in the end proved also unable to retain the heat all the way to the end of the tubing.

Difficulties

Ray Chong, 2022 Sketching placements of tubing system Ray Chong, 2022 Hot air gun directly on paper

Ray Chong, 2022 Copper versus rubber tubing

Working Set-Up

Thermal Element Modified I returned to my first method of delivering heat through a thermal element, this time getting a longer bar that stretched the width of the paper.

However to ensure that the writing area was clear for typing, the warmth needed to reach the very edge of the paper as it emerged from the typewriter so that the thermochromic overprint turned translucent.

To tackle this I used the copper strips to extend the heated area and secured the element with zip ties to the typewriter.

Success and Potential Short-comings

The set up was finally successful in heating up the desired parts of my paper. However concerns emerged

The thermal element heated up excessively over time, making translucent a larger area than desired.

I needed to buy more thermochromic ink however my original version was not available and the reactivity of new inks could differ and create a different result.

Ray Chong, 2022 Element attached to ruler Ray Chong, 2022 Copper tape reaches into crevices of paper Ray Chong, 2022 Timelapse of testing and troubleshooting

Ray Chong, 2022 Edge of paper closest to writing bar finally receives heat!

MP4

Practices: Print 2

Transmediation Esther Mcmanus introduced to me The Scan and the Export which describes how information is perceived differently based on the medium used or Transmediation.

In the simple task of writing, digital platforms like a word document are alterable for viewing (zooming in/out), content can be gauged for length (scroll bars), and content itself can be altered to correct mistakes which are pointed out by programs.

Physical interfaces conversely are less flexible and unless specific tools are used (pencils and erasers) content is not editable, and at the very least leaves permanent traces.

Physical interactions cultivate cautious sobriety and fastidiousness regarding consequence.

SEAN DOCKRAY, 2010 THE SCAN & THE EXPORT

Differences between physical/digital mediums

Death

And The Digital The dominance of digital media in modernity and our lack of embrace of death are linked. With the flexibility to modify and reverse digital actions, our lives feel far more disconnected from death’s permanence.

I wanted to create the physical replica of an existing digital interface to create a subversive experience in my outcome. To do so, it also had to occupy a liminal visual aesthetic between fully print and fully digital media.

My influences included technology from the dawn of the digital era like dot matrix printers and chatbot and website interactions.

WIKIPEDIA BELOW: CONTINUOUS STATIONARY

BOTTOM: dot matrix printer in action

COMUZI, 2020 F’xa, the feminist chatbot

Ray Chong, 2022

Underprint Design

Fusing Physical & Digital Interfaces

I developed a continuous interaction system from the format of chatbots and website interactions. The typewriter’s knob would function as the alternate version of scrolling on a digital interface to get to subsequent segments.

I thus wrote the text on the scroll akin to a conversation, so that further information would be conveyed as the length increased.

Ray Chong, 2022 Sketches to design flow and content of text interactions

Ray Chong, 2022

LEFT: Design process in Adobe Illustrator

Aesthetic

Decisions The edges were lined with rows of circles visually referencing the perforations on continuous stationary used in dot matrix printing.

I initially chose IBM Plex Mono, a monospaced font, because of the common historical use of such fonts for both typewriters and early

Ray Chong, 2022

LEFT: Sketches and scale comparisons with samples

FAR LEFT: Design process progress

Ray Chong, 2022 First version of underprint design

Prototype Testing

Ray Chong, 2022 Peers testing makeshift set-up with prototype Ray Chong, 2022 Copies of completed scrolls with notes on edits made in pink ink

Overprint Design

Designing the “Regrets” For the overprint design, I needed to ensure maximum coverage without running out of thermochromic ink (I only had 100ml). To obscure the designs below, I created an ink-saving half-tone texture that ran the scroll’s length. For visual interest the values undulated in lighter and darker areas to invite curiosity.

I considered different typefaces, before choosing Malabar Pro for consistency in the title and a new font distinct from the underprint design — Hydrophilia Liquid inspired by early liquid crystal displays.

Enquiry

Printing

Decisions & Process Although the design drew from early technical era aesthetics, I knew the scroll itself needed to look timeless. I chose a cream coloured matt art paper with a substantial weight for printing which I divided into 3 scrolls, giving me the opportunity to reprint in case of mistakes.

Printing itself required 2 screens with the overprint and underprint designs. I set up on a long bench and pulled the paper left after each round to print the next section.

Overprinting & Refinement

Overprinting required painstaking alignment of each section to ensure that the print would be accurate. Nevertheless the process was successful. After this, I cut the margins at the edges to allow for the paper to enter the typewriter easily.

LEFT: Printing setup FAR LEFT: Thermochromic ink used

Ray Chong, 2022

Picking papers in digital print studio

Ray Chong, 2022 Manually cutting original roll into smaller sheets

Ray Chong, 2022

BELOW: Cutting margins with xacto blade BOTTOM: Silkscreen in position

Ray Chong, 2022 Prints on the drying rack

Ray Chong, 2022

Electronics & Structure

Electrical Adjustments With fresh long strips of copper tape I repackaged the thermal element and then attached it to a converted laptop charger as a portable power source.

I then reduced the voltage gradually on a DC power supply, examining the heating effect on the paper for the desired effect. Once I had the number, I attached an adjustable step down voltage regulator to the laptop charger and then to my thermal element, completing the electrical set-up.

Considering Structure The final set up needed to be both easily legible and have a sculptural presence. With scrap equipment from workshops, I tested reading putting the scroll at different distances and lengths until I found the appropriate position.

Ray Chong, 2022

RIGHT: Repackaged thermal element in place

FAR RIGHT: Typewriter with power source & voltage regulator

Ray Chong, 2022

RIGHT: Voltage testing with DC power supply

FAR RIGHT: Step down voltage regulator adjustments

Ray Chong, 2022 Last set-up iterations

Outcome

by: Ray Chong

On the direction forward

In 2005, Swedish philosopher and “longtermist” Nick Bostrom declared in a TED conference that death was an “economically enormously wasteful” phenomenon (Kinstler, 2022). Reasoning that mathematical calculations had determined humanity at “substantial risk” of imploding in the next 100 years (at evidently great human cost numerically), Bostrom argued that our greatest goal should be ensuring our progeny’s survival. Little was mentioned about any number of alternatives such as climate change, loneliness, global hunger, or poverty.

Over the past few months, unit 9 has solidified my opposition to the moral tone-deafness exemplified by reducing human lives to numbers on a page. While it’s often said that one must “overcome” their emotions in order to make the right decisions, I believe that emotions are the key to designing a better society. Indeed, science is emerging revealing that the suppression of emotional expression — contrary to expectations — can muddy a person’s intuitions, even leading to increased unethical decision-making (McManus, 2019). To see the value of emotion is to recognise our common experience with others and above all, their humanity.

Both Re-count and Another Life involved the data collection of intimate expressions of this humanity, culminating in an interview with my grandmother where she confided in me a story of being sold to another family as a child. The emotional catharsis that came with learning about this is a gift that I would love to bring to a bigger audience. My aspirations for the unit moving forward are to collaborate with an organisation with the resources and knowledge to contextualise my work within a platform where it can truly make an impact on a significant scale.

My passion for championing emotional design channels itself through the medium of creative technology and the multifarious expression of interactivity that comes with it. As Erkki Huhtamo notes in From Cybernation to Interaction, computers evoke in audiences a “feeling of awe” by their mere presence in a work (Lunenfeld, 2000). Technology can produce light and sound, record and store data, and even translate that data into systems that then influence subsequent interactions. But yet, an element of physicality also characterises my practice, what Achim Menges refers to as the “convergence of the computational and the physical” (Menges, 2015, p.15).

Initially manifesting as interest in printed matter, my recent experience with Re-count saw me hurtle into the realm of product design with my manufacturing of its vintage radio inspired facade. While digital computation provides avenues for high-tech interactivity, there is quiet power in creating tactility in my work. The push of a button, fineness of engraving and even the texture of wood itself can communicate nuances that direct the audience to interact delicately or with solemnity. Perhaps unsurprisingly, an emotional connection of ownership can take root even from merely touching an object (Peck and Shu, 2009) — an example of the subtle connections I seek with my audience that could help me work better with them.

This I believe encapsulates my hope for my practice moving forward, for it to be an interface — as defined by Gianni Barbacetto — (Barbacetto and Castiglioni, 1987) between people. That is, to be what “allows us to link two different elements, to reconcile them, to put them into communication.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Barbacetto, G. and Castiglioni, A. (1987). Design Interface. Arcadia (Milano). Kinstler, L. (2022). The Good Delusion: Has Effective Altruism Broken Bad? [online] The Economist. Available at: https:// www.economist.com/1843/2022/11/15/the-good-delusion-has-effectivealtruism-broken-bad.

Lunenfeld, P. (2000). The digital dialectic new essays on new media. Cambridge, Mass.: Mit Press.

McManus, J. (2019). Emotions and Ethical Decision Making at Work: Organizational Norms, Emotional Dogs, and the Rational Tales They Tell Themselves and Others. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(1). doi:10.1007/ s10551-019-04286-6.

Menges, A. (2015). Material Synthesis : Fusing the Physical and the Computational. London: Wiley, p.15.

Peck, J. and Shu, S.B. (2009). The Effect of Mere Touch on Perceived Ownership. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(3), pp.434–447. doi:10.1086/598614.

Thank you.