Generate power, generate art : Experiments with human-powered art, electronic paper and creative coding

Sammanfattning: This is a multidisciplinary project, at the intersection between interaction design, software development and media art. Human-Powered Interactions (HPI) is a field of Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) interested in self-sustainable systems in which power generation and the user interaction are simultaneous, unlike, for example, dynamo torches which have rechargeable batteries. Commonly found on electronic readers, Electronic Paper (e-paper) screens are ultra-low powered and do not require electricity for images to stay displayed, only to refresh them. This project explores these technologies through the prism of art, by designing and building The Human-Powered Generative Art Machine, an interactive hand-crank-powered generative art frame with an e-paper display. Through an interview with a researcher working in the field, a series of hands-on workshops and the construction of the machine, I delve into several questions around HPI, e-paper and generative art. The research uncovers new opportunities around programming and creative practices, to understand the constraints of these technologies and how to work around them.