Abstract (Long paper)

Keywords: controller, computer interface, water, electronic music, video, mass inertia, fluid, potentiometer, switch, fader.

Artists like Sachiko Kodama have demonstrated the aesthetic potential of ferrofluids in unique, visually spectacular installations like the Morpho Towers and Breathing Chaos. This paper presents a more systematic approach to ferrofluid manipulation: a vertical display, build under project-name: “Liquid Choreography”, later released as “Ferrolic”. This Digital FerroFluid Display’s (DFFD) potential rests in visual references to movement of fluids but also living creatures. Specific dynamic and graphical properties that generate a narrative in the form of an animation are displayed in a video that is central to this paper. In order to understand the written descriptions in this paper, it is strongly advised to review this video before reading this paper. Also see figure 1 and figure 2. In the first part of the paper, the principles of operation of the DFFD are described. Creation of images, transitions between images and fundamental aspects of FF manipulation are presented. In the second part of the paper, a first attempt to come to a vocabulary for the use of the DFFD as an expressive platform is presented. For this purpose seven different animations were generated and presented to in total five experts in the field of art and design. These experts were interviewed about their personal constructs for the animations. Based on a systematic (thematic) analysis of these interviews, the vocabulary was derived.

• Zelf Koelman, Mark J. de Graaf & Hans J. Leeuw, Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Full text (PDF) p. 435-441