Pigeons are everywhere in New York and we often ignore them. We consider them to be pests, contributing nothing to our environment, sometimes referred to as “rats with wings”. But we must learn to coexist with other species, we do not live in isolation. A Deal with the Pigeons is an art installation for Washington Square Park that encourages us to interact with the pigeons, to rethink the relationship between humans and animals and to reconsider the space each deserves. It is a way to give pigeons a stage in the city of New York. Watch the demo video, see the image gallery.
The Amazing Interactive Memory Machine (AIMM) is a site-specific vending machine that dispenses memories. Designed for Coney Island, visitors are invited to choose a memory by pressing a button. With each press, listeners have a new opportunity to hear stories from other New Yorkers, stories about things that have changed or that persist despite change. At the conclusion of each story, a souvenir receipt prints out. Listeners can contribute to the machine by calling and leaving their memories on a voicemail system. AIMM offers a personal perspective of an historical place and an opportunity for unexpected experiences. Watch the demo video, see the image gallery, listen to the stories.
The Amazing Interactive Memory Machine (AIMM) is a site-specific vending machine that dispenses memories. Designed for Coney Island, visitors are invited to choose a memory by pressing a button. To create these narratives, I had conversations with a number of individuals about their Coney Island memories. Some had a very specific story they wanted to share, others wanted to reminisce more freely. I then wove together a short audio piece from each interview, adding ambient sounds to build the mood. AIMM offers a personal perspective of an historical place and an opportunity for unexpected experiences. Watch the demo video, listen to the stories.
You get better results when you work together. Nous Ensemble is a proposal for a collaborative entrepreneurship project that brings accessible and affordable mobile phone charging to villages in rural Burundi. Developed for the class Design for UNICEF, this project resulted from weeks of research, concept development and refinement based on feedback from numerous experts and field workers, and system integration.
Grow Grammar (formerly Sentopiary) is an educational iPad app designed to help elementary and middle school students learn grammar through writing. As the content developer on this project, I was responsible for the research that shaped the content and concept. This included a survey of similar software and extensive research on English grammar, how grammar is taught and learned, and, because Sentopiary is for use in the classroom, Common Core State Standards. Watch the demo video, view the image gallery. www.eeiioo.com
CreatorBox delivers STEM focused build-it-yourself projects for kids ages 6-12. As a product engineer for this TechStars incubated startup, I worked with a small team to design and fabricate the toys, such as a paper airplane launcher, catapult, and boat, and prepare the products for mass production. The airplane launcher won a Best in Class ribbon at the 2014 World Maker Faire. The prototyping was done using Adobe Illustrator and a laser cutter, a variety of hardware, and simple electrical components. www.creatorbox.com
Alice in Gearland is a fantastic mechanical voyage. Turn the handle to see Alice spin round and round down the rabbit hole, the Cheshire cat appear and disappear behind a branch, and the Mad Hatter hold an eternal tea party. Designed with Illustrator and Vectorworks, fabricated on a laser cutter, assembled by hand. Watch the demo video, view the image gallery.
The Amazing Interactive Memory Machine (AIMM) is a site-specific vending machine that dispenses memories. Designed for Coney Island, visitors are invited to choose a memory by pressing a button. To create the AIMM, I removed the inner-workings of a soda vending machine and rewired the buttons through an Arduino. I added speakers, a receipt printer, and redesigned the exterior to fit the aesthetic of the Coney Island boardwalk. With each press, listeners have a new opportunity to hear an audio story from other New Yorkers. AIMM offers a personal perspective of an historical place and an opportunity for unexpected experiences. Watch the demo video, view the image gallery, listen to the stories.
New York is a haunted city. The people who have lived and died here, the events of decades and centuries past, fill the streets but go unnoticed. NYC Phantoms brings those spirits back to life. NYC Phantoms creates the illusion of the phantom of Edgar Allan Poe on the steam that rises from the City's streets. Pedestrians are heckled by Poe and, alternately, an image of a raven. The project encourages passersby to engage with something they usually avoid and creates a magical and haunting New York nighttime experience. Watch the demo video, see the image gallery.