The moral compass is a tool to guide humans back to earth and nature, reconnecting us to and de-centering ourselves in the larger ecosystem. In this project, water represents nature and the gravity of how it is crucial for life but endangered by human decisions.
The project was inspired by the role of technology influencing human behaviors. Aesthetically, I am influenced by the Bauhaus and their concept of form and function.
I was excited to find a magnetometer, or compass sensor, that supported my concept. When the compass would point North (connecting to the earth’s magnetic pull), the water animation would trigger. I also experimented with the potentiometer to ensure my connection to p5 was working. It also served as a good backup when the magnetometer readings were unreliable. It turned out as a good thing when I soldered the magnetometer to its pins and somehow broke the sensor.
In terms of code, the Arduino side was simple. The connection from Arduino to p5 and playing video was the tricky part. Luckily I ended up finding some helpful code through the p5 libraries:
Example code:
p5 video: https://p5js.org/examples/dom-video.html
p5 bots: https://github.com/sarahgp/p5bots
My code:
Arduino (Firmata example)
p5.js sketch code: https://github.com/ekermani/the-mother-of-all/tree/the-moral-compass
Presentation Slides:
https://docs.google.com/a/newschool.edu/presentation/d/19BpBDh-RAI319eyySiAR5YtHwMiaMLReKkZFpEZtTf4/edit?usp=sharing
Video (triggered by sensor and played in browser):
Process Video:
