Bought some red LED lights for testing in the tree trunk sensor as part of the hearbeat light animation.
I really wanted to try weaving in the red lights, as not only does the red signify the heart of the tree and highlights the red woven pattern in the tree trunk sensor, but also because red was also used to represent "the red earth" and "Aboriginal people's spiritual relation with the land" in the Australian Aboriginal Flag (source). I love the idea that red is used to symbolise the connection to land, which is what Heartree is all about. I also liked the contrast between the red and warm white lights, and provides a bit of visual interest with the different colours.
In addition to the red lights, I also wanted to add some visual feedback when the player touches the sensor (currently the heartbeat just plays). Therefore, I woved in some warm white LED lights around the edges of the circular sensor to make it look like it glows upon touch. Visually, I think the white rim lights worked really well and provided a satisfying, immediate feedback for the player.
By Helen Kwok
Email Helen Kwok
Published On: 23/05/2020
interactive, physical, programmatic, sound
AGI Studio 3, Arduino, Playable City Brunswick, Professional Preproduction, Studio 3, Unity, heartree, playable cities, led lights