My Subdued Inner Girl
Categories engineering, programming, bookmaking, web design
Materials Arduino, Bare Conductive ink, bookmaking paper, Adobe Illustrator, HTML, CSS, jQuery & JavaScript
This is both a physical computing and a web design project. I made a book using conductive ink and designed it to interact with a webcomic that I also made. When the book is connected to a computer, flipping through its pages scrolls from panel to panel in the webcomic, and touching the drawings in the book animates the illustrations in the panel.
As an avid webcomic and book reader, I wanted to intertwine the two experiences. One of my pet fascinations is finding physical ways to interact with the intangible world of software. I wondered, what if I could make the feeling of reading a webcomic more book-like?
I’m a tomboy who works in tech, builds things with electronics, has a rowdy sense of humor, and holds many other stereotypically male interests. I frequently find myself being the only female in a group, and I’m known for being “one of the guys.” Consequently, many people are stunned to learn that I do have some traditionally feminine interests. “You played with dolls as a kid?” they’ll ask, bewildered. Or they’ll remark, “You didn’t strike me as the kind of person who likes dresses and makeup.” I created this project as a commentary on what it’s like to be in that position, and on gender roles in the larger scheme of things.
