Reina Suyeon Mun

Have you ever found yourself mindlessly fidgeting with a pen or tapping your feet when you are feeling stressed or anxious? It is common human instinct- a simple act of self-soothing that we have been practicing since childhood. I would often find myself sitting in my room, zoning out and fidgeting with objects to relieve my stress during the complicated phase of time. This made me question how fidgeting can be used to create an interactive experience that transforms color and light- the two fundamental elements that have profound impact on our perceptions and emotions. Color and light combined can alter our mood, energy levels, and overall ambiance of a space. Luminous Solace offers a new way to engage with our most basic human impulses to interact with light and color in a therapeutic and poetic way. Luminous Solace is an interactive chromatic light that beckons users to embark on an exploratory journey into the soothing and comforting experience of fidgeting motions with light and colors. The light comes with a peripheral tactile fidgeting device, designed with an assortment of textures and touch-sensitive switches for haptic interactions. The device interacts with the lighting object with convex diffusor, which casts a variety of colorscapes that transform in response to fidgeting motions. Participants can use the tactile switches to toggle between the five colorscape integrated into Luminous Solace. As the participant fondle and massage the fidget device with their hands, the recurrent motions influence the color dynamics, modifying its hues, patterns, dimensions, and compositions. Subsequently, these alterations permeate the encompassing space, generating a distinct manifestation of emotional comfort and tranquility. The amalgamation of tactile manipulation and luminance cultivates a serene encounter, fostering an atmosphere of calmness and equilibrium. Perhaps this is a way to unwind after a long day at work, walking into a darkened room with nothing but a glowing array of mesmerizing colors and lights in the corner. Luminous Solace facilitates an immersive environment that encourages users to delve into the therapeutic experiences of tactile engagement while simultaneously accentuating the impact of chromatic and luminous elements on human perception and emotion. The interactive lighting provides a prospect for participants to interface with radiance via haptic and sensory modalities, thereby fostering a deeper connection between our sensory, bodies and the minds. Luminous Solace is more than just an immersive light, it is about creating a space for emotional comfort and well-being.

SilenceTop is an interactive microarchitecture that reinterprets the traditional Korean low-table, Soban. This project aims to create a new form of engagement with silence, both in social and non- social settings, by emphasizing non-linguistic cues for interaction. SilenceTop challenges the conventional meanings of being alone and the awkward pauses that occur in social interactions while reframing the landscape of domestic spaces. Through this exploration, SilenceTop seeks to converge the scales played in both architecture and furniture to facilitate a new mode of interactivity between object, space, and human. SilenceTop's design is easily assembled and accessible in a domestic environment while performing different spatial functions. The seating sides are spaced 75cm apart, providing a distance that is neither too close for less developed relationships nor too far for intimate ones. By leveraging silence as a language of love or a subtle quietude that permeates the ambiance, SilenceTop aims to create a profound experience of interactivity between individuals and their environment. The project's primary objective is to put focus on the subject of silence, to construct a new mode of interactivity between object, space, and human, and to facilitate a more profound experience of interactivity between individuals and their environment.

Chaotic Timer is an interactive and algorithmic timer driven by an input of a user's stress level. Throughout the process of counting down, it induces an 'on the edge' feeling with the rolling magnetic balls inside each motorized pendulum module. How can one connect stress with the object that embeds the idea of precision and productivity? Chaotic Timer speculates on the new model of using the timer to construct different perceptions on the act of timing and daily routine. The timer created subverts the mechanism of a conventional timer through stress. Its goal is to break out of one's daily rhythmic flow, obsessed with perfectionism, daily tasks, and agendas. Chaotic Timer is an interactive device consisting of four oscillating modules that alter the ways to countdown by manifesting chaotic dynamics and synchronized motions over time. The magnetic ball that rolls inside each swinging module acts as a pendulum bob in periodic motion. It swings back and forth and is constantly on the verge of falling off the edge of the concave plate but never does, inducing anxiety and pressure from the watcher- a symbolism of people's feelings towards daily duties. As the person watches the four modules become more synchronized over time, they soon realize the countdown speed depends on the stress level the user logged in before starting the timer. The four modules begin with random jiggling motions attributed to Perlin noises and slowly adjust themselves into a synchronized wave motion as it approaches the end of the timer. Ultimately, the timer manifests a coexistence of chaotic disorder and orderly pattern.