Inspirations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNRqswoCVcM&t=59s

Jenny Odell on “How to do nothing”

“Doing nothing is the ground for meaningful thoughts.”

• Rose Garden - saw the importance of time, left a sea of openness

Research

A Look into Odditrees

(no title)

odditree - a tree, or part of a tree, that deviates from what is to be expected—and is most often an internal response to external conditions

An ethnographic study was conducted when utilizing the Odditree Field Guide, a map that reveals some of Austin’s oddest trees. I observed my peers’ interactions with the guide, and took notes of my own.

SPACE

ACTOR

OBJECTS

INTERACTIONS

FLOW

FELT EXPERIENCE

green, lush, steep, hot, busy areas

students, birds, dog walkers, sitters, drivers

phone, road signs, camera, trees

walking, touching the tree, observing, laying down, standing

hot, hungry, impatient, excited, surprised, curious

Ann Armstrong on starting Odditree Society - “place interfaces”

• revisiting the same places over time, never the same
• motivation comes from having a vision
• slowing down and the beauty of it
• paper guide to create more presence for the user
• building a community and a space where people can grow organically with the freedom to explore themselves

The kind of “attention” (the core interactive experience) I am designing my “place interface” for is a space that allows for a wandering in exploration, unfolding into curiosity, and being more present and mindful in the space being occupied.

Concept Ideations

Concept 1

Concept 2

Concept 3

Feedback Notes:

Concept 1: Seeing as an Art

• when prototyping, use QR code with Google Drive Folder
• provide observational prompts
• include more focus on observation
• less on social posting - takes away from being in the moment
• favorite out of the three
• ties into my identity and personal experiences as a plein air artist

Concept 2: Squirrels

• doesn’t follow the brief
• not as focused on ecology and being present

Concept 3: Mindful Spaces

• instead of focusing on the silence
• direct attention to what lives in the noise
• listen to Gordon Hempton’s “Silence and the presence of everything”

Building out Concept 1: ‘Seeing as an Art —> En Plein Air’

Concept Image Presentation

Rationale