Eloquent Robes is an interactive art installation that uses visualisations of heartbeat data to communicate and make evident intimate physiological information. The nomenclature Eloquent Robes refers to a garment that decodes a user’s internal data by utilising abstract representations in order to enhance the creation of personal narratives.
The participant wears a white paper garment, onto which the visual images are projected. The garment acts as an immersive interface, by literally enclosing and covering the body with the displayed output. The fragility of the paper garment is important for suggesting access to a temporary and potentially intense experience. A heartbeat sensor is clipped onto the earlobe, transmitting pulse data to the computer. A series of dynamically changing visual representations in the shape of simple circles are displayed according to participant’s heartbeat.
The circles vary in colour according to the value of the heartbeat. The mapping between the colour and heartbeat is divided into six ranges. Those ranges are based on the normal but not necessarily optimal resting heart rate, which is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. The warmer the colour, the faster the heartbeat.
The design strategy is informed by theories of embodied interaction and somaesthetics, focusing on the emergence of unique experiences arising from somatic awareness and reflection.
Elements: Wereable electronics (Arduino UNO + Arduino XBee + Pulse Sensor)+ Processing + Projector Paper Garments + Coloured paper dots.