RF2024: THE EMPATHETIC UMBRELLA

Our installation is intended to create a space where festival participants can meet and gather in a safe environment, fostering deeper connections with one another. The installation is designed to function as an umbrella that unfolds when participants approach and interact with it. The installation will be equipped with motion sensors that detect movement, allowing the umbrella's arms to rise.

The installation is built using six servos, ball bearings, four sensors, and a gray technical box. In Image 1 (on the front page), half of the entire umbrella is shown. While this is still a prototype and the final version will look slightly different, the final installation will be a complete umbrella/circle covering all 360 degrees around the pole.

We will use repurposed tent material as fabric for our umbrella. This not only makes our installation water-repellent but also provides the proper effect of an umbrella. The 3-4 mm wood used for the rest of the installation is sourced from used boards from RUC's FabLab, avoiding the need to laser cut new boards. The boards that have been cut are made from recycled sawdust and chips pressed with glue, ensuring no new trees were felled. We have made every effort to use existing materials, already in use or previously used by others. Thus, our installation is both reusable and sustainable.

By: Casper Elmelund Poulsen, Henrik Brynjolf Jensen.