I’m no artist, but I do try really really hard to appreciate art, and I do enjoy a good museum visit. And, while I might suck a painting, sculpting, drawing, and singing, I’m pretty good at building stuff. My girlfriend (an English major), is by no means a geek like me, but she loves art, and is always looking for a new way to portray an emotion or a feeling. From these two seemingly distant interests will be born a (hopefully) marvelous creation! This creation is called “reacXion”, and it’s our attempt at making an interactive artistic display.

ReacXion will make use of 5 speakers, 256 LEDS, 5 distance sensors, and an array of electrical circuitry to synthesize a unique artistic experience. I was orignally hoping that we’d be able to finish it before heading off to the Fall semester, but it’s starting to look like that might not happen. Regardless, I’m trying to take video of my build process as I go so that those of you who are interested in learning more about hobbyist electronic design can gather up some tips! I’ve already posted the first three parts on youtube, and will hopefully be posting part four (first prototype) in the next few days! Check out part 1 below, and hop past the break for parts 2 and 3!

Part 1: Concept

Part 2: Rough Schematics

Part 3: Parts and Datasheets