Towards the Conscious Contact: Past Folds and Motion

Is an interactive installation that seeks to foster awareness of our behaviour towards digital devices. By introducing a sense of inner friction, the project challenges the addictive smoothness of today’s interfaces, suggesting that friction-filled interactions can be more meaningful and ultimately more beneficial than the seamless, endless loops our devices are currently tailored for.

Through the integration of an interface and a responsive paper installation, a compelling metaphor is constructed: a breathing ‘creature’ — an embodiment of motion and latent stress — responds to the audience’s interaction with the screen. The viewer becomes the creature’s caretaker, invited to engage with its rhythms and reflect on the nature of their interaction.

Each element of the installation — from the internal mechanisms to the paper folds — has been carefully handcrafted, grounding the piece in the physical world. In contrast to the seamless interface placed beside the paper, the use of craft introduces texture, presence, and quiet resistance to the immateriality of screen-based media. As time progresses, does the entity of the handcrafted creature deteriorate under the pressure of the motion imposed by the digital environment?