an glimmering metaphor

fabric accordion book with sewn circuit and LED snaps

the book

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the poem

I keep a pocket full of stars electric wishes, hopes, and dreams a spectacle held tightly closed yet glowing gently at the seams

I take one out and hold it tight imaginings of what might be I take another and again my constellation; my Pleiades

I line them up, a buzzing bunch a puzzle snapping into place a scintillating little hive creating lightning in this space

perhaps I’ll free them to the night for Artemis to guide them through but now I put them back inside; this pocket’s just for me and you

a masters thesis, part 2

Shared Reality Lab, Centre for Intelligent Machines, McGill University

Once a handbalancer has mastered the ability to maintain a handstand, they can begin to explore the expressive potential of the skill. In this project, I explore how handbalancing can be used as a medium for musical and visual expression. I present a system that uses a handbalancer’s hand pressure to trigger and modulate sound events in real-time and arm muscle activation to trigger simple light events. The system is designed to be used in performance contexts, where the handbalancer can “play” the floor as if it were an instrument, accompanied by lights that dance on their arms in accordance with their muscle activation.

HAND★CS was created to support three goals:

1. Consider the potential for using hand pressure as a medium for musical expression and muscle activity as a trigger for light accompaniment.

2. Explore the relationship between human performer and performance space, and how the addition of technology may affect it, with the hope of creating a more symbiotic relationship between the two.

3. Expand the potential for multimodal improvisation by providing the handbalancer agency over the sound events in real-time, while also allowing the space to “converse” with the performer.

gallery

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video

github

publications

The Implications of Technology-Augmented Handbalancing in Training and Performance

Creating a Real-Time Responsive Handbalancing Interface with HAND★CS

a masters thesis, part 1

Shared Reality Lab, Centre for Intelligent Machines, McGill University

Currently, intermediate and advanced handbalancers rely on a combination of in-person spotting and video feedback to learn new skills. However, these methods require either the presence of another person or require asynchronous analysis of video recordings, which loses the immediacy of live feedback. To provide a potentially more streamlined experience that does not require external assistance or post-hoc analysis, I present a real-time posture feedback tool to monitor and provide feedback on hand pressure during a handstand.

The tool was created to support three goals:

1. Monitor and analyze hand pressure during a handstand.

2. Provide posture cues through vibrotactile feedback on the hands to assist handbalancers in correcting their form in real-time.

3. Save data from handbalancing sessions for later analysis and reflection.

gallery

github

publication

a digital musical instrument created and developed at McGill University

in collaboration with Paul Buser, Kasey Pocius, and Christiana Rose and presented at NIME 2022 and NIME 2023

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The T-Tree was showcased at the live@CIRMMT: Improvising New Winds showcase.

videos

T-Tree 1.0

T-Tree 2.0

github

publications

Introducing the t-Tree

Towards the T-Tree 2.0

a videoconferencing gesture integration tool

in collaboration with Rayan Isran and Sri Gannavarapu

Popular videoconferencing apps like Zoom make it difficult for listeners to unobtrusively respond to a presenter. Zoom has attempted to allow users to signify indicators such as Raise Hand, Thumbs Up, and Thumbs Down, but the interface for doing so is hard to find and it is easy to miss the responses. Also, the responses do not decay, so unless the host clears all responses or all users undo their response after some time, the responses display even after becoming irrelevant!

HandsUp is a tool aimed at improving interactiveness in online classrooms. It contains both a hardware and software component. The hardware component consists of a wearable glove with embedded motions sensors that can identify basic predefined gestures and relay them to the computer interface. The software system is a desktop application that overlays a user interface on top of a videoconferencing window. The hardware and software systems are integrated to provide a seamless product that can efficiently translate hand gestures into highly visible indicators during a remote learning session.

video

A quick testing demo: gestures are used to respond to questions intentionally asked specifically to use them.

slides

HandsUp: Integrating Real-World Gestures into Digital Meetings (Human-Computer Interaction, Fall 2020)

a haptics-enhanced mindfulness coloring tool using the Haply 2DIY

in collaboration with Preeti Vyas and Marco Moran-Ledesma and presented at the 2021 World Haptics Conference

video

published paper

HaptiColour: Haptic-assisted Digital Colouring Platform for Managing Anxiety and Increasing Mindfulness

github

a haptic display to map auditory signals from a nature exhibit to vibrotactile ones

in collaboration with Sri Gannavarapu and Yaxuan Li

Vibroraptile is a vibrotactile display that maps auditory signals from a nature exhibit to give visitors the ability to not only see and hear, but also feel otherwise untouchable animals. Touch is a crucial modality when designing a tool that is inclusive for all populations, including those with disabilities or impairments; furthermore, young visitors who cannot read and visitors who do not speak the language used in the exhibit are unable to gain insight from written information and so can benefit from the addition of haptics. We believe Vibroraptile would be a useful addition to natural history museums, zoos, aquariums, national parks, and animal sanctuaries. For our submission, we simulated a regional exhibit (northeastern North America) by showcasing a day in the life of a blue jay family. With the addition of curated haptics effects, visitors are able to “touch” the animals they hear in our audio soundscape, such as blue jays, mourning doves, chipmunks, woodpeckers, coyotes, and a hawk.

Submitted to the IEEE World Haptics Conference 2021 Student Innovation Challenge.

video

a trove of unique scents

clamshell box with invented binding

the book

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handmade clamshell box with labeled perfume sample bottles containing colorful, odorless water paired with a description of the labeled “scent”

the story behind anosmia perfumery

I can’t smell. No, it’s not due to COVID; it’s hereditary. No, I’ve never been able to smell. Yes, I can still taste. This lack of olfactory sensation is called anosmia.

Anosmia is an invisible disability and, most of the time, it doesn’t feel like a disability at all. Sure, I might accidentally have to spit out spoiled milk every now and again due to not realizing its state until after a taste, and sure, I frequently have to sniff something shoved under my nose out of politeness, but those experiences are mild inconveniences. In fact, I prefer not being bombarded with scents every minute of the day. I’ve always found the culture around scents, perfumes, and colognes bizarre and excessive and I try my best to find unscented products.

gather your flock

a game built in Unity with C# in collaboration with Andres Cuervo, Alejandro Belgrave, Emily Rizzo, and Margaret McCarthy

gallery

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github repo

a timeline in comic form

accordion fold with invented binding; embossed titles and pages with hand-drawn panels

the book in full

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about the book

“history of hysteria” was created for a bookbinding course that I took at Oberlin College.

a poem by Meeko Israel

accordion fold pages with hand-drawn new york city skyline and vellum overlay with typewriter-typed words

the book

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the author

“Immigration” is a poem written by Meeko Israel, a longstanding resident of Oberlin, OH, the eponymous town surrounding Oberlin College. While I was a student at the college, my bookbinding class partnered with Meeko to create artist books from his poetry. Read more about Meeko and his life here.

the poem

humble
	humble
		humble
			humble
eat some humble
humble
	humble
eat your humble pie
humble
	humble
		humble
			humble
eat some humble pie
shove it in your face
creative
	non-native
using her money
	her body
to become a
citizen
	sitting on
	her island
imagining
	what it is to
what it is to
	what		what
		what
	it is to
	what it is to
what		what
	what
it is to
live in a nation
	where she is truly free
in her country
	she is only free inside her
imagination
	immigration
imagination
	immigration
the new york city streets
are paved with gold
at least that's what she was told
who?
who
who are they?
	they are the folks who
	went before her
who she knew actually made it
	on an airline ticket
no more slave steps
	her friend wrote her in a letter
that times
that time
that		that many times
	that
	abroad were much	much better
			  much
than they
than they were
		in the islands
the u.s.
the u.s.a.
the u.s.
the u.s.a.
actually fed her
until she found one of the
three jobs she now has
yeah, she got three jobs
quick,
	fast,
		and in a hurry
because		because they say
	because
most yankees don't even want one
they just
	they just like to
sit on their ass and have fun
but still
there is this matter of
	immigration
		immigration
	imagination
		immigration

build a path; save your friend

a game built in Unity with C# in collaboration with Andres Cuervo, Alejandro Belgrave, and Emily Rizzo

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github

why is the github repo called “bambi qwop”?

note: the following was written in a haze of delirium when attempting to think of game ideas

A game of happiness, and sadness. :((( Okay, so get this - you’re BAMBI. You’re a newborn deer and you gotta go fast. But you literally can’t, because again this is QWOP, but WAIT there’s Sonich the Hedgehob and he’s a deer this time and you have to both run at each other and you have to reach the middle of it before you die, because you’re newly born and you need sustenance, but also you have to reach the middle line before Sonich the Hedgehob or else you’ll be disgraced (remember, you gotta go FAST).

a programming metaphor

two invented bindings with an original story and excerpts from Oracle’s java docs

gallery

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a short silent film about the circus

Oberlin College 2015 winter term project in collaboration with Molly Barger and Christiana Rose

the performance in full

a story of jealousy and betrayal in the circus

original story silkscreened and sewn with pamphlet stitch

the pages

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1 / 11

read the story

a childhood memory

coptic binding

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a poem by a.a. milne

coptic with hand-drawn typography

the book

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the poem

The King asked
The Queen, and
The Queen asked
The Dairymaid:
"Could we have some butter for
The Royal slice of bread?"
The Queen asked the Dairymaid,
The Dairymaid
Said, "Certainly,
I'll go and tell the cow
Now
Before she goes to bed."

The Dairymaid
She curtsied,
And went and told
The Alderney:
"Don't forget the butter for
The Royal slice of bread."
The Alderney
Said sleepily:
"You'd better tell
His Majesty
That many people nowadays
Like marmalade
Instead."

The Dairymaid
Said, "Fancy!"
And went to
Her Majesty.
She curtsied to the Queen, and
She turned a little red:
"Excuse me,
Your Majesty,
For taking of
The liberty,
But marmalade is tasty, if
It's very
Thickly
Spread."

The Queen said
"Oh!:
And went to
His Majesty:
"Talking of the butter for
The royal slice of bread,
Many people
Think that
Marmalade
Is nicer.
Would you like to try a little
Marmalade
Instead?"

The King said,
"Bother!"
And then he said,
"Oh, deary me!"
The King sobbed, "Oh, deary me!"
And went back to bed.
"Nobody,"
He whimpered,
"Could call me
A fussy man;
I only want
A little bit
Of butter for
My bread!"

The Queen said,
"There, there!"
And went to
The Dairymaid.
The Dairymaid
Said, "There, there!"
And went to the shed.
The cow said,
"There, there!
I didn't really
Mean it;
Here's milk for his porringer,
And butter for his bread."

The Queen took
The butter
And brought it to
His Majesty;
The King said,
"Butter, eh?"
And bounced out of bed.
"Nobody," he said,
As he kissed her
Tenderly,
"Nobody," he said,
As he slid down the banisters,
"Nobody,
My darling,
Could call me
A fussy man -
BUT
I do like a little bit of butter to my bread!"

a story of love, loss, and a game with death

perfect binding with paper cutout illustrations and hand-drawn lettering

gallery

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a modified book

used book with collage and altered text

gallery

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Linnéa Kirby’s first “published” work

invented binding

“the egg book” in full

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what is “the egg book”?

The egg book provides a helpful guide to the identification of various eggs and what species they belong to. Complete with an index and fully rendered images, the egg book is a must-have for oologists everywhere.

I spontaneously created “the egg book” one day in the year 2000 and I doubt I will ever live up to this level of creativity and academic rigor again.

As stated on the back cover, “this is the only book of this”.

Can you tell I traced the chicken egg?

an Esh Circus Arts performance in Somerville, MA, USA

photo credit Jonathan Beckley

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weird part of the night

17

a junior TIMARA/senior dance recital at Oberlin College

with Molly Barger, Christiana Rose, Alejandro Belgrave, Alex Katz, and Andrea Allen

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the performance in full

performances at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA)

photos by Elsie Smith

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can’t stop running

break a leg!

plumnopédie

performances at Oberlin College by Oberlin’s student-run circus

featuring OCircus! and the Oberlin College Aerialists

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various bindings

featuring accordion fold, coptic, codex, and more

flowers & etc.

featured locations: Mom’s garden; Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL, USA; various other botanical gardens and conservatories

posters & etc.

featured clients: OCircus!, CirqueIT

people, places, & things

featured locations: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA; Brattleboro, VT, USA; New York City, NY, USA

silkscreen, letterpress, linocut, & more

featured locations: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA; Iceland

straight from Linnéa’s sketchbook

featuring her every day life

miscellany

featuring Nyx the cat, OpenGL, home improvement, and silliness