Reimagining wishes with an interactive digital “fountain” that responds to text messages.
#PhysicalDesign
#InteractionDesign
#Front-endDev
#Vue.JS
Team
Justin Manor, Yaxuan Liu, Anna Garbier, Dalma Földesi
Role
Front-end Dev, CMS Integration, Production
For
SOSOLIMITED
*This project is a 2023 PRINT Award 2nd Place winner in Environmental Design
Regent Properties tasked us to design a series of unique digital artworks for their new buildings that builds community, gives visitors a canvas to impact the space, and reflects on local San Diego culture. Wish Fountain is an interactive experience that transforms visitors’ wishes into a colorful, water-like light show across a ripple-shaped wooden bench and wall-mounted screens.
How did we do it?
Inspired by San Diego’s natural environment and ocean landscape, Wish Fountain conveys the undulating surface of the water after a coin hits the surface of a wishing well.
Visitors share their wishes via text message to a posted phone number, as an image or text, in response to a prompt displayed on the screens. Each wish is a secret between the initiator and the fountain, resulting in a unique and captivating animation of colors across the bench and screens.
The cloud server powering Wish Fountain utilizes a natural language processor to decipher the mood of each visitor’s text. Then, the installation changes its colors and display inspired by the wish, resulting in reflective and distinctive displays of each visitor’s thoughts and feelings.
Visitors share their wishes via text message to a posted phone number, as an image or text, in response to a prompt displayed on the screens. Each wish is a secret between the initiator and the fountain, resulting in a unique and captivating animation of colors across the bench and screens.
The cloud server powering Wish Fountain utilizes a natural language processor to decipher the mood of each visitor’s text. Then, the installation changes its colors and display inspired by the wish, resulting in reflective and distinctive displays of each visitor’s thoughts and feelings.
Something Fun...
The piece was overwhelmingly loved by kids! As the location being inside a multi-used highrise with a government department issuing passport, Wish Fountain was passed by a lot of families and became their waiting area. The building managers sometimes had to keep an extra eye on kids, telling them to not run on the bench💨