_________ (the blank_et)
Coming back to the soft spot of my heart, embracing my broken soul, finding my inner peace, and reconnecting to the random parts that I love and hate about myself. After a long period of self-destruction, now it’s time to give myself a big, tight hug for as long as I need.
This personal message is conveyed through an interactive blanket installation that allows visitors to sit in the middle and experience a hug from the blanket. When you are not at your strongest spot, being passive is not a sign of weakness but instead, acceptance. Let’s allow ourselves to be an object for a bit, deconstruct our perception and let an object like a blanket gives us a warm hug.
_________ (the blank_et) is a piece of skin-like material large enough to enfold most of one's feelings, to embrace the fragility, and thick enough to keep the heart warm by trapping kindness, compassion, and self-forgiveness that otherwise the warmth would be lost through the winter of life.
Technique
A soft robot made from silicon shaped in a hand-like form. The 5 fingers can move upwards to hug the palm of a hand in the middle by using air pressure that will be released when a person sits on the palm part. The cover of the soft robot that can be seen by visitors is made from natural rubber that looks like human skin to portray the idea of body and mind connection.
Materials
Liquid silicon Ribbons Glue gun Cardboards 1/8” PVC tubes Half yoga ball Liquid natural latex
Visual
Blanket Material
2 pieces fabric
6 feet of flexible wire
20 feet of carbon heater tape 15mm
Silver conductive wire
Glue paste
Female plug 5.5 mm
Iron-on no-sew hem tape
Ref: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-carbon-heated-blanket/
Heat Sensor
Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUzuj2XZrJ0
Low Voltage Robot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0PPPU-jL5E