These are miniature clay prototypes of larger scale sculptures that will be made with be 3d printed or cast in foam resin and covered with a soft, probably and colorful, texture to look playful and invite touch. The version that require seating will be likely plush or large foam resin mold. When the sculptures are touched and moved, the heat sensors and accelerometer will send a signal to a speaker via Arduino. The sounds played will vary in intensity in reaction to the frequency of vibrations that result from moving the sculptures or weight changes of the body. These sounds will range from unidentifiable to familiar, triggering associations and serving to help people contemplate and observe their relationship to their environment and to other beings.
Behavior: These objects behave as somewhat living by reacting to touch and making sound that are man-made (theremin and other unplaceable, ambient sounds from soothing to upbeat to event somewhat jarring or violent), sounds that are sometimes found in nature (gurgling, flowing liquid, stomach sounds, a storm) but other times the objects will act as inanimate playback machines that bellow familiar noise from our collective past (the sound of a classroom, artillery, fragments of old songs and popular film audio etc).
Appearance: Abstract and ambiguous in appearance, the shapes will not be reminiscent of existing life that falls into the flora or fauna camps. Ideally no one will say "that one looks like a frog." Instead, the people interacting with the objects will focus on the emitted sound and make associations based on that.
The playground, garden is meant to be meditative and exploratory for the users. I hope it will be enjoyed by people of all ages.
See sketches below that show how Arduino, speaker, etc will be positioned inside these 3-d printed shapes and plush seats.