Bibliocircuitry

Mixed Media

A few details

The Project

This project answers a reflective design challenge: how can we punctuate the familiarity and ordinariness of a book? It was inspired by Hancock et al.’s term, bibliocircuitry: the use of “physical books as platforms for experimenting with computation” (2014, 78).

Some special

Specifications

The laser-cut “book” is chained and locked with a 3D printed fastener. Upon opening, viewers will see an interrupted circuit on the left side, which includes a folded “switch” bearing a cameo of the artist’s husband. When the switch is activated and the circuit completed, a light illuminates the inside. On the right, buttons on the micro-controller play the my parents’ voices while LED lights (in blue or pink) light up.

How I solved it

My approach

My mother’s audio comes from a recent (embarrassing yet endearing) voicemail message, while my father’s audio derives from an analogue cassette tape he used before his death in 2011. I chose this audio clip to represent her father as it offers an example of his fluid assistive technology use – her father states, “Lynn’s cellphone number” before his computer’s screenreader reads the telephone digits aloud.

Front view

Interior view of bibliocircuitry project with paper circuit on the left and microcontroller with audio connections on the right

Detailed view of LED paper circuit connection

Detailed view of lit-up microcontroller with pink lights

Detailed view of lit-up microcontroller with blue lights

Digital Design

Laser Cutter

3D Printing

Circuits

Digital Audio

Microcontroller

Python Code for Adafruit Microcontroller

import board
import digitalio
try:
    from audiocore import WaveFile
except ImportError:
    from audioio import WaveFile
try:
    from audioio import AudioOut
except ImportError:
    try:
        from audiopwmio import PWMAudioOut as AudioOut
    except ImportError:
        pass  # not always supported by every board!
# Enable the speaker
spkrenable = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.SPEAKER_ENABLE)
spkrenable.direction = digitalio.Direction.OUTPUT
spkrenable.value = True
# Make the 2 input buttons
buttonA = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.BUTTON_A)
buttonA.direction = digitalio.Direction.INPUT
buttonA.pull = digitalio.Pull.DOWN
buttonB = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.BUTTON_B)
buttonB.direction = digitalio.Direction.INPUT
buttonB.pull = digitalio.Pull.DOWN
# The two files assigned to buttons A & B
audiofiles = ["mom.wav", "dad.wav"]
def play_file(filename):
    print("Playing file: " + filename)
    wave_file = open(filename, "rb")
    with WaveFile(wave_file) as wave:
        with AudioOut(board.SPEAKER) as audio:
            audio.play(wave)
            while audio.playing:
                pass
    print("Finished")
while True:
    if buttonA.value:
        play_file(audiofiles[0])
    if buttonB.value:
        play_file(audiofiles[1])

Audio files

Months of work

Set of headphones

100

Final grade