Interactive Installation, 2020

Project Description

Flow Room is an immersive, curated calming space in the ATLAS building on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Intended to be an escape from the overstimulating environment of our college campus and the rest of the modern world, Flow Room is designed for students or staff to get a quick reprieve from their hectic day, but anyone can enjoy and benefit from its unique ambience. The main features of the space include customizable lighting and soundscapes based on different natural ecosystems, and a dynamically-generated animation that visualizes recursive spirals. We designed Flow Room as an individual experience, to create a space where someone could escape all of the chatter of daily life, whether it is coming from technology, work, school, or other people.

Upon entering Flow Room, you begin your experience by placing your phone into the “phone slot”, which activates the main control panel. Then, take a seat and explore the different environments of the room (beach, deep ocean, desert campfire, forest stream, and thunderstorm) by placing different stones on the center of the control panel. Once you’ve discovered your favorite environment, you can relax, meditate, find space to breathe, or whatever else your mind and body needs.

The Process

Flow Room was brainstormed, researched, constructed and tested by myself and my partner Elsa Roeber for our Senior Capstone project, concluding our B.S. degrees in Technology, Arts & Media from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Based on research that suggests elements from nature have a relaxing effect on people, many features of the room are nature-inspired, such as the soundscapes that play and the fractal patterns that are projected on the wall. We drew inspiration from sensory deprivation tanks for the room construction, wanting to intentionally design the installation so that only the most essential elements were included, and nothing would be distracting or overstimulating. It was also important that the space didn’t feel like a classroom, and instead evoked awe and wonder from our users. Using wire framing and butcher paper, we curved in the ceiling and walls to create a surreal cave-like space.

This nature installation by Rachel Lee Hovnanian served as the catalyst for the development of our phone slot. We designed the phone slot because we wanted users to complete an intentional action of giving up their phone to start the Flow Room experience. This act of phone-sacrifice prevents distractions and notifications from getting in the way of relaxation.

To craft the tangible interface of the control panel, we used materials like wood and clay to form the panel and the stones that are moved around by the user. The stones were modeled after river rocks, with a soothing texture and weight; we wanted the action of choosing different environments to feel human and physical instead of electronic or computerized.

To make our visualizations, we used p5.js, a Javascript library for creative, programmed visuals. The animation is 5 minutes long with various stages, as different fractal patterns and effects come into play. As the shapes morph and evolve, the color scheme can adapt in real-time based on which environment is currently selected by the user. 

As the user selects different environments, the embedded RFID tags in each of the control panel stones notify the Arduino microcontroller of the change. In response, the lighting system (controlled by Neopixels), soundscapes, and p5 visualization all shift together to simulate the new environment.

We were just beginning the construction phase of this project when the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic started to hit Colorado hard. Hearing rumors that the ATLAS building (which houses the installation) could close down in a few days, we spent long days in the project space, trying to complete everything as fast as we could. On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, we finally completed the project and gathered as much documentation as possible (with the help of Leilani Osmundson). The ATLAS building was shut down the next day.

For a more detailed look into our process for Flow Room, check out our process blog.