Conceptual Art | Peyton G Walker Po 1

Conceptual Works

Resonance Room

IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS, RESPONSIVE DEVICES

The Resonance Room is a group design project exploring gentle, screen-free ways to support young adults facing daily stress and overstimulation. Early research into adaptive clothing, therapeutic gaming, and mobile application revealed a need for calming, private spaces that didn’t rely on phones or invasive data. The result is an immersive, responsive sanctuary that uses subtle movement-based interactions to create a soothing environment where users can regulate, breathe, and feel held.

The development process involved copious research, contextual interviews, and a cumulative prototyping approach. The final product incorporated interactive elements, Adafruit sensors, and responsive LEDs in a secluded space that enveloped the users in a sensoryscape promoting relaxation, peace, and privacy. This included motion-reactive swing (using an Adafruit CircuitPlayground's accelerometer) and plushie-activated light field (using a Adafruit VL53L0X Time of Flight Distance Sensor ) along with music and ambient lighting. Users were encouraged to engage with elements in the room, and delighted at the effect that their actions had on transforming their environment, promoting a sense of joy and autonomy.

Prototype stages

Prototype 1: Our prototyping process was compounding rather than iterative. We wanted to address concerns from our initial interviews regarding privacy, accessibility, and technological viability. We decided to use Arduino and Adafruit devices to create the Resonance Room’s responsive systems. Our first iteration modified an old prototype for a motion-responsive costume into a "breathing aid" or meditation assistant. We attached an Adafruit CircuitPlayground Express to a glove and programmed the LEDs to fade on and off in a regular, breathing pattern. The lights also changed colors based on motion detected by an accelerometer. Finally, I sketched the possible design and layout of the Resonance Room, which helped convey our vision despite only having a wearable proof of concept.

USER FEEDBACK

“I would totally be open to it as long as the privacy and ethics reputation are known.”

“How big is the room? How is the room suitable for those with disabilities? Are multiple people able to enter the room?”

“It would be cool to have the breathing syncopated to your breathing, but it would be good to have it something that you could opt into.”

Prototype 2: Our second prototype addressed questions from the previous prototype by refining elements, exploring additional interactive opportunities, and conducting more user testing. Inspired by our research into deep pressure therapeutic tools, we acquired a silk sling to be used in conjunction with the accelerometer. We attached the CircuitPlayground glove from Prototype I and a 50-pixel LED strand, then tested this "responsive swing" device at the gym.

USER FEEDBACK

““The motion lights were good. I like how they are “breathing.” The proximity light wasn’t as significant.””

“I was little uncomfortable, we didn’t know what’s going on, at first. As things are explained, felt better.”

“It’s an interesting experience to move and have something react to your movement, especially if it’s magnified to a larger scale.”

Prototype 3: For Prototype III, we installed a motion-responsive sensory swing in a windowless room using an aerial yoga A-frame rig. A 50-LED NeoPixel strip connected to a Adafruit CircuitPlayground oscillated through a selection of cool, calming colors whenever the onboard accelerometer registered motion. This was accompanied by a system utilizing an Adafruit VL53L0X Time of Flight Distance Sensor connected to an Arduino Uno and a 20-pixel LED strip, which would cycle through cool colors when triggered and switched to warm colors when not triggered. For the purposes of this prototype, we placed a stuffed animal on the shelf as the “trigger object.” When the user removes the stuffed animal to interact (play or cuddle) with it, they are rewarded with a warm glow of orange, red, and yellow lights.

Video Demonstration

Video Demonstration of Resonance Room, 2025

Cirque-itry

PERFORMANCE, VIDEO, WEARABLE ELECTRONICS

CONTEXT

Cirque-itry: Reimagining the body through a synthesis of circus and technology aims to reposition circus within contemporary performance and new media art discourse, demonstrating its potential to interrogate the human experience in our increasingly digital world.

In this project, I explore aerial acrobatics as a means to investigate the relationship between bodies and technology. In an effort to revitalize circus as a site for artistic innovation, I created a technology-enabled wearable using Adafruit sensors and LEDs that change color in response to the movements in an aerial performance. By reframing the relationship between the body and its apparatus through these technological interjections, my thesis not only reimagines the intellectual possibilities of circus arts but also contributes to broader conversations about the intersections of technology, embodiment, and conceptual art.

Early experiments

For the initial phase of this investigation, I began experimenting with low fidelity prototypes that explored bodily relationships with a specific aerial apparatus, the aerial hoop (or lyra). The wearables responded to the unique characteristics of the aerial hoop by emphasizing emblematic motions of the apparatus such as exertion, rotation, and contortion. I named the three stages the Jellyfish, Mermaid, and Starfish Experiments, wherein each bodysuit corresponded to a specific quality of aerial movement.

Various Iterations of the Mermaid, Jellyfish, and Starfish Experiments,
Leotard, athletic garments, reflective tap, glow lights, LED strips, 2025

Prototyping

My low-fidelity investigations were all preparation for creating a high-fidelity prototype for a motion-responsive circus garment. To execute this, I spent 15 weeks learning Arduino circuitry and programing. Using devices such as the LilyPad Arduino USB board, Lilypad Accelerometer, and Adafruit Circuit Playground Express, I experimented with integrating the Arduino or Adafruit sensors with Adafruit NeoPixels to control the color output of the LEDs. Throughout the process, I collected motion data from my circus training and tested various prototypes that would contribute to the final product.

Screenshot 2025-05-18 at 12.44.36 PM.png

Prototype 1 for Tech-enabled Wearable and Demonstration of Device,
Thread, Embroidery Hoop, Adafruit NeoPixel 16 Pixel Ring, LilyPad Arduino USB board, Lilypad Accelerometer,
2025

Prototype 2 for Tech-enabled Wearable and Demonstration of Device,
Compression Glove, Thread, Elastic Bands, Adafruit Circuit Playground Express,
2025

Prototype 3 for Tech-enabled Wearable and Demonstration of Device,
Athletic Shirt, Thread, Adafruit NeoPixel LED Chain, Adafruit Circuit Playground Express,
2025

Documentation

Prototype 3 is the latest and most refined iteration of the motion-responsive circus garment. The LEDs on the Adafruit NeoPixel Dot Strand and Adafruit Circuit Playground Express are programed to change color according to motion data captured by the Circuit Playground’s built-in accelerometer. Readings on the XYZ axis are mapped to RGB values to create constantly morphing colors across the LED Strand. The program includes light animations that are triggered by specific motion readings. For instance, high-force spins generate a twinkling pattern with a pre-defined selection of warm colors. Then, when the force drops at the end of a spin, the lights transition to a cool-toned breathing pattern.

Using costumes and makeup, I transformed into a cyborg, embodying the integration of technology and organicism that this project seeks to explore. The accompanying video demonstrates the wearable’s capabilities while also drawing further connections to the themes of naturalism, spirituality, techno-humanism, and transcendence.

Prototype 3 for Cirque-itry: The Cyborg Experiments,
Digital Photography, 2025

Photo Credit: Kristi Alyssa

Cirque-itry: Reimagining the body through a synthesis of circus and technolog,
Digital Video, 2025

Video Credit: Kristi Alyssa

Prototype 3 for Cirque-itry: The Cyborg Experiments,
Digital Video, 2025

Bluebeared in Ohio

TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, COLLAGE

CONTRIBUTORS: OSCAR SOLIS, MARIO NODAL

Bluebeard in Ohio: A True Crime Podcast is a group multimedia art project reinterpreting the fairytale of Bluebeard as a modern true crime narrative. The piece reimagines the notorious murderer as a nefarious Ohio-based real-estate mogul with an obsessive affinity for historical serial killers and propensity for "misplacing" girlfriends.

The Project culminated in two podcast episodes accompanied by a fake research archive hosted on a mock website. We intentionally mimicked the style of amateur investigators and websleuths who capitalize on acts of violence and our own morbid fascination with them. Through fabricated evidence and phony primary sources, we illuminated the latent themes of bystander culpability in the original Bluebeard story while also commenting on the contemporary phenomena of sensationalizing true crime.

Evidence

I contributed nearly twenty artifacts ranging from tangible, blood-soaked evidence to gory photoshopped images that wove the story of a studious psychopath and the harrowing fate of his female victims. The photographs intentionally mimic the objective yet discerning aesthetics of crime scene photography, meant to appear raw and detached. This is supplemented by evidence pertaining to the killer himself, including historical artifacts alluding to the murderer's copycat nature and a personal journal provided by one of the other collaborators. This interpretation both draws attention to the persistent “culture of silence” surrounding the patriarchal oppression of women in society and examines the audience’s own voyeuristic relationship to narratives of violence.