anakano@mit.edu
MIT Architecture, Building Technology
Sustainable Design Group | MS2
Expertise
| Fabrication & Craft | ★★★★ |
| Design | ★★★☆ |
| Electronics | ★☆☆☆ |
| Programming | ★★☆☆ |
| Biology | ★☆☆☆ |
| Chemistry | ★★☆☆ |
| Mechanics + Structures | ★★★☆ |
What’s your favorite thing you’ve made?
Bloom [first project in my portfolio] is my current favorite project because my team and I were able to integrate structural design in its aesthetics. It is a childhood fort for adults that transforms from a seemingly rigid sculpture into a semi-private space within the public environment. We pushed ourselves to achieve the clean and organic appearance beyond typical engineering solutions such as braces and instead used press-fit construction with robust joint assembly. I still remember the feeling of satisfaction and joy when I saw kids inviting their shy parents to sit inside with them and seeing teenagers and grandparents taking pictures with it as we rotated open the Bloom. This project is still evolving – we learned a lot from its first public installation [it ended up breaking due to unexpected user interaction i.e. push as hard as they can to get it to move] and we’re currently designing rigid origami furniture with similar concept of transformation that considers for the way people may interact with it.
What’s the most frustrating object you’ve used?
I’m most frustrated by translated movies when I can clearly see that the cultural nuance is stripped out in the subtitle and the context is also westernized by the translator. In most cases it’s subtle and jokes that get lost in translation, but choice of words carry the message and represents the characters. It’s discouraging when it happens so often and distorts the artistic intent of the creators, so I often find myself giving explanation as to why my reaction is different from my friends when I watch Japanese movies with them. I wish there was a universal translator that viewers can touch or sense in order to empathize better with the characters.
What do you personally hope to get out of this class?
I would like to give life to my recent digital creations on the web and in energy simulations with material interface as well as to my mechanical and architectural prototypes to conform to different user types. I want to share and shape the vision for a future where information can manifest itself materially to bring harmony and clarity to exploding amounts of digital information.
How can you contribute to the class?
I am familiar with physical fabrication tools [I am a mechanical engineer by background], web design [I designed my own portfolio website from scratch], and a bit of design computation in C#. I am happy to help other students learn prototyping tools both physical and on screen. I would like to put my skills to not just transcend but augment user experience in the physical and digital realms.
Looking forward to making fun projects with you all!