Other interesting material: spandex, lycra, latex, vinyl, burnt motor oil, graphite (led), conductive thread, conductive paint, water, ink, liquid based materials, invisible wire, threads, wire, dough, waste recyclable (tires, bottles, etc.), sand, air, moisture, fabric, plants (leaves)
Conductive Paint (data sheet)
material properties
- physical:
liquid form (paint) water-based, nontoxic. can use hardener to adjust density. standard acrylic or water-based paints can even be used alongside Electric Paint to act as insulation or to create multi-layer circuitry! - electrical:
electrically conductive! can be used as controller or potentiometer. works with low voltage dc power - structural:
can paint wires onto things like models, clothes, furniture, walls, almost anything you can think of. - perceptual and aesthetics:
by itself it doesn't offer much, it drips, it dries but where and how or the method of painting & what it can be painted onto can is an open field for perceptual and aesthetic experimentation - production/supply/ cost:
here or here... no production or supply problems, can be found and ordered online or bought at Spikenzie/ Abra etc.
$25 for 50ml at spark fun (link), or you can make your self for a couple dollars - environmental impact and safety:
the water-based version although costly if store bought is pretty safe, pretty much if there's no led in there you'll be fine - types of manipulation and processing:
can play with density based on use, can be processed using glue, water-based liquids generally and texture can be changed through blending paint with flour or something neutral
Interaction Scenarios
As mentioned above, paint can be applied to anything to either demand a reaction, output, get some data out of it or used as potentiometer up to 5 sensor capacity (this i with the silver paint). Ideas involve painting surface based on some sort of labyrinth pattern and passerby will actuate sound light or something all in the interest of manipulation and accentuation of some spatial perceptual qualities of space. Alternatively conductive thread can be used to achieve something similar.
 thread art (click for source) |  playing with sense place (click for source) |
