Dream a bit bigger darling
dream a bit bigger darling is a multi-stage alt ctrl project that started in 2015. Originally constructed by Amanda Throws Rocks in collaboration with Amy Hudgins, the project had a further iteration utilizing concepts from r25th.
This game because functionally discontinued in 2023 as the bed was given to an actual child, though the chicken wire structure still exists.
Design
There are two principal iterations to dream a bit bigger darling. The first iteration was shown at the inaugural Rules and Play show and was a 4 ft by 3 ft installation hung on the ceiling. Later iterations, including ones shown regionally in Kentucky as well as further on at MAGFest included a bed.
Version 1
The initial version of dream a bit bigger darling was constructed out of a 4 foot by 3 foot rectangle of chicken wire, suspended from the gallery ceiling, with several hundred feet of flagging tape stapled onto the structure so that it hung like stalactites.
The interactive element was a combination of an LED light strip and a malfunctioning audio sensor that instead appeared to detect distance. These were connected with jumper cables into a project box with an Arduino that was hidden on the side facing the ceiling.
Version 2
For a second, larger version that was also displayed at a Rules and Play 2016 event the flagging tape/chicken wire structure was affixed to a preexisting pink princess bed from Walmart. This version (colloquially referred to as “the bed game”), had a chicken wire structure that was the length of a twin bed and filled with a flagging tape cut to be in the shape of a large wave - from 6 feet to one foot long. The bed was then “made” with white sheets, a mattress protector (because this is a public gallery) and other white bedding.
The interactive element was 9-12 yards of LED light strip, affixed to the top of the chicken wire structure with zip ties and an ultrasonic range finder that was placed near the pillow at the head of the bed. The intention was to register movement and make the bed respond in kind - less movement and the lights above the bed would make a blue space and more movement would create a red space. The other components were placed in a project enclosure on top of the chicken wire, jump-cabled to a project board and an arduino. This was a common failure point, as the jump cables would disconnect and would have to be re-attached.
Version 3
The (currently) final iteration of the bed was shown at MAGFest 2020 as a part of Indie Arcade and featured the bed and it’s flagging tape/chicken wire structure, only this time it harvested the LED’s, computer and controller from the Glow Orb, playing “the thunderstorm cradled us softly as we drifted off to sleep and it felt as if everything would resolve itself.”
Select Appearances
- Rules and Play 2015
- Rules and Play 2016
- Super MAGFest 2020