Han Bao | Thread

HAN

HAN

HAN

FIEILD:

Installation | Storytelling | Interactive

CLIENT:

Personal Project

TEAM:

Han Bao

YEAR:

2024

DIMENSION:

50×30×30cm｜19.7" × 11.8" × 11.8"

Cover

Thread

about.

Thread is an interactive installation where participants pull a physical rope to guide a single evolving line—from sapling, to tree, to guitar—blending nature, creativity, and renewal. Pulling advances the drawing; releasing it rewinds the line home, echoing nature's cyclical rhythm, with each stage carrying its own sound until the guitar comes alive with music. A string potentiometer translates the rope's movement into real-time visuals in P5.js, linking physical gesture with digital response.

Exhibited at the 2024 ITP/IMA Winter Show. https://itp.nyu.edu/shows/winter2024/projects/#11417-thread

Thread is an interactive installation where participants pull a physical rope to guide a single evolving line—from sapling, to tree, to guitar—blending nature, creativity, and renewal. Pulling advances the drawing; releasing it rewinds the line home, echoing nature's cyclical rhythm, with each stage carrying its own sound until the guitar comes alive with music. A string potentiometer translates the rope's movement into real-time visuals in P5.js, linking physical gesture with digital response.

Exhibited at the 2024 ITP/IMA Winter Show. https://itp.nyu.edu/shows/winter2024/projects/#11417-thread

story.

A single red line starts with a sapling, which gradually grows into a towering tree. Once matured, it is cut down and carefully carved in a factory, eventually becoming a guitar. It traces not only the making of an instrument, but also the transformation of nature into human musical culture.

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detail.

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Interaction

User input: Pulling a physical rope
Feedback: A red line on screen evolves
Design focus: Intuitive, no instructions needed; user controls story pacing

Tech Stack

Hardware: String potentiometer, Arduino Nano
Software: Javascript, WebSerial

MOREiTOiEXPLORE

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Motion Direction

Parallel Hour

Pulling a real string unravels a digital red line into parallel moments

Interactive Experience

Parallel Hour

Pulling a real string unravels a digital red line into parallel moments

Motion Direction

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