TIISETSO CLIFFORD MPHUTHI

Marketplaces such as NFT.storage provide a service for one to upload different types of data files including a .CSV file that holds the sensor data. To most people, this may look dull and uninspiring. I have taken it a step further to convert the data into an aesthetically pleasing piece of visual art.

The art style: Litema

In his creation of NFTs, Tiisetso’s art style is fundamentally influenced by the Basotho art style, namely litema. Litema comes from the Sesotho word holema which means to farm. It is a very old Basotho art style that was traditionally practised by women to decorate the outside of their homes. The decorations were meant to be a way of praising ancestors (the gods) and the higher power (God). It was also used as a way of announcing major events in the household such as a wedding, the birth of a newborn baby, and the passing (death) of a family member. It is documented to have been used as early as the 1600s. It is characterised by having different shapes that are arranged in a symmetrical manner to make a repeating pattern.

A basic demonstration on how to convert sensor data into visual art

In order to demonstrate how the sensor data can be used to make visual data, we will be doing a simple step-by-step tutorial on how to convert the sensor data into visual art. To make this simple and responsive to the demo, we will be using an Arduino (open-source microcontroller) and some analogue sensors (potentiometers).

What you will need:

Arduino Nano
A computer
2 potentiometers
Jumper wires
p5JS (Software)
USB cable

Putting together the circuit

The first thing one will need to do is to set up a circuit by connecting the jumper wires to the potentiometer and to the Arduino nano as the circuit below shows.

Next, you will need to open the Arduino IDE on your computer and write the following code:

Once you have done with the arduino code, you need to open p5js editor p5js editor on your browser  and then write the following code:

How does the program work ?

The Arduino microcontroller was programmed to listen to the analogue pin inputs which in this case is a 10-kilo ohm potentiometer (variable resistor) that represents a typical analog temperature such as a temperature sensor. When you adjust the potentiometer you get different values which represent the change in temperature in a food computer. The different values will then translate to the different coloured squares (which represent varying degrees of temperature).