Norene here, filling in for Wandy…

Today we got in a lot of soldering practice, connecting the LEDs to the circuit boards. We also made single LEDs that will get inserted into the shoes, and talked a little more about what exactly the Decision Maker was going to do.

Macho Meter Kit:
Electronic Goldmine

Leather, fabric:
G&R Fabric Inc.
239 West 39th St.
New York, NY
212-997-2284
*They have lots of great leather scraps to choose from.

Rubber for soles, leather punch, “shoe glue”:
Kaufman Shoe Repair Supplies Inc.
346 Lafayette St.
New York, NY
212-777-1700

Ribbon, piping:
M&J Trimming
1008 Sixth Ave.
New York, NY
212-391-6200
M&J Trimming

Mylar for patterns, lettering:
Utrecht
237 W 23rd Street
Between 7th and 8th Aves.
New York, NY
212-675-8699
Utrecht

Foam:
Canal Rubber
329 Canal St.
New York, NY
800-444-6483
Canal Rubber

Today at our fourth session we did many things. First we finished cutting the compartments for the decision maker and smooth things out with the dremel tool. The girls also made LED to put into their shoes and at the same time learned how to solder.

In our third session we traced the decision maker circuit board onto the heels of our platforms. The other girls and I then cut around the traces to make a cavity to put our boards inside. After that was done we then made our alarms, provided by Norene who brought the alarm kits. We cut out our piping that would later be shrunk by this pipe shrinker. This was done so that the wires of the alarms and the batteries would stick together. Later the alarms were tested and they worked pretty loud and well.

Audible alarm instructions are available from http://www.theaphroditeproject.tv/diy.

Wandy was a participant in Eyebeam’s Digital Day Camp 2007 program. She is now an Eyebeam student resident for the spring term, and participating in Project Walkway. Wandy is a junior at Norman Thomas High School studying advance accounting. Although she likes working with numbers, computer works is what holds her interest.

Wandy will be posting blog updates and photos each week.

In our second session with project walkway we worked with rubber. Before that, Yael Kanarek, a resident at Eyebeam, came in and talked about the work she had done with rubber and how it was handy. The class later took their words of rubber, which were cut out by the laser cutter, and stapled them to the soles of their sneakers/shoes. They walked on paper and left foot print messages. Students also started designing their project walkway shoes.

For more images check out our flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/projectwalkway

Project Walkway is a collaboration between Norene Leddy and Eyebeam, whose Girls- Eye View (GEV) program was developed to get girls involved in technology. Project Walkway is a workshop in which young women chosen thorough the GEV program will create custom hacks for existing footwear. Through the workshop they will learn prototyping skills, basic electronics and presentation skills. Working in a supportive, female-centered environment they will be encouraged to ask questions and get comfortable developing their own ideas.

The 6-week program will start with lectures and discussions about the significance of shoes in society. Shoes have always been closely linked with identity and social status, key issues for adolescent girls, from the chopines of 16th century Venice, to Manolo Blahnik stilettos, to the The Aphrodite Project: Platforms, which opens the conversation to issues of sex, sex work, the role of contemporary artists in society, police protection and personal safety.

After this, students will start work on the design and functionality of their own shoe projects, developing hacks based on their individual experiences and needs. We will work beyond aesthetic concerns, investigating issues of personal safety and utility – what would be helpful for young women today who navigate the streets of New York City. Research will be accompanied by sketching, brainstorming and debate until two final designs are created, with functionality dictated by the students. Hacks will range from simple to complex, from hidden compartments to LEDs and alarm systems.

The GEV participants will also meet and work alongside two of Eyebeam’s current Research & Development Fellows, Ayah Bdeir and Jessica Banks, highly skilled female engineers whose work as artists and designers operates in concert with the project. The participating Eyebeam Fellows will discuss their practice with regards to developing physical computing projects related to issues of cultural and feminine identity, and support the design and fabrication process of the GEV shoes.

The program will end with a runway show and book launch of Sabine Seymour’s Fashionable Technology: The Intersection of Design, Fashion, Science and Technology, on May 22. Girls Eye View: Project Walkway begins March 27 and runs Thursdays through May 8.