ICS Materials. Towards a re-Interpretation of material qualities through interactive, connected, and smart materials.

The domain of materials for design is changing under the influence of an increased technological advancement, miniaturization and democratization. Materials are becoming connected, augmented, computational, interactive, active, responsive, and dynamic. These are ICS Materials, an acronym that stands for Interactive, Connected and Smart. While labs around the world are experimenting with these new materials, there is the need to reflect on their potentials and impact on design. This paper is a first step in this direction: to interpret and describe the qualities of ICS materials, considering their experiential pattern, their expressive sensorial dimension, and their aesthetic of interaction. Through case studies, we analyse and classify these emerging ICS Materials and identified common characteristics, and challenges, e.g. the ability to change over time or their programmability by the designers and users. On that basis, we argue there is the need to reframe and redesign existing models to describe ICS materials, making their qualities emerge

System upgrade: realising the vision for UK education

A report summarising the findings of the TEL programme in the wider context of technology-enhanced learning and offering recommendations for future strategy in the area was launched on 13th June at the House of Lords to a group of policymakers, technologists and practitioners chaired by Lord Knight. The report – a major outcome of the programme – is written by TEL director Professor Richard Noss and a team of experts in various fields of technology-enhanced learning. The report features the programme’s 12 recommendations for using technology-enhanced learning to upgrade UK education

Woven Within the Surface: interconnected explorations of fine art linen canvas production

For centuries, linen canvas has been the preferred fabric support for painters. While there are historical examples of decoratively woven canvasses, the aesthetic relationship between canvas and painting has rarely been explored. Previously a cottage industry in the UK, production of linen is now mechanised on an industrial scale. Lost skills required to process the fibre are being re-contextualised by designers and crafts people for the sustainability value of slow, local production methods. Similar principles are evident in the work of contemporary artists exploring ecological themes through use of nature as raw material. This paper describes the early stages of Woven Within the Surface, a collaborative interdisciplinary project to grow and weave patterned linen canvas, exploring interconnected aesthetic, ecological, and material-led concepts in textile design and fine art contexts. Discussion will focus on the benefits of collaborating across disciplines in relation to development of new knowledge and understanding, skills, and creative outcomes

Principles of High-Dimensional Data Visualization in Astronomy

Astronomical researchers often think of analysis and visualization as separate tasks. In the case of high-dimensional data sets, though, interactive exploratory data visualization can give far more insight than an approach where data processing and statistical analysis are followed, rather than accompanied, by visualization. This paper attempts to charts a course toward "linked view" systems, where multiple views of high-dimensional data sets update live as a researcher selects, highlights, or otherwise manipulates, one of several open views. For example, imagine a researcher looking at a 3D volume visualization of simulated or observed data, and simultaneously viewing statistical displays of the data set's properties (such as an x-y plot of temperature vs. velocity, or a histogram of vorticities). Then, imagine that when the researcher selects an interesting group of points in any one of these displays, that the same points become a highlighted subset in all other open displays. Selections can be graphical or algorithmic, and they can be combined, and saved. For tabular (ASCII) data, this kind of analysis has long been possible, even though it has been under-used in Astronomy. The bigger issue for Astronomy and several other "high-dimensional" fields is the need systems that allow full integration of images and data cubes within a linked-view environment. The paper concludes its history and analysis of the present situation with suggestions that look toward cooperatively-developed open-source modular software as a way to create an evolving, flexible, high-dimensional, linked-view visualization environment useful in astrophysical research.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, expected to appear in Astron. Nachr. 333, No.5/6,505-514 (2012) Invited Plenary at 2011 Astronomische Gesellschaft, "Surveys and Simulations: The Real and the Virtual Universe

Machine Understanding of Human Behavior

A widely accepted prediction is that computing will move to the background, weaving itself into the fabric of our everyday living spaces and projecting the human user into the foreground. If this prediction is to come true, then next generation computing, which we will call human computing, should be about anticipatory user interfaces that should be human-centered, built for humans based on human models. They should transcend the traditional keyboard and mouse to include natural, human-like interactive functions including understanding and emulating certain human behaviors such as affective and social signaling. This article discusses a number of components of human behavior, how they might be integrated into computers, and how far we are from realizing the front end of human computing, that is, how far are we from enabling computers to understand human behavior

Creating sustainable textile futures for women: Digitizing Cordillera weaving tradition (CSTFW) project Evaluation Report March 2019

Executive Summary Introduction This Evaluation Report has been prepared to evaluate the success of The Creating Sustainable Textile Futures for Women: Digitizing Cordillera Weaving Tradition (CSTFW) project undertaken 2018-19 with the support of a Crafting Futures British Council / Crafts Council Grant awarded October 2018. This evaluation report will outline the aims and objectives of the project, the research design and research methods undertaken. The report will detail the limitations and advantages of the project design and present the project findings to support the development of a Learning Tool Kit. The report evaluation will focus on the qualitative analysis of our observational data, which was recorded via field notes, digital photographs, film, sound and via the project activities which have taken place to date as a result of one Field Research Visit undertaken by Rachel Kelly and Michelle Stephens in January 2019. Project Background The CSTFW project aims to investigate the loss of cultural weave heritage within the Cordillera Region in Northern Luzon area of The Philippines. It has been identified by Professor Salvador-Amores of The Cordillera Textiles Project (CordiTex) established by The University of Philippines, that while Cordilleran weaving has the status of National Heritage within The Philippines, the numbers of weavers able to practice is dwindling (CordiTex 2018). For the CSTFW project, the CordiTex team have partnered with a team from Manchester School of Art (MsoA) at Manchester Metropolitan University led by Professor Alice Kettle, Rachel Kelly and Michelle Stephens. The partnership has been established as a result of the successful award to the CSTFW project of the Crafting Futures British Council/Crafts Council Grant 2018-19. The partnership has enabled the two teams to share knowledge, literature, research findings, textile artefacts, weaving knowledge, networks of contacts, access to weave communities, digital loom facilities and prior research experiences. The results of this collaboration has been the successful undertaking of the project in order to develop a long-term change process within the identified project context. The grant awarded, enabled Rachel Kelly & Michelle Stephens to travel to the Philippines to undertake field research, field workshops and to deliver a one-day multi stakeholder Learning Tool Kit Development workshop at The University of Philippines in Baguio