The Experiential Turn: Ways of Exploring the Past Through Enhanced Senses in Digital Performance Arts

Digital technology research and artistic practice influence each other regarding user sensory experience. On the one hand, research on new technology brings a different dimension to performing and cinematic arts offering the user the possibility of exploring the past through enhanced senses. On the other, in the field of human‐computer interaction, there is an increased interest in the aestheticization of experience, a special attention being given to performance and theatricality, considered to be the basis for new paradigms in design and operating systems. I refer to the cross‐disciplinary encounters as being “experiential turns”, a series of innovations that could be the basis of new paradigms of design and operating systems, with applicability in both technology and creative industry. The paper will explore some art works that are representative for the experiential dimension of technologically mediated performance art

A phenomenological analysis of an instructional systems design creative project

This research paper is a phenomenological analysis of a creative project involving University of Northern Iowa undergraduate art students in the planning and creation of visual illustrations, graphic design concepts, .html documents, and imagery for a world wide web intranet/lnternet virtual space. This analysis looks at instructional design as a creative process and the phenomenology of the UNI Art/Cat (Art Resources Technology/Computer Assisted Training) computer laboratory. The mission, goals, and objectives of the creative project, experiential and experimental philosophies of education, and the phenomenologies of the instructional design process are the main considerations. The methodology of this thesis is primarily concerned with action research and research as lived experience. The generational aspects of computer hardware and software and the affective aspects of the evolution of the infrastructure upon instructional development is examined. This generation of techno-apparatus includes the Macintosh G3 Personal Computer in a network environment, Afga and Hewlett Packard Flatbed Scanners, Polaroid Slide Scanners, Adobe Graphic Design Software, and Symantec Visual Page Web Design Software. Commentary on the social and bureaucratic considerations in this particular creative project and discussion of the collaboration with UNI Art Department administration, faculty, and students is included with the final conclusions and recommendations

Changeable Context of the New Technology Artefact and the Changeable Research Outcomes

Computer Aided Drawing (vector based) and painting (raster based) packages, allow the mock-up of designs in virtual space. Whilst this is beneficial for visualising the end product, both methods of drawing have been applied to new and existing machining technologies so that some aspect of the product is derived from a computer file. Today, the applied artist now has an abundance of CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Drawing / Computer Aided Manufacturing) technologies awaiting them. So much so, that in the past fifteen years, many makers have embarked upon practice-led research to find out what a particular technology can do with regard to their design interests. Within such research, the object is the manifestation of what has been discovered through the research activity. This paper considers the relationship between the content of the research object and the context for the object’s reception. This is examined with regard to the author’s research with new technologies for the applied arts. Examples will highlight how the characteristics of artefacts that arise from the research can help determine who the audience for the work is, and how the technology might be used by different kinds of craft practitioners. References will also be made to the work of other designer-makers working with and researching similar technologies. Evidence from practical examples will also be supported by a more theoretical discussion. The implications of supplying, or not supplying, background information for an audience within a variety of settings on the perceived content/context of the object, and the communication of the research, will also be discussed. It is concluded that when developing new processes, keeping the work open to a number of audiences can maximise the outcomes and increase the chances of the process being integrated within practice. The discussion also highlights a trend of positioning the consumer/viewer at the forefront of the research, and a need to evaluate their experiences

Curated routes: the project of developing experiential tracks in sub-urban landscape

The Curated Routes project reflects on the visiting routes’ ability to make apparent the internal characteristics of urban environments. The project’s name allude to the intellectual function of curation and the materiality of routes. Curate deals with the practice of arranging material –tangible or intangible- in a way that a new understanding of an area is revealed. The word routes refers to the linear associations that link places and guide movement. The Curated Routes aim to reinforce the development of bonding ties between people and urban environments by re-constructing the way we visit and explore a place. The overall goal of the project is to outline the conceptual guidelines of a visitors’ guide that could later be used for the development of the informatics model. The project follows the methodology that the context-aware routes apply, though particular attention is paid to the second phase of the process where an innovative approach is applied. The introduction of the “chronotope” filters enables us to “knit” the terrestrial route to a range of informative storylines, and hence to develop different interpretations of an urban environment

Shifting the Focus: The Role of Presence in Reconceptualising the Design Process

In this paper the relationship between presence and imaging is examined with the view to establish how our understanding of imaging, and subsequently the design process, may be reconceptualised to give greater focus to its experiential potential. First, the paper outlines the research project contributing to the discussion. Then, it provides brief overviews of research on both imaging and presence in the process highlighting the narrow conceptions of imaging (and the recognition of the need for further research) compared to the more holistic and experiential understandings of presence. The paper concludes with an argument and proposed study for exploring the role of digital technology and presence in extending the potential of imaging and its role in the design process. As indicated in the DRS Conference Theme, this paper focuses “…on what people experience and the systems and actions that create those experiences.” Interface designers, information architects and interactive media artists understand the powerful influence of experience in design. ‘Experience design’ is a community of practice driven by individuals within digital based disciplines where the belief is that understanding people is essential to any successful design in any medium and that “…experience is the personal connection with the moment and… every aspect of living is an experience, whether we are the creators or simply chance participants” (Shedroff, 2001, p. 5). Keywords: Design, Design Process, Presence, Imaging, Grounded Theory</p

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

Virtual Reality Interactive Learning Environment

Open Building Manufacturing (ManuBuild) aims to promote the European construction industry beyond the state of the art. However, this requires the different stakeholders to be well informed of what ‘Open Building Manufacturing’ actually entails with respect to understanding the underlying concepts, benefits and risks. This is further challenged by the ‘traditional ways of learning’ which have been predominantly criticised for being entrenched in theories with little or no emphasis on practical issues. Experiential learning has long been suggested to overcome the problems associated with the traditional ways of learning. In this respect, it has the dual benefit of appealing to adult learner's experience base, as well as increasing the likelihood of performance change through training. On-the-job-training (OJT) is usually sought to enable ‘experiential’ learning; and it is argued to be particularly effective in complex tasks, where a great deal of independence is granted to the task performer. However, OJT has been criticised for being expensive, limited, and devoid of the actual training context. Consequently, in order to address the problems encountered with OJT, virtual reality (VR) solutions have been proposed to provide a risk free environment for learning without the ‘do-or-die’ consequences often faced on real construction projects. Since ManuBuild aims to promote the EU construction industry beyond the state of the art; training and education therefore needs also to go beyond the state of the art in order to meet future industry needs and expectations. Hence, a VR interactive learning environment was suggested for Open Building Manufacturing training to allow experiential learning to take place in a risk free environment, and consequently overcome the problems associated with OJT. This chapter discusses the development, testing, and validation of this prototype

Producing place atmospheres digitally: Architecture, digital visualisations practices and the experience economy

Computer generated images have become the common means for architects and developers to visualise and market future urban developments. This article examines within the context of the experience economy how these digital images aim to evoke and manipulate specific place atmospheres to emphasize the experiential qualities of new buildings and urban environments. In particular, we argue that CGIs are far from ‘just’ glossy representations but are a new form of visualising the urban that captures and markets particular embodied sensations. Drawing on a two year qualitative study of architects’ practices that worked on the Msheireb project, a large scale redevelopment project in Doha (Qatar), we examine how digital visualisation technology enables the virtual engineering of sensory experiences using a wide range of graphic effects. We show how these CGIs are laboriously materialised in order to depict and present specific sensory, embodied regimes and affective experiences to appeal to clients and consumers. Such development has two key implications. Firstly, we demonstrate the importance of digital technologies in framing the ‘expressive infrastructure’ (Thrift 2012) of the experience economy. Secondly, we argue that although the Msheireb CGIs open up a field of negotiation between producers and the Qatari client, and work quite hard at being culturally specific, they ultimately draw “on a Westnocentric literary and sensory palette” (Tolia-Kelly 2006) that highlights the continuing influence of colonial sensibilities in supposedly postcolonial urban processes.This research was funded by the ESRC (RES-062-23-0223)

Textile art promoting well-being in long-term illness: Some general and specific influences

The paper reviews previous research into the meanings of textile art-making for people living with long-term illness. Qualitative accounts of the creative process suggest that textile art-making is a multi-dimensional experience. Some practitioners regard textile artwork as a means of coping with discomfort and other symptoms. For a minority, it enables expressions of anxiety and feelings about loss. Nevertheless, participants place more emphasis on the role of textile art-making in rebuilding a satisfactory identity, and restoring autonomy and quality to life. It fills occupational voids following early retirement, and enables social contacts. Textile artwork also stimulates learning and personal development. It remains possible that any creative occupation delivers such benefits. The paper analyses qualitative accounts from seven participants to identify whether textile art-making has any distinctive experiential qualities. As a creative occupation, it seems to be quite distinctive in being readily accessible even to those who do not consider themselves as artistic. Modern textile art embraces diverse techniques and forms, and practitioners’ choice and autonomy are enhanced by having several different projects in process at once. It accepts the use of assistive technology, thereby enabling people with a variety of physical impairments to produce ‘mainstream’ art. It draws upon rich social traditions, facilitating social contact. Many forms of textile art-making are highly time-consuming, fostering a future orientation, and the creative process is often socially visible within the home, with positive consequences for self-image. This study is exploratory. Further enquiry into the distinctive influences of different creative occupations upon well-being is recommended