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)

Integrating art into bodily interactions : exploring digital art in HCI design to foster somaesthetic experiences

PhD ThesisMy interdisciplinary doctoral research of this thesis explored how interaction design – with a combination of digital art, body-centred practice and biophysical sensing technology – cultivates self-awareness and self-reflection to foster somaesthetic experiences in everyday walking. My research followed a Research through Design (RtD) approach to provide design artefacts as examples of research in the expanded territory of Somaesthetic Design, technology-enhanced body-centred practices and digital art applied in interaction design. Background research included a critical review of Affective Computing, the concept of somaesthetic experience, existing body-centred practices (e.g. mindfulness and deep listening), HCI designs for somaesthetic experiences, and interactive digital art applications (using biophysical data as input) to express bodily activities. In methodological terms the research could be summarized as a process of ‘making design theories’ (Redström, 2017) that draws upon a Research through Design (RtD) approach. The whole research process could be described with a ‘bucket’ model in making design theories (Redström, 2017): identified initial design space as the initial ‘bucket’; derived the first design artefact ‘Ambient Walk’ as a ‘fact’ to represent the initial design space and the cause of transitioning, re-accenting process from mindfulness to ‘adding a sixth-sense’ (i.e. to extend the initial ‘bucket’); the making of second design artefact ‘Hearing the Hidden’ as a ‘fact’ to represent the re-accented research rationale in designing for somaesthetic experience by ‘adding a sixth sense’. I followed a qualitative approach to evaluate individual user feedbacks on enhancing somaesthetic experiences, the aspects to be considered in designing for experiences, and how my design process contributed to refining design for experiences. At the end of this thesis, I discuss the findings from the two practical projects regarding the somaesthetic experiences that have been provoked during users’ engagement with ‘Ambient Walk’ and ‘Hearing the Hidden’; the inclusion of bodily interactions with surroundings in somaesthetic design; the use of ‘provotypes’ in experience-centred design practices; and the benefit of integrating digital art into technology for body-centred practices

Elements of design for indoor visualisation

Indoor visualisation has received little attention. Research related to indoor environments have primarily focussed on the data structuring, localisation and navigation components (Zlatanova et al., 2013). Visualisation is an integral component in addressing the diverse array of indoor environments. In simple words, 'What is the most efficient way to visualise the surrounding indoor environment so that the user can concisely understand their surroundings as well as facilitating the process of navigation?' This dissertation proposes a holistic approach that consists of two components. The significance of this approach is that it provides a robust and adaptable method in providing a standard to which indoor visualisation can be referenced against. The first component is a theoretical framework focussing on indoor visualisation and it comprises of principles from several disciplines such as geovisualisation, human-perception theory, spatial cognition, dynamic and 3D environments as well as accommodating emotional processes resulting from human-computer interaction. The second component is based on the theoretical framework and adopts a practical approach towards indoor visualisation. It consists of a set of design properties that can be used for the design of effective indoor visualisations. The framework is referred to as the "Elements of Design" framework. Both these components aim to provide a set of principles and guidelines that can be used as best practices for the design of indoor visualisations. In order to practically demonstrate the holistic indoor visualisation approach, multiple indoor visualisation renderings were developed. The visualisation renderings were represented in a three-dimensional virtual environment from a first-person perspective. Each rendering used the design framework differently. Also, each rendering was graded using a parallel chart that compares how the different visual elements were used per the rendering. The main findings were that the techniques/ renderings that used the visual elements effectively (enhanced human-perception) resulted in better acquisition and construction of knowledge about the surrounding indoor environment

Drawing the Loss of Movement

This paper is a reflective review on the experience of drawing my father during his last years with Parkinson’s disease, as a framework to address the role of embodiment in drawing. More than a record of the body, drawing someone with Parkinson’s disease is primarily to report a paradox: making visible the loss of movement and expression, but also the erosion of language and the disappearance of the other person’s world. It is argued that drawing allows to intimate this loss as an affect and an event, an emotion and a process, as the drawing act defies telling and incites a memorialising function of the trace. As a projection of a moving body representing another body, drawing a Parkinson’s patient triggers the experience of empathy as a shared representation, which enable us to perceive the other’s experience within our own corporality. Empathy is addressed as part of the perceptual experience of drawing, but also as apperception: a co-apprehension of the other’s emotion through his movements and expressions over time, blending direct observations and recalled images. As the enactment of a relationship, drawing is a coming together with the world, an “as-if-body-loop”

The Dancing Imagination: How Does Imaginative Imagery Facilitate Movement Qualities in Dance Training and Performance?

The purpose· of this case study was to explore how imagery facilitates movement quality in dance training and performance. A literature review on classifications of direct and indirect imagery and imagery in relation to neuroscience, was investigated to firstly define imagery. The confusion over defining movement quality led to a literature review on Kinesiology and Gaga methods and how these dance-training methods utilise imagery in different ways to enhance the movement quality of dance in training and performance. Qualitative research methodology was used in this case study. The case study used a purposeful sample of eight subjects who were undergraduate and post gradate dance students in Australia. The data was gathered with the aid of a questionnaire via email whereby subjects recorded their views and returned information via email. A questionnaire was devised to discover which imagery-based methods dance students used, in training and performance and how they might be applied. Through content analysis, the questionnaire revealed three main areas connected to the use of imagery in facilitating movement: anatomical understanding; learning and developing technique and the quality of movement. It was found that imagery was useful in relation to the alignment of the skeletal structure in combination with tactile aid to activate and re-pattern certain muscle groups and assist with ease and efficiency of movement. Imagery was also useful as a tool for learning and developing as a dancer in developing a strong mind-body connection that is supported by recent brain research on neuroplasticity. Imagery was also viewed as a useful tool to enhance the quality of movement in aesthetic, sensory, emotive and authentic ways. Overall, imagery connected to physical alignment appeared to be the most popular using. It was revealed the defining movement quality is almost impossible to measure because of subjectivity of interpretation not only from the dancer as a performer, but also due to how the audience views and understands the movement. Further research is recommended to further define movement quality in more specific terms and from different points of view and cultures

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORS. THE AESTHETIC DOMAIN OF WEARABLES AND NEURAL NETWORKS

Historically, communication implies the transfer of information between bodies, yet this phenomenon is constantly adapting to new technological and cultural standards. In a digital context, it’s commonplace to envision systems that revolve around verbal modalities. However, behavioural analysis grounded in psychology research calls attention to the emotional information disclosed by non-verbal social cues, in particular, actions that are involuntary. This notion has circulated heavily into various interdisciplinary computing research fields, from which multiple studies have arisen, correlating non-verbal activity to socio-affective inferences. These are often derived from some form of motion capture and other wearable sensors, measuring the ‘invisible’ bioelectrical changes that occur from inside the body. This thesis proposes a motivation and methodology for using physiological sensory data as an expressive resource for technology-mediated interactions. Initialised from a thorough discussion on state-of-the-art technologies and established design principles regarding this topic, then applied to a novel approach alongside a selection of practice works to compliment this. We advocate for aesthetic experience, experimenting with abstract representations. Atypically from prevailing Affective Computing systems, the intention is not to infer or classify emotion but rather to create new opportunities for rich gestural exchange, unconfined to the verbal domain. Given the preliminary proposition of non-representation, we justify a correspondence with modern Machine Learning and multimedia interaction strategies, applying an iterative, human-centred approach to improve personalisation without the compromising emotional potential of bodily gesture. Where related studies in the past have successfully provoked strong design concepts through innovative fabrications, these are typically limited to simple linear, one-to-one mappings and often neglect multi-user environments; we foresee a vast potential. In our use cases, we adopt neural network architectures to generate highly granular biofeedback from low-dimensional input data. We present the following proof-of-concepts: Breathing Correspondence, a wearable biofeedback system inspired by Somaesthetic design principles; Latent Steps, a real-time auto-encoder to represent bodily experiences from sensor data, designed for dance performance; and Anti-Social Distancing Ensemble, an installation for public space interventions, analysing physical distance to generate a collective soundscape. Key findings are extracted from the individual reports to formulate an extensive technical and theoretical framework around this topic. The projects first aim to embrace some alternative perspectives already established within Affective Computing research. From here, these concepts evolve deeper, bridging theories from contemporary creative and technical practices with the advancement of biomedical technologies.Historicamente, os processos de comunicação implicam a transferência de informação entre organismos, mas este fenómeno está constantemente a adaptar-se a novos padrões tecnológicos e culturais. Num contexto digital, é comum encontrar sistemas que giram em torno de modalidades verbais. Contudo, a análise comportamental fundamentada na investigação psicológica chama a atenção para a informação emocional revelada por sinais sociais não verbais, em particular, acções que são involuntárias. Esta noção circulou fortemente em vários campos interdisciplinares de investigação na área das ciências da computação, dos quais surgiram múltiplos estudos, correlacionando a actividade nãoverbal com inferências sócio-afectivas. Estes são frequentemente derivados de alguma forma de captura de movimento e sensores “wearable”, medindo as alterações bioeléctricas “invisíveis” que ocorrem no interior do corpo. Nesta tese, propomos uma motivação e metodologia para a utilização de dados sensoriais fisiológicos como um recurso expressivo para interacções mediadas pela tecnologia. Iniciada a partir de uma discussão aprofundada sobre tecnologias de ponta e princípios de concepção estabelecidos relativamente a este tópico, depois aplicada a uma nova abordagem, juntamente com uma selecção de trabalhos práticos, para complementar esta. Defendemos a experiência estética, experimentando com representações abstractas. Contrariamente aos sistemas de Computação Afectiva predominantes, a intenção não é inferir ou classificar a emoção, mas sim criar novas oportunidades para uma rica troca gestual, não confinada ao domínio verbal. Dada a proposta preliminar de não representação, justificamos uma correspondência com estratégias modernas de Machine Learning e interacção multimédia, aplicando uma abordagem iterativa e centrada no ser humano para melhorar a personalização sem o potencial emocional comprometedor do gesto corporal. Nos casos em que estudos anteriores demonstraram com sucesso conceitos de design fortes através de fabricações inovadoras, estes limitam-se tipicamente a simples mapeamentos lineares, um-para-um, e muitas vezes negligenciam ambientes multi-utilizadores; com este trabalho, prevemos um potencial alargado. Nos nossos casos de utilização, adoptamos arquitecturas de redes neurais para gerar biofeedback altamente granular a partir de dados de entrada de baixa dimensão. Apresentamos as seguintes provas de conceitos: Breathing Correspondence, um sistema de biofeedback wearable inspirado nos princípios de design somaestético; Latent Steps, um modelo autoencoder em tempo real para representar experiências corporais a partir de dados de sensores, concebido para desempenho de dança; e Anti-Social Distancing Ensemble, uma instalação para intervenções no espaço público, analisando a distância física para gerar uma paisagem sonora colectiva. Os principais resultados são extraídos dos relatórios individuais, para formular um quadro técnico e teórico alargado para expandir sobre este tópico. Os projectos têm como primeiro objectivo abraçar algumas perspectivas alternativas às que já estão estabelecidas no âmbito da investigação da Computação Afectiva. A partir daqui, estes conceitos evoluem mais profundamente, fazendo a ponte entre as teorias das práticas criativas e técnicas contemporâneas com o avanço das tecnologias biomédicas

Embodiment and the Arts: Views from South Africa

Embodiment and the Arts: Views from South Africa presents a diversity of views on the nature and status of the body in relation to acting, advertisements, designs, films, installations, music, photographs, performance, typography, and video works. Applying the methodologies of phenomenology, hermeneutic phenomenology, embodied perception, ecological psychology, and sense-based research, the authors place the body at the centre of their analyses. The cornerstone of the research presented here is the view that aesthetic experience is active and engaged rather than passive and disinterested. This novel volume offers a rich and diverse range of applications of the paradigm of embodiment to the arts in South Africa.Publishe