Body as instrument : an exploration of gestural interface design

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.The research supporting materials can be viewed on the author's website http://www.mainsbridge.com/ -----Gestural interfaces broaden musicians’ scope for physical expression and offer possibilities for creating more engaging and dynamic performances with digital technology. Increasing affordability and accessibility of motion-based sensing hardware has prompted a recent rise in the use of gestural interfaces and multimodal interfaces for musical performance. Despite this, few performers adopt these systems as their main instrument. The lack of widespread adoption outside academic and research contexts raises questions about the relevance and viability of existing systems. This research identifies and addresses key challenges that musicians face when navigating technological developments in the field of gestural performance. Through a series of performances utilising a customised gestural system and an expert user case study, I have combined autoethnographic insights as a performer/designer with feedback from professional musicians to gain a deeper understanding of how musicians engage with gestural interfaces. Interviews and video recordings have been analysed within a phenomenological framework, resulting in a set of design criteria and strategies informed by creative practitioner perspectives. This thesis argues that developing the sensorimotor skills of musicians is integral to enhancing the potential of current gestural systems. Refined proprioceptive skills and kinaesthetic awareness are particularly important when controlling non-tactile gestural interfaces, which lack the haptic feedback afforded by traditional acoustic instruments. However, approaches in the field of gestural system design for music tend to favour technical and functional imperatives over the development of the kinaesthetic sense. Building on a growing body of gestural interface design and human–computer interaction (HCI) literature, this research offers practice-based insights that acknowledge the changing face of musicianship in response to interaction with gestural sensing technologies. To encourage enhanced physical aptitude and more nuanced movement control amongst musicians, I have applied embodied interaction design and dance-based perspectives to musical contexts, developing a multimodal environment that provides a range of design strategies for musicians to explore relationships between sound and movement while developing an awareness of their own movement potential

Body as Instrument – Performing with Gestural Interfaces

This paper explores the challenge of achieving nuanced control and physical engagement with gestural interfaces in performance. Performances with a prototype gestural performance system, Gestate, provide the basis for insights into the application of gestural systems in live contexts. These reflections stem from a performer's perspective, summarising the experience of prototyping and performing with augmented instruments that extend vocal or instrumental technique through gestural control. Successful implementation of rapidly evolving gestural technologies in real-time performance calls for new approaches to performing and musicianship, centred on a growing understanding of the body's physical and creative potential. For musicians hoping to incorporate gestural control seamlessly into their performance practice, a balance of technical mastery and kinaesthetic awareness is needed to adapt existing approaches to their own purposes. Within non-tactile systems, visual feedback mechanisms can support this process by providing explicit visual cues that compensate for the absence of haptic feedback. Experience gained through prototyping and performance can yield a deeper understanding of the broader nature of gestural control and the way in which performers inhabit their own bodies.4 page(s

Time to deliver: a national paid parental leave scheme

PIAC has made a submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental leave. PIAC strongly supports the introduction of a national scheme of paid leave for parents. It is in the public interest for working families to be able to access some form of paid leave upon the birth of a child. The current system--where there is paid maternity leave in the public sector but it is essentially left up to employers in the private sector to decide whether or not to provide it--is both inequitable and inadequate. Paid parental leave tends to be enjoyed primarily by women and men in the public sector, and by those on relatively high incomes. It is less available for women who have lower skills or are in part-time or casual work, women who work in the retail, accommodation and food services industries and women who work for small or medium businesses. Arguably, this is where it is needed most. Where leave is offered by private sector employers, it is usually below minimal international standards and may not be available to all staff. In order to ensure uniformity and national coverage, a scheme of paid leave for parents should be legislated for federally. It should be available to all Australians, irrespective of their background, education, income-level and sexual orientation

In pursuit of a healthy academic status and student experience : An approach to supporting academically fragile students in higher education

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Perceived value of work-integrated learning on the teaching efficacy and classroom management of pre-service teachers.

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Using interactive online pedagogical approaches to promote student engagement

The COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019 required a complete shift to online learning across all educational institutions, including universities. The rapid transition to online learning globally meant that many educators were suddenly tasked with adapting their classroom-based pedagogy to the online space. While this was undoubtedly challenging for teachers and students, it also opened up possibilities for reimagining the delivery of content, along with creating increased access for students who had barriers for studying remotely before the impact of COVID-19. The study discussed in this paper examines the experiences of students studying at a regional Australian university that already offered online courses, and whose instructors were already using a diverse range of online delivery tools. Specifically, the study sought to investigate how instructors used interactive strategies to promote student engagement, and how the interaction between learner and content influences student engagement. With research showing that online students typically have higher attrition rates than their on-campus counterparts, engagement has been identified as an important factor in online learning. Online interaction in particular is considered to be instrumental in influencing student engagement and positively impacting student satisfaction, persistence, and academic performance. Data collected from interviews conducted with two different cohorts of students, studying two different courses (mathematics education and Chinese language) at the same university, demonstrated ways instructors utilised interactive online pedagogies to engage students with potentially challenging course content. The study has implications for online educators who are looking for ways to adapt their on-campus courses to online delivery, with a focus on engaging and maintaining online students’ interest and ongoing participation in their courses

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