This paper explores the design of an expressive visual instrument that embraces the unique movement style of a dancer living with physical disability. Through a collaboration between the dancer and an interaction designer/visual artist, the creative qualities of wearable devices for motion tracking are investigated, with emphasis on integrating the dancer's specific movement capabilities with their creative goals. The affordances of this technology for imagining new forms of creative expression play a critical role in the design process. These themes are drawn together through an experiential performance which augments an improvised dance with an ephemeral real-time visualisation of the performer's movements. Through practice-based research, the design, development and presentation of this performance work is examined as a 'testbed' for new ideas, allowing for the exploration of HCI concepts within a creative context. This paper outlines the creative process behind the development of the work, the insights derived from the practice-based research enquiry, and the role of movement technology in encouraging new ways of moving through creative expression.
This paper discusses how improvisation theatre can be used as a tool for design and (design) education in the field of Human-Robot Interaction. This tool has been explored in settings focused on design education for students as well as care professionals. In this paper, a format and set of guiding principles that were found to work constructively will be presented, as well as a discussion on outcomes, results, and insights from a number of sessions.
In the physical world, we as humans are used to consciously utilizing our space to help navigate our balance, directions, and intention. This virtual reality installation enables the the mover/ player to explore their visible relationships to space by using a Mind’s Eye perspective to playfully interject themselves in a virtual space.
Following three years of working on the eTube with a collaborative interdisciplinary team, we describe the embodied and spatialized performance gestures developed in tandem with a microphone setup for interacting with musical improvising agents. Eric Lewis’ discussion of the intentional stance and make-believe are outlined as a way to conceptualize our working process and engagement with musical agents in improvisation. Within this context, we consider the various agencies at play, and how the musical agents challenge notions of the social and embodiment in improvisation. We will then describe certain artistic approaches and results that are afforded by merging the philosophical with practice. A collaboration with other artists will illustrate new eTube performance gestures. Finally, we outline spatialization models designed for the musical agents and how these were developed in the context of the eTube performance practice.
The workshop explores how interactive technologies based on biophysical sensing and analysis can help create deeper connections with the surrounding world and one another, by combining the latest affect-indicating biosensors with somatic practices and creative expression. The workshop incorporates cutting edge biophysical sensing measurement technologies to explore new modes of artistic expression that directly gauge human affect as an integral component in the creation of an art work or performance. The goal is to explore how real-time tracking of a participant’s affective state can be used as an interactive modality in performance and computational art. Human affect data is gathered from a custom biophysical sensing acquisition and analysis system called, The Source. Data is accessed in real-time using custom software tools built on popular platforms such as Arduino, Max/MSP, SuperCollider, Ableton Live, TouchDesigner, and Processing. Physiological measures, including Electrocardiography (ECG, heart rate), Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Electromyography (EMG, muscle), Electroencephalography (EEG, brain waves), Electrooculography (EOG, eye movement), and Respiratory effort (RSP, breathing) can be incorporated. During the workshop, we will explore the potential for creative uses, as well as more applied contexts to support physical therapy, group training and experiences.
