As the ACM CHI conference is approaching, Horizon are running a session with three talks based on CHI 2013 papers, following the format used at the conference (20 minutes each to present). The abstracts are below:
A Conversation Between Trees: What Data Feels Like In The Forest
R. Jacobs, S. Benford, M. Selby, M. Golembewski, D. Price and G. Giannachi (presented by Rachel Jacobs) Abstract: A study of an interactive artwork shows how artists engaged the public with scientific climate change data. The artwork visualised live environmental data collected from remote trees, alongside both historical and forecast global CO2 data. Visitors also took part in a mobile sensing experience in a nearby forest. Our study draws on the perspectives of the artists, visitors and a climate scientist to reveal how the work was designed and experienced. We show that the artists adopted a distinct approach that fostered an emotional engagement with data rather than an informative or persuasive one. We chart the performative strategies they used to achieve this including sensory engagement with data, a temporal structure that balanced liveness with slowness, and the juxtaposition of different treatments of the data to enable interpretation and dialogue.
Project website: http://hello-tree.com/
‘See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Hear Me’: Trajectories and Interpretation in a Sculpture Garden
L. Fosh, S. Benford, S. Reeves, B. Koleva and P. Brundell (presented by Lesley Fosh)
Abstract: We apply the HCI concept of trajectories to the design of a sculpture trail. We crafted a trajectory through each sculpture, combining textual and audio instructions to drive directed viewing, movement and touching while listening to accompanying music. We designed key transitions along the way to oscillate between moments of social interaction and isolated personal engagement, and to deliver official interpretation only after visitors had been given the opportunity to make their own. We describe how visitors generally followed our trajectory, engaging with sculptures and making interpretations that sometimes challenged the received interpretation. We relate our findings to discussions of sense-making and design for multiple interpretations, concluding that curators and designers may benefit from considering ‘trajectories of interpretation’.
Building Open Bridges: Collaborative Remixing and Reuse of Open Educational Resources across Organisations
T. Coughlan, R. Pitt and P. McAndrew (presented by Tim Coughlan)
Abstract: In this paper we analyse the remixing and reuse of online learning materials offered as Open Educational Resources (OER). We explore the practices that developed as a set of course materials were released as OER from the UK, remixed for a US context by a cross-organisational, cross-cultural team, and then reused in a broad range of educational settings. We analyse the approaches taken during these remixing and reuse activities as novel forms of creative collaboration. As a basis for comparison, we explore similarities and differences with openness in other domains. We identify how openness provoked novel inter-organisational collaboration and forms of ownership; define forms of open practice that need support, and present issues that should be considered in devising and supporting open projects in education and beyond.