photo report
I’ve just uploaded a photo report of the mapping/interview with Blast Theory.
Ambiguity as design principle
Last week Priscilla Machils, Annet Dekker (Virtual Platform) and me went to Brighton to map the mixed reality game/work ‘Uncle Roy All Around You’ by Blast Theory. This to document imaginative participatory practices in arts and design for a future publication for BAM. The report will follow soon.
Matt Adams pointed us to an article that used the work of Blast Theory as a casestudy to illustrate the productive role of ambiguity in participatory design processes. The article is not recent, but still very relevant today and especially for our research work. It discusses the role of ambiguity in design. The authors Gaver and Benford state that design is too often focussed on usability and functionality, while neglecting the stimulating role of ambiguous elements. The aesthetic and conceptual possibilities of ambiguity are thoroughly explored in the arts. Therefore the authors want to translate this artistic experience in tactics that can be used by (interaction) designers. The article can be found here:
http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/documents/ambiguity_CHI_2003.pdf
A next article I found – related to this reflection on ambiguity – zooms in on the project “Projected Realities”. This project represents the lives of elderly people in the Dutch Bijlmer’s community life via images and words in a ’sloganbench’ and an ‘imagebank’. Images and words selected by the elderly about their lives are presented without much context in this bench and bank. The ambiguous representation of the lives of elderly in the community leaves openings for imagination and interpretation. The bench, for example, presents slogans about the lives of the elderly. If you sit on the bench the slogans are hidden. The slogans can thus only be observed when standing. Of course this not what the bench is intended for. The familiar is mixed in playful ways with the strange. This to make lives of elderly visible in the community in imaginative ways. In that way the designers want to increase awareness and understanding for their needs and desires.
http://cms.gold.ac.uk/media/20gaver-dunne.projReal.chi99.pdf
The two articles and their reflections on the role of ambiguity, critical awareness and imagination relate very much to what Simon Bowen will talk about tomorrow in Z33 at eight (Hasselt). Please join us!
Spatial planning to strategic projects
SPATIAL PLANNING TO STRATEGIC PROJECTS/ STRATEGISCHE RUIMTELIJKE PROJECTEN
Symposium – Leuven, 8 maart 2010
Strategische projecten zijn complexe ruimtelijke ingrepen, onder regie van de overheid in nauwe samenwerking met maatschappelijke actoren en de privésector, en hebben impact op het sociaal, economisch, cultureel en ruimtelijk functioneren van een wijk, stadsdeel, stad of streek. Het onderzoek ‘Spatial Planning to Strategic Projects’ (SP2SP) licht de resultaten toe in dit symposium en formuleert aanbevelingen op basis van een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde analyse van binnen- en buitenlandse cases in stedelijke en nieuw-rurale contexten (governance, visievorming, instrumentarium, project-, proces- en vastgoedmanagement).
Voorzitter Ann Verhetsel, Hoogleraar Economische Geografie en Ruimtelijke Economie,
Departement Transport en Regionale Economie, UAntwerpen
Programma: Voor meer informatie over de inhoud van de workshops, klik hier.
Waar en wanneer: Leuven, Provinciehuis (nabij het Station van Leuven) op 8 maart 2010
Kunt u niet aanwezig zijn op het symposium maar bent u wel geïnteresseerd in de publicaties? Bestellen kan door te mailen naar info@politeia.be of door te faxen naar 02-289 26 19.
Inschrijven: http://congrescentrum.vvsg.be.
Meer info: Linda Francx, T 02-211 55 56, linda.francx@vvsg.be
Organisatie: Het Spatial Planning to Strategic Projects is een onderzoeksproject gefinancierd door IWT Vlaanderen binnen het kader van het SBO steunprogramma (Strategisch BasisOnderzoek).
De medewerkende partners:
- KULeuven, Departement Architectuur Stedenbouw en Ruimtelijke Ordening (ASRO)
- UGent, Centrum voor Duurzame Ontwikkeling
- UAntwerpen, Departement Transport en Ruimtelijke Economie
- Omgeving cvba
- IDEA Consult
De studiedag wordt mee gerealiseerd door VVSG en VRP.
Any-Space-Whatever
Our collegues of Sint-Lucas Ghent organize a day around artistic research called “Any-Space-Whatever” on the 1st of February. The goal is to present some of their internal artistic research projects and have a general debate about what artistic research means and generates. Partners in this event are HISK and SMAK.
More information about the event: http://www.ibknet.be/files/NewsletterASW.pdf and sarah.kesenne@kunst.sintlucas.wenk.be
Public Culture in the Visual Sphere
The UC San Diego Visual Arts Department is hosting a series of lectures and panels investigating contemporary theories, practices and debates in the making and reception of public culture as they move through the visual sphere.
Curated by John C. Welchman
In collaboration with the Visiting Artist Lecture Series committee 2009-10 (Anya Gallaccio, Teddy Cruz, Kyong Park, Suzanne Wright); the Public Culture graduate committee (Edward Sterrett, Orianna Cacchione, Cara Baldwin, Katrin Pesch, Sara Mameni, Tara Zepel), and Jordan Crandall.