volvelles, domes and wristbands: embedding digital fabrication within a visitors trajectory of...

Volvelles, Domes and Wristbands:

Embedding Digital Fabrication within a Visitor’s

Trajectory of Engagement

Bettina Nissen, John Bowers, Peter Wright, Jonathan Hook Culture Lab, Newcastle University, UK

Christopher NewellSchool of Arts and New Media, University of Hull, UK

Trajectory extending…

“a need to enable subsequent reflection and discussion

through the use of souvenirs and replay interfaces” [Benford]

…souvenir

“souvenir-making activities [...] became integral to the visitor’s

experience.” [Durrant]

…fabrication

Potential for personalisation shifting tangible souvenirs away

from mass-produced kitsch to an engaging making processes

encouraging a more affective relationship between ‘user’ and

object [Ingold]

Benford, S., Giannachi, G., Koleva, B., et al. From Interaction to Trajectories: Designing Coherent

Journeys Through User Experiences. In Proc. CHI ‘09, ACM (2009), 709–718.

Durrant, A., Rowland, D., Kirk, D.S., et al. Automics: Souvenir Generating Photoware for Theme

Parks. In Proc. CHI ‘11, ACM (2011), 1767–1776.

Ingold, T. Making: Anthropolgy, Archaeology, Art and Architecture. Routledge, 2013.

A traveling immersive video art installation engaging the general public with

contemporary art

The immersive contemporary video artwork was shown in this dark, inflatable space

Design explorations of the collected data in different material forms and fabrication technologies

The design iterations

(a) Volvelles

(b) Domes (c) Wristbands

The deployed souvenir making activity

(b) fabricating the shape on the cutter plotter

(a) Visitor generating a personalised shape (c) assembling the components

Parametric interface to generate unique shapes based on visitor’s feedbackGroup of school children engaging with the interface and fabrication activity

120 visitors participated in creating souvenirs and participants

ranged in age from under 14 to over 50 years

Field notes and recordings were analysed to establish 3 participant trajectories

characteristic for the visit in relation to the souvenir making activity:

• Experience in its Own Right

• Reflection on Experience

• Extension of the Experience

Fosh, L., Benford, S., Reeves, S., et al. ‘See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Hear Me’: Trajectories and

Interpretation in a Sculpture Garden. In Proc. CHI‘13, ACM (2013), 149–158.

An Experience in its Own Right

• Little engagement with the art work (often younger

audience)

• Curiosity sparked by technology and opportunity of

making

• Encouraging reflection on theme of show

“Wow, that’s so cool. I have never seen anything like it.”

Reflection on Experience

• Opportunity for conversation and sense-making

“What does it mean?”

• Tangible nature of the souvenir aided reflection

“Wow, I

guess I have a very different

view than everybody else.”

• Playful evaluation

“It’s much better than a piece of paper. More fun.

And you get something for it [your opinion].”

Extension of the Experience

• Visitors who had a more meaningful primary experience

• Beyond opportunity for reflection, tangible objects seem to have more

relevance

• Souvenir itself as trigger of experience and emotional response

“That would be a nice memento.”

“I really like the idea of people taking part of their experience with them.”

Involvement in the making (and meaning making) of an artefact in relation to

their experience gave participants a stronger sense of affective connection to

the souvenir

Generative, real-time souvenir-fabrication has potential to engage audiences in

reflection and evaluation of their experiences in new ways

Digital fabrication as real-time shared activity situated within an audience trajectory

takes on a social interactional and performative role

Exploring digital fabrication as a socially situated activity with affective, reflective and performative aspects

Bettina Nissen

b.s.nissen@newcastle.ac.uk

@bettinanissen