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