During my research on Human Plant Interfaces I stumbled on the book "Nature" published by MIT Press and the Whitechapel Gallery. It is a collection of texts (essays, interviews, etc.) about the Contemporary Art history related to the topic Nature. This book is a nice inspiration source for every artist, scientist, developer who is dealing with nature. In my special case I was mainly interested into plants. You can read a short summary of my readings for my master thesis in Human Plant Interfaces: Read more...
Since October I am working on my masterthesis about Human Plant Interfaces. I chose this topic because plants are not well researched in an interface design context. Plants are vital for our life but they are very rare in urban environments. In the context of my thesis I will research plants under the point of view of an interface designer. My objective is to find ways for integrating plants more in our daily life. The results of the research will be shared on my blog. I am happy about every feedback and open minded for discussions. At the university I showed a small presentation of my topic, it will give you an idea what I am planning to do.
Last year at september Me and Andrea Suter started a location-based experiment with the name Take me Places. Our basic idea was:
TAKE ME PLACES is an art project, which plays with the notions of territory and dislocation, orientation and the loss of such. TAKE ME PLACES will travel around the world until July 2012. At the end of its travels the photographs as well as the added artefacts will be exhibited. TAKE ME PLACES plays with public spaces, is participatory, involves a random the public, is dependent upon it.
We decided to place two suitcases in public spaces. Each suitcase were equipped with a photocamera, kind of a map, kind of a container, and instructions. One suitcase represented an anolog version (Analog camera, paper maps, suitcase box for additional artworks) and a digital version (digital camera, digital map with QR Code, USB Stick as a container for additional digital artworks). People were supposed to take the suitcase with them and add some personal value to it. Read more...
During the lectures Fashionable Technology I and II from Sabine Seymour, Andrea Suter and me improved the common usage of an umbrella. In the end we developed a concept of a self em-powered device for people’s well being. Our umbrella using the approaches of light therapy and autonomous power resources.
moodumbrella
moodumbrella detail
moodumbrella in use
We created a prototype for interviews and user testings and we made a survey in Linz during a rainy day. The Austrain people were very sceptical and did not want to be asked about their happiness on rainy days. However, we were able to get some very useful feedback. The video below will show you examples of the feedback mentioned.
In the end we wrote paper about the details of light therapy and discussing mobile energy resources for smart devices.
The last few weeks I did some research on the trendy topic generative art and design. I was very enthusiastically for reading the Form + Code book from Casey Reas, Chandler McWilliams, and the agency LUST.
The content of this book is very well structured. The first chapters introduces programming and the special characteristics of computers in design and art very well. I really appreciate it, that they chose the more concept introduction, then a technical focus. For this reason the reader gets a very good picture why the computer and programming could be helpful for creating new experiences. The transition from the introduction into the toolbox of creative coding is perfectly done. They explained the concepts of Repeat, Transform, Parameterize, Visualize, Simulate pretty good. Especially, the chosen examples of artworks for the various toolboxes are very appropriate. Therefore this book is a very useful resource for research in a scientific environment. The positive argument is also the little weakness of this book. In a theoretical terms everything is fine. The reader gets a very good introduction in this new topic. In practical terms the reader is very often alone with the code examples. Only two or four pages are too less for inexperienced programmers and designers. They are not going to understand and even learn so much from these code examples. The book delivers so much good content, but on the practical site if failed for me. For German-speaking and French-speaking people it is not worse, because the book Generative Gestaltung (review comes soon) is the perfect complement for this book. The book Generative Gestaltung has got some minor weakness on theoretical aspects, but the practical part and the learning from code is perfectly done!
However, this book belongs to every book collection of visual programmers, new media artists and designers. It is definitely the money worth! I enjoyed the reading very much.
Reminder for Flashers:
This books reminds me strongly on the creative coding beginnings, like it was with Flash 4, 5 and 6. Flashers, please don't forget your roots! Have also a look on the the old Flash Math Creativity Books (edition 2). Further good code examples are available on Liquid Journey. Joshua Davis and Branden Hall created a very good Flash library for generative design. Check out their Hype Framework!
The book Designing Interaction from Bill Moggridge was already published in 2006. Even it is quite old for a technology book the content is still valid. The first six chapters give a perfect history background of human-computer interaction. The evolution of input devices and the computer itself is very good explained. Also the original comments from the designers and engineers are very interesting to read. In the end the reader gets a very good introduction how and why the computer evolved as it is today. Even the described history is a strongly based on the authors view. The chapters Adopting Technology and Multisensory and Multimedia gives a nice introduction into tangible interaction. It also helps beginners to understand how to leave the desktop metaphor. The whole book describes very easily how product designer, industrial designer, psychologist and engineers working together for developing the new devices. The texts about their development and thinking processes gives a very good insight. The last chapters about The Internet, Futures and Alternatives Nows, and People and Prototypes are nice to read, but with some comments I can't agree. For this reason, the aspects of Emotional Design and Prototyping are little bit weak in my opinion. However, reading the first six chapters is very useful for human-computer interaction beginners. It makes their knowledge around the history of Interaction Design more stable. The last chapters are nice to read, but not very obligatory. Unfortunately, the multimedia CD of the book I never really checked. So I can't say if it is good or not. For professional interaction designer is almost nothing new in this book, so I can't recommend it for them.
