Bridging Methodologies

Transcription

1 4 Bridging Methdlgies It wuld be pssible t describe everything scientifically but it wuld make n sense; it wuld be descriptin withut meaning, as if yu described a Beethven Symphny as a variatin f wave pressure. Albert Einstein 1 The prcess f embdied meaning in the arts are the very same nes that make linguistic meaning pssible The arts are nt a luxury, they are a cnditin f full human flurishing. Mark Jhnsn 2 Mvement is alteratin in qualities f experience... Mathematically there is n such thing as fast and slw T be frced t wait a lng time fr an imprtant event is a length very different frm that measure by the mvement f the hands f a clck. It is smething qualitative. Jhn Dewey Intrductin This chapter explres Bridging Embdied Methdlgies frm smatics and perfrmance t technlgy design within Human Cmputer Interactin. Embdied interactin is articulated thrugh embdied methdlgies: prcesses that engage meaning by attending t quality f experience. Three case studies are presented that cntribute t the cnceptual develpment f embdied practice within HCI. By centering technlgy design frm within a nn-alienated view 4, I emply the experience f the self as an integral cmpnent f design prcesses fr technlgy. Like Planyi and Alexander my research-thrugh-art seeks t acknwledge the persnal nature f cmprehending a qualitative wrld. 1 Clark, R.W. (1971). Einstein: The Life and Times, Wrld Publishing Cmpany, p Jhnsn, M. (2007). The Meaning f the Bdy: Aesthetics f Human Understanding, Chicag: The University f Chicag Press, p. xi, p Dewey, J. (1934). Art as Experience, Carbndale, Illinis: Suthern Illinis University Press, p Hillary Putnam (Putnam, 1981) sketches a nn-alienated view, which attempts t reslve dichtmies f subjective and bjective, and acknwledges the value-laden relatinship between truth and reasn. 121

2 My design strategies are brn frm the fur values cmmn t bdy-based practice articulated in Chapter Tw. These are: the value f the self, f attentin, f experience and f inter-cnnectedness. The value f inter-cnnectedness is the recgnitin f the indivisible nature f bdy and mind, self and wrld, technlgy and experience, practice and thery. While intercnnectedness is an embdied unifying substrate f reasn, feeling and actin, it als supprts the specificity f rigrus technical practice and articulatin f embdied appraches t interactin design. This chapter identifies bridging strategies frm smatics and perfrmance, applying them t the design prcesses fr persnal and wearable interactive art. Design prcesses include experience inquiry, cncept develpment, materials explratin, technlgy implementatin, and system integratin. This is supprted thrugh a cycle f research thrugh art illustrated in Figure 19. The artistic practice is the fundatin f the frmalizatin and embdiment f the theretical framewrk. This cycle as a whle is a balanced representatin f the relatinship between reflectin-in-actin and research-thrugh-art. Figure 19. Bridging Design Strategies frm Smatics and Perfrmance 122

3 4.2 Design Prcesses fr the Technlgies f the Self This sectin cntextualizes the applicatin f embdied methdlgies within design prcesses fr technlgy. A design cycle is typically cmpsed f a set f iterative stages frm the initial research and inquiry thrugh t realizatin and evaluatin. Embdied techniques can be applied within varius stages f the design prcess: frm discvery-led prcesses and speculative inquiry, thrugh cncept explratin, realizatin, technlgical implementatin and evaluatin prcesses fr efficacy f experience and functin. Figure 20. Smatics Techniques can be applied t Varius Stages f Design Prcess The case studies presented in Chapter Five thrugh Chapter Seven illustrate a variety f ways in which smatics and perfrmance techniques can be applied t technlgy design at varius stages f design prcess. These case studies differ in what they explre, but tgether they create a rich explratin f experience, embdiment and the applicatin f smatics techniques within the design prcess f Interactive Art. Depraz, Varela and Vermersch remind us that the practical knwledge supprting the efficacy f first-persn methdlgies is a valuable evidential resurce fr the research cmmunity: First-persn methdlgies are available and can be fruitfully brught t bear The prf f the pudding is nt in a priri arguments, but in actually pinting t explicit examples f practical knwledge, in case studies. 5 5 Varela, F.J., & Shear, J. (1999). First Persn Methdlgies: Why, What, Hw?, Jurnal f Cnsciusness Studies, 6(2-3), p

4 The examples frm my wn research are rganized within three case studies. Each case study is based n the design prcess f a specific interactive art installatin, and each is described within its wn Chapter. Chapter 5, Frm the Inside Out describes the design prcess f whisper: a wearable interactive art installatin based n cexperience f bdy-state data; Chapter 6, Designing with Breath describes the design prcess f exhale: a wearable interactive art installatin based n explring empathy thrugh netwrked breath; and Chapter 7, The Smaesthetics f Tuch: describes the design prcess f sft(n): a netwrked interactive art installatin based n tactile interactin between 12 sft bjects in a space. Each case study prvides examples that emphasize a particular stage f the design prcess life cycle. Chapter Five, Frm the Inside Out fcuses n experience discvery explring cncept develpment fr a wearable art installatin called whisper. Prir t technlgy develpment, five discvery-led wrkshps were held ver a tw-mnth perid t explre experience, meaning, and interactin. Placeb bjects, prps and explratry game-like structures were enacted based n participants experience. Wrkshp data was gathered in rder t explre and bserve participants willingness t engage with their bdy-data. These design prcesses are presented in Chapter Five. Figure 21. Chapter 5 Fcuses n Experience Discvery fr Explratry Cncept Design 124

5 Chapter Six, Designing with Breath, fcuses n sensry experience fr cncept and technlgy design, including materials explratin and refinement. A series f wrkshps explred participants sensry experience with partially peratinal prttypes in the frm f wearable skirts netwrked t ne anther. Sensry experience thrugh breath sensing and mvement interactin frmed the basis f the explratins. These wrkshps supprted cnceptual and technlgical refinement prcesses fr the interactive art installatin, exhale. These design prcesses are presented in Chapter Six. Figure 22. Chapter 6 fcuses n Sensry Experience fr Cncept and Technlgy Design Chapter Seven, The Smaesthetics f Tuch fcuses n the implementatin and testing stage f a design prcess, describing the develpment f a heuristics fr recgnizing tactile qualities in a fabric-based flexible sft tactile surface develped fr the interactive installatin sft(n). The implementatin was based n Rudlph Laban s Effrt/Shape Analysis, which defines a set f mvement qualities that express a range f qualitative meaning. In sft(n) these were applied t tuch. These design prcesses are presented in Chapter Seven. Figure 23. Chapter 7 fcuses Implementatin f a Heuristics fr Tactile Qualities 125

6 The figures n the previus page illustrate the variety f ways in which first-persn embdied techniques fund within smatics and perfrmance can be applied t technlgy design. The table belw summarizes sme f the appraches articulated within the case studies in Chapters Five thrugh Seven. Use f Smatics Techniques within Design Cycle In Experiential Discvery Led Prcesses Wrkshps Attentinal skill develpment Creativity develpment Field studies f the self (self-efficacy) Training acuity f the researcher Experience discvery f participants Explratin f use f bdy, mvement, space Cultural prbes Narrative inquiry In Cnceptual Design fr Articulatin f experiential qualities Interactin Design mechanisms fr chice, sharing, cntrl, presence Gestural Interactin In Cnceptual Develpment Materials Design Materials Prperties and uses in defining experiential Qualities Materials Integratin Cllabrative appraches t creativity, cnceptualizatin and engineering Technlgy Design As a basis fr an interactin heuristics Cllabratin between interdisciplinary strategies In refining definitins f experiential quality in interactivity Evaluatin Experiential efficacy Cnnectin with self Incrprating first- and secnd-persn techniques t assess and evaluate whleness (Alexander) Table 3. Use f Smatics Techniques within Design Cycle 126

7 4.3 Smatics Values and Techniques Applied t Case Studies In additin t appraching the case studies frm the pint f view f design prcesses, each case study is als an example f the applicatin f the values cmmn t bdybased practice. The table belw summarizes hw each case study has applied the values f embdied practices, and als identifies sme f the specific smatics techniques that design methds were based upn. Values are listed in the left mst clumn and smatics techniques are listed in the last rw f the table. Fr mre infrmatin n bdy-based disciplines, a list f cntemprary Western smatics practices can be fund in Appendix B in Vlume II f this thesis. Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Frm the Inside Out Designing with Breath Smaesthetics f Tuch whisper exhale sft(n) VALUE Self Attentin Bdy-state Physilgical data Sensry listening Inner - Outer Kinaesthesia Prpriceptin Mvement Bdy-state Breath Inner awareness Attentin t Breath Kinaesthesia Fullness - Emptiness Inter-subjectivity & awareness thrugh shared breath Self-thrugh-tuch Active tuch Tactile intentin Tactile Attentins Intentin Sensatin Quality - Meaning Cntent: Pressure, Duratin, Path Experience Qualities Inter- Cnnectin Smatics Systems Applied Inner Wrld Rhythm f life Jy - Melanchly Expansin - Cntractin Bdy-Data Within self Between ther Chice t share Create extended bdy Buth Slw mtin walking Arsenal f Theatre De-specializatin Sensing self Mving self Cntact Imprvisatin Weight, Flw Gesture Affrdance Imaginatin Stillness Cnnectedness Empathy Breath Relatinship T self Receive frm ther Chice t hld r cntain Create Larger Whle Bdy-Mind Centering Kinetic Awareness Attentin t breath (Redirectin) Slwing mvement (Suspensin) Expansin (Letting-G) Whleness 127 Sensuality Intimacy Pleasure Play Tactile Relatinship T bject T self T ther participant T space Laban Effrt-Shape Mvement Analysis Quality Attentin Intentin Decisin/Chice Cntinuity/Prgressin Table 4. Embdied Values and Smatic Techniques Used in Case Studies

8 4.4 Data Gathering Methds Applied within Case Studies The case studies present evidence in the frm f rigrusly dcumented design prcesses that illustrate the multi-faceted techniques applied within embdied design while simultaneusly grunding the develpment f the theretical framewrk. Evaluatin f the prcess is based n interpretatins f the assumptins, methds and utcmes. The table belw summarizes the data gathering methds applied within the case studies. Data Gathering Methds applied within Case Studies Case Studies Design Prcesses in Interactive Art Cllabrative interweaving Research Thrugh Art Dcumentatin f Prcess Narrative Analysis f Prcess Elements f Design Prcess Used Experience Prttyping Cncept Develpment Physical Prttyping Materials Selectin Frm Design Interactin Design Experience Testing Methds f Data Acquisitin Wrkshps Questinnaires Participant Observatin Videtaping Phtgraphs Jurnaling Interviews Methds f Analysis Transcriptin Cmparative Data Analysis Vide Analysis fr Gesture and Meaning Narrative Analysis Table 5. Summary f Data Gathering Methds applied within Case Studies 128

9 Outcmes are equally balanced between the theretical framewrk f embdied methdlgies and the artwrks created within the framewrk. This example f research-thrugh-art is applied in the cntext f experience-design f persnal, wearable and scial interactin and is illustrated in the fllwing Chapters. Observatin plays a critical rle in all research and inquiry and is central t first, secnd and third persn methdlgies. Knwledge can be gained by sharing bservatinal strategies and techniques. In my research, the first-persn embdied methds used within the case studies are blended with secnd and third persn bservatin. Varela and Shear, 6 suggest that there is a need t harmnize subjective first-persn methdlgies by building apprpriate links with third-persn studies. Intrducing secnd-persn psitins is ne such link. Fr Varela and Shear the specific nature f the first-persn methdlgy is crucial. They state that we need t prvide rich and subtly inter-cnnected descriptins s that the questins f Hw d yu actually d it? [the questin f technique], Is there evidence that it can be dne? [the questin f expected utcme], If s what are the results? [the questin f visible change in bdy-state that can enable validatin], can be answered. The rich descriptins suggested by Varela and Shear are supplied in this thesis thrugh the prcess f dcumenting design prcesses, experiences and explratins. Each f the case studies incrprates supprting material and data available in Appendices C (whisper), D (exhale) and E (sft(n)). The case studies presented in Chapters Five, Six and Seven illustrate and answer questins f technique, utcme and validatin, and d s thrugh the explratin f embdiment and experience. This fllws frm the pragmatist apprach f William James, in which analysis respects experience 7. 6 See Varela, F.J., & Shear, J. (1999), p. cit., p Jacques Barzun in his Frward t William James The Varieties f Religius Experience, see James, W. (1999). The Varieties f Religius Experience. Mdern Library, p. vi. 129

10 130