, pp.108-114 http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/astl.2013.39.21 Interactive Media Artworks as Play Therapy through Five Senses Joohun Lee 1, Haehyun Jung 2, and Hyunggi Kim 1*, 1 An-Sung, Gyeonggi, South Korea Dept. of New Media Arts, Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts 2,1* Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film, Chung-Ang University Vincelee21@gmail.com, h2media@outlook.com, unzi@cau.ac.kr Abstract. To children, play has an essential role in the development of sensitivity and cognitive. Playfulness and interaction, two properties of interactive media art, would make the interactive media art as suitable play for children. Especially media artworks stimulating five senses as well as physical movement can be the perfect alternate for digital play devices such as game without any side effects while acting as play therapy. Keywords: Interactive Media Art, Play Therapy through Five Senses, New Media Art 1 Introduction Human beings could be defined as Homo Ludens, playing man, and as Sohiler said, play is one of the most fundamental behaviors of human beings and it is the action which can make you feel the totality of a life in the most evident manner. [1] While playing, children could develop in terms of physical, lingual, emotional, and cognition as well as creativity and sociality. On the other hand, the importance of children s education on emotion receives growing attention and recently, it has been known that play has a significant role in creative problem solving and invention and interaction[2] made through play could be a proper path for the development of cognitive and sensitivity.[3] However, in modern society children are more likely to enjoy digital devices which are highly personal and additive but inactive rather than traditional plays requiring physical and cognitive actions. Therefore, it is hard to expect to develop healthy sociality and/or lead the balanced development of the mind and body through playing. Moreover, addiction to internet games could cause severe problems at home and school as well. Not only that, playing a video game for a long period could cause several physical side effects including amblyopia, eye strain and eye dryness as well as vomit, headache, pain on the shoulder, and loss of appetite. [4] Therefore, it is believed that the promotion of plays accompanied with physical actions and sensual stimulation to children could resolve these side effects of digital ISSN: 2287-1233 ASTL Copyright 2013 SERSC
game-oriented plays. If such play can be enjoyed by a number of people, it would be a chance to spend time with others naturally and enhance sociality. Installation arts with interactive media art is to create a virtual space based on digital technologies and audiences are allowed to behave as they please to interact with an artwork within that space. These features could stimulate children s interest, and these whole processes would make them move their bodies and interact with others. In this study, various interactive media artworks, providing playfulness and activity to children while stimulating their senses, are reviewed and their potential as children s play is proven. 2 Importance of Play Children learn how to think reasonably and this process could be promoted by various plays. Children observe and cognize through plays and such experiences form the system of thinking. Espeically, Reed stated in his book Education through Art that in children play, diversity can correspond and sometimes integrate to 4 basic emotional functions of cognition, sensation, intuition and reason and develop in 4 direction of drama, design, dance and making. These 4 directions of the development are the direction of which education ultimately pursues, and when these 4 directions gently integrate with each other in children s play, it could form a single unified human being who can develop in balance. [5] Therefore, it would be desirable to educate children comprehensively through play. Especially, at the early childhood, proper level of stimulation must be provided at proper time to lead the development intelligence related to senses and to make them understand and identify even complicated stimulation. These development would allow young children organize and structure their cognition. Thus, experiencing 5 sense at young age is very essential. [6] In other words, if we can provide play which can stimulate five senses and requires physical control and action as well as concentration and still aesthetically beautiful, proper education through play could be possible as proposed by Reed. While enjoying those plays, children could release their inner anxiety and complaints. Also, experiencing of beautiful objects could enhance their emotion. Moreover, stimulation of five senses would lead the development on cognition and practicing on control of the body would the development of physical abilities. Playing with others within the same place would raise sociality as well. 3 Play Therapy and Interactive Media Art Copyright 2013 SERSC 109
3.1 Interactive Media Art as Play Interactive media art is a type of art of which audience participate in the artwork to make the interaction to give a meaning to that artwork and audience could experience the artwork directly. With the development of digital technologies, ways of participating has been developed and diversified which are led to higher satisfaction and response. Conceptual concepts of interactive media art include participation, interaction, playfulness, immediacy, environment, contingency, flexibility, etc and it could be explained in terms of features of digital media and digital game. Interactive media art and video game are very similar in their format. They inspire each other and sometimes they imitate each other. Especially, since playfulness of interactive media art makes it to be shown as play and expectation toward playfulness, built upon interaction with digital technologies, promote the participation of audience. It is very similar with play which is a behavior made by people voluntarily to have fun. In such term, installation artwork with interactive media art could be the perfect play to be enjoyed by children. 3.2 Play Therapy and Interactive Media Art Play therapy is a therapy through art works and it allows patients build a concept of identity with creative works and enrich a life by expressing images. In a broad sense, it is to promote patients to do creative activities and get involved in the creation and communication to allow them treat themselves rather than providing direct treatment. [10] In play therapy, expression is a way of expressing emotions freely and buffering of conflicting emotions as well as controling of the exchange of emotion. Play is a voluntary action in art therapy and it could be a tool to resolve inner stress and psychological complex. In such case, interactive media art should be presented in a more familiar form such as digital game to patients, and these efforts would lower the aversion of patients against therapy and lead the voluntary participation. This type of approach would be more effective on children who are addicted to internet game. Thus, it is expected that art therapy with an interactive media installation artwork would perform better than the traditional therapy since it adds playfulness and voluntariness to the therapy. In terms of anticipated therapeutical effects, art therapy with interactive media art is somewhat similar with play therapy which aims to lead the treatment through play. Interactive media art can be employed as effective tool for play therapy which support children of searching their emotion, thought, experience and behavior and building a healthy relationship with others by using Play as a medium of natural communication for children. 110 Copyright 2013 SERSC
4 Case Analysis For the analysis of interactive media art as play therapy, artworks of the author would be reviewed mainly. Artworks of the author are generally composed of a camera and a projector, and a camera made with a camera and a projector and a camera recognizes behaviors and movements of audience and creates virtual objects along the recognized movements and projects them onto screen. Sometimes, sound is entered through a mike and reflected onto images. Just like that, interactive media installation artworks of the author is to create an image upon movement and sound of audience and its basic system is composed as the following, and it is an example with a camera as input and projector and screen as output. Fig. 1. Interactive Media Installation Artwork Composition 4.1 Color Xylophon Stimulating Vision Color Xylophone is an artwork of the author exhibited in <2010 MBC Trick Arts Exhibition> held in KINTEX. This artwork is composed of a screen which reflects audience as mirror. On the screen, virtual balls with various colors fall from the top to the ground and when the ball hits a person, it gets burst while making various xylophone sounds. If the ball falls to the ground without hitting anyone, it just bounces back and forth between the top and the ground till it hits anyone. Children chase after their favorite color ball and these movements require visual cognition, hearing cognition and physical ability. Fig. 2. Color Xylophone' at Exhibition Copyright 2013 SERSC 111
4.2 Ghost Bell Stimulating Hearing Ghost Bell is an artwork of the author exhibited in <2013 Spooky World Exhibition> in Hanwon Art Center. The screen reflects audience as mirror along with some waves. When one audience rings a bell on the table, virtual ghost appears next to the audience as well as virtual spiders climbing down the screen. Then, if the ring stops, all the ghosts and spiders disappear from the screen but the audience. The colors of ghosts and spiders are different each time. With this artwork, children get visually stimulated by various colored ghosts and spiders as well as hearing stimulation by a ring. Fig. 3. Ghost bell' at Exhibition 4.3 Lighting Table Stimulating Tactile Lighting Table is an artwork of the author exhibited in <2010 Busan Port Lighting Festival>. Audience draws in the sand, with the hand. Then, the same drawing but made of light is shown on the screen. Children draw as they please while touching and feeling sand. Sand is a perfect play medium for young children since it does not require any specific play rule and does not have any specific shapes so children can shape it anyway they want. Also, sand could stimulate a child in various aspects so it could help the development of sensation. With this artwork, children get tactually stimulated by touching sand and visually stimulated by colors of sand and light. Moreover, their imagination is also stimulated by drawing. Fig. 4. 'Lighting Table' at Exhibition 112 Copyright 2013 SERSC
4.4 Bubble Bubble Stimulating Motor Nerves Bubble Bubble is an artwork of the author exhibited in <2010 Ceramic Art and Technology Exhibition> in AT Center, Seoul. On the ground, various colored bubbles float and the face of audience is composited onto the bubble. When the audience steps on the bubble, the bubble bursts and new bubble is formed again. Children love watching their face on the bubble and their motor nerves are improved while changing and stepping on bubbles. With this artwork, children get visually stimulated by colored bubbles and use their body control ability by stepping the bubble. their control. Moreover, their imagination is also stimulated by drawing. Fig. 5. Image Composition Process for Bubble Bubble Fig. 6. Bubble Bubble' at Exhibition 5 Conclusion It is an undeniable fact that Play plays a critical role in our lives especially when we are young. Amid fast development of digital technologies, children are more likely to rely on digital devices to play and it leads that young children fall into a sense of isolation or antisocial personality rather than healthy values. Therefore, this study suggests interactive media art as play for children. It could minimize sideeffects of internet games and digital devices while stimulating five senses as well as motor nerves. In order words, it contains all the traditional values of play, essential for children s development. If interactive media art is realized upon proper understanding of these features, it could be utilized as play therapy, which can induce therapeutical results as well as perfect play for young children. Copyright 2013 SERSC 113
Acknowledegement. This work was supported by the Industrial Strategic technology development program(10041940, The Development of Smart Big Board for Interaction Playing) funded By the Ministry of Trade, industry & Energy(MI, Korea) References 1. Lee Jung Hak.: Philosophical Research of Physical Training & Sports, Seoul: Daehanmedia, p.55.(2008) 2. Kim Jin Hee.: Study on Play Facilities Enhancing Creativity with Visual Thinking, Emphasized on Visual Features of Play Facilities, Master Degree s Thesis of University of Seoul, p.22.(2010) 3. Lee Soo Yung, Na Jung Cho.: Study on Utilization of Interactive Media with Experiential Design, Emphasized on Exhibition Contents upon Child Cognition Development, Fundamental Formative Study, vol. 13, no.4, p.246.(2012) 4. Lee Gae Il.: Study on Internet Addition of Youth, Doctor s Degree Thesis of Leehwa University, (2001) 5. Kim Jung, Lee Soo Gyung.: Formative Play Education for Children, Gyomoonsa, (1985) Choi Ji Yoon, Study on Formative Play and Art Activities through Five Senses Experience, Master s Degree Thesis of The Graduate School of Education of Dankook University, p.10.(2011) 6. Yu Hyunjung and et. al.: An Interactive Art Reproducing Mental Images in Art Therapy - Focused on the choice of material, color and playing, Design Convergence Study, no.4, (2003), 7. Joohun Lee, Sojung Yang.: Installation of Interactive Media Works for the Children Play, Art and Media, vol.12, no.1, (2013) 114 Copyright 2013 SERSC