Run computer run

Interesting Media Arts Festival:

Glitch: Run Computer, run

CALL FOR ARTWORKS

"How do we give value to immaterial goods? How do we buy and sell digital images? What is the relationship between economics and digital aesthetics? How can curators and artists create new platforms and models for the creation of economic exchange? These are some of the questions that this show attempts to answer. We are currently accepting artwork (video, jpg, gifs, 3d models or HTML content) that will feature in a unique gallery-based exhibition. The exhibition is composed of two parts – a gallery-sited virtual show, and the online production and distribution of materially-realised limited-edition goods."



http://runcomputerrun.com/?page_id=13

Held on May 25 until July 13th, Dublin.

Our relationship to the internet

I have recently started to question some aspects of HCI research. Why is information technology the only material we consider in our research and always seen as the end? What are we missing out? Do every aspect of life need to be a communication technology solution? Are we becoming experts with a very questionable view on society? Or. Maybe I have misunderstood somehting? Maybe I'm wrong?

I think this is an ogoing thing... we are starting to ask ourselves... now that we have basically proved that we can design anything in anyt kind of situation, giving raise to all kinds of experiences.

Below is a link to a story about a guy who lived one year without internet. Very interesting example that says something about how connected we are to eachother through internet. We identify ourselves through our connnections.  I think this is a beautiful example of that hate and love relationship to information technology, that is visualizing and manifesting our relationship to the world and to our friends and colleagues. Still, somehow we consider ourselves to have a relationship to internet too?Or at least some do:

"I was wrong.

One year ago I left the internet. I thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was "corrupting my soul." It's a been a year now since I "surfed the web" or "checked my email" or "liked" anything with a figurative rather than literal thumbs up. I've managed to stay disconnected, just like I planned. I'm internet free. And now I'm supposed to tell you how it solved all my problems. I'm supposed to be enlightened. I'm supposed to be more "real," now. More perfect."....

Read the full story here:

"I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

 

 

Slow design and slow technology

What is slow design?

http://www.mashpedia.com/Sustainable_design

"Slow design outcomes encourage a reduction in economic, industrial and urban metabolisms, and hence consumption, by: serving basic human needs; designing for space to think, react, dream, and muse; designing for people first, commercialization second; balancing the local with the global and the social with the environmental; demystifying and democratizing design by re-awakening individual’s own design potential; and catalyzing social transformation towards a less materialistic way of living (Fuad-Luke p. 19)"

Sandberg (2011) describes the theory of slow theory and how for example the compass table and other objects created by Dunne and Raby represent slow design "Placebo objects" in her Decelerated design, Master of Arts thesis at University of Iowa. 

Slow design is related to emotionally durable design. I'm looking forward to Chapmans new book :  Chapman argues that the process of consumption is, and has always been, motivated by complex emotional drivers. This is about far more than just the mindless purchasing of new things. Instead it is a journey towards the ideal or desired self, that through cyclical loops of desire and disappointment, which becomes serial destruction.

Related to this is also:

slow technology. (Hallnäs and Redström, 2001)

slow consumption.
slow interaction. 

Some references:

Chapman, Jonathan. "Design for (Emotional) Durability."

Design Issues

25, no. 4 (2009): 29-35.

Chapman, J., Meaningful Stuff: Design, Ecology & the Human Condition, Routledge, London (forthcoming, 2014)

Fuad-Luke, Alastair. "Slow Theory: A Paradigm for Living Sustainably?" Slowdesign.org.

Accessed May 18, 2011. http://www.slowdesign.org/slowtheory.html.

Strauss, Carolyn, and Alastair Fuad-Luke. "The Slow Design Principles." Slowlab.net. 2008.

http://www.slowlab.net/CtC_SlowDesignPrinciples.pdf.

Papenek, V. Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change. New York: Pantheon Press

Lars Hallnäs and Johan Redström. 2001. Slow Technology – Designing for Reflection. Personal Ubiquitous Comput. 5, 3 (January 2001), 201-212.

Sandberg, Abigail Jane. Decelerated design. Diss. The University of Iowa, 2011.

Crafting the future

Some snapshots from the conference:

Otto Von Busch talk: Inspirational with lots of visions and political perspectives "Every grain of soil contains imperialism".  Connecting craft and design, sketching and production. Today this is separated but we need to be seen as two levels.

Otto gave perspectives of sloyd and DIY movements. Today everyone can contribute and produce things (crowdsourcing, 3d printers etc), but how do we create a system where people are actually paid for their contribution? How can we connect practices?And how can the craft practice contribute to and manifest social self-reflection? Also we need to connect practices. I totally agree.

Otto described Friedrich Frödel: " We best understand what we can produce". In this we also need to consider values and power. Producing things "because we can" is not sustainable. What do we ground our design in, how does it affect society and nature?

 

A child playing in a playground made by willow craft (pil in swedish) at Vasaparken in Gothenburg (Arranged by Helena Hansson, HDK). Why are all playgrounds currently being built in plastics? Where is the sand, the leaves, and the threes? What relation to nature do we give our children by removing natural materials from their daily play? Are plastics really more safe? Maybe from physical injury? But this is based on our current understanding, from what we see, what we know, and what we build. 

Maybe we need to reflect more on what we build and why? Maybe we can learn something from craftsmen? Something about social innovation and sustainable perspectives of materials?

Visualization of design-oriented research.

Interesting perspectives of design research!
Visualizing research in design.

Written for Interactions magazine by Liz Sanders. Edited by Hugh Dubberly

Are you Crafting the Future this week?

Designresearch conference in Gothenburg April 17- 19, 2013.

"The theme of the conference is designer´s practice knowledge. How can the specific knowledge of designers be brought forward, articulated, made visible and be understood and used in contexts like innovation, business development and social change?"

http://www.craftingthefuture.se/

I will present the paper:  OPENbike: The design craft of future bike sharing

The paper discusses designerly knowledge in relation to service design. It takes a startingpoint in the designers professional practice and their reflection on doing service design, presenting the designers methods and thoughts on a service design case.

See you there!

 
 

Research Writing Seminar Series

Are you a design-oriented researcher in Gothenburg, Sweden?

 

Then, you are invited! Let's strengthen the Gothenburg design-oriented research community! By meeting once a month we can provide high level feedback on each others research papers. This will support us to generate research knowledge that is valuable across different design-related fields.

Researchers and Ph.D. students in design-oriented research are invited to the seminarie series. Each seminar should consist of a mix of people from HDK, GU, Chalmers and Borås. At each seminar we will discuss 2-3 papers in progress. 

First session is held at kuggen 3rd Floor, Lindholmen, Tuesday May 7th. There are already researchers from HDK, GU and Chalmers attending.

Email me, and I will provide more information:

sara  [atsign]  lotsdesign  [punctation]   se

Most Welcome!

- Sara

DIRECTIONS:

Rosenlund (close to Järntorget) has free boat service to Lindholmen, and there are different buses.
Kuggen is the only round and sparkling red building. You can't miss it :-)

http://www.lindholmen.se/en/dynamic-area/room-grow-lindholmen/kuggen-lindholmsplatsen