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Open-ended art environments motivate participation

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In this research we observe the situated, embodied and playful interaction that participants engage in with open-ended interactive artworks. The larger project from which this work derives [28] contributes a methodological model for the evaluation of open- ended interactive artwork that treats each work individually and recognises the importance of the artist intent and the traditions from which the work derives. In this paper, we describe this evolving methodology for evaluating and understanding participation via three case studies of open-ended interactive art installations. This analysis builds an understanding of open-ended free-play non-narrative environments and the affordances these environments enable for participants.
Space of Two Categories, Hanna Haaslahti, Interactive Art Program, ACM MM 2007. Images by artist. gallery visitors in that they reported visiting a gallery more than 4. PARTICIPANTS AND DATA three times per year. For Talk2Me , the participants included university and high The participants at ACM Multimedia Interactive Arts Program school teaching staff and students, visiting groups of high school largely comprised presenters at the conference (both presenters children with their teachers, as well the usual gallery visitors an of the papers and the artists presenting work) and other exhibition of a new media nature draws in for the one-month attendees. Subsequently, there was a strong technology, duration of the exhibition. On the opening night the audience multimedia and/or interactive arts community of practice swelled to include over 100 attendees, made up of friends, present. Approximately 55 people were observed interacting family, and colleagues of the exhibiting artists, as well as with the works, and each other, on opening night and on return university students (and their families) covering diverse fields. visits to the exhibition. Additionally, 25 formal questionnaires More than 60 participants were observed interacting with the for this exhibition were gathered from participants. Ten were work over the one-month period of the installation. from female participants and 15 were from male participants, Approximately 20 of these observed participants were with ages ranging between 22 and 65 years. Eighteen of the 25 interviewed about their interaction with the work. Additionally, made regular gallery visits (more than 3) each year, and 21 30 participants aged between 22 and 52 filled in questionnaires. worked in Information Technology or a related or technical Seventeen of these were female and thirteen were male. Most field. Three did not answer the demographic questions. held either a bachelor or a master‘s degree in the fields of design, interaction design, media management, or writing. Fifty For Space of two categories, we observed approximately 50 per cent of these self-reported their level of skill with ICT as people playing with the work. Additionally, we observed and/or being good or average, and the other 50% self-reported their initiated conversations at conference events with members who level as expert ICT. All of these participants were regular had attended the opening event. Fifteen participants filled in
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... A well-known approach is open-ended play or emergent games, in which interactive elements provide an emergent space in which players are stimulated to create their own goals, games, and adapted rules; instead of strictly prescribing games and how they should be played by their rules [1,5]. This is an approach that is related to open-ended interactive art works which are not completely defined by an Author/Artist but rely on the interpretation of the reader/visitor [62]. ...
... Similar to such systems there are also interactive bats [82,83] and interactive art props [62]. Furthermore, other playful objects for children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD) were created (including a button, a pillow, and a hugbag) [17]. ...
... Toprak et al. also created an interactive wall game where two players compete to touch bubbles on a wall [130]. Morrison et al. describe a form of an interactive wall from the domain of interactive art-works: Space of Two Categories by Hanna Haaslahti,35 an interactive shadow where an animation of a small girl is projected moving around in the players' shadow(s) [62,131]. ...
Article
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In recent years, many different studies regarding Co-located Augmented Play-spaces (CAPs) have been published in a wide variety of conferences and journals. We present an overview. The work presented in these papers includes end user’s perspectives as well as researcher’s perspective. We place these within four aspects in this review: (1) Argumentation, the underlying reasons or the higher end goals to investigate interactive play from a user’s perspective, (2) Systems, the kind of systems that are created, this includes their intended use which fits the end user’s perspective, (3) Evaluation, the way in which the researchers evaluate the system, (4) Contribution, the goal of the studies from the researcher’s perspective; what does the study contribute to the research community. CAPs are often multimodal in nature; this survey pays attention to the multimodal characteristics in relation to all four aspects. This overview contributes a clearer view on the current literature, points out where new opportunities lie, and hands us the tools for what we think is important: bringing the end-user and research perspective together in intervention based evaluations. In short, this paper discusses CAPs: their past, the present, and the perspectives.
... articles were included (Bialoskorski et al., 2010;Costello et al., 2005;Deray and Simoff, 2012;Gurion and Jacoby, 2013;Her and Hamlyn, 2010;Hespanhol and Tomitsch, 2014;Hohl, 2009;Jacucci et al., 2009;Morgan and Gunes, 2013;Morrison et al., 2011bMorrison et al., , 2008Morrison et al., , 2011aMuller, 2008). ...
... Thirteen articles were identified that discussed the participant responses to 22 artworks (Bialoskorski, Westerink, & Broek, 2010;Costello, Muller, Amitani, & Edmonds, 2005;Deray & Simoff, 2012;Gurion & Jacoby, 2013;Her & Hamlyn, 2010;Hespanhol & Tomitsch, 2014;Hohl, 2009;Jacucci et al., 2009;Morgan & Gunes, 2013;A. Morrison, Viller, & Mitchell, 2011a, 2011b; A. J. Morrison, Mitchell, & Viller, 2008;E. Muller, 2008). ...
Thesis
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In the Netherlands, when you are no longer able to live by yourself due to psychogeriatric problems, chronic physical conditions caused by old age or a combination of both, you are likely to move to a nursing home. For over 10 years now, emotion-oriented care is the guiding philosophy in most Dutch nursing homes. Although challenges remain, elderly care in the Netherlands is very good when compared to the rest of the world (J. Schols & Swelsen, 2019; J. M. Schols, 2008). In spite of all the benefits of emotion-oriented care, there’s still inactivity and boredom among nursing home residents during time in between activities (den Ouden et al., 2015) and a general lack of cultural activities within nursing homes. Most leisure technology in the nursing home is therapy: goal or activity-oriented and game-like. Although these games and activities are beneficial and fun for residents, they need intensive guidance from professionals and are planned on a fixed moment of the day. Open-ended interactive digital artworks might provide an addition to the spectrum of emotion-oriented care technology that creates the needed conditions for a personal experience to take place. Specifically, interactive artworks that are accessible at all times that can be enjoyed by residents on their own or together with somebody else, without the help of a professional caregiver are desired. It was therefore the main aim of this thesis to explore the potential of interactive art as experience-oriented care technology in elderly care, specifically in the nursing home environment. This aim was researched in several studies and distinguishes four phases. The first phase, Phase 1 (chapters 1 and 2), of this dissertation provides insight in the larger scope of interactive art and how people respond to interactive artworks in general. The second phase, Phase 2 (chapter 3), describes the co-creation process that has taken place to develop the interactive artworks created and studied in this PhD-project. Phase 3 (chapters 4 to 6), consists of three pilot studies that describe the responses of nursing home residents in relation to three different interactive artworks. In the fourth phase, Phase 4 (chapter 7), the results are synthesized and discussed. In chapter 1 the main problem is introduced. Interactive artworks are suggested as potential solutions to increase personal experiences for nursing home residents without professional supervision. The chapter ends with the main aim, three formulated sub-questions and an overview of the studies and four phases of the dissertation. Although most of the interactive art installations created today are not formally studied, the systematic review in chapter 2 identified 22 open-ended interactive digital artworks of which the participants’ responses were studied. Both human-to-artwork and human-to-human responses were noted for all identified artworks. The results indicate that interactive artworks can evoke a variety of verbal, physical, and cognitive/emotional responses within and between visitors, making these artworks powerful instruments. Results imply there is no straightforward relationship between the features of the artwork and the kind of response. However, two factors seemed to influence the participants’ responses: ‘the content’ (concrete or abstract) of the artwork, and ‘the presence of others’. Chapter 3 illustrates the co-creation process of interactive artworks by the design of the interface of VENSTER as a case. Results imply that although co-creation adds complexity to the design process, involving stakeholders seemed to be a crucial element in the success of the creation of the interface for VENSTER. Participants hardly paid attention to the installation and interface. There, however, seemed to be an untapped potential for creating an immersive experience by focusing more on the content itself as an interface (e.g. creating specific scenes with cues for interaction, scenes based on existing knowledge or prior experiences). “Fifteen lessons learned” which can potentially assist the design of an interactive artwork for nursing home residents suffering from dementia were derived from the design process. This description provides tools and best practices for stakeholders to make (better) informed choices during the development of interactive artworks. It also illustrates how co-design can make the difference between designing a pleasurable experience and a meaningful one. VENSTER (chapter 4) is an interactive artwork that brings the outside world into the nursing home and vice versa through an interactive physical window. Physically, VENSTER consists of two large (touch) screens, vertically mounted in a fake wall. A string attached to the roller blind in front of the screens serves as a switch to change what is seen. When the installation detects the presence of a person, music starts playing. The installation can show pre-recorded “calming” (e.g. a lake) or “activating content” (e.g. children playing), and is also able to present “interactive content” which can be manipulated in real time (e.g. manipulate the direction of falling snow). The goal of this study was (1) to determine whether and how nursing home residents with dementia respond to the interactive art installation in general and (2) to identify whether responses change when the content type and, therefore, the nature of the interaction with the artwork changes. The research protocol was set up as an observational explorative study. Six to eight residents of the closed ward and 1–2 care providers were invited to attend a session with VENSTER in a semi-public square of the nursing home. All responses carried out by nursing home residents and the caregivers present were recorded on video, coded and placed in the aforementioned framework. Results show that the interactive art installation ‘VENSTER’ evokes responses in nursing home residents with dementia, illustrating the potential of interactive artworks in the nursing home environment. Frequently observed responses were naming, recognizing or asking questions about depicted content and how the installation worked, physically gesturing towards or tapping on the screen and tapping or singing along to the music. It seemed content matters a lot. When VENSTER is to be used in routine care, the choice of a type of content is critical to the intended experience/usage in practice. Recognition seemed to trigger memory and (in most cases) a verbal reaction, while indistinctness led to asking for more information. When (initially) coached by a care provider, residents actively engaged physically with the screen. Responses however differed between content types, which makes it important to further explore different types of content and content as an interface to provide meaningful experiences for nursing home residents. The results in chapter 5 show that use of the CRDL (pronounced: ‘the cradle’) in a group setting creates opportunities for expressive and therapeutic touch. The CRDL got its name due to its shape, size and weight, which refer to a baby or a crib. Physically the CRDL has an abstract, rounded form. On opposite sides of the device, there is a grey felt inlay shaped like a larger-than-life fingerprint. Two participants have to place one hand on such a felt “pad” and simultaneously touch the other person’s skin (e.g. hand, arm or shoulder). If more people are interacting, they all have to touch each other. This way they close an electric circuit and the speaker, located in the centre of the CRDL, produces a sound, influenced by the type of touch and the selected soundscape (e.g. nature, town, instrumental, animals and house–garden–kitchen sounds). This study was designed and carried out as an observational explorative study. Three to four residents and one to two caregivers tried out the new device in an activity room. All responses carried out by nursing home residents and the caregivers present were recorded on video, coded and placed in the aforementioned framework. In a group setting the CRDL creates an atmosphere of curiosity, a playful context and can function as an intermediary between people. This lowers the threshold to touch, provides an incentive to touch and encourages experimentation with different types of touches on the arms and hands because the produced sound changes accordingly. Additionally, the sounds that the CRDL produces sometimes trigger memories and provide themes to start and support conversation. The large amount of discussion about the controls, functioning and purpose of the CRDL can be attributed to the novelty of the device and will probably diminish over time. To involve a large group is challenging. Caregivers and activity supervisors often had a hard time making multiple residents close a circle of hands and make them understand the outer edges should touch the CRDL pads. All caregivers and activity supervisors eventually switched to several small groups (three people) or individual interactions with the residents (two people) while the other participants watched. Chapter 6 describes that Morgendauw seems able to evoke responses in both the residents and their caregivers. Morgendauw is a black, table-like installation, shaped like the silhouette of a larger-than-life oak leaf. The surface of the leaf consists of touch-reactive LED panels. Morgendauw shows a constant stream of coloured particles, which resemble a stream of water flowing downhill. The colour, direction and velocity of the particles are influenced by the current weather conditions in one of five pre-programmed cities (Eindhoven, Quebec, Spitsbergen, Tokyo and Kaapstad). Every five minutes a different city is automatically selected. When the surface of Morgendauw is touched or an object (e.g. stone) is placed on it, the stream of particles will react and find a way around the hand or object. This results in a change of composition and a distortion in the particle system that will try to find a new balance. This choreography of light is augmented with an ambient soundtrack and subtle nature sounds. This study was set up and carried out as an explorative observational study. The installation was observed for two days, from 10 AM to 5 PM in a semi-public square at an indoor public square, where an open and a closed ward intersect. All responses carried out by nursing home residents, caregivers or anyone else who interacted with the installation were recorded on video, coded and placed in the aforementioned framework. Overall, residents did not seem to notice Morgendauw. The location in which Morgendauw was placed during the study and/or the characteristics of the installation seemed to create a threshold. When prompted and/or directed, the initial threshold of noticing and approaching the installation was quickly overcome and residents in general needed little explanation of the interface to interact with it. The visuals seemed mesmerizing and resulted in a concentrated gaze upon the installation. The physical rocks placed in the abstract water were moved around and the effects it had on the particle system were observed. In chapter 7, the main aim and formulated sub-questions are answered. The main findings and methodological considerations for all four phases are synthesized and discussed. Subsequently, the implications for (creative) practice and research are reported and can be clustered in three main themes: ‘developing interactive art with special attention to the interface’, ‘the involvement of all stakeholders as requirement for successful implementation of interactive art in nursing homes, and on ‘continuous improvement of the interactive artwork’. Finally, future directions are outlined (Where to go from here?). The first topic discusses how to increase the chance of change towards an art-included life in care facilities. More initiatives with changing interactive art collections in health care is the second subject discussed. The chapter concludes with the wish of the other to organize a (travelling) exhibition inside the nursing home, but open to all. The exhibition should present interactive art in such a way that it is interesting and intuitive for all to visit and enjoy, and creates connections between the nursing homes and the rest of society, residents and staff or visitors, the (interactive) art world and the field of (elderly) care. These exhibitions can advance our knowledge on how build and set the stage together with nursing home residents for personal, meaningful and cultural experiences to take place.
... In this process, creativity is drawn from each player's subjective frame of reference, mixing them with the experience and suggestions of other players [52]. In an experiment by Dewey, Lord, and Magill [26], it was found that rule based games were considered the most fun, and yielded the most complex interactions. ...
... This inclusion of children's voices can be done through participatory design studies [47]. Also, using common, recognizable objects (in our case, butterfly nets) is a way to create intuitive interaction [52]. ...
Chapter
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by social and communication difficulties, which can result in challenges forming relationships with peers and taking part in imaginative play. Play Therapy creates recreational spaces where children can learn social skills in an exploratory and creative manner. As children with ASD have a unique affinity towards computer based systems, play therapy approaches using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have proved useful in maintaining player motivation and engagement. In this article we will present an intervention tool inspired by play therapy that we have designed using full-body interaction technology, which has been successful in fostering social behaviors in children with ASD.
... Augmenting kinaesthetic gestures in VR/XR through dynamics-driven simulations (Jang 2017;OMITTED 2016) makes unique artistic integration possible (Morrison 2011). For example, fluidic paint-like trails can leave the user's fingertips with a life of their own; twisting, floating, diffusing, and combining into new forms of artificial, yet curious, life (OMITTED 2019). ...
Preprint
This paper summarizes the development of a novel application that addresses creativity across multiple domains including music, games, visual arts, entertainment , and programming. Through a participatory iterative design and evaluation research methodology this creative application pursues new depths of mixed reality (XR) human-machine interaction (HCI). The nature of the co-creative framework emphasizes the machine's role as a central agent in virtual world-building, and whose creative and artistic decisions are separate from, but of a collaboratory nature to, a Human actor. By harnessing powerful procedural 3D animation and visual effects tools designed and used as industry standards by digital artists to create the highest-quality cinematic results, complex world-making from within Virtual Reality (VR) is made possible. Presented here is a unique system that combines Artificial Intelligence (AI), VR, and complex content generation that utilizes Web-and Cloud-based frameworks to integrate Real-time 3D rendering with procedural modelling and dynamic simulation. Collaborative creativity (CC) is therefore made accessible to both multiple Human agents through tele-presence and to Artificial agents-creatively responding to their constantly evolving virtual world.
... Other examples include Andreas Refsgaard's Eye Conductor [11], Daan Roosegaarde's Lunar [12] and the interactive instrument CRDL [13]. Positive effects of interactive installations on the behaviour of nursing home residents have been observed [14] and they seem able to provide a rich experience in which play, exploration, cooperation and social interaction are encouraged [15][16][17]. Placing an existing interactive artwork in an elderly care home without taking into account the specific abilities and disabilities of nursing home residents to operate such a work of art, would be ill-considered. In order to understand what a rich, meaningful experience is for people with dementia and to be able to build an interface that is comprehensible for and usable by them, they should be included in the design process [18]. ...
Article
Introduction: Interactive art installations might engage nursing home residents with dementia. The main aim of this article was to describe the challenging design process of an interactive artwork for nursing home residents, in co-creation with all stakeholders and to share the used methods and lessons learned. This process is illustrated by the design of the interface of VENSTER as a case. Methods: Nursing home residents from the psychogeriatric ward, informal caregivers, client representatives, health care professionals and members of the management team were involved in the design process, which consisted of three phases: (1) identify requirements, (2) develop a prototype and (3) conduct usability tests. Several methods were used (e.g. guided co-creation sessions, "Wizard of Oz"). Each phase generated "lessons learned", which were used as the departure point of the next phase. Results: Participants hardly paid attention to the installation and interface. There, however, seemed to be an untapped potential for creating an immersive experience by focussing more on the content itself as an interface (e.g. creating specific scenes with cues for interaction, scenes based on existing knowledge or prior experiences). "Fifteen lessons learned" which can potentially assist the design of an interactive artwork for nursing home residents suffering from dementia were derived from the design process. Conclusions: This description provides tools and best practices for stakeholders to make (better) informed choices during the creation of interactive artworks. It also illustrates how co-design can make the difference between designing a pleasurable experience and a meaningful one. Implications for rehabilitation Co-design with all stakeholders can make the difference between designing a pleasurable experience and a meaningful one. There seems to be an untapped potential for creating an immersive experience by focussing more on the content itself as an interface (e.g. creating specific scenes with cues for interaction, scenes based on existing knowledge or prior experiences). Content as an interface proved to be a crucial part of the overall user experience. The case-study provides tools and best practices (15 "lessons learned") for stakeholders to make (better) informed choices during the creation of interactive artworks.
... During this final selection round, consensus (i.e., a total score of 6, or 2 from each researcher) was needed for the articles to be included in data extraction. Ultimately, 13 articles were included (Bialoskorski et al., 2010;Costello et al., 2005;Deray and Simoff, 2012;Gurion and Jacoby, 2013;Her and Hamlyn, 2010;Hespanhol and Tomitsch, 2014;Hohl, 2009;Jacucci et al., 2009;Morgan and Gunes, 2013;Morrison et al., 2011bMorrison et al., , 2008Morrison et al., , 2011aMuller, 2008). ...
Article
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The main aim of this systematic review was to describe responses of participants to physical, open-ended interactive digital artworks. Although human-to-artwork and human-to-human responses were found in the 22 identified artworks, more human-to-artwork responses were reported. Both types of responses were further categorised into physical, verbal, and cognitive/emotional responses. The artworks varied from small table-top installations to large, dark open spaces, and had a range of interactive components and features from a heart rate interface to complete body movements. Results imply there is no straightforward relationship between the features of the artwork and the kind of response. However, two factors seemed to influence the participants’ responses: the content (concrete or abstract) of the artwork, and the presence of others. Creating interactive artworks that challenge new audiences and/or evoke specific responses requires more knowledge about the dynamics of the interaction between people and interactive artworks.
Article
Full-text available
The goal of this study was (1) to determine whether and how nursing home residents with dementia respond to the interactive art installation in general and (2) to identify whether responses change when the content type and, therefore, the nature of the interaction with the artwork changes. The interactive art installation 'VENSTER' evokes responses in nursing home residents with dementia, illustrating the potential of interactive artworks in the nursing home environment. Frequently observed responses were naming, recognizing or asking questions about depicted content and how the installation worked, physically gesturing towards or tapping on the screen and tapping or singing along to the music. It seemed content matters a lot. When VENSTER is to be used in routine care, the choice of a type of content is critical to the intended experience/usage in practice. In this study, recognition seemed to trigger memory and (in most cases) a verbal reaction, while indistinctness led to asking for more information. When (initially) coached by a care provider, residents actively engaged physically with the screen. Responses differed between content types, which makes it important to further explore different types of content and content as an interface to provide meaningful experiences for nursing home residents. Implications for rehabilitation VENSTER can facilitate different types of responses ranging from verbal reactions to active physical engagement. The choice of a type of content is critical to the intended experience/usage in practice. Activating content seems suitable for use as a meaningful experience during the spare time in between existing activities or therapy. Sessions with interactive content are short (avg. 30 mins) and intense and can therefore potentially be used as an activating therapy, activity or exercise. In order to actively engage residents with dementia, the role of the care provider seems very important.
Chapter
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This chapter presents a novel method for interactive playground design, based on traditional children’s play. This method combines the rich interaction possibilities of computer games with the physical and open-ended aspects of traditional children’s games. The method is explored through the development of a prototype interactive playground that has been implemented and evaluated.
Book
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This chapter provides an overview on the Museum of Modern Art. The Museum of Modern Art, founded in 1929, was granted a charter by the Regents of the University of the State of New York for establishing and maintaining in the city of New York, a museum of modern art, encouraging and developing the study of modern arts and the application of such arts to manufacture and practical life, and furnishing popular instruction. It became the first museum devoted to modern art in the United States. The Museum of Modern Art is unique in being the only multi-departmental museum in the modern field, representing the arts of industrial and graphic design, architecture, photography and film along with printmaking, drawing, painting and sculpture.
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