Interaction Design Wiki ･ Aesthetics of Interaction

Aesthetics of Interaction 2021

Fall 2021

Lecturer: Dr Roman Kirschner
roman.kirschner@zhdk.ch

ABSTRACT

This seminar proposes to investigate the aesthetics of interaction design by connecting theory and practice. Students will learn how to contextualise their practical projects within current discourses and reflect on how their design practice may transform their theoretical assumptions and knowledge. The students will examine relevant readings and concepts both through discussions and through their practical work. The theory seminar is connected with two studio courses, Soft Architecture and Interactive Visualisation. Related to these courses, each student will write an essay on a topic interweaving and mutually questioning conceptual work and studio practice.

The seminar will explore the aesthetics of interaction including topics such as ecological design, performative experimentation, public interventions, spatial and political design, speculative design, bio design, data literacy, surveillance capitalism and AI. We will address these aesthetics from the perspective of their origins, cultural contexts and case studies.

COURSE OUTLINE

The class usually takes place on Mondays, from 9.00-10.30, on Zoom. Please pay attention to the schedule as there might be some exceptions. In each session two teams of two students will give a presentation: one based on readings and the other one based on art and design projects. Each presentation is followed by a discussion and/or an in-class assignment. Each student has to write a final essay based on a topic chosen by the student in relation to a class assignment and his/her practical work in the seminar Soft Architecture.

EXPECTATIONS AND GRADING

Grades will be based on the oral and written presentations and on class participation. Contributing to constructive group feedback is an essential aspect of class participation. Regular attendance is required.

Readings-based presentation 25%
Projects-based presentation 25%
Final essay 30%
Class participation 20%

ASSIGNMENTS

Oral presentations
Students must independently prepare lectures on selected texts from the week. These can be presented in different formats.  Possible presentation formats are:
Live sketching
Demo with prototyping
Classic Slides presentation
etc.

The reading-based presentation should include a 2-pages written discussion, made available to the class and instructor via Paul three days prior to the day of the class to ensure a general discussion.
The paper should include title, author, date, context, summary, bibliography.
Additional sources can be added to inform the discussion if necessary.

The reading-based presentation should include answers to these questions: who are the authors? where do they work? what concepts do they propose? what year was the document published? what was the context at the time of publication? what are other contemporary theorists and practitioners perspectives on the authors proposal? what influence did the proposal have? what was your research process to go over your findings? how can you apply the proposed ideas in your design work or others' design work? how can you challenge the ideas presented? - The presentation should be 15 minutes.

The project-based presentation should include at least 5 projects illustrating each topic, that are gender-balanced, from various countries of origin. Projects can be taken in design, art, ethnography, science and other disciplines. What 'taxonomy' can you provide to categorize the 5+ projects? How these 5+ projects help get a sense of the field that you're presenting? How do they relate to the topic of the week and the readings of that week? - The presentation should be 5 minutes.

Final Essay
The essay is a final 1500-words essay with a diversity of sources and bibliography (classified by genre: book, book chapter, journal article, conference article, academic thesis, newspaper article, web article, etc).

The topic of the essay is chosen by the student in relation to a class assignment and proposed by Class 7 in half a written page explaining the topic and the questions at stake, and in the form of presentation (2-3min) to the class. The final essay has to be submitted by Monday, December 13.

The paper can be written in English or German.

COURSE MATERIALS

Readings are made available on Paul per session.

Additional readings can be proposed to underline a particular aspect and should be considered.

CALENDAR overview

Class 1 - 20.9. - Introduction

Class 2 - 21.09. - Material and Environmental Dynamics

Class 3 - 04.10. - Systems and Bodies

Class 4 - 11.10. - Services and Infrastructure

Class 5 - 18.10. - Anthropocene

Class 6 - 25.10. - Wavescapes

Class 7 - 1.11. - Essay preparation

Class 8 - 8.11. - Introduction to data and data literacy

Class 9 - 15.11. - Artificial Intelligence

Class 10 - 22.11. - Data, Democracy and Surveillance Capitalism

Class 11 - 29.11. - Essay support

Special Date: 13.12. - Deadline Essay

Personal feedback on your final essays will be given by January 17, 2022.

DESCRIPTION of the TOPICS and texts in the individual CLASSES

Class 1 - 20.9. - Introduction

Introduction to the course, explanation and organisation of tasks/dates

Guidelines for writing the final essay

Class 2 - 21.09. - Material and Environmental Dynamics

Readings:
a) Pickering, Andrew (2013). "Being in an environment: a performative perspective". Natures Sciences Sociétés 21. 77-83.
b) Ingold, Tim. (2008). "Bringing Things to Life. Creative Entanglements in a World of Materials".

presented by Johannes, Nicola

Project Topics:
(- Sourcing materials)
- Material-Environment Interactions

presented by Svenja

Class 3 - 4.10. - Systems and Bodies

Readings:
a) Burnham, Jack (1969). "Systems and Art". In Arts in Society. 6:2. University of Wisconsin, Summer/Fall 1969. 194-204.
b) Hartmann, Klemmer, Takayama (2006). "How Bodies Matter: Five Themes for Interaction Design". In DIS 2006. 

presented by Réjane, Micaela

Project Topics:
- Multisensory experiences, Haptics and Space
 - Sensing through scales (micro-meso-macro)

presented by Silvan, Nadia

Class 4 - 11.10. - Services and Infrastructure

Readings:
a) Starosielski, Nicole (2012). "Warning: Do Not Dig’: Negotiating the Visibility of Critical Infrastructures." Journal of Visual Culture. 11:1. April 2012. 38–57.
b) Klinenberg, Eric (2018). Palaces for the people. Crown: New York, USA. 184-197. OR Alternative!

presented by Bin, Silvan

Project Topics:
- Speculative service design
- Biological services

presented by Janosch, Elena

Class 5 - 18.10. - Anthropocene

Readings:
a) Latour, Bruno (2018). "Das terrestrische Manifest". 21-25 & 35-68. Or alternative from new catalogue "Critical Zones!!
b)    I) Gombiner, Joel (2011). "Carbon Footprinting the Internet“. In Consilience: "The Journal of Sustainable Development“. Vol. 5. 119-124.
       II) Guardian Environment Network (2017). "‘Tsunami of data’ could consume one fifth of global electricity by 2025“. The Guardian, UK.
       III) Cook, Gary (2017). "Clicking clean: Who is winning the race to build a green internet?". Greenpeace: Washington (D.C.), USA.

presented by Sandro, Nadia, Eleonora

Project Topics:
- Energy low design
- Anthropocene (art & design)

presented by Thore, Réjane

Class 6 - 25.10. - Wavescapes

Readings:
a) Hosokawa, Shuhei (1984). "The Walkman Effect". In Popular Music. 4. Performers and Audiences. 165-180. 
b) Franinovic, Karmen and Salter, Christopher (2013). "The experience of Sonic Interaction". In Franinovic and Serafin: Sonic Interaction Design. 39-75.

presented by Daniel, Fabrizio

Project Topics:
- Sound Art/Design
- Device Art

presented by Johannes, Micaela

Class 7 - 1.11. - Essay preparation

Hand in (half a written page) and present (2-3min) your proposal for the final essay (interests, central question, potential, challenges)!

Class 8 - 8.11. - Introduction to data and data literacy

Readings:
a) Economist (2017). The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. The Economist: New York, NY, USA.
b) Barrowman, Nick (2018). Why data is never raw. The New Atlantis, Summer/Fall edition: 129-135.

presented by Thore, Guan

Project Topics:
- information art (historical & latest)
- creative tracking

presented by Daniel, Bin

Class 9 - 15.11. - Artificial Intelligence

Readings:
a) Russell, Stuart and Nerving Peter. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 4th ed. Extract from Introduction and conclusion.
b) Launchbury, John (2107) The 3 waves of AI (A DARPA Perspective on Artificial Intelligence)

presented by Janosch, Svenja

Project Topics:
- designing with AI
- AI & environment
- AI & ethics

presented by Guan, Nicola, Miguel

Class 10 - 22.11. - Data, Democracy and Surveillance Capitalism

Text:

a) Zuboff, Shoshana (2015) Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization.

b) Cadwalladr, Carole (2018-2020). I) Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach. II) ‘I made Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare tool’: meet the data war whistleblower. III) Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’. The Guardian, UK,

presented by Elena, Miguel

Project Topics:
- social media interventions/hacks/hoaxes
- citizen activism using digital platforms
- participatory projects in Switzerland (mixing digital and real world)

presented by Sandro, Eleonora, Fabrizio

Class 11 - 29.11. - Essay support

Ask all your questions, talk about challenges, discuss arguments, build up, formulations etc.