Interaction Design Wiki ･ Aesthetics of Interaction

Aesthetics of Interaction 2023

Fall 2023

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 15.15-16.45, on Zoom (with exceptions during the parallel seminar Soft Architecture). In each session four students will give a presentation: two based on readings and the other two 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 or Data Visualization.

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 20%
Final essay 35%
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 must 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 11.

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 - 19.9., 09:00 - Introduction

Class 2 - 19.09. - Material and Environmental Dynamics

Class 3 - 25.09. - Services and Infrastructure

Class 4 - 02.10. - Anthropocene

Class 5 - 09.10. - Systems and Bodies

Class 6 - 16.10. - Wavescapes

Class 7 - 23.10. - Essay preparation

Class 8 - 06.11. - Introduction to data and data literacy

Class 9 - 13.11. - Artificial Intelligence

Class 10 - 20.11. - Data, Democracy and Surveillance Capitalism

Class 11 - 27.11. - Essay support

Special Date: 11.12. - Deadline Essay

Personal feedback on your final essays will be given by January 16, 2024.

DESCRIPTION of the TOPICS and texts of the individual CLASSES

Class 1 - 18.9., 09:00-10:30 - Introduction

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

Class 2 - 19.09., 16:30-18:00- 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 Elia (Pickering), Irina (Ingold)

Project Topics:
- Sourcing materials
- Material-Environment Interactions

presented by Tara (SM) and Irina (MEI)

Class 3 - 25.09. - Services and Infrastructure

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

presented by Jin (Starosielski) and Basil (Klinenberg)

Project Topics:
- Speculative service design
- Biological services

presented by Elia (SSD), Dario (BS)

Class 4 - 02.10. - Anthropocene

Readings:
a) Chakrabarty, Dipesh (2018). "Planetary Crises and the Difficulty of Being Modern". Millennium: Journal of International Studies: 1–24.
b) Internet and Energy (covered by 2 students: create discussion!):

I) Gombiner, Joel (2011). "Carbon Footprinting the Internet.“ In Consilience: "The Journal of Sustainable Development“ 5: 119-124.
II) Andreu, Javier F. et al. (2022). "Big data on a dead planet. The digital transition's neglected environmental impacts."

presented by Aisha (Chakrabarty) and Luca (Gombiner) & Stepan (Andreu)

Project Topics:
- Energy low design
- Anthropocene in art & design

presented by David (ELD) and Luca (AAD) & Dario (catch-up from class 3)

Class 5 - 09.10. - 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 Raman (Burnham) and David (Klemmer)

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

presented by Andreas (MEHS) and Raman (STS)

Class 6 - 16.10. - 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 Laberi (Hosokawa) and Tara (Franinovic et al.)

Project Topics:
- Sound Art/Design
- Device Art
- Sound and Ecologies

presented by Basil (SA/D), Laberi (DA) and Jin (S&Eco)

Class 7 - 23.10. - Essay preparation

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

Guidelines for writing the final essay

Class 8 - 06.11. - 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 Tanya (Economist) Cyril (Barrowman)

Project Topics:
- information art (historical & latest)
- creative tracking
- tbc (boundaries of data worlds)

presented by Cyril (Information Art), Stepan(CT), Aisha (tbc)

Class 9 - 13.11. - Artificial Intelligence

Readings:
a) Russell, Stuart and Nerving Peter. "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach", 4th ed. Extract from Introduction and conclusion. (covered by 2 students: create discussion!)
b) Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin of the Institute of Humane Technology: "The AI dilemma". Youtube video of lecture in San Francisco on March 9th, 2023. (covered by 2 students: create discussion!)

presented by Ege & Anja (Russel) Jeanne & Andreas (Harris, Raskin)

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

presented by Ege (designing with AI), Anja (AI & environment), Jeanne (AI & ethics)

Class 10 - 20.11. - Data, Democracy and Surveillance Capitalism

Text:

a) Zuboff, Shoshana (2015) "Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization". Journal of Information Technology 30: 75–89.
b) Ryser, Daniel and Sprenger, Ramona (2023) "Do not feed the google", news report in 10 parts on republik.ch (covered by 2 students: create discussion!)

presented by Elias (Zuboff), Dario, Luca (Ryser/Sprenger)

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

presented by Luca (interventions), Elias (activism), Tanya (Switzerland)

Class 11 - 27.11. - Essay support

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