Calendar/2006-11-14

From AlmostPerfect

Tuesday November 14th

MOBILE DIGITAL COMMONS NETWORK – MOBILE LAB

• tracklines project • requirements for projects are changing in accountability using human subjects in research. money sources require new models of accountability when human subjects are involved in research and projects. this project is funded through research council network and requires accountability forms.

• question is how to deal with it without it stopping the projects we want to do.

• all institutions have an ethics tri-council determining ethics protocol. each institution has a version of their own.

Q: do these forms have international viability?

A: Don’t know. Know that institutions in the US have comparable laws.

A lot of these have to do with Aboriginal communities who worked together with other groups to put together protocols.

S: At Banff, it was first decided that all the activities here is research based. Decided that was too broad. Then it was changed to be more specific. If you are an artist doing research you do your work in the regular way.

J: In a way playing a piece of music is using human subjects.

S: Now we are trying to put research in a small area and have everyone continue to work on their projects in the regular way.

K: coming from institutionalization of the art pratice-issues around digital technologies, reconfiguring ourselves in relation to technologies, phd programs, the professionalization of art in relation to these other areas. I think there are other issues b eing raised about what constitutes creative subject. There is a shift in relation to what is creativity.

J: It’s interesting because in the open source movement, there has been movements relating to reinventing forms and licenses. Now I see it’s coming from the other side

(Introductions of Almost Perfect artist)

Regarding Mobile Digital Commons: (add names) Christopher Kline - software designer David di Sara - sound designer Angus Leech - Lead artist, MDCN

Angus: Track lines a mobile media design exploring how cell phones can deliver content on trails here in Banff. interested in finding ways to enhaunce park experience by making media that works with the environment and how the people use the space. It offers new how do people use mobile phones what kind of content and experience they are interestedin does mobile media belong on nature trails

interesting when you take technology into nature. what kind of media content would work how to create mmedia content that works in various communities. it comes with a lot of associated issues in terms of dealing with it as a context. context is an obsession because when you are locating media within environemtn, context becomes so important.

the track lines trail is popular and accessible in the region. parks eduction enjoys a growing partnership with Banff. this summer the parks has a person from park work with us to develop content.

what you will experience today is an in development version of tracklines that is the parks’ version developed in collaboration with the partk. often what peole what to do for he first time with lcoative media is tell stories in places. this is what we do. a natural history wwalk with a few added twists.

this experience is a research prototype in development. neither the content or functional,ity are finished. this is part of our deiesng philosophy and we do demos and get feedback as we go as we are deisgning. this insures our ginal product will be as successful as possible.ti fitsw in to the rapid prottype philosophy – we are building a search engine as we go. =sometimes wyou want to make more and think less – so we are now thinking less and doing more. we hope today this will open up as an experience a dialogue to help you aks or naswer questions about your own locative deisng. we have set up a rolling demo session – 1. this is aresidency about locative media and ti would be good to experience it first hand’ 2. participate in discussions about locative media development

we are exploring what locative media really is . we are interested in hearing what you think about your comments and responses and we can have a good critical discussion. we can absorb your feedback and make it better. we don’t tell them we are designers we say we are researchers and ask people to tell us what they really think.

from 4-6 – debrief session in this room (kim and Barbara)

today: 11- field trials every 15 minutes for groups of two. sign up on wiki. Explanation of signing up.

Q: Susan – Many of the projects in this residency have to do with environomental issues. Can you address that in terms of sustainable technologies?

A: In general, we are very much interested in implication of putting media into space and how it fits there, what it does, what the implications are. the idea of sustainability …part of that is recognizing that the context is everything to us. we want to proceed with as much respect for thep lace as possible. we are confronted with a major design issue. it is such an awesome environment already. how do you design emdia already. it’s all about figuring out what is going to fit in a complex evinropenment – sound ecology –eg. shaeffer – figuring out and mapping otut the ecology of sound space. we have to go through the process of understanding the palce before we can figure out if we can put media there. that’s what you do when you take a cell phone its like a little feral creature in the wilds. you are confrtonted with what is the meida and the space. some of the sound ecology work came to putting sound back into space. isf you play a certain type of sound in a room like this is sounds sone way but when you play it outside it begins to recomvine with other sounds in that space.

it’s a big discussion . a big challenge is responcting the psace, apprenticing otuselves to it and giuring out what kind of media fgits in th space itself.

story that one guy tells about teaching eecology in a fisheing boat. he said that the great thing is theis boat is a ricetty contraption fits in with the vinopmrnt in a way that a large boat wouldn’t. we are trying to fdigure out how to make the technology fit into the space – brings up issues like bio mimcry…

K: the context we think about locative media two intertwining aspects 1. loca - location : feeling the topographies, light, wind, seasonal changes. these locations are not just emersive but are e giving a lot of information to people ther. you can work with technology not to enhaunce something that is impoverished but create a relationship 2. motion – we are not static we are moving along a trail and through a pscaae. tracklines talks about whaltking through a space and what kinds of trackis you leave behind.

talking locative based research and participatory creation.

A: no longer a question of humans and computers but is now humans, computers and the world with the world as part of your design.

K: we can talk more about this but we have to practice it all the time – getting our questions better; getting our methology better. methodology isn’t something you apply to an experience but something that comes from the experience.

Participatory interaction/ integration. - Users are not consumers.

Archiving experiencing. - Taking something home? - Leaving something for other participants? - Tattoo on location. - GPS voting? Space as a polling booth.

Night-time experiences - New model

Impacts on the environment - Techno-tourists - Trampling through locations changing the perceptions of day-to-dayers.

Huge amounts of work are contributed to ensure that experiences are correct, but how do audiences interact?

Angus -creation of catalysts. -Not virtual environments. -Humbled -media is not the most important part of experiences. - Map - mapping a space. Maps are location media. Histories can be destroyed through eh creation of a map. - How does it fit within the space? - Work with existing communities. - How is locative media associated with art practices?

-'Practice of knowing a place'. - Layers of history. -Learning to see the space. In the dark. -Place is context- Community is context. Engagement between the two.

- What do people want to socially network? -If you build it they will come? -Empowering communities. -Community radio - passive and active - Sample size? Want it to be automatic. Hiking mode. Cultural use of space. Don't want to interact. - People are interacting with environment, not just with technology. - Stopping and resting - more time spent at a specific location. Interacting more. - Blast Theory - place replaced with a strong context.

Genres in locative media - One on one - informal trial analysis. -Gathering data - Bringing research methodology to projects. - Don't ask yes or no questions? - What did you like? -Describe your experience? -Semi vs structured way? -General narrative/sound/imagery. -Ask someone to question you before you ask the sample. -Themes of questioning. More time if one on one.

-Questioning people within the context that they have had the experience. -Day to day - communities/neighborhood vs Temporary communities. -Immediate reactions vs long term reactions - what did people hold on to? - Paying close attention whilst within the experience. - Participant observation. -Location already coded with meaning. - Anti-technological stimuli. - Finding a balance between technological/content obsession and isolation. -Giving introduction to technology.

Stephan -Waking up with a 3rd leg. Learning to walk again. -Self-centred art. -On the fly adjustments for live art locative media. - Less on the final outcome of the project but the process of bringing communites together.Going for beer afterwards. - What did the experience make you think/feel? -Playing harsh sound in an environment then stopping it. Audio senses are open and people are more aware of natural sounds.

Technology is the media for an experience. -Practical and functional design. - Researching - demystifies design questions. -Place more than media. - What everyone liked? -Having knowledge and making design adjustments. -Solidifies design process.

5 Tips ? User intergration - make deadlines happen ? Provides key data. Heuristic design. ? Implemented with care. Team building. ? Bring together everyone in the process. ? Exchange of skills. Awareness. ? Documentation that can be used for further projects.