Unit Description 'Interactivity' implies action from at least two (opposing) directions. Interactivity can also include 'cause and effect', 'cybernetics', and the notions of 'feedback', dialogue and 'dialectics'. The unit considers the extent and breadth of the relationship between physical and virtual space within the context of interactive multimedia. Syllabus The student will consider a number of different spatial environments, and the concepts that underlie these spaces. They will consider the 'interactive experience' of those using or existing in those environments, examining both the sensory (e.g. touch, feel, sight, hearing, taste) and participatory interaction, and the relevance of the space to that interaction. Working as part of a small team, the students will then produce an interactive piece that interprets a physical space as a virtual space in terms of concepts and user experience. The precise nature of individual involvement in a team will be negotiated in an equitable way between team members and staff. The responsibility for communication and project management falls to the group, although project progress is monitored and assisted by academic staff. Learning Outcomes On completion of this unit, the student will be able to: - Show a reasonable understanding of experiential interaction. - Demonstrate a reasonable awareness of space, both physical and virtual - Demonstrate a reasonable awareness of duration, pace, atmosphere, and tactile engagement. - Demonstrate an awareness of the importance of the user within an interactive piece - Demonstrate the ability to work constructively and effectively as part of a team. Teaching and Learning Methods This unit is studio based, with an emphasis on responsive, student-centred experiential learning (including peer group learning). Assessment The learning outcomes will be assessed through: - the completion and submission of section of group work consisting of an interactive piece; and individual contribution to group which will be assessed through viva and a written (group) project appraisal including initial proposal, research findings and project log; and detail of individual contributions to group (weighting 100%). Assessment criteria include: quality of ideas; effectiveness of organization (planning, preparation and time-management); suitable use of space; level of interaction; effectiveness of group working; level of imagination and experimentation: progress; and technical learning and effectiveness. Indicative Reading Alpers, Svetlana, The Art of Describing, Chicago University Press, 1983 Barthes, R, Image, Music, Text, Fontana, 1977 Bachelard, Gaston, The Poetics of Space, Beacon Press, 1994 Berger, P & Luckmann, T, The Social Construction of Reality, Penguin Books, 1967 Cage, John, Silence, Marion Boyars, 1987 Hall, Edward, The Silent Language, Anchor Press (New York), 1959 Kreuger, M, Artificial Reality II, Addison-Wesley, 1991 Laurel, Brenda, Computers as Theatre, Addison Wesley (Reading), 1990 McLuhan, M & Zingrone, F (eds), Essential McLuhan, Routledge, 1995 Norman, Don, The Psychology of Everyday Things, Basic Books (New York), 1988 Papaneek, V, Design for the Real World, Academy Chicago Publishers, 1985 Peterson, Donald, Forms of Representation, Intellect, 1994 Sardar, Z, Ravetz, J (eds), Cyberfutures, New York University Press, 1997 Shields, R (ed), Cultures of the Internet: Virtual Spaces, Real Histories, Living Bodies, Sage, 1996 Suchman, Lucy, Plans and Situated Actions, Cambridge University Press, 1987 Wooley, B, Virtual Worlds, Blackwell (Oxford), 1992 |