Making Interactive Art : Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen

In this article, I really liked the point that when you make an interactive installation/art, you should only be involved in setting everything up and then leaving the next step of interpretation to the audience. The whole point of making something interactive, in my opinion, is to let everyone interact with it differently and have a completely different experience. Everyone can have e a different experience on seeing even a non-interactive piece of  art like a painting. However the element of interactivity here makes this difference in experience more explicit and unique for everyone. I definitely agree that the artist has no role in deciding what the audience should interpret and experience after this interaction. However the artist should make sure that they provide everyone with enough symbols and resources to be able to interact with the installation. I have always thought that there is a very fine line between giving the audience what is needed to take the interaction forward and spoon-feeding them the experience. But this article lays down very clear symbols to do so in a way that reminded me of Don Norman’s emphasis on making sure that everything is labelled properly and it’s purpose is clearly outlines through it’s form.

Physical Computing Greatest Hits (and misses)

I really enjoyed reading the many creative ways in which sensors have been used by different people in their projects. This opened up my mind in terms of what can be done though physical computing. It also made me understand that there is no shame in reusing an idea that I know of to create something new. One of my major takeaways form the reading is that it is not just about what sensors you use (how users interact with your machine/project) but what matters more is how the machine responds to those inputs. There are a few instances where the article explains a few different ways of improving a current project which is the perfect example for the point I ma trying to make. Two projects can be based on the same theme but it is extremely likely that the final interaction will be very different. The result being seen by the user might be similar, but the way they see it would likely be very different which is why there is no need for us to shy away from using existing ideas, moulding them in our own ways, and creating new interactions.