PraxisPoeticsRTD Proceedings PDF

Poetics
Research Through Design

2013 Conference Proceedings
3rd – 5th September 2013
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Newcastle upon Tyne & Gateshead, UK
2013 Research Through Design Conference
Editorial Team
Jayne Wallace, Joyce Yee & Abigail Durrant
Published by:
Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, United Kingdom
ISBN 978-0-9549587-9-4
Supported by
Day 2: Wednesday 4th September 2013
ROOM 1 | Theme: VIEWING ROOM 2 | Theme: DOING
026 Data-Objects: Databronze Ian Gwilt, Coilin O’Dubhghaill & 092 Synthetic Biology as Material Design Practice
Koutaro Sano Carolina Ramirez Figueroa, Martyn Dade-Robertson & Meng Zhang
096 Dear Sir/Madam: Walter Gropius Petitons the League of Design 114 Words, Code, Dots, and Lines: Language and Sketching in
Thinkers Aysar Ghassan Formulating a Cross-Disciplinary Project Tim Regan, Robert Corish & Siân
Lindley
070 HEIMA Patrick Macklin
091 Inventing the Future by Examining the Past Janine Munslow
112 Blue Jay Weeble: Experiential Approaches to iPad Painting
Mark Blythe, Jo Briggs, Ben Freeth & Patrick Olivier 058 The Invite: Adding Value to Paper with Paper Electronics
Michael Shorter, Jon Rogers, Tom Metcalfe & John McGhee
ROOM 1 | Theme: MEANING ROOM 2 | Theme: MAKING
025 The Book Spotter’s Guide to Avian Titled Literature 038 Exploring 3D-Printed Structures Through Textile Design
Zoë Sadokierski & Kate Sweetapple Martha Glazzard & Phillip Breedon
047 ‘IT Fauna’ and ‘Crime Pays’: Using Critical Design to Envision Cyber 111 Collaboration Across Design Disciplines to Create a New Designer
Security Futures Debi Ashenden, David Benqué & Maker’s Tool Danny Duquemin-Sheil & Sarah Morehead
Austin Houldsworth
054 Technological Microcosms – Considering Materiality and
029 The Evolution of Silence Rachele Riley Collaborative Practice in the Creation of Wearable Futures
Katharina Vones
004 FutureFactories: Practice-Based Research in the Creative Use of

Digital Design and Manufacturing Technologies Lionel Dean
ROOM 1 | Theme: MEANING ROOM 2 | Theme: BEING
106 Seeing Me? Returning the Poetics of the Body to the Medical 085 Poetics of Play; Touch and Movement in Garment Design with
Consultation John McGhee & Fionagh Thomson Sheepskin, Silk and Lace Sarah Morehead
084 Praxis and Poetics: Can Design Methods Facilitate the 072 "Touch Me, Feel Me, Play with Me" Eunjeong Jeon
Personalisation of Healthcare for Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes Within
a National Health Service Context? Katherine Henderson 071 Illustrating Fashion’s Invisible Woman Ann Marie Kirkbride
087 Interactive Teaware: Sharing Experiences in Old Age

Tommy Dykes, Jayne Wallace & Tim Regan
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Day 3: Thursday 5th September 2013
ROOM 1 | Theme: DOING ROOM 2 | Theme: MAKING
006 Legibility Investigation: Towards Controlling Typeface Variables 079 A Sheep in Synthetic Wolf’s Clothing: Creating a Hybrid of Natural
Sofie Beier and Man-Made Materials to Combine Protection and Aesthetics in a
Cold Climate Fiona Kitchman & Sarah Morehead
007 Work in Progress
Jacob Sebastian Bang 074 Quest for the Esteem Engine Colin Wilson
040 The Tao of SolidWorks 034 Personalised Mass Manufactured Products: A Possibility or a
David O’Leary Contradition? Jacqueline Power & Rina Bernabei
ROOM 1 | Theme: BEING ROOM 2 | Theme: MEANING
015 Fabric Fobs and Family Ties Hazel White, Sara Nevay, Joanne Hodge, 061 The Loneliness of the Roving Martian Robot: The Mini Mars Rover
Mike Press. Paul Mackinnon & Yumeng Zhou Michael Shorter, Tom Metcalfe, Jon Rogers, Ali Napier, Jayne Wallace &
James Thomas
103 Emphathy and the Individual Matt Coombes, Jayne Wallace,
Mark Blythe & Colin Wilson
069 Campaign Badges: Creating Meaning Through Making Julia Keyte
022 Writing Practice as Contemporary Practice: Experience,
Imagination, Knowledge Winnie Ha 003 ‘Sole Searching’ – Mediating Material Narratives for Meaningful
Products Nick Gant & Tanya Dean
ROOM 1 | Theme: DOING ROOM 2 | Theme: MEANING
088 The 4th Wall Project: A Creative Exploration of 073 Reading by Starlight: An Exploration into Making Space Data
3D-Stereoscopic Viewing and Animation Hugo Glover Physical and Personally Meaningful James Thomas, Jayne Wallace,
John Rogers, David McGloin, Michael Shorter & Alicia Llewellyn
089 Exploring Relationship between Textiles and Drawing
Kerry Walton 082 Utopian Dreaming Seton Wakenshaw, Lucy Marlor & David Dalziel
090 Moving Target: The Modification of Intent when Making a Pair 077 Design Fictions: Future Technology in Diagetic Worlds
of Scissors Phil Luscombe, Paul Rodgers, Jayne Wallace & Sarah Martindale & Abigail Durrant
Rickard Whittingham
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Day 3: Thursday 5th September 2013
POSTER SESSION
Making Viewing
065 Objectifying Sound Efe Alpay 028 Magic Interactions? Game Design to Counterattack
Gambling Irresistible Illusions Annamaria Andrea Vitali
105 Design Development: A Veterinary Operating Table
Howard Fenwick 099 The New Saint Cuthbert’s Banner
Fiona J. Raeside-Elliott
113 Recognising the Skill of the Silk Jacquard Designer
Joan Johnston Meaning
008 Re-Designing the Dining Experience: Harpooning
Doing Meatballs in the Name of Co-Creation
043 We Shape Our Tools, Then They Shape Us Mie Norgaard
Kay Politowicz & Rebecca Earley
056 Cookie Riot: The Development of an Interactive Learning
066 Corporeality, Creative Process and Dissemination Platform for Healthy Food Education
Ko Le Chen, Elaine Campbell & David Kirk Miguel Bruns, Alonso Rob Dijkstra, Manon Spermon, Renée van
den Berg, Suzanne Aartsen, & Angelique van Gemert
067 Additive Manufacturing with Precious Metal Clay (PMC);
Aesthetic Opportunities that Bridge Digital and Traditional Craft 095 Design Thinking Set to Verse Aysar Ghassan
Esteban Schunemann & Sarah Silve
Being
037 Networked Tactile Objects Joanne Hodge, Hazel White &
Mike Press
059 High Tea at the Conviviality Cafe: Research Tool or Design

Intervention? Ann Light, Andy Milligan, Lowri Bond,
Linsey McIntosh & Carol Botten
5
Poetics
DAY 2
Papers
6
Research Through Design 2013
Data-Objects: Databronze

Ian Gwilt Abstract asked a variety of people to interact with the objects and discuss
which objects they thought helped in the comprehension of the
Sheffield Hallam University The artifact databronze is a product of a practice-led research original information and why.
Sheffield methodology that explores the representation of complex statistical
I.gwilt@shu.ac.uk
information through the construction of physical, three-dimensional Author Keywords
objects. The research project (data-objects) asks the following
Coilin O'Dubhghaill Tangible Data; Creative Practice; Information Design
three questions, first: can the creation of physical artifacts based on
Sheffield Hallam University data from scientific sources change the way we read, interpret and
Sheffield
respond to complex information. Second: can data informed objects
Research Imperatives
coilin@coilin.com
offer new insight to people outside of the scientific community who After initial project framing meetings with the engineers/
Koutaro Sano do not typically work with or read statistical lists or graphs. And researchers responsible for gathering the packaging operability
third: what qualities/ traits can we capitalize when moving data it was acknowledged that there was a difficulty in sharing the
Japan Advanced Institute of Science
information between digital/ material environments. results of these experiments with parties outside of the engineering
and Technology (JAIST), Japan
skoutaro@gmail.com field (Yoxall, 2006). In particular the question of how to
The databronze object discussed in this paper is the latest artifact communicate these findings effectively to both the designers who
to be created under the data-objects project (Gwilt, 2012) with the are responsible for the ongoing design and development of
specific intention of investigating the influence of material choices packaging solutions, and the general public who are consumers of
on the understanding of information represented as a physical these products needed addressing. The importance of
object. communicating the relationship between age and dexterity/strength
and the value of understanding this relationship for different sectors
In this study we worked with packaging engineers who supplied of the community was identified as being of significance in terms of
data (based on information gathered in a series of scientific bench a research question. Further meetings with The Cambridge
tests) on the ability of older people to open the lids on ordinary Engineering Design Centre, established the direction of the
domestic packaging. We then worked with creative practitioners to investigation which was to explore the development of design tools,
design objects that represented this data in different ways. Craft and the use of creative media fabrication approaches to help
making techniques using a range of materials and digitally based address the problem of dissemination, cognition and uptake of
processes, such as 3D printing technologies were explored. The these findings. In addition it was recognised that different sectors of
intended outcome of these creative activities was to make a series the community; designers, care workers, the general public etc.
of object prototypes that could be tested in terms of how they may have specific requirements for the data and may need
communicated the embedded data. In a user-testing exercise, we particular levels of insight into any given information.
7
From a theoretical perspective this idea of how we might begin to young to old. In this way changes in data over time (age) were
translate complex digital data into a physical artifact speaks to the used to dictate the variations in landscape. A variety of
current trend for strategies that bring digital computing into the configurations were tried that experimented with different start and
everyday. For example Mitchell Whitelaw’s work Measuring Cup end points, using separate data for male and females. These
(Sydney, 1859-2009) uses 150 years of weather data to drive the experiments were mapped out in different combinations and tests
shape of a 3D printed cup, where the sides of the cup are built up were undertaken to explore how both male and female statistics
in yearly rings of data (Whitelaw, 2010). Terms such as Ubiquitous could be combined in the same object (see Fig. 2).
Computing, The Internet of Things (IOT) and Smart Environments Although the edges of the object closely followed the original data
are all concepts that are growing in popularity. The data-object to dictate the terrain, the surface variations in the centre of the
concept plays to the desire for the creation of hybrid digital/material model were a creative interpretation of the statistics.
constructs that are able to draw on the attributes of digital
computing and the properties/value we ascribe to material form
(Harrison, 2013; Munster, 2006). This notion of ‘digital materiality’
challenges the value systems that we typically assign (discretely) to
artifacts associated to digital and material cultures, in particular we
are interested in how material and operational forms, and the use
of visual metaphor, play an inportant role in establishing
expectations of use and significance. The data-object also
represents a move away from the disembodied notions of computer

generated Virtual Reality, towards a shared visual language and a
Figure 1. Initial sketch ideas. way of interacting in an increasingly conflated digital physical
space.
Research Process
In conjunction with the other research members Dr Koutaro Sano, a
Japanese ceramicist, designer, and researcher interpreted the
selected statistical data as part of a practice-based methodology.
A series of sketches were created that explored a number of initial
Figure 2. Experiments with different data configurations.
concepts through the use of different visual metaphors (see Fig. 1).
From these sketches a landscape metaphor was chosen as one of
Initial models were made using clay, plaster, and plastic via a
a series of concepts to be further developed. This landscape
computer CAD model and a 3D printer (see Fig. 3). After
metaphor was used to form the basis of the databronze model. In
conducting user tests with these prototypes a key topic of
this concept the data drives the topography of the object, with
conversation emerged, based on how the material qualities of the
higher numbers corresponding to high ‘ground’ and lower numbers
different models had a strong impact on the comprehension and
the ‘low’ ground. Age is represented along the sides of the model,
interpretation of the encapsulated data. Surface texture and the
which as you move along the edge of the form traces statistics from
granularity of the surface was seen to indicate a corresponding
8
data density – the smooth surface of the plastic model implied a

small amount of data and the rough detailed surface of the hand-
crafted plaster model implied a large amount of data. Other
material qualities such as the weight of the object, size and overall
tactility were also commented on as factors that influenced the
perception of the underlying data. With this in mind we developed
the data landscape analogy further by producing a bronze version
of the original plaster prototype. The thinking being that the bronze
model encapsulated the quintessential qualities of crafted
materiality (see Fig. 4).
Figure 4. Databronze (2013).
Unstructured interviews are being conducted with various

stakeholders for whom the data is of relevance; this includes,
designers, healthcare workers, and members of the general ‘aging’
public (40 years plus). As well as the two data-objects the data
source is presented in its original form as a graph to allow for
comparisons between visualization typologies. This comparison
Figure 3. Plaster and plastic prototypes of data-objects.
allows us to further explore what affect these material choices
might have on the comprehension and cognition of the data that
Research Outcomes drives the shape of the objects. We are also interested in the
The authors acknowledge how intangible ideas based around making/fabrication process required to create each object and
emotions, meanings, associations, and socio-cultural differences whether or not these processes (digital and analogue) have any
can be communicated/influenced by and through material choices influence on the perception of the data encapsulated within. For
(Karana et al., 2010). And how structural and physical instance it could be argued that the use of and crafting in bronze,
characteristics help to communicate ideas and give character to brings with it culturally related notions of history, power and
content (in this case information). In a new study we compare two authority, and conversely that the computer facilitated 3D printing
different data-objects; one made from bronze (the databronze), and technique is a contemporary making process that speaks to the
an identical one made from Fuse Deposition Rapid Prototyping dynamic notions of a technologised society. The premise being that
(FDRP) plastic. the synthesised construct of the data-object can offer us a new way
of looking at the digital/ material relationship and the attendant
socio-cultural values we ascribe to these two paradigms.
Preliminary findings from the research indicate that these artifacts
can also act as a provocation – offering a discursive space
engendered through the confluence of material and digital cultures
in the form of the data-object. Moreover, the type of ‘contestable
9
data-scape’ (as used in the databronze artifact), where the

underlying statistical information is also creatively interpreted,
allows the meaning and significance of this information to be
challenged and explored. In this instance the hybridity of the data
artifact, with its potential to encapsulate and translate information,
acts as a syncretic agent capable of appealing to a cross-section of
communities. In broader terms this research sets out to explore if
the concept of the data-object is useful in engendering insights into
complex data systems for audiences who are not use to or
comfortable with viewing data in conventional statistical and
graphical forms.
References
1. Gwilt, I., Yoxall A., Sano, K. (2012) Enhancing the Understanding of
Statistical Data through the Creation of Physical Objects, In
Proceedings of The 2nd International Conference on Design
Creativity (ICDC2012) Design Society, UK. pp. 117-124
2. Harrison, D. (2009) Digital Media and Technologies for Virtual Artistic
Spaces, IGI Global, US.
3. Karana E., Hekkert P., and P. Kandachar (2010) A tool for meaning
driven materials selection, Materials and Design 31, pp. 2932-294
4. Munster, A. (2006). Materializing New Media: Embodiment in
Information Aesthetics, Dartmouth College Press, US.
5. Whitelaw, M. (2010) Measuring Cup (Sydney, 1859-2009). Retrieved
July, 2013, from http://mtchl.net/measuring-cup/
6. Yoxall, A., Janson, R., Bradbury, S. R., Langley, J., Wearn, J.,
Hayes, S. (2006) Openability: producing design limits for consumer
packaging, Packaging Technology and Science, Volume 19, Issue 4,
pages 219–225, July/August 2006
10
Dear Sir/Madam: Walter Gropius Petitions the League of Design Thinkers

Aysar Ghassan Abstract
Northumbria University In 1919 Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus, a School of Art,
Author Keywords
Newcastle upon Tyne
Design & Architecture located in Weimar, Germany. The Bauhaus Walter Gropius; Bauhaus; Modernism; Design Thinking; Design
NE1 8ST, UK
Aysar2006@hotmail.com propagated the methodology of modernist design: rationalism and Fiction; Critical Design.
reductionism. The Bauhaus is hugely important. In Germany, its
methodology influenced leading design schools such as the
Hochschule für Gestaltung. Beyond this country, a modernist
approach to pedagogy is argued to dominate in contemporary The phenomenon termed “design thinking” was coined by David
design education worldwide. Modernism is argued to have informed Kelley the founder of IDEO (Leavy, 2012). It is claimed to be a
notions of “good design” and is cited as increasing the subject’s creative problem-solving process (e.g. Cross, 2011). Design
standing. thinking has become influential in design research and practice
(e.g. Cross, 2011; Brown, 2008). Leading design practitioners and
Rather than emphasizing reductionism, the more recent researchers argue the concept of holism to be central to the
phenomenon of “design thinking” promotes a holistic methodology. process of design thinking (e.g. Brown, 2008; Cooke, 2012;
Currently, design thinking is influential in design research and Stevens, 2012; Lawson, 2006).
practice.
Discussion on design processes is multifaceted. For example,
As a “reductionist”, Gropius is not deemed by the fictional League reducing design practice and research to a “formula” driven by
of Design Thinkers to be a design thinker. This contribution sees rational and reductive processes is argued to result in failure
Gropius petition this institution. He asks why his profound (Koskinen, Zimmerman, Binder, Redstrom and Wensveen, 2011, p.
contributions to design are not deemed appropriate in bestowing 42). Most commercial design practice however is claimed to
him the status of design thinker. He requests officials to suggest proceed through rational and reductive means (Dunne, 2005).
what his cognitive efforts might be termed if they are not deemed to Does Dunne’s (ibid) argument denote that most designers are not
be design thinking. Gropius moves on to rubbish the concept of design thinkers? Or is perhaps that commercial imperatives prevent
design thinking. Gropius also commissions a “protest” self-portrait designers from functioning in a holistic manner? In noting the
which aims to help narrate his frustration. stifling “paradigm of responding to a design brief”, the Design
Council argues industry norms limit the capabilities of design
A tradition of questioning principles through the creation of fictional professionals (Burns, Cottam, Vanstone and Winhall, 2006:10).
scenarios and crafting thought-provoking artifacts exists in design. The issue of modernism further complicates discussion around
Here, Gropius is used as a ‘vehicle’ to ask the community to design thinking. One of design thinking’s leading proponents Tim
perceive design thinking through a new lens in order to unpick the Brown (2008: 92) argues the process is human-centered for it can
debate surrounding this influential notion. help tackle problems related to “unaffordable or unavailable health
11
care” and “billions of people trying to live on just a few dollars a his association with reductivism and rationalism. In petitioning this
day.” Similarly, modernism was claimed by its advocates to be an institution, Gropius commissions two artifacts:
emancipatory movement (Leslie and Reimer, 2003), its famous
edict Form Follows Function emerging as a strategy to impress
• A Letter of Petition
supposedly positive rational forces on society (Nergin, 1999). The
issue of human-centeredness provides a basis for identifying
With characteristic fervour (Figure 1) Gropius asks why his
research imperatives related to design thinking and modernism.
profound contributions to design and design education are not
judged appropriate in bestowing him the status of design thinker.
Walter Gropius was a leading advocate of modernism. In 1919 he
He requests officials to suggest what his important cognitive efforts
founded the Bauhaus, a School of Art, Design & Architecture
might be termed if not deemed to be design thinking. On further
located in Weimar, Germany. As a modernist institution, the
reflection, Gropius moves on to rubbish the notion of design
Bauhaus endorsed a rationalistic and reductionist design approach
thinking.
(see Spitz, 2005). Bauhaus tutors perceived design through
“aesthetic”, “scientific-analytical” and “social” dimensions: with due
To underscore his allegiance to modernism, Gropius invites
attention paid to form and approach, humans could create perfect
Bauhaus alumni Joost Schmidt to design the letter in the style of
objects to improve the lives of others (Spitz, ibid, p. 3-4). The
Schmidt’s famous poster (please see, http://goo.gl/H7uHr).
Bauhaus perspective can be argued to be a formula for design
research and practice. The Bauhaus is hugely important. In
• A New Self-Portrait
Germany, its methodology influenced leading design schools such
as the Hochschule für Gestaltung (Findeli, 2001). Beyond this
Figure 2 shows the portrait Gropius chose to adorn his Wikipedia
country, a modernist approach to pedagogy is argued to dominate
(n.d,n.p) entry. Consequently, it is arguably an image many people
in contemporary design education worldwide (Michl, 2007).
will be familiar with. To accompany his letter, Gropius has a new
Modernism is argued to have informed notions of “good design”
“protest portrait” commissioned (Figure 3). Sticky notes are
and for increasing the subject’s standing (Buckley 1986, p. 21). The
commonly utilized in design thinking brainstorms. Here, Gropius is
Bauhaus’ influence appears not to resonate with Koskinen et al’s
pictured covered in sticky notes to reflect his indignation at being
(ibid) aforementioned argument that a formulaic design approach
snubbed by the League of Design Thinkers. He requests that this
necessarily leads to failure.
new protest portrait accompanies his Wikipedia entry from now on.
This contribution utilizes a critical design/design fiction paradigm

(e.g. Dunne, 2005). It employs a historical outlook to inform a
practice-based method in order to provide a critical perspective on
the notion of design thinking.
Research Process
Individuals wishing to be admitted into the fictional League of
Design Thinkers must utilize a holistic framework in their design
practice or research. Gropius is refused membership because of
12
Research Outcomes
A tradition of questioning principles through the creation of artifacts
exists in design (e.g. Dunne, 2005). Through utilizing fictional
scenarios, designers can encourage viewers to create new
perspective on subjects. For example, in a recent exhibition
featuring work of the influential critical design practitioners Tony
Dunne and Fiona Raby, the Design Museum (n.d., n.p) asks us to
imagine the consequences of England being,
“devolved into four self-contained counties, each free to experiment

with governance, economy and lifestyle. These 'live laboratories'
Figure 2. Gropius’ Wikipedia portrait.
© Wikipedia. interrogate the cultural and ethical impact of existing and new
technologies and how they alter the way we live”.
Through utilizing a design fiction/critical design paradigm, this

contribution asks the community to provide opinion on (1) what
constitutes design thinking and (2) what Gropius’ contributions
might be termed if not “design thinking”. The outcome of this
debate is important in helping to unpick discussion on the highly
influential notion of design thinking.
Acknowledgements
My eternal gratitude to Dr. Ben Salem Bernard for his good humor
and patience in posing as Herr Gropius for the protest portrait.
References
1. Brown, T. (2008) Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review,
June 2008: 85-92
2. Buckley, C. (1986) Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist
Figure 3. Gropius’ ‘Protest Portrait’.
Analysis of Women and Design. Design Issues 3 (2): 3-14.
© Aysar Ghassan.
3. Burns, C., Cottam, H., Vanstone, C., Winhall, J. (2006) Red Paper
Number 2: Transformation Design. Design council. Accessed:
http://www.designcouncil.info/mt/RED/transformationdesign/Transform
ationDesignFinalDraft.pdf
Figure 1. Gropius’ Letter of Petition’. © Aysar Ghassan.
13
4. Cooke, P. (2012) ‘Come Fly With Us’: presentation by Peter 16. Stevens, R. (2012) ‘Come Fly With Us’: presentation by Peter
Cooke and Richard Stevens. City Campus East, Northumbria Cooke and Richard Stevens. City Campus East, Northumbria
University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, Wednesday 20th June, 2012. University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, Wednesday 20th June, 2012.
5. Cross, N. (2011) Design Thinking. Oxford: Berg 17. Wikipedia (n.d.) Walter Gropius. Accessed:
6. Design Museum (N.D) United Micro Kingdoms (UMK): a Design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gropius
Fiction. Accessed: http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2013/united-
micro-kingdoms-umk
7. Dunne, A. (2005) Hertzian Tales: Electronic Products, Aesthetic
Experience, and Critical Design. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
8. Findeli, A. (2001) Rethinking Design Education for the 21st
Century: Theoretical, Methodological, and Ethical Discussion. Design
Issues Vol. 17, No. 1: 5-17.
9. Koskinen, I., Zimmerman, J., Binder, T., Redstrom, J. and
Wensveen, S. (2011) ‘Design Research Through Practice: From the
Lab, Field, and Showroom’. Waltham, MA: Morgan Kauffman.
10. Lawson, B. (2006) How Designers Think: the design process
demystified. Oxford: Architectural Press. Fourth Edition
11. Leavy, B. (2012) Collaborative innovation as the new imperative –
design thinking, value co-creation and the power of ‘‘pull’’. Strategy &
Leadership, Vol. 40, No. 2: 25 – 34.
12. Leslie, D. and Reimer, S. (2003) Gender, modern design, and
home consumption. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space,
21 (3): 293–316
13. Michl, M. (2007) A Case Against the Modernist Regime in Design
Education. An invited lecture at the conference of CUMULUS,
Bratislava, Slovakia, (12th October 2007) under the title “Am I just
seeing things – or is the modernist apartheid regime still in place?”
Accessed: http://janmichl.com/eng.apartheid.html
14. Negrin, L. (1999) The Self as Image: a critical Appraisal of
Postmodern Theories of Fashion. Theory, Culture & Society, 16 (3): 99-
118.
15. Spitz, R. (2005) “Design” Becomes an Issue in Germany. The
Design Journal, 8 (3): 2-12
14
HEIMA

Patrick Macklin Abstract Research Imperatives
Glasgow School of Art 1
HEIMA is a research project currently under development. It stems Heima is an exploration of ‘Viewing’ and how we perceive objects.
Glasgow G3 6RQ
from an interest in the relationship between citizens and city space; The research aims to develop alternatives to the standard and
p.macklin@gsa.ac.uk
curiosity regarding the ability of sound to suggest location in both often inadequate visual methods of spatial representation, such as
place and time; and a fascination with unintended consequences of analogue and digital drafting, scale model production, illustration
design. and photo-documentation, and is in part born out of frustration at
the hegemony of sight, (Pallasmaa, 2005).
Employing a simple comparison between the predicted aural
environments – actual and imagined – within two contrasting Building on a previous site contingent work (TreeGrid, 2009, which
historic dwellings, it suggests an alternative means of representing harnessed live data mining to create a user-interactive virtual
interior spaces, and additionally, begins to explore how the environment), Heima uses data ‘reconstructed’ from sets of
perception of enclosed space is affected both by aspects of observable historic information and in a similar way to TreeGrid, is
materiality, and by the impact of significant external events. intended to be experienced in a parallel way, with a dual presence,
at once virtual and physical, participatory and immersive.
The work uses sound as an ingredient within a form of composite ‘A physical and purely visual curating of a space, one which clears
representation of both interiors, and by doing so, aims to challenge away all detritus in an attempt to get to the kernel of a single truth,
the dominance and over reliance on visual means of expressing the often has the effect of removing all truths and closing down the role
nature of the built environment. Heima indicates alternatives to this of the senses other than that of sight’ (Littlefield/Lewis, 2007).
ocular dependency, which may be employed in the archiving of
vanished or significantly reconstructed place, as well as in the By the late 1950’s the Woodside district of Glasgow was the city’s
presentation of ideas about as yet unconstructed place. most densely populated area with 27 000 people living in its 170
acres. Over the following decade the typical traditional Victorian
The site of both buildings is the Woodside area of Glasgow, which flatted tenements once found there were almost entirely
was, at the mid-point of the last century, one of the world’s most demolished and replaced by non-traditional buildings in the form of
densely populated urban areas. deck-access and prefabricated concrete ‘Bison’ high-rise blocks.
Woodside had been designated one of twenty-nine city wide
Comprehensive Development Areas (CDA’s) by the local authority,
and as such most of it’s housing stock had been deemed as sub
1
’Home’, which connotes a physical ‘place’ but also has the more abstract standard, overcrowded and unsanitary. It was cleared partly as a
sense of a ‘state of being,’ has no equivalent in the Latin or Slavic European
response to Glasgow’s acute housing crisis and also to facilitate
languages. German, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch and English all
have similar sounding words for ‘home’ all derived from the Old Norse the construction of several major junctions of the Inner Ring Road
‘heima’. From Home, a Short History of an Idea – Witold Rybczynski.
15
(M8), the two Woodside sections of which were completed in The process of exploring alternative, acoustic methods of spatial
December 1970 and May 1971 respectively (Bruce, 1945; representation is ongoing. It began with a familiarisation with the
Abercrombie and Matthew, 1949; Cunnison and Gilfillan, 1958). topography of the area prior to its classification as a CDA, to date
The completed, and ultimately congested M8 arguably in turn this has been primarily using historic photographic reference
neighborhood. The ‘event’ nature of the completion of the material as well as original street and geographical maps. This
motorway which connects Edinburgh and the west of Scotland – approach was combined with several visits to the sites themselves,
and unusually for the UK, bisects a city centre rather than orbiting with more thorough exploration of the area surrounding the hi-rise,
it – is a key fulcrum of the work. Something happened to the city and that formerly occupied by the tenement flat. This culminated in
then, it made ‘a belated and enormously controversial stab at access to a ‘void’ or unoccupied duplex apartment now managed
modernity… with hundreds of council towers and the M8 scything by Queens Cross Housing Association which provided a direct
through it, giving the impression of a Ludwig Hilberseimer urban understanding of the materials and construction of the building, and
Figure 1. 542 St Georges Road Glasgow, plan realized on a Lidl budget’ (Hatherley, 2010). ultimately within the flat itself ie simple timber floorboards lining a
circa 1967 immediately prior to demolition concrete shell with glazed apertures.
In front of us is a wide valley By using a combination of the surviving archival material linked to
The sun is shining with glittering rays typical tenement housing cleared from Woodside, along with the These ‘analogue’ site explorations were followed by ‘digital’ tasks,
The carriageway is a grey track
original construction drawings of the high-rise towers that were the first of which was an introduction to the Digital Design Studio
White stripes, green edge their replacement, the research will attempt to recreate and (DDS) and Arup’s SoundLab – a twelve-channel speaker array
We are switching the radio on encapsulate the dramatic and rapid changes to the urban fabric within an acoustically treated and isolated room – Soundlab will be
From the speaker sounds:… and building typologies represented in the area via a series of used to test the effectiveness of the initial acoustic models, and
Autobahn (translation) ambient acoustic models of each space enlivened by source also be used to demonstrate proof of concept. That visit was
Kraftwerk, 1974 sounds. These will range from the hum of the city subtly and not followed by the creation of suitable 3D CAD models from a
so subtly adjusting over time, to the clatter of demolition and combination of original plans; archival and contemporary location
construction, with occasional incursions of sound made by photography and site surveys. Typical source models are simple
weather. This process will test how effective digital acoustic planar constructions expressing the volume of each apartment, as
modeling might prove in the creation of immersive environments well as relevant apertures ie doors and windows. These are then
particularly in relation to re-archiving and the representation of exported to an acoustic modeling package – in this case CATT
now vanished or significantly and detectably altered places, and Acoustics – employing acoustic prediction methods typically used
by doing so, help sketch out an alternative aural landscape of to investigate how a building will perform aurally prior to its
domesticity, both remembered and imagined. construction. The process for Heima deviates from this in that it
employs reverse engineering by using auralisation to suggest a
Figure 2. View from Cedar Court, historic experience of sound within rooms, re-creating events from
Glasgow, overlooking Woodside CDA Research Process a series of fragments. These include what may have been
undergoing comprehensive demolition. experienced but cannot now be – in the case of the demolished
Circa 1968 ‘The fear that can attach itself to hearing sounds whose
activation is unseen; noises in the dark; a silence which is not building, and what may have been experienced but has now been
.
quite silent enough, a house that won’t lie still… Lacking an adjusted – through the replacement buildings’ new double glazing;
object, the imagination intercedes and supplies a ghost’ (Toop, the absence of former industries; contemporary car engine sounds
2010). and traffic congestion.
16
At the time of writing, this process is underway. The archive has

been ransacked, and progress in now mired in the lengthy and
laborious production and editing of digital models, however once
completed the framework is there for the addition of this specific
layering of memory, and grain.
‘If the city is a receptacle of the collective memory, then it will

contain the memory of the events that occurred there. The
conscious loss or suppression of event is an assault on the identity
of the citizenry’ (Scott, 2008).
Future iterations of the project will test the feasibility of

representation of environments using a sound format known as
Ambisonics. This exists in part as a means of playback of 3D
spatial audio via an immersive indoor multi speaker array. An
adjacent website would be used to gauge the significance of
interactive engagement with elements from a sound library related
to the context of the work. This could be event based: the day the
residents received keys; the day that former homes were razed to
the ground; the day a motorway sprang to life. It might also
incorporate sounds of domesticity: preparing a meal; playing cards;
Figure 3. Exploratory sketch of Type 2 Duplex showing room layout
listening to music. Finally, the experience of sound would be
influenced by data drawn from weather stations providing ‘live’
Research Outcomes atmospheric information in the form of wind, thunder, rain and hail,
As this is a work under development much has yet to emerge. The and occasionally none of these.
current iteration consists of two acrylic, laser-cut and etched scale
models of each of the building skins, forming a diptych and acting References
as a housing for relayed elements of relevant audio. What is 1. Abercrombie, Sir P. and Matthew, R. H. (1949) The Clyde Regional
communicated here, in diagrammatic form, is physical constructed Valley Plan HMSO
space, the sounds that it envelops, and those that it is enveloped 2. Bruce, R and Gilfillan JBS (1945) The First Planning Report to the
by. What is also communicated is something that photography, Highways and Planning Committee (City of Glasgow) including
folio of maps and drawings
orthographic and other drawings fail to capture, and that is the time
3. Certeau, M de. (1984) The Practice of Everyday Life University of
contingent and experiential. It is part of a tour and not part of a California Press, pp.117–119
map, and acknowledges the power of ‘stories’ to transform space to
4. Cunnison, J and Gilfillan JBS (1958) The Third Statistical Account of
place and vice versa (de Certeau, 1984). Scotland–Glasgow Collins
5. Hatherley, O (2010) A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain Verso.
p187
17
6. Littlefield, D and Lewis, S (2007) Architectural Voices, Listening to Old

Buildings Wiley. P57
7. Pallasmaa, J (2005) The Eyes of the Skin, Architecture and the Senses
Wiley. P22
8. Scott, F (2008) On Altering Architecture Routledge. p193
9. Toop, D (2010) Sinister Resonance, The Mediumship of the Listener
Continuum. P151
18
Blue Jay Weeble: Experiential Approaches to iPad Painting

Mark Blythe Abstract Introduction: Research Imperatives
Northumbria University
Artists are increasingly adopting apps such as “Brushes”, The use of digital materials in the creation and display of art is now
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK “Procreate” and “Sketchbook Pro” to create new work. The “Blue commonplace. Digital painting apps such as Brushes, Procreate
mark.blythe@northumbria.ac.uk Jay Weeble” exhibit for Research Through Design explores the and Sketchbook Pro mean that the media to produce and distribute
notion of “liveness” around live, experiential digital painting. The art are more widely available than ever before. The Brushes app
Jo Briggs artist Jason Wilsher-Mills will perform iPad painting in an immersive (Brushes) allows users to upload images online to the Flickr
Northumbria University space made up of four projection screens linked to iPads and Brushes Gallery, (Brushes Gallery) which at the time of writing had
Newcastle upon Tyne displaying paintings made with the Brushes app. The installation will more than four thousand members who between them had
NE1 8ST UK
create an experience of the artist’s dynamic use of the app as a tool produced in excess of forty thousand images (Blue Jay Way; Blythe
jo.briggs@northumbria.ac.uk
for free drawing and collage. et al., 2013). But it is not only amateur artists who have adopted
Ben Freeth these new media; professional artists such as David Hockney are
The paintings will illustrate a research prototype currently being
Newcastle University also enthusiasts.
developed around the notion of a “Digital Weeble”. This hand-scale
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU UK object opens to display a screen interface controlled by biometric
Hockney is a painter, and printmaker who has long produced
b.c.freeth@ncl.ac.uk sensors which determine what content is revealed to the user-
“limited editions” of his work. In the second half of the twentieth
participant. The artist will illustrate this concept drawing on his
century the artist would produce prints using traditional techniques
Patrick Olivier repertoire of pop culture motifs. These includes Batman and the
Newcastle University such as etching. This process involves coating a metal plate with
popular 1970s “Weeble” children’s toy. The works additionally
Newcastle upon Tyne wax through which lines are drawn and exposed to the corrosive
reference precious art objects such as the extravagantly bejeweled
NE1 7RY UK action of acid in an acid bath. Ink is then rubbed into the incised
p.l.olivier@ncl.ac.uk Fabergé egg which was produced in Imperial Russia and worn on a
lines and the surface of the plate polished before a sheet of
necklace.
dampened paper is laid over it. The plate and paper are then run
through an etching press which transfers the ink to the paper. This
inking and printing process is repeated to produce print runs; in
Author Keywords Hockney's case this involves between one hundred and one
Design Research, Reproduction, Liveness, Performance, Art, Digital hundred and fifty copies. The etching plate is then “struck”
Painting, Mobile Computing. (scratched) to prevent further copies being taken, conferring a
scarcity value onto the prints. In the twenty first century, Hockney
uses iPads and iPhones. He has referred to such technologies as

“printing machines” (Gayford, 2011). Although he is enthusiastic
about the technology Hockney notes that nobody knows how to
make any money out of it (ibid.). When artwork is created or shared

19
digitally, notions of an “original work” and a “limited edition” begin to

break down. As music industry representatives have long lamented,
digital files can be copied at almost no cost with no diminution of
quality. Increasingly, all artists are facing similar problems. Novelists
and other writers' works are now available in pirated PDF copies.
Visual artists who utilize digital media are exposed to the challenges
of managing their digital property. This project then, explores new
digital forms of art display and dissemination.

Research Process: The Artist
Jason Wilsher-Mills (JWM) exhibits work he produces using the
Brushes iPad app under the name “Blue Jay Way” on the Brushes
Gallery on Flickr. The artist is collaborating with researchers at
Northumbria University and Culture Lab at Newcastle University to
develop prototypes for the “digital originals” research project which Figures 2 and 3. Stills from "Down the Alley (We are very pally)" ©JWM
explores notions around originality and reproduction (Digital
Originals). Jason came to the attention of the research group
Figure 1 . "Down the Alley (We are very following an analysis of work in the Brushes Gallery (Briggs and
Down the Alley (We are very pally)
pally)" ©JWM
Blythe, 2012) where his self-portraits were highly rated by other Films of artists such as Picasso drawing on glass or Jackson
artists in the group and struck the second author as original. Pollock dripping paint across a canvas are compelling because they
Following initial telephone interviews, Jason visited the research provide an insight into their processes. Similarly, Brushes videos
team and participated in workshops where he discussed his show mark by mark how a complex image takes shape over time.
technique and possibilities for new forms of reproduction and Jason's video begins with a line drawing of the artist’s face. After a
display. shirt and tie are added (Fig. 2) the image shrinks to one corner of
the screen, apparently enlarging the digital canvas. A photograph of
The Brushes app auto-creates an animated file of each image, an arm appears: its white background is erased and it is resized to
produced mark by mark. Jason showed the team one such video fit the image (Fig. 3), Further details are added and color applied in
generated as he worked over several weeks on an image, "Down increasingly vibrant hues. Again, the image is resized and a torso
the Alley (We are very pally)" (Figure 1). These videos are in some added to the figure; two dark shapes are outlined to represent
ways perhaps, even more interesting than the final images. The feathered wings. These are then deleted and another set of wings
following section provides an overview of Jason's creative process pasted from another source. The background is once again erased,
as documented in one such video (Figures 2–7), which he posted and the wings are positioned and scaled to fit the figure. Gradually,
online (Wilsher-Mills, 2011). other elements are added—a photograph of a hand pointing, a
drawn ladder. Nails are added on to the fingers, shells or bullets
appear around the figure, the words
20
“no angel” are written over the forehead, the wings become white influence of Philip Guston, Frida Kahlo and a raft of popular cultural
(Fig. 3). Abruptly, the entire image shrinks. In the now-enlarged forms are also apparent. Viewed durationally, Jason's iPad painting
workspace the figure’s body is added, part-sitting (Fig. 4). recalls the way that Hogarth’s eighteenth-century work narrates a
complex if dreamlike set of interwoven events.
Further details and context are added, including bricks around the
edges of the image. A rocket appears, with the artist-figure now Here, the video's apparent recursive zooming-out presents an
sitting (dancing?) aside it (Fig. 5). Flying shells are added, making almost-hallucinogenic nesting of narrative segments.
it appear he has broken through the wall. Further details appear, But this record of mark-by-mark composition fails to capture the
such as a Union Jack hat, and the image dramatically shrinks dynamism of Jason's process. Observing the artist at work reveals
once again (Fig. 6). Another figure is added, leaning out of a his extensive use of the touch screen zoom facility to enable
window. Another self-portrait appears in the foreground, intricate rapid detailing: a mesmerizing process which Brushes
bandaged. A batman cowl (a regular motif of the artist) is drawn automated video function entirely fails to capture.
on to the figure at the window. Surrounding bricks are colored in
to join seamlessly with the shattered wall. Still further detail is
applied: three signs, a light bulb, a pair of Y fronts on a washing
line, another self-portrait. The image is beginning to look
complete, but we are still only half-way through the video. As the
details accumulate the speed of transformation slows and the
changes become subtler. But once again there is a dramatic
change and the entire composition shrinks to the top right. Again,
the figure in the forefront is given context: they are now standing
in an alley; a street sign tells us this is “Sawley Close”. The
bandaged figure and the batman character are pointing to the
original figure as he bursts through the bricks sitting atop the
rocket. Again, it appears to be a finished composition, but the
image shrinks one more time, though not so dramatically (Fig. 7).
A boy in gas mask appears, and a fish is placed in the hand of
the now-central figure.
The final image (Fig. 1) recalls British traditions of cartooning

(with the figure of the knock kneed school boy in shorts), narrative
Figures 6 and 7. Stills from "Down the Alley (We are very pally)" ©JWM
painting and surrealism. Jason's visual language and subject
matter are firmly situated in twentieth century art. The work
evokes comparisons with the quirky personal subject matter of
Stanley Spencer and the narrative figuration of the "New Glasgow
Figures 4 and 5. Stills from "Down the
Alley (We are very pally)" ©JWM Boys", including Steven Campbell and Peter Howson. The
21

At the Research Through Design conference the artist will perform
iPad painting in an immersive projection space. Screens will display
projected paintings in progress relating to the "Digital Weeble"
prototype currently in development and which draws on a repertoire
of pop culture references such as Batman, the Weeble children’s
toy, which was popular in the 1970s, and luxury art objects such as
the Fabergé egg. The artist makes marks while rapidly zooming in
and out of the picture interface, actions which are magnified when
projected, creating a dynamic, engaging and theatrical display. The
exhibit will demonstrate the artist's innovative use of the Brushes
app and also explore the space for new interactive digital cultural
objects.

References
1. Blue Jay Way website [online]. Available from
http://www.bluejaywaydigitalarts.co.uk [Accessed 7.6.13].
Figure 8. The artist working on an iPad with back-projected screens in 2. Blythe M., Briggs J., Hook J., Wright P. and Olivier P., ‘Unlimited
Culture Lab, Newcastle, 2013.
Editions: Three Approaches to the Dissemination and Display of
Digital Art.’ In Procs. of CHI ’13, ACM Press (2013), 139–148.
Research Outcomes: Blue Jay Weeble 3. Briggs J. and Blythe M., ‘Post Anxiety Art: Economies and cultures of
digital painting.’ In Procs. of 3rd Computer Art Congress,
Projection is often used to present digitised art in a gallery context. Europia, Paris (2012), 161–1.
Hockney has noted that because digital work is backlit when 4. Brushes app website [online]. Available from
created, something is lost when it is simply printed out on to paper http://www.brushesapp.com/ [Accessed 7.6.13].
(Gayford, 2011). His iPhone and iPad drawings have then been 5. Brushes Gallery [online]. Available from
shown projected in galleries in darkened rooms. In a related project, http://www.flickr.com/groups/brushes/ [Accessed 7.6.13].
two artists were invited to create iPad drawings in the 3sixty room at 6. Digital Originals [online]. Available from http://www.digital-originals.com
York, a four-wall projection room (Blythe at al., 2013). As the artists' [Accessed 7.6.13].
fingers flicked across the devices' touch screens, the room lit up 7. Gayforth M. (2011) A Bigger Message: Conversations with David
with color. This live painting revealed the artists’ processes in the Hockney. Thames and Hudson: London.
way that the Brushes videos do not, and presented it live in time 8. Wilsher-Mills J. (2011) Down the Alley (We are very pally) [online].
and space, to be experienced with the artist. Available at http://vimeo.com/63003657 [Accessed 7.6.13].
22
Synthetic Biology as Material Design Practice

Carolina Abstract Author Keywords
Ramirez-Figueroa Recent breakthroughs in the area of synthetic biology have invited Synthetic Biology; Morphogenesis; Morphogenetic effectors;
ArchaID
a speculative design practice concerning a future reality whereby Material Ecologies; Self Assembly; Emergence
School of Architecture Planning and
Landscape biology can be engineered to evolve material structures through
Newcastle University morphogenesis. These potential technologies prompt a discussion Research Imperatives
Newcastle upon Tyne on the appropriate design methods to implement a biologically
NE1 7RU UK oriented material practice. In this paper, we discuss two seemingly Recent breakthroughs in the area of synthetic biology, the branch
p.c.ramirez-figueroa@ncl.ac.uk
conflicting notions of morphogenesis. Within the frame of biology, of biology whose ambition is to design, manipulate and engineer
new biological systems, have invited a discussion within design and
morphogenesis is understood as a formal study of mechanisms
Martyn architecture about the possibilities of a future whereby technology
that allows the formation of increasingly complex patterns in living
Dade-Robertson can be intertwined with biological life to evolve shape. Cruz and
ArchaID
organisms. Such mechanisms are generally based on chemical
and physical interaction that allows the transformation of simple Pike define these design-biological composites as Neoplasmatic, a
School of Architecture Planning and
Landscape cellular units into complex arrangements. In contrast, digital new stage of materiality that suppose a partly designed living
Newcastle University morphogenesis describes a series of design practices that are material (Cruz & Pike 2008). This concept extends the notion of a
Newcastle upon Tyne largely derived from the development of generative computational designed artefact to include living organisms whose form is a
NE1 7RU UK constant process of adaptation and negotiation with the
tools, and are generally articulated as non-regular variations of
martyn.dade-robertson@ncl.ac.uk
geometric abstractions. environment (Spiller & Armstrong 2011; Michael Hensel 2006).
Such a discourse suggests a fundamentally different material
Meng Zhang ecology for design, one In which design is not the process of
Biomolecular and Biomedical The artefacts presented in this paper embody material proxies, a
Research Centre craft-based design strategy which provides a method to bridge the geometrical abstractions realised through material technologies,
Northumbria University gap between the design discourse on morphogenesis and the but one where design is partly embedded in the process of
Newcastle upon Tyne actual mechanisms of form generation in biology. Material proxies fabrication and assembly.
NE1 8ST UK
are assemblages which partly substitute complex biological and
meng.zhang@unn.ac.uk
chemical mechanisms, managing complexity in order to understand The prospect of realising material form through living mechanisms
and experiment with basic parameters of biological morphogenesis. brings renewed attention to the concept of morphogenesis, which
We describe the design context and motivations for the artefacts, attempts to identify the mechanisms involved in patterning cells
located in biomineralisation, and provide further examples of the within multi cellular organisms. However, the term morphogenesis
implementation of material proxies as design methodology. has been also used in design to encapsulate practices and
concepts metaphorically related to biology (M Hensel et al. 2010).
Such design practices are largely derived from the development of
computational tools in design starting on the 1980s (Roudavski
n.d.) and can be described as a strategy to create generative non-
23
standard variations of geometrical abstractions. Steadman (2008) environment. In The chemical basis of morphogenesis (Turing
regards digital morphogenesis as a natural evolution of biomimicry, 1952), considered a foundational text for the current understanding
a phrase coined to signal the use of living systems as source of of shape development in organisms, Alan Turing states that the
inspiration for design. Fundamentally, the biomimicry approach sets emergence of complexity in biological systems is the result of
out to create structures and design schemes which visually chemical and physical interactions within tissues. Such processes
resemble natural shape. are commonly initiated by random disturbances in the system.
The work presented in this paper sets out to evolve material

articulation from the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms
at work in morphogenesis, rather than following the biomimicry
schema of purely visually resembling natural shape. Based on this
principle, we propose a craft-based method as means to gain a
more direct engagement with the generative potential arising from
Figure 1. Electron microscopy image cellular, living matter interacting with their physical and chemical
showing cell distribution in bacterially
induced mineralisation
environment. Furthermore we propose a design strategy based on
such interactions rather that on geometric abstraction. We believe
that material engagement, combined with computational tools and
rapid prototyping technology, affords designers with an
unparalleled understanding of the chemical properties which give
rise to complexity and variation in biological form.

Research Process
As biological systems pose a significant amount of complexity, we
developed a strategy to handle complexity in biologically-oriented
design applications which we coined as material proxies. Material
proxies are assemblages which simplify certain mechanisms in
order to isolate, study and experiment with specific traits of
Figure 3. Electron microscopy image showing calcium carbonate crystals
biological shape processes. The series of artefacts presented in
Figure 2. Cell distribution pattern on a this paper are the first design exercise in which craft has been
clustering around a bacterial locus. A graphic scale shows the dimension of
modified bioreactor. In this image, crystal
100µm incorporated to develop a material proxy.
formation on threads
In contrast, morphogenesis is generally understood within biology
We initially conducted a research on biomineralisation (Dade-
as a formal study of mechanisms that allows the formation of
Robertson et al. 2013) in which we investigated how the macro-
increasingly complex patterns in living organisms. The mechanisms
geometry of material condensed through biomineralisation, which
that allows shape to be developed start with DNA expression within
refers to the process through which organisms produce hard tissue
individual cells, acting collectively and in relation to their
such as minerals through cellular metabolic activity, can be
24
influenced by modifying the physical environment at the molecular Using SynthMorph, we conducted a series of experiments that
scale (Dade-Robertson et al. 2013). In that study, we began to rendered cell distribution as point clouds. Using such point clouds,
explore the basic physicochemical interactions to which cell we implemented an algorithm based on Voronoi Tesellation to
distribution is indexed. We observed that crystal formation was partition space around cell clusters, thereby simulating material
tightly linked to the metabolic activity of bacterial organisms. Such deposition in the fringes of chemical perturbation loci caused by
organisms form communities, and determine their placement based metabolic cellular activity. Results were prototyped using a
on the chemical distribution of their immediate environment. In Selective Laser Sintering machine.
order to explore these dynamics we developed SynthMorph, a
form-finding computational tool based on basic morphogenetic
principles derived from the theory of Professor Jamie Davies. Research Outcomes
Davies sustains that all biological structures are articulated by The artefacts exhibited show two different experiments of cell
precise morphological permutations (Davies 2008, p.710). distribution. Artefact A shows the effect of one attractor in terms of
SynthMorph was prepared to work around two classes of object: disturbances and cell distribution. Artefact B1, B2 and B3 result

cells and attractors. Cells behave as a system of particles governed from the evolution of a three-attractor system at three sequential
by Boid rules, whose spatial distribution is determined by stages.
disturbances brought about by attractors, which can be understood
Figure 4. Artefact B2. CGI of material
deposition on a three-attractor system. as centres of physicochemical perturbation. Conceptually, these artefacts provided us with a proxy to
understand the interaction of molecular and macro-scale material
formation though biological means. The study of biomineralisation
suggested that the interactions at the molecular level have an effect
on the macro-scale properties of materials. Using this principle as
design concept, we worked around the possibility of a material with
differentiated graded microstructure, which would render different
effects and properties depending on the specific cross section
through which we observe it. A useful model to imagine this is to
observe the constitution of seashells. Even when the substance of
shells is constant throughout their cross section, being constituted
of calcium carbonate crystals, their texture and mechanic
properties vary in each layer. Whilst the interior is soft and highly
reflective thus conducive to the development of the mollusc, the
exterior is hard and provides protection.
Artefact A embodies what we believe is the simplest instance of a

Figure 5. Artefact B3. Three-attractor Figure 6. Artefact A. Design strategy for graded substance composite design strategy for a graded microstructure. Placing an attractor in
system, iteration 150 material. Cells shown in yellow, illustrating the interaction between cell the centre of the structure creates a very dense core that gradually
placement and material formation.
becomes more porous towards the edges. We may imagine a
number of design possibilities around this physical property, such
25
as that of creating a material that allows foreign substances to fluid The artefacts produced in this research assume a number of
throughout predefined channels. In the case of Artefact A, the flow mechanisms through which a microscale event, such as cell
would be controlled to be especially higher on the periphery. This distribution, affects macroscale properties. The electron microscopy
principle is further elaborated on artefacts labelled as series B, images shown constitute a magnification that we may understand
whereby three attractors create a material with three very defined 1000:1 scale. The artefacts on the other hand operate at a design
dense cores, and a porous, lighter periphery. possibility of potentially 1:1000 scale. Results presented in this
paper must therefore be understood in the context of material
proxies for a biologically-oriented material articulation of design,
allowing us to develop design methods around cross-scale
interactions and seamlessly integrated within assembly.

Figure 7. Photograph showing, from left to
right, Artefact B1, B2, B3 and A. Artefacts The potential outcomes of this research may contribute to the wider
shown in this page measure 120mm in discipline of design, affording design materials and artefacts which
each side. is shaped to environmental conditions such as mechanical stress or
chemical composition in the air.
References
1. Cruz, B.M. & Pike, S., 2008. Neoplasmatic Design. Architectural
Design, 76(6), pp.6–7.
Figure 8. Photograph showing rapid prototyped version of Artefact B1 2. Dade-Robertson, M. et al., 2013. Proto-materials: Material Practices in
Architecture at Molecular and Cellular Scales. In M. Stacey, ed.
Prototyping architecture. The conference papers. London:
Building Centre Trust, London, pp. 211–223.
3. Davies, J. a, 2008. Synthetic morphology: prospects for engineered,
self-constructing anatomies. Journal of anatomy, 212(6), pp.707–
19.
4. Hensel, M, Menges, A. & Weinstock, M., 2010. Emergent technologies
and design, Routledge.
5. Hensel, Michael, 2006. (Synthetic) life architectures: ramifications and
potentials of a literal biological paradigm for architectural design.
Architectural Design, 76(2), pp.18–25.
6. Roudavski, S., Towards Morphogenesis in Architecture. , 07(03),
pp.345–374.
7. Spiller, N. & Armstrong, R., 2011. Protocell Architecture: Architectural
Design, John Wiley & Sons.
8. Steadman, P., 2008. The Evolution of Designs: Biological Analogy in
Architecture and the Applied Arts, London: Routledge.
9. Turing, A.M., 1952. The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis.
Figure 9. Artefact A showing cell distribution Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.
Series B, Biological Sciences, 237(641), pp.37–72.
26
Words, Code, Dots, and Lines: Language and Sketching in
Formulating a Cross-Disciplinary Project
Tim Regan Abstract

Microsoft Research These pictures of a whiteboard, sketchbook and screenshots show different approaches to a
Cambridge collaborative project, through which we investigated everyday web use and extrapolated
CB1 2FB, UK
findings into a possible future search tool. The whiteboard shows part of a thematic analysis.
timregan@microsoft.com
Users were interviewed and kept diaries, and the resulting data was analysed iteratively,
Robert Corish resulting in a novel framework. The sketchbook shows how an idea for a technology gradually
took shape, revealing a design approach to tackling the aesthetic, functional, and theoretical
Microsoft Research
quandaries that emerged. The texture of the design exploration is very different to the texture of
Cambridge
CB1 2FB, UK the social science analysis. Both deal with the experience of users but they do so in very
rcorish@microsoft.com different ways. Finally the screenshots show how these ideas were further explored and
bobcorish@gmail.com rendered in code. We return to language but a language neutered of all ambiguity, to become
puzzle pieces in a logical game. Again there are aesthetic and practical judgments, but they
Siân Lindley feel different. In this paper, we explore these approaches to consider how these ways of
Microsoft Research thinking come together; how they thrive on their differences and where potential problems lie.
Cambridge
CB1 2FB, UK
sianl@microsoft.com
Author Keywords
Interdisciplinarity; Design; Social Science; Software Engineering; Craft
Thinking about Interdisciplinary Research

In this paper we reflect upon a successful interdisciplinary research project, entitled ‘Beyond
Search'. We will not reflect upon the research imperatives, processes, and results of the project
itself but instead focus attention on the way in which each of the disciplines involved in the
Copyright is held by the author/owner(s).

Praxis and Poetics: Research Through Design 2013
27
project team—social science, design, and software to spot outliers etc. It is not part of an aesthetic exploration
engineering—approached the prototyping phase of the but is definitely a non-language based tool for thought.
project. We do this to better understand the role of design
within multidisciplinary research and to contrast the ideas Finally we see that the concern is not just to find a model for
generating phase of a research project across different the data that honours the participants’ own ‘theories’ but to
disciplines. provide such a model that is useful as a starting point for
other disciplines to design and build from.
This paper and the artefacts associated with it represent a
first stage in our stepping back from doing interdisciplinary Artefact 2: Software Code
research to examining such interdisciplinary research. In
Artefact 1: Thematic Analysis The artefact chosen from software engineering is a
what follows, we discuss three artefacts, and consider the
screenshot of two sets of code. The first was written for a
similarities and differences that they bring to the fore.
project to build experience prototype visualizations of the
use of repeated searches over a long period of time; the
Artefact 1: Thematic Analysis second was used to explore logs of web use captured as
The first artefact comes from a thematic analysis of part of the study described above.
public double interview and diary data, derived from a study of the
private float everyday web use of 24 individuals (Lindley et al, 2012). It Code is inherently language based and it is reductive.
protected internal void shows a whiteboard detailing notes and findings from Language is used precisely, often with definitions that differ
(Code fragments) interviews, organized as a way of drawing together data from their everyday meaning. The code fragment in the
across participants. sidebar may read as disheartening and abstract, but a
programmer will read it as the access modifiers and type
What can this artefact tell us about the practice of qualitative declarations for three instance variables. But there is also a
analysis, informed by social science, in this early stage of sense in which the code is a medium in the sense that a
the project? craftsperson would think of a medium.
Firstly we see an authentic attachment to the participants’ The code listings from our artefacts cover two programming
own language and thinking. The approach does not seek to languages, SQL and C#. SQL is a structured query
provide a tractable model that abbreviates the participants’ language designed for managing and interrogating data held
own understandings, but instead to thicken their description in a relational database while C# is an object oriented
and coalesce it into something useful. Language is key to general purpose programming language. From the artefact
this analysis as is a principled philosophy of social science. we can see that they are used by the software engineer on
Fragment of Artefact 2: SQL Code the team in very different ways. The SQL is written in a
Listing From the artefact though we also see that spatial placement journal style, time passing as we move through the code
is being used as an analytical tool. The relative placement is listing. Each new group of SQL statements tries to probe
used to experiment with different categorical groupings and another aspect of the data, seeking insights into what the
28
data reveals about our participants’ web use. But we see the Artefact 3: Sketchbook Pages
results often instead reveal data quality or data
In addition to producing software code, the development of
understanding issues which are then used to write further
experience prototype visualizations of repeated searches
code to cleanse the data. We see here that the code is used
also drew upon design. Some of this design process is
as a journal of ideas tried, problems unearthed, and insights
shown in our third artefact, sketchbook pages.
gained. In those respects it bears similarities to the design
sketchbook in the next section. The C# code listing is very
Like social science, design has an intimate relationship to
different. The code does not unfold through time but instead
the users of a project’s output. Many designers use the
follows the structural architecture of each aspect of the
output of careful usage analysis (typically performed by
intended functionality. And yet this is still very much a
social scientists) as the fodder for their design, while others
sketch. In much the same way as a painter might sketch out
design probes and prototypes to facilitate the gathering of
a composition in charcoal on canvas before proceeding to
experience data. Even where designers eschew the typical
oils, programmers often sketch out the structure of code
focus group process it is clear that they still draw on and
before filling in the detail and refactoring the design where
hone knowledge of how people experience designs.
the simple structure of the initial sketch proves inadequate.
Our chosen artefact shows some of this. Within the

In fact there are many different styles of coding present in
sketchbook, some sketches reveal the designer grappling
the artefact, showing the subtle ways in which software can
with both intricate and broad-stroke problems of usage. But
be used. Sometimes it is sparse and focused on an
more striking are the aesthetic explorations. Within this
architectural goal. Sometimes it is bloated with ‘boilerplate’
strand of the project we were interested in how people make
code added by tools to make the programmer’s life easier.
the same search repeatedly over a long period, in the
Sometimes it is half finished when an idea peters out.
context of researching a project, or nurturing a long-term
Sometimes there is a clear established pattern behind the
interest. Early on in the project we decided on a tree-like
code, sometimes not.
metaphor to visualize the changing search result-set over
time. The sketchbook shows our designer trying various
Through all these differences there is one that is particularly
ways of representing this tree. Page after page is dedicated
striking when compared with the use of language in Artefact
to sketches of the overlapping circles he was trying out for
Pages from Artefact 3: Sketchbook 1. The software is often focused on an application or tool
leaves. Some of these sketches are quick. They are simple
Pages that will then further our knowledge of the problem area.
ways to see how something will look and to uncover any
There is often a layer of indirection between the code and
practical and aesthetic problems with the representation.
the participant in our study. The software engineer may be
Others are painstaking and beautiful. Here the realisation is
working on tools and applications that help us understand
richer. This partly helps see more accurately what the final
the complexities of daily life but they are not grappling with
result will look like but also gives our designer time to think
those complexities directly.
patiently. The detailed and accomplished nature of the
29
practice provides the space necessary for design ideas to shows the design sketches exploring the aesthetic,
percolate up from problem explorations. functional, and theoretical quandaries raised in the project.
Discussion and Conclusions The exploration of these artefacts shows some of the
similarities and the differences between the different
The Human Computer Interaction (HCI) community, though
disciplines engaged in our multi-disciplinary research. Some
born in computer science, has from its inception looked to
differences are striking and obvious, for example the
other disciplines for inspiration, answers, knowledge, and
reliance on language in both our thematic and software
methods. These couplings started with psychology and
exploration, while other similarities lie beneath the surface,
include disciplines as diverse as sociology, various
for example the continuous concern for user experience in
branches of philosophy, anthropology, biology, etc. But when
both social science and design. But there are no easy
it comes to design based disciplines like interaction design,
conclusions to draw from our artefacts. The practices they
communication design, experience design, etc., disciplines
embody are both rich and varied and we hope that
that one would expect to be very natural partners to HCI,
exhibiting and discussing these artefacts will help use delve
there is a tendency to queer design, to treat it as something
into that complexity further.
interesting, something to dissect and to examine rather than
something to assimilate. There are practitioners actively
publishing practice based research within the CHI
Acknowledgements
community (for example Gaver et al (2010) and Wallace et Thanks to Stuart Taylor for his work inspiring and kicking off
Pages from Artefact 3: Sketchbook
al (2013)), and we hope that explorations like the one this project.
Pages
reported on in this paper, and indeed the Research Through
Design conference, will help progress work that melds References
design into academic research. 1. Lindley, S., Meek, S., Sellen, A. and Harper, R. (2012). “It’s
simply integral to what I do”: Enquiries into how the web is
weaved into everyday life. In Proc. of the 2012 International
These artefacts were intended to illustrate (literally) our
Conference on World Wide Web (WWW 2012), 1067-1076.
move from doing interdisciplinary research to thinking about
2. Lindley, S. (2012) New Experiences in Search video demo
interdisciplinary research and especially the role of design.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er-id9kQMz0
Each artefact epitomizes this initial exploration of the
3. Gaver, W., Blythe, M., Boucher, A., Jarvis, N., Bowers, J.
‘sketching’ stage of an interdisciplinary project (though each and Wright, P. C. (2010). The prayer companion: Openness
discipline may not use the term sketching). From social and specificity, materiality and spirituality. In Proc. of the
science we found spatial placement being used as an SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
analytical tool to find a model for the data that honours the (CHI 2010), 2055-2064.
participants’ own ‘theories’. From software engineering we 4. Wallace, J., Wright, P. C., McCarthy, J., Green, D. P.,
found code used as a journal of ideas tried, and also to Thomas, J. and Olivier, P. (2013). A design-led inquiry into
personhood in dementia. In Proc. of the SIGCHI Conference on
sketch out architectural structures. From design our artefact
Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2013), 2617-2626.
30
Inventing the Future by Examining the Past

Janine Munslow Abstract Keywords: future; past; craftsmanship; space; multi-functional;
Northumbria University soft-product;
This practice-based research questions how archaic techniques
Newcastle upon Tyne
may add value when combined with new materials, to the design of
NE1 8ST UK Research Imperatives
janine.munslow@northumbria.ac.uk multi-functional ‘soft’ products or apparel. At the forefront of
possible applications for these ‘soft products’ are the needs of Creatively approaching the issues of interplanetary travel will allow
future space apparel, where the possibility of interplanetary travel me to explore the possibilities of advanced materials challenging us
and space tourism are becoming feasible once again through to re-think how they may be able to be transformed, rejoined and
technology and private rather than state funding. The aim was not re-cycled in innovative ways considering integrated clothing items
to compete with NASA, but to use the ‘space problem’ as an as parts of a multi-role system. This approach is pertinent to
approach to innovation. New materials and in particular textiles, furthering designs role in enhancing the human centred needs of
have become the focus for technological advancement driven by health, wellbeing, safety and sustainability through experimentation
scientific investment in automotive, medical, aeronautical and in the renewal and re-cycling of materials and by developing
protective fields. Advances in interactive textiles, polymers, products able to have many or continued uses.
composites, thermal, chemical, shape memory, phase-change,
chromatics, and bio-sensory materials have developed Research Process
exponentially creating a sea change in material possibility. (Singh,
A, 2012) By exploring traditional craftsmanship, new technology, The artefact created is intended to be a prototype for future
and experimenting with archaic techniques, I aim to investigate the experimental purposes. It was important to find a mechanism for
relationship between function, aesthetics, and purpose where it prototyping, to explore the inherent qualities of materials, and test
may be possible to develop new approaches to multi-functional performance on the body. The glove became the obvious choice
product capability. What is apparent is that although the future is as a perfect example of a highly crafted item whose design must
already upon us in terms of technological advances in materials, consider the complex movements of the hand, mobility, dexterity,
we are creatures of habit and prefer what we know and trust, skins, and enhanced function in its use of materials and construction.
cotton, wool and linen are some of the oldest materials known to The hand and glove acts as microcosm of the human body where
man and the familiar form of a shirt for example is still with us from problems of design and fit are mirrored at a smaller scale, while the
antiquity. It is our intellectual need for technological development complexity of the hands movements and its literal ‘reach’ add
coupled with our emotional need for trust in materials, familiarity, enhanced levels of enquiry. I intend to make many gloves in order
heritage and authenticity that provides the design brief for future to explore possibilities.
apparel.
31
It became evident that in considering the future it was essential to

examine the past. An investigation of historical techniques became
necessary to become fully conversant with pattern cutting and
construction techniques enabling me to produce a glove to fit a
specific hand (fig 1). A prototype was created using a pattern
based on early techniques and observations of historical pieces
from the V&A and the Kyoto Costume Museum, (fig 2), by
observing and re-creating these artefacts I aim to gain a greater
understanding of materials and construction techniques and how
they work in conjunction with the hand. Whilst the glove became
an interesting object with which to view and test ideas, inevitably
the process drew into focus the purpose of design beyond the
purely functional thereby questioning the relationship of function to
aesthetics, and emotion, the relationship of the maker to the
product and how the designed object has enriched and amplified
the wearers’ experience over and above its function.
Research Outcomes
Figure 4. Cosmonaut glove 1960’s This limited investigation has proved that the project has further
I began by researching extravehicular portable life support systems potential and I intend to propose this as subject for postgraduate
- space suits, which are naturally subject to stringent specification research. The future directions that the inquiry could take are
from their internal systems and external dust control (Gaier, J, three-fold: first, to research and experiment with new materials and
2010), to bioenergetics - measuring the loading restrictions of construction techniques, secondly, to note how the design and
clothing (Norcross, J, 2010) However the outer shell is still closely construction enhance the function of the hand and its intended
connected to our understanding of apparel design and it is evident purpose; and thirdly how the notions of aesthetics and emotion in
from vintage collections of astronaut and cosmonaut wear that both design are interpreted and how this narrative informs the future.
fashion and aesthetics still play an interesting part in their
conception (fig 4) (De Monchaux, N. 2011). Gloves are extensively
tested for their performance in zero gravity via mobility and
dexterity (Thompson, S 2011) in addition to their role in extending
astronauts reach and performance from a stationary position
(Stack, D, 2010) Materials are tested for dust abrasion, mobility,
and sensitivity. More recently the ‘bio-skin’ (Newman, Webb 2011)
explores a radically different approach to space suits by placing the
vital services inside the fabrication of a close fitting skin rather than
inside the suit, benefitting mobility.
32
products, which are increasingly inaccessible to the consumer.

(Crawford 2010) argues that a decline in tool use would seem to
betoken a shift in our relationship to our own stuff; more passive
and more dependant; ‘What ordinary people once made they now
buy; and what they once fixed for themselves, they replace entirely
or hire an expert to repair, whose expert fix often involves replacing
an entire system because some minute component failed.’ This
Figure 2. Glove 1540’s V&A costume process has led me to consider the wider implications of designing
multi-functional integrated clothing items as parts of a multi-role
system particularly in respect of the speculative restrictions of
interplanetary travel.
References

1. Crawford, B, M. (2009) ‘Shop Class as Soulcraft’: p1. The
Penguin Press
2. De Monchaux, N. (2011) ‘Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo.
Figure 1. Open glove showing trank and fourchettes
MIT Press.
3. Gaier, J, R., et al. (2010) ‘Preliminary testing of a
Initially I believed that the glove would be straightforward to pressurized space suit and candidate fabrics under
research however information has proved to be more elusive, simulated Mars dust storm and dust devil conditions’:
perhaps because it falls into the category of what (Miller 2010) National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Glenn
using the phrase ‘blindingly obvious’ refers to when he considers Research Centre, Cleveland Ohio
the problems posed by objects that have become ubiquitous. His 4. Miller, D. Woodward, S, (2007) ‘A Manifesto for the Study
studies in Material Culture have considered the problems posed by of Denim.’ UCL Home. www.ac.uk/global denim project.
objects that we have quite literally become blind to, he argues that UCL Department of Anthropology 15:33 London
the study of artifacts has been neglected, and suggests that the 5. Newman, Webb. (2011) ‘The Space Issue’ Creative
very physicality of the object which makes it seem so immediate, Review March 26.p26 Report by Gwen Webber. London
sensual and assimible, belies its actual nature. 6. Norcross, Jason R., et al. (2010)’Metabolic Costs and
Biomechanics of Level Ambulation in a Planetary Suit.’:
By prototyping a test glove for future experimentation I have NASA Technical Report. TP-2010-216115 JSC, Houston
expanded my focus from the purely functional and gained an 7. Singh, Ajay V., et al. (2012) ‘Bio-inspired approaches to
understanding of how the creative process connects the maker and design smart fabrics.’ Materials & Design: 36 829-839.
wearer to each other and their place of origin and questioned the Elsevier Holland
overlooked emotional aspects of design. This balance of function 8. Stack, J, Danielle. (2010) ‘The effects of glove fit on task
and emotion resonates with current debates in design - our lack of performance and on the human operator.’ Diss. Rhodes
practical skill and inability to interact with or repair modern University.
33
9. Thompson, Shelby, et al. (2011) ’The effect of pressurized

space gloves on operability of cursor controls, mobility,
and strength.’ Proceedings of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting: Vol. 55. No. 1.
SAGE Publications, JSC Houston
34
The Invite: Adding Value to Paper with Paper Electronics

Michael Shorter Abstract into the speaker system at the event, The Invite became a musical
University of Dundee instrument. Its interface allowed the user to control audio output in
If the paper we are surrounded by were to suddenly become two ways: pitch and frequency. A large printed circle used
Dundee
DD1 4HT interactive, how would our relationship with it change? capacitance to create what acted like a distance sensor. The base
mail@mrshorter.co.uk unit The Invite plugged into contained all the hardware.
The way we currently access digital technology is predominantly
Jon Rogers through screens and speakers. There is a shift from these intrusive This research crosses boundaries between craft and technology
University of Dundee technologies towards more physical and quietly ubiquitous and invites these disciplines to explore a playful and innovative use
Dundee technologies. Paper Electronics is the combining of paper,
DD1 4HT of an everyday tool.
components and conductive inks to create paper interfaces and
j.rogers@dundee.ac.uk
devices, and has the potential to be an important part of this
Tom Metcalfe development.
Author Keywords
University of Dundee
Dundee Historically, craft practice has produced socially relevant Design; Paper; Electronics; Prototyping
DD1 4HT technological breakthroughs, from goldsmiths democratising print
tom@tommetcalfe.com
(Gutenberg), to artists democratising Printed Electronics. Craft
John McGhee approach is open minded and open sourced, setting it apart from Research Imperatives
University of Dundee the more rigid restrictions of an HCI approach. Paper is, at its most
fundamental, a craft product and tool. Due to the nascent nature of the Paper Electronics field there are
Dundee
DD1 4HT many exciting questions to be addressed. Below are the aims of
j.mcghee@dundee.ac.uk This paper aims to explore the question of Paper Electronics this particular research project.
adding value to paper through one specific prototype: The Invite.
• To determine whether value can be added to paper with
The Invite’s intention was to shift the user’s perception of what Paper Electronics
paper can do. The Invite was created using a blend of traditional • To reflect on the potential shift of peoples’ perception of the
and modern craft approaches: screen-printing and open source capabilities of paper
electronics. Reflective practice was used during the making • To explore the use of reflective craft processes when
process to investigate how a craft approach can be applied when designing for an emerging technology
designing for an emerging technology.
Addressing these areas will undoubtedly generate new knowledge
The Invite was an event ticket screen-printed with conductive ink. It around prototyping with Paper Electronics.
looked just like a normal piece of paper, however, when plugged
35
The area of Paper Electronics is a new and intriguing field and is A practitioner’s reflection can serve as a corrective to
being developed by many others, most notably Bare Conductive. over-learning. Through reflection, he can surface and
They not only create affordable conductive ink but also foster an criticize the tacit understandings that have grown up
open source community that uses their product to advance the field around the repetitive experiences of a specialized
further (“Bare Conductive,” 2012). The High-Low Tech Group at practice, and can make new sense of the situations of
M.I.T. is also exploring Paper Electronics. They are a technology- uncertainty or uniqueness which he may allow himself
based academic group influenced by craft methods and have to experience. (Schön, 2003, p.61)
published many interesting papers exploring the field (“High-Low
Tech,” 2012). Finally (though not a comprehensive list), Novalia is
The design process is inherently rife with subconscious influence
an engineering driven company who are preparing to pioneer the
and the effects of personal intuition. Decisions are often made
mass production of Paper Electronics (“Novalia,” 2012).
subconsciously, or with little reflection. Schön agrees, observing
that in tacit professions (such as design) we often know what to do,
but not why. Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action are tools
to help develop and enrich the design process and, crucially,
address that underlying ‘why’, ‘why’ being a fundamental
consideration when designing for an emerging technology such as
Paper Electronics.
Fusing craft methodology with the design process of Find, Play and
Make helped to not only deepen the understanding of each stage
of the design process, but also delivered considered and
meaningful results.
Find
The Find section of the process focussed on generating ideas and
investigating materials. Around 100 ideas were generated by
Figure 1. The Invite plugged into the base unit. constantly reflecting on previous thinking. Using previous ideas as
a foundation for the new allowed for a comprehensive and vast
range. Further reflection polished the results: the ideas were then
Research Process grouped together and put through various filtration methods.
Figure 2. Diagram illustrating Paper The research process for The Invite has been broken down into
Electronics’ position in the world of
three sections to help compartmentalise the process: Find, Play
electronics.
and Make. Throughout this particular creative process reflective
practice was used to gain a deeper understanding for prototyping
with an emerging technology.
36
Play Reflection of this stage in the design took part during user testing.
Playing is a naturally reflective activity. If a project, action or idea Observations were made, reflected upon and then rationalised.
doesn’t work, our automatic response is to tinker. We reflect on
why, and then play with other solutions. Playing is crucial for
understanding the materiality of an emerging technology. Research Outcomes
Reflection, especially reflection through playing, served to not only
strengthen and inform activities undertaken in the midst of the The research outcomes surrounding The Invite vary from negative
design process but also the user testing stage. The predominant to positive and conceptual to obvious. Using reflective practice, the
mode for reflection in the Play stage was through photos, including research outcomes from The Invite have been addressed in a
reflection after the practice occurred. The Play section also saw an matured version of The Invite called Playing Paper (see Fig. 5),
investigation into the construction of Paper Electronics. This which has recently been displayed at The Lighthouse’s AS02 Paper
Figure 3. This bulldog clip was custom
exploration of fundamentals resulted in a stronger and more exhibition in Glasgow and subsequent Pecha Kucha (“The
made to connect paper to other devices
combing the visual language of paper precise definition, dividing Paper Electronics into two categories, Lighthouse,” 2013).
with electronics. 11
Active Paper and Passive Paper . This part of the process saw
experiments at the point where traditional printing techniques, open Concerning instinctive use, the learning curve for research
source electronics and emerging technology meet. The relaxed surrounding The Invite was steep and clear. Interestingly, users
craft approach lends itself well to the exploration of Paper ranging from tech-savvy designers to more traditional bibliophiles
Electronics and tends to lead to varied, interesting and organic all encountered similar issues with The Invite; these issues clarified
ideas and results. Experiments were also carried out to explore the that the design needed changing in order to accommodate a more
visual language of Paper Electronics, investigating how to join instinctive visual language. As a specific example, the graphics for
Paper Electronics to other hardware as well as studying the graphic the distance sensor were flawed; users’ instincts told them to treat
design of Paper Electronic buttons and sensors. Different ink mixes the sensor like an iPod wheel. Changes were needed at a technical
were also explored, mixing conductive ink with different levels of level as well. The conductive ink lines on The Invite were too thin to
acrylic medium and water. consistently sense capacitance.
Make Both issues were resolved in the matured or 2.0 version, Playing
Figure 4. Using a traditional screen
The Make section sees objects come to life, go out into the real Paper. The visual language problem was addressed by
printing technique to experiment with the acknowledging people’s diverse relationships with technology and
emerging technology of conductive inks. world and receive user testing and reflection. The Invite was screen
printed with Bare Conductive ink (see Fig. 4). The box was made offering options. Instead of one image with an ambiguous meaning,
from acrylic, cherry wood, an Arduino (“Arduino,” 2012) and an the user was presented with three. One depicted a simple
MP3 Trigger. The bulldog clip cable has a separated copper board rectangle, similar to The Invite’s level of communication, the next
insert inside the clamp which connects to the cable running out of was a sketch of a distance sensor component, and the final image
the back of the clip (see Fig. 3). was of a theremin, a distance sensing musical instrument.
Surprisingly, emotional and engagement reactions to interacting

1
Active Paper contains active components such as microcontrollers, which
with both The Invite and its improved version, Playing Paper, were
are glued onto the paper. Passive Paper only contains passive components similar. Despite ‘improper’ or ‘incomplete’ use due to the flawed
such as resistors, which can all be printed with conductive ink.
37
nature and ambiguity of The Invite, users still exhibited genuine

enjoyment, surprise and enthusiasm for the technology. In both
projects users hunted for hidden physical components and
appeared in awe of the technology. Regardless of the user’s
background, Paper Electronics in The Invite and Playing Paper left
the impression of being magical.
This research shows that value can be added to paper using paper
electronics. This value is not only functional but more importantly in
elements of joy, surprise and magic. These playful paper interfaces
allowed the users to see entirely new possibilities of what paper
can do, shifting boring perceptions of paper’s functions. Through
the exploration of prototyping for an emerging technology using
reflective craft processes it is clear that fun, engaging and
surprising products can be created.
The Invite and its matured version, Playing Paper excited me as an

innovative new application of Paper Electronics. That they can be
implemented at low cost, played with on a physical level and
appeal to users of varying backgrounds and levels of technological
savvy only cements paper’s consistently ubiquitous position as a
design material not only for today, but for the future.
References
1. Arduino [WWW Document], 2012. . URL http://www.arduino.cc/
2. Bare Conductive [WWW Document], 2012. . URL
http://bareconductive.com/
3. High-Low Tech [WWW Document], 2012. . URL http://hlt.media.mit.edu/
4. Novalia [WWW Document], 2012. . URL http://novalia.co.uk/
5. Schön, D.A., 2003. The Reflective Practitioner  : How Professionals Think
in Action. Ashgate, Aldershot.

6. The Lighthouse [WWW Document], 2013. . The Lighthouse. URL
Figure 5. Playing Paper at the
http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/visit/exhibition/as02
Lighthouse.
38
The Book Spotter’s Guide to Avian Titled Literature

Zoë Sadokierski Abstract
Author Keywords
School of Design In order to remain relevant in the digital age, physical libraries have
Faculty of Design Architecture + to strengthen their position as social and cultural spaces. They Practitioner-research; reflective practice; visual metaphor;
Building need to find ways to challenge existing users perceptions of the installation; hybrid exegesis.
University of Technology, Sydney collections and how they are accessed and presented.
zoe.sadokierski@uts.edu.au
In an attempt to engage with these challenges, the University of Research Imperatives

Technology Sydney Library redesigned its visual identity and
Kate Sweetapple This project stems from a problem in the world – the relevance of a
interior spaces, and commissioned us to create an installation in
physical library in a digital age. Libraries need to strengthen their
School of Design the central stairwell. From our initial research we formed the
Faculty of Design Architecture + position as social and cultural spaces – finding ways to
following question: how can we design a creative work (installation)
Building communicate this strategic aim is rich territory for design research.
University of Technology, Sydney that suggests the library is a space for play and discovery?
Avian Titled Literature is the first iteration of an ongoing research
kate.sweetapple@uts.edu.au project in which we collaborate with libraries to help make their
This paper reports a practice-based research project with two
collections accessible, relevant and captivating to a broad
intrinsically linked outcomes: audience.
1. An installation: ‘Avian Titled Literature’ – 30 altered books The University of Technology Sydney Library positions itself as the
hung as a ‘flock’ in the central stairwell at the University of social and cultural hub of an inner-city university campus. Recently,
Technology, Sydney Library, with a set of ten the Library overhauled its visual identity and redesigned interior
accompanying A2 posters. The installation aims to visually spaces in response to changing user needs. This visual and spatial
communicate that the Library is a space for play and redesign aims to shift the perception of a university library from a
discovery. staid and conservative institutional space, to a more active and
2. A hybrid exegesis: ‘Field Guide to Avian Titled Literature’ engaging space for learning and socialising. As part of the
is a document that tells the story of the installation, redesign, the Library commissioned us to create an original work to
reporting the tacit knowledge embedded in the design enliven the three-story void in the central stairwell.
process. It is ‘hybrid’ in that the document communicates
through word, image and materiality.
Research Process
The project is the first iteration of a larger, ongoing research project From personal conversations with librarians, and the paper From
investigating ways visual communication design could encourage Search to Discovery in our Future Library, (Booth, Tiffen and
serendipitous discovery, browsing and more playful engagement Vawdrey 2012) we formed the briefing question: how could we
within libraries.
39
design a creative work (installation) that suggests the library is a different books, and hopefully prompt them to find them on the
space for play and discovery? shelves.
An Installation
The result is an installation of 30 altered books suspended as a
flock in the stairwell. Each book represents a novel from the Library
collection that has a bird in the title – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest, To Kill a Mockingbird, Flaubert’s Parrot, etc. A set of ten
posters is mounted on the stairwell wall, prompting different
interpretations of the bird-books (Fig. 1).
The installation acts as a metaphor that can be understood in
several ways. First, as a visual simile: if you hang a book by the
spine it looks like a bird. Second, as visual metaphor: the books
refer to knowledge, flocking and rising in the university library.
Third, by folding the books (something you are not supposed to do
in libraries) and ordering them in an idiosyncratic way (birds in the
title of novels, not by author or content) the installation disrupts the
natural order of things, challenging the perception of the library as a
conservative institution. We aimed to create a work with layers of
possible readings in order to encourage “reading, curiosity,
exploration, and wonder about the Library and its collection” (UTS
Figure 1. ‘Avian Titled Literature’, 2012. Librarian Mal Booth, pers. Com.).
Central stairwell, UTSLibrary, Sydney.
We searched the catalogue to find novels held in the UTS Library; it
was important to connect the installation explicitly to the collection.
This search produced more books than we could possibly suspend,
so we edited the list to reveal a range of bird species in the title
(twenty-one unique species).
A key consideration was for the book titles to be legible, so an
understanding of the installation unfolds as patrons walk up the
stairs. To draw attention the bird-titles (and not distract the viewer
813.5 813.54 with cover images), we designed simple dust jackets for the books.
ATWR KESE:O Each cover features a silhouette of the titular bird on the spine, and
the 'call number' to locate the book in the library (Fig. 2).
Figure 3: A2 poster ‘The Book Spotter’s Guide to Avian Titled Literature.
These silhouettes and call numbers are also listed on an A2 poster
Figure 2. Bird silhouettes and call
– 'Book Spotter's Guide to Avian Titled Literature' – (Fig. 3) that is In addition, a series of A2 posters present quotations from the
numbers for book spines. ‘Oryx and
displayed on the stairwell wall, inviting library patrons to spot the books in which the birds 'appear'. Traditionally, users locate books
Crake’ (Margaret Atwood), left, and
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next’
(Ken Kesey) right.
40
through the library catalogue searching by author, title or subject. Figure 5: Detail of A2 poster with a quote from one novel
These posters encourage discovery by giving a taste of the writing
style: the posters transform the moment of wonder into a possibility
of engagement with individual texts. A Hybrid Exegesis
Additionally, we produced a ‘field guide’ (hybrid exegesis) that
In order to find these quotes we used a ‘focused data-mining’
1 reports tacit knowledge embedded in the design process, in a
approach, ‘mining’ a written text for specific information
sharable way. Accompanying the Avian Titled Literature
(Sadokierski and Sweetapple, 2012). We were looking for
installation, we produced a 'hybrid exegesis' called 'Field Guide to
passages where the bird name appeared, to reinforce the idea of
Avian Titled Literature. To clarify what 'hybrid exegesis' means, it is
the project. By isolating these passages, we could choose a
necessary to pick it apart.
passage that worked as a kind of ‘pull quote’ for the book; a
paragraph of text that gives a taste for the writing style – rather
Hybrid: The term 'hybrid book' describes novels in which graphic
than a plot summary (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).
elements (photographs, drawings, diagrams) are integrated within
the written text, as literary devices. (Sadokierski 2010) These
Figure 4. A2 posters mounted on the graphic devices are more than illustrations of the written text, they
stairwell wall. are an integral part of the text. You cannot remove them without
significantly altering the primary text. 'Hybrid' gives a sense that
word and image are grafted together to form an argument, rather
than the image illustrating the text.
Exegesis: In universities and art schools, an exegesis is a written
text in which the creative practitioner critically examines their work
in light of contemporary theory and practice. This written exegesis
often includes images that function as illustrations of the written
argument. Although some exegesis may include images that form
part of the argument, it is not an expectation of the genre of
exegesis writing that this is the case.
By combining the terms, we are emphasising that our research

report is made through a combination of word and image. The
images in the hybrid exegesis do more than offer illustrations of the
written text; they form part of the argument.
In this paper, we describe the research and design process that led
to the installation. In addition we argue for the significance of a
hybrid exegesis as a way to disseminate findings from a practice-
based research project.
1
We used SCRIBD.COM to search the books for specific words or phrases.
41
Second, practitioner-researchers often do not produce creative

work that is based on or framed by traditional scholarly theoretical
frameworks, therefore finding reviewers for these submissions is
Research outcomes difficult. Therefore, practitioner-researchers need to find alternative
ways to disseminate their research that accommodate verbal and
There is research embedded in the design and creation of the
visual arguments.
Avian Titled Literature installation, however this is primarily the kind
of research that practitioners regularly undertake in commercial or This model of disseminating design research is gaining momentum
artistic practice. as an alternative to the traditional research paper. Aside from our
own Page Screen research studio (Australia) are: The Hybrid
The scholarly research contribution comes through the articulation 2
Publishing Lab (Germany), and The Publishing Lab (UK/Spain).
of our research methods and the insights drawn from our design
The production of this book adds to the growing body of knowledge
process in a sharable way – ‘reflective practice’ (Schön, 1983).
disseminated in this way.
Importantly, for the discipline of design, we communicate this
knowledge as a hybrid exegesis – a document that makes an By recording our research process and findings in this way,
argument through the interplay of word, image and materiality particularly of site specific or durational works, we can show an arc
(Sadokierski 2010), (Figs. 6, 7 and 8). over time of where these projects lead to, and where future projects
have stemmed from. We hope this project marks the beginning of a
It is difficult to position design practice as research without
deeper engagement with cultural institutions. It is perhaps only then
explaining the context in which it came to be. Just as a researcher
that the research outcomes from this project will be fully accounted
begins a scholarly article by positioning it in a particular field and
for.
referencing theory or texts she has drawn from, practitioner
researchers must frame their creative practice for it to be
understood as a research outcome. Where the writer takes a new
References
idea and frames it in a theoretical context, a practitioner-researcher
creates a new work, and tells the story of that work: what led to its 1. Booth, M., Tiffen, B., and Vawdrey, J (2012) From Search to
Discovery in our Future Library, ALIA Biennial Conference 2012,
creation, the process of creation and where it points the maker to
Sydney. http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2012/papers.html
next. It is this deliberate process of articulating the context, process
and findings of a design project that constitutes a contribution to a 2. Sadokierski, Z (2010), Visual Writing; A critique of graphic devices in
hybrid novels from a visual communication deign perspective,
field. Traditional scholarly journals are not always an appropriate unpublished doctoral thesis.
forum to report practitioner research for several reasons. First, due
to restricted space on the page and budget considerations, many 3. Sadokierski, Z. and Sweetapple, K. (2012) Drawing Out: How
designers analyse written texts in visual ways, Design Research
journals do not accommodate large quantities of images that are Society 2012: Bangkok, p.1646 - 1659
necessary to explain a design process. Scholarly journals tend to
4. Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. London: Temple Smith.
prioritise written arguments over visual or verbal-visual arguments.
Figure 6, 7, 8. Spreads from our 2

hybridpublishing.org; the-publishing-lab.com; pagescreenstudio.com
hybrid exegesis.
42
‘IT Fauna’ and ‘Crime Pays’:

Using Critical Design to Envision Cyber Security Futures

Debi A shenden Abstract cyber security practitioners and policy makers. We conclude that
future research should link critical design with systems thinking as
Cranfield University
The research presented is a collaboration between social the next step in developing tools for envisioning future cyber
Shrivenham, Swindon
SN6 8LA UK
scientists, designers and technologists that explored whether security risk. This will offer a structured way for moving to a more
d.m.ashenden@cranfield.ac.uk critical design could be used to envision cyber security futures. The productive level of engagement with the artefacts while giving
research imperative was to examine the use of critical design as a participants a license to be creative and a way of incorporating the
David Benqué way of imagining future or alternative scenarios of cyber security. human experience.
Royal College of Art We evaluated research methods that would encourage cyber

david.benque@network.rca.ac.uk security practitioners and policy makers to discuss and re-consider
cyber security risk. Author Keywords
Austin Houldsworth
Royal College of Art
The research used critical design to produce speculative scenarios Critical design; speculative design; cyber security; envisioning
austin.houldsworth@network.rca.ac.uk
that would encourage a new way of thinking about cyber security
risk. ‘Specimens of IT Fauna’ is a visualisation and celebration of Research Imperatives
our imaginary bestiary of software. ‘Crime Pays’ is a video The research outlined in this paper was part of a larger project
installation that envisions a future where there is effectively a tax on called Visualisation and Other Methods of Expression (VOME).
online privacy. The VOME research was located in the relatively young research
discipline of cyber security and focused on issues of privacy,
The artefacts were used in two workshops to encourage cyber
identity and consent in online environments and engaging primarily
security practitioners and policy makers to envision future risk
with end user communities. The research explored the use of novel
scenarios. The research demonstrated that while there is potential
methods of engagement and an early outcome was the recognition
for using critical design in this way there is a need to develop a
of a need to ‘design culturally sympathetic research approaches’
bridge between the artefacts produced through critical design and
(Coles-Kemp and Ashenden, 2012, p.2) to understand how end
the epistemological position traditionally taken towards risk by
users perceive cyber security risks.
43
During the course of the research, however, the importance of formulate more specific and nuanced stories. In the case of Crime
engaging with cyber security practitioners and policy makers Pays, this led to the imagination of a future scenario and payment
instead of just end users became clear. As a result the VOME system, while Specimens of IT Fauna focuses on existing but
researchers came together with designers to explore the use of overlooked narratives and metaphors used to describe the internet.
critical design to engage with cyber security practitioners and Artefacts were then designed within these narratives premises,
policy makers. Accordingly, the research presented here giving the stories and ideas a tangible physical presence and
examines the use of critical design as tool for imagining future enabling further dissemination and discussion.
cyber security risks.
Specimens of IT Fauna (Fig. 1) was designed with educational
The analytical approach for the research is critical design which props in mind, referencing the science classroom. The small scale
creates ‘provocative artefacts’ (Dunne and Raby, 2001, p.63) of the objects and the explanatory labeling encourages
by using critical theory with design to make us think about manipulation and discussion while the use of laser etching and
things we believe we know in new and different ways. Such lighting provides an aesthetic ‘hook’ and a sense of technological
artefacts are often more effective than direct questioning wonder.
techniques in enabling user communities to engage with future
possibilities (Bowen, 2007). Critical design offers a The Crime Pays (Fig. 2) video mimics the aesthetic qualities of a
participatory practice approach and so continues the VOME corporate presentation and only the filmic letterbox format hints that
Figure 1. Specimens of IT Fauna
research theme of exploring novel methods of engagement. this is fiction. The video brings ‘The Yes Men’ activist approach into
Low Orbit Ion Cannon (1 of 3 models)
As such, critical design was thought to be an appropriate tool a consenting corporate conference and invites the expert audience
Laser etched crystal - other models in the
for developing ways to envision cyber security risk. to play along. Within a workshop setting the video is displayed
series are ‘Blaster Worm’ and ‘Web
alongside photographs depicting three imagined social scenes. The
Crawler’.

Research Process minimalist style of these photos is intended to push the characters
human interaction to the foreground, thereby directing discussions
We started with an initial consultation workshop where cyber from the abstract system to the possible impact on people’s lives.
security academics explored what the impact of new, online
security technologies might be on our society and culture. We subsequently ran two workshops to showcase the artefacts and
Following on from this there were informal discussions to share to explore their use as ways of envisioning cyber security future
the existing research output from the VOME project with the risk. The workshops were held at the British Computer Society in
designers. The aim of these initial discussions and workshops London – a venue where it was believed that participants (working
was to find a common ground for exchange between designers in the field of cyber security) would feel comfortable. Participants
and experts. Narrative was used as a tool through exercises were self-selecting as the workshops were publicized through
Figure 2. Crime Pays: Some grease to such as improvisation from random prompts and the creation of existing networks for cyber security practitioners and policy makers.
seal the deal (1 of 3 photos). Video and fictional tabloid articles. Both parties were able to collaborate There were twelve attendees at each workshop and each workshop
three photographs depicting social change on stories, then examine and discuss them. was three hours in length. The workshops started with a short
as a result of the new payment system. presentation to set the context of cyber security risk and critical
Designers then used these exercises as a starting point to design and this was followed by the designers introducing the
artefacts. Participants were then encouraged to ask questions,
44
discuss with each other and reflect on the artefacts. Their outputs self-reflection it was difficult to move them beyond this to a more
were captured on ‘post-it’ notes as well as rich-pictures drawings. future-thinking level of engagement.
Research Outcomes Secondly, participants needed to be given a license to be creative.

They had a tendency to retreat to what they have already
Please describe the resulting knowledge that arose from the experienced or believed to be true. This was demonstrated in
practice-based research. This should be placed in the context of an references to practical questions about cyber security ‘‘where are
existing disciplinary body of knowledge through the use of the boundaries to defend – in the cloud, at the end of a network, in
references. a device, or in the user’s heads?’ and citing of specific
implementations of technology such as, ‘Mondex, c1993, Natwest’
Cyber security risk has traditionally been encapsulated by the (the unsuccessful invention of an electronic cash system by the
engineering and physical sciences where risk is seen as knowable National Westminster bank).
and measurable. The potential value, however, of cyber security
risk artefacts for ‘interpretively expressing professional knowledge’ Thirdly, participants needed to understand how the artefacts could
(Baskerville, 1991, p.749) has been suggested and the Blackett be experienced. They felt that the artefacts would be
Review on ‘High Impact Low Probability Risks (Government Office ‘comprehensible by mums (and dads)’ but that, ‘they [IT Fauna]
for Science, 2011,) concluded that there is a need for tools that will need a narrative’. They needed to see how others experienced
allow experts to imagine risks in a way that will ‘expand the these artefacts and asked, ‘where is the human element?’
boundaries of their mental models’ (p.11). commenting that the artefacts needed to be ‘user activity based’.
One participant pointed out that ‘the internet is entirely experiential
Accordingly the aim of this research was to evaluate the use of – this is where the art should focus’.
critical design as a research technique for imagining future cyber
security risk. We wanted to move beyond the approaches used in Conclusion
VOME and towards a future-looking, creative approach with a
practitioner and policy maker user community. We learned three Critical design for research is often used in the development of new
lessons through the workshops. technologies or products. In this research, however, we were
exploring its use as part of the risk assessment process for cyber
Firstly, it takes effort for participants to become engaged and security. The lessons we learned demonstrate that while there is
conversant with critical design artefacts and there was initial potential for using critical design in this way we need to develop a
confusion over the purpose and use of the artefacts presented. In bridge between the artefacts and the epistemological position
time, however, participants commented that the artefacts made traditionally taken towards risk by cyber security practitioners and
them realise how they had become ‘dependent on a common policy makers. In the next phase of the research we will aim to link
language’ within their field of expertise and that ‘it’s hard to move critical design with systems thinking as a further development of
past that’. They did feel that the pieces gave a ‘different tools for imaging future cyber security risk. This may well offer a
perspective’, that made them ‘think differently’ and realize, ‘how we structured way for moving to a more productive level of
have normalized images’. While they were beginning to engage in engagement with the artefacts while giving participants a license to
be creative and a way of incorporating the human experience.
45

References
1. Baskerville, R. (1991). ‘Risk Analysis as a Source of Professional
Knowledge’, Computers & Security, 10, pp. 749-764
2. Bowen, S. (2007). ‘Crazy ideas or creative probes? Presenting critical
artefacts to stakeholders to develop innovative product ideas’,
Proceedings of the European Academy of Design Conference
[CD ROM], Izmir, Turkey
3. Coles-Kemp, L. and Ashenden, D. (2012). ‘Community-centric
engagement: lessons learned from privacy awareness
intervention design’, Proceedings of HCI 2012 – People &
th
Computers XXVI, The 26 BCS Conference on Human Computer
Interaction, Birmingham, UK, 12-14 September 2012
4. Dunne, A. and Raby, F. (2001). Design noir: The secret life of electronic
objects. Birkhauser
5. Government Office for Science (2011). ‘Blackett Review of High Impact
Low Probability Risks’ [Online]. Available at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/goscience/docs/b/12-519-blackett-
review-high-impact-low-probability-risks (Accessed 31 May 2013)
46
The Evolution of Silence

Rachele Riley Abstract
The University of the Arts Methodical and expressive, the archive synthesizes objective
An exploration of memory and destruction, ‘The Evolution of information, integrates visual, textual and audio interpretations, and
211 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19146 USA Silence’ is a multi-dimensional project that involves field research, presents a dynamic structure and interactive framework in which
rriley@uarts.edu archival and library research, writing, drawing, imaging, mapping, viewers engage and explore transformation and conflict.
rachele@racheleriley.com printmaking, sound recording, video editing, and coding. It is a
creative investigation into the visual representation of conflict and
Author Keywords
focused on the Nevada Test Site – the site of experimental, post-
World War II nuclear detonations in the United States. War; conflict; representation; mapping; archive; visual design
Part one of the project, a web-based archive, presents an Research Imperatives

exploration of a restricted landscape, and a visual mapping and
interpretation of its destruction. It allows one to bypass government My research is motivated by a concern for how violence is
boundaries and control of the area, making it possible for any represented, aestheticized, and reconciled within culture. In
individual to experience a cold war’s aftermath and silence. The particular I ask, how does the information of war and the ways in
project gives form and expression to various forms of data, and is which it is made visible and understandable shape our perspective
unique to other existing documentation of the Nevada Test Site in of conflict? What role does the media play in defining our
that it preserves an individual view of every nuclear detonation that experience and how should this be critiqued? What is the
occurred in Yucca Flat valley. Eight hundred and twenty-eight (828) relationship of the archive and memorial to an evolving field of data
nuclear explosions occurred in Yucca Flat alone and, as a result of visualization?
many of these, the valley is pockmarked with sink-hole craters. It is
my goal to bring attention to this neglected area as an important These questions inform my creative investigation and critical
symbol of the impact of war. perspective. My approach involves examining the impact of events
and their dynamics, exploring multi-media language (image, sound,
The project also reveals and memorializes the role that display text, motion, code), pursuing archival and investigative research,
mannequins played in the Federal Civil Defense program. and creating critical interactive experiences whereby the viewer
Representing human subjects, they experienced the force of actively dismantles the aggregate image of war, and confronts the
nuclear explosions in the 1950s. By integrating documentation and scale of violence that has taken place. My research aims to reveal
creative interpretations of these figures, I address disappearance, and subvert reductive tendencies in data visualization, in favor of
damage, and irradiation. Their story offers compelling historical processes that convey multiple points of view, detail, and emotion.
perspective on the cultural view of the atomic bomb and on the
human toll of war.
47
the memory of the two field visits I have made, and by hiking the
nearby National Desert Wildlife Refuge, whose landscape closely
resembles Yucca Flat. From this variety of material and experience,
I create visual/typographic/time-based/interactive explorations that
interpret the dynamics of the place through combinations of video,
drawing, scanning, sound design, writing, photography, mapping,
and interactive forms. I have conducted a few rounds of iterations
on the web-based archive alone, seeking a balance between
optimization, accessibility, and complexity.
I was initially inspired to take on the subject of nuclear testing after

Figure 2. Yucca Flat: Google Earth Map. I reading, 'Savage Dreams' by Rebecca Solnit, in which the politics
mapped the locations of detonations and and history of two contested landscapes in the U.S. (one was the
then took a screen shot of the site of each Nevada Test Site) are discussed. Further inquiry via the Web
individual detonation.
revealed a graphically striking landscape of hundreds of craters
Figure 1. Screen shot of ‘The Evolution of Silence’ web-based archive. and I was intrigued to investigate the ways Yucca Flat valley
symbolized the activity and impact of war. I began the project in
2008 with library research to learn more about nuclear testing. In
Research Process
May 2008, supported by a Faculty Research Grant from the
My research process involves collecting, understanding, presenting University of North Carolina Charlotte, I made my first field visit to
and interpreting historical data through the use of various media the Nevada Test Site. The Nevada Test Site is located
formats and the layering of perspectives from different sources approximately 65 miles north of the city of Las Vegas. Day-long bus
(Fig. 1). I have consulted published books, newspaper articles, oral tours are conducted monthly and are led by former Department of
history accounts (some housed at the Library of Congress in Energy employees, individuals who had worked on the site and had
Washington, D.C., the Cahlan Research Library at the Nevada been involved in the testing program. We were driven through
State Museum, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) various areas within the Test Site (Mercury, Frenchmen Flat and
Special Collections). I have collected, interpreted, and scanned: Yucca Flat) and among the ruins and debris of nuclear testing:
maps, data, photos, films, and text documents (published by the driving inside the low and wide Bilby Crater, and around parts of
U.S. Department of Energy (or the former Atomic Energy bridges, concrete structures, and a solitary brick house (from the
Commission), the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the 1955 Apple Test in Area 4). The tour culminates with a stop at
United States Geological Survey, and archived at the Nuclear Sedan Crater (at the northeastern part of Yucca Flat valley). At this
Testing Archive, the National Archives, the UNLV Special point we were allowed to step off the bus and stand at the crater's
Collections, the Cahlan Research Library). I came to know the edge. Created July 6, 1962, it is the largest crater of the nuclear
Figure 3. 1953 J.C. Penney advertisement Nevada Test Site (NTS) visually and understand its landmarks, testing program with a depth of 320 feet (100 meters) and a
showcasing ‘before’ and ‘after’ states of
initially through the Web via Google Earth and later via high- diameter of 1,280 feet (390 meters).
the L.A. Darling Co. Mannequins used in
the March 17, 1953 Annie Test. (detail) resolution satellite images granted from the GeoEye Foundation. I
Image courtesy of Nevada Test Site also know the place from my notes, sketches, conversations, and
Historical Foundation.
48
No photography, video, or sound recording is allowed within the geographic view of the valley from these coordinate values (Figs. 8,
Nevada Test Site. Over the course of three days, I traveled along 9, 10). In this version, the detonation sites (and craters) are
the roads and to the towns that surround the restricted areas of the presented by location. In Fall 2012, I received a Research Imagery
Nevada Test Site and the Nellis Air Force Testing Range. On that Grant of six high-resolution images of Yucca Flat for use in my
same trip I began my archival research at the UNLV Special project from the GeoEye Foundation. I conducted further archival
Collections Library, the Atomic Testing Museum, Nuclear Testing research at the National Archives in College Park, MD in the
Archive, and the Cahlan Research Library at the Nevada State photography, film, and military documents collections. I made a
Museum. second field visit to the Nevada Test Site and the National Desert
Wildlife Refuge, conducted further archival research at the UNLV
Figure 4. Tiling/Mapping every nuclear I continued my research at the Library of Congress in Washington, Special Collections and the Cahlan Research Library, and
detonation in Yucca Flat. Using a United D.C. in the summer of 2009. After consolidating data from consulted with Las Vegas historians and curators on questions
States Geological Survey map to identify
government and archival sources to create one list of every surrounding the use of mannequins in nuclear testing (Fig. 3) and
nuclear tests, I determine the ‘x, y’
coordinates for my geographic map view detonation that occurred in the Yucca Flat area, I began sketching, of their supposed tour of the U.S. after having been removed from
for the web. concept mapping, and making visual explorations of the valley. In the Test Site. I was able to find evidence of their public display in
Fall/Winter of 2009, I mapped each explosion by name, date, and downtown Los Angeles, CA in 1953. The whereabouts of the
created in Google Earth. In ‘satellite view,’ I systematically took a mannequins remain unknown.
screen shot of each location, creating an image that represented
the site of every nuclear detonation (Fig. 2). In 2012, after having filed a Freedom of Information Act Request
with the U.S. Government in 2011, I received access to ‘before and
In 2010, I organized my imagery and content, and developed after’ photographs taken by the USGS for their mapping projects.
concepts for designing interaction. After researching and testing Currently, I am planning ways to incorporate this recently
experiments in JQuery, HTML, CSS, I designed and developed my uncovered archival material into the web-based archive, as well as
first web-based prototype. In spring 2011, I received a Faculty my images, sounds, writing, videos and animations. A research and
Research Enrichment Grant from The University of the Arts to work design process Blog, started September 2012, is online at:
with a technical consultant to optimize the site and to code a http://blog.racheleriley.com.
Figure 5. Tiling/Mapping in process. version that dynamically pulls from my master list of data (an Excel
sheet). I worked independently to refine the code and develop more Research Outcomes
layers; created videos, sounds, and writing to include in the
archive. ‘The Evolution of Silence’ encompasses research into a visually
arresting and symbolic landscape. After initial explorations in video
Initially, the website presented a chronological view of all and drawing, I began planning and experimenting with mapping the
detonations that occurred in the valley (Fig. 7). I spent several valley, and eventually created a web-based exploratory format. The
weeks in Fall 2012, while on a Semester Course Release from The interactive experience reveals multiple dimensions, one of which
University of the Arts, tiling the individual images of each presents official information about nuclear tests from government
detonation in a map in Illustrator to determine their ‘x, y’ records, while other dimensions, anecdotal and expressive, include
coordinates in relationship to one another (Figs. 4, 5, 6). Now visuals and references from research, newspaper accounts,
Figure 6. Tiling/Mapping in process, online, the web browser dynamically interprets and generates a advertisements, and interpretations in writing, sound, and
overview of entire image.
49
animation. Together these multiple dimensions represent the maps, and anecdotal documentations. The project aims to make
traces, instants, memories, and fragments of what happened, and this off-limits, remote, and historically significant place more
contribute to the experiential and open-ended nature of the project. knowable. There is always more to discover and to include: ‘the
‘All archives are realized in destruction, preserved by traces of more knowledge (grows) the greater the unknown (grows)…The
destruction’ (Lippit, 2005, p.9). more information flashes by, the more we are aware of its
incomplete, fragmentary nature’ (Virillio, 1991, p. 45). The project
My research emphasizes the eight hundred and twenty-eight (828) embraces what is fragmentary about memory and ruin. ‘To make
individual nuclear detonations that occurred in Yucca Flat, in ways peace (with acts of violence) is to forget. To reconcile, it is
that other documentation of the Nevada Test Site either does not necessary that memory be faulty and limited’ (Sontag, 2004,
do at all or does not do visually (Fig. 10). In addition, I focus on the p.115).
‘before and after’ of transformation. For the landscape, employees,
Figure 7. An earlier iteration of the web- and residents of the area an accumulative impact of explosive
based archive in which detonations are instants brought about dramatic change. I investigate the damage
arranged by time. to the valley itself—made visual by the presence of hundreds of
sink-hole craters, and to people and culture—partially explored
through the stories of the L.A. Darling Co. display mannequins
which, representing human subjects, experienced the force of
nuclear explosions in the 1950’s. For each of these areas of focus,
I reveal previously unpublished documentation, and create prints
and animations that explore the disappearance and destruction.
The macabre presence of the mannequins, used in post-nuclear-
test marketing materials to promote Civil Defense strategies in the
U.S. in the 1950s, points to the human cost of war, to those
affected by nuclear fallout. I have created a sub-site under the
Figure 8. ‘The Evolution of Silence’ web- March 17, 1953 Annie Test which presents their story and
based archive, geographic view. interpretations of their damage.
Figure 10. Screen shot of ‘The Evolution of Silence’ web-based archive.
The archive is political—it documents a contested landscape that
was appropriated by the U.S. government in 1951 as a ‘more References
convenient’ place to test nuclear weapons. It provides a reflective
1. Lippit, Akira Mizuta. (2005) Atomic Light (Shadow Optics). University of
experience whereby the area is conceptually reclaimed. Calling
Minnesota. Minneapolis.
attention to the activity of this remote area raises awareness about
2. Sontag, Susan. (2004) Regarding the Pain of Others. Farrar, Straus
nuclear weapons, and contributes to the discussion of government and Giroux. New York.
activity, control, and ethics. The archive is aesthetic and a resource
3. Virillio, Paul. (1991) The Aesthetics of Disappearance. Semiotext(e).
for further research on the topic, embodying and sharing previously USA.
unreleased archival photos, government documents, official reports
on the impact of testing on the ecology of the Nevada Test Site,
Figure 9. ‘The Evolution of Silence’ web-
based archive, geographic view with
layers visible.
50
Exploring 3D-Printed Structures Through Textile Design

Martha Glazzard Abstract Author Keywords
Nottingham Trent University
This paper discusses novel, 3D-printed structures that are the Textile design; knitted structures; auxetic structures; structure
Nottingham
NG1 4BU UK result of an exploration through geometries and textiles to create modelling; 3D-printing; making.
martha.glazzard2003@my.ntu.ac.uk auxetic structures. Auxetic materials are those that expand, when
stretched, in a direction transverse to the stretch. 3D-printing is the Research Imperatives
Philip Breedon most recent exploration in a research project into weft-knitted
Nottingham Trent University auxetic textiles that aims to populate development in this area, This research came about through a dis-satisfaction with the under-
Nottingham previously dominated by engineering disciplines, with a clear representation of design methodologies in work considered under
NG1 4BU UK
design-led presence. the wide umbrella of technical textiles.
philip.breedon@ntu.ac.uk
The physical work consists of knitted fabrics with designs inspired The wide contribution of both design and craft practices to the
and informed by auxetic geometries; these are then translated into development of textile research and commerciality is often
rubber and plastic 3D-printed structures. The production of these overlooked in favour of a scientific method (El-Moghazy, 2009).
geometries is a distinct development from those usually created via Through a carefully positioned project, which champions the use of
a process of mathematical and computer modelling. The geometry a creative practice as a methodology for conceiving, developing
is based solely on the product outcome of modelling through and making, the inherent values of this subject are tested for their
knitting. This acknowledges the discrepancy between the validity.
programmed, theoretical pattern and the knitted object. This shape
is then translated into a form that can be produced as a 3D-print in It is important to the project that an experimental and relaxed
a material with different properties from those of any textile fibre. By methodology that allows for experiential knowledge is allowed to
this method, exploration through knitting can demonstrate an occur naturally. The approach is one of a designer and has many
original way of designing geometries through design, commonalities with craft practice.
experimentation and physical means.
Context
Although the knitted fabrics and the 3D-prints display very different Auxetic materials are those, which have a negative Poisson’s ratio -
aesthetics and handle, the auxetic effect has been transposed by an expansion in a direction transverse to that of an applied stretch
applying the geometric concept of the fabric. This shows promise (fig. 1). These materials were first discussed in materials research
for textile making to act as a template for modelling complex by Rod Lakes (1987). Auxetic structures span a wide range of
structures, which can be translated into different media, thereby materials. Significant research has been conducted on theoretical
widening potential applications exponentially. geometries, which are tested via mathematical modelling (Liu and
Hu, 2010). The modelling of these structures involves a need for an
51
acute understanding of the structure before the physical making of inspiration from established auxetic geometries (Fig. 2) and applied
an object. This methodology is likened to a scientific method experiential knowledge to establish the geometries into functioning
(Farrell and Hooker, 2012), and is in contrast to the method used in auxetic fabrics (Glazzard and Breedon, 2011). This practice used
this research to develop auxetic geometries. free and subjective methods alongside measures of behaviour
(using both qualitative and quantitative methods) to alter the
Methods and methodologies aesthetics, quality, yarn choice, and stitch structure of the samples
The methods used in developing the outlined research adopt a (Figs.3 and 5). In a desire to quantify the effect of the auxetic
design approach adapted from textile and apparel design. Here, the structure of the knitted fabrics, the final appearance of the most
most important stage is the physical production of materials. successful fabrics was replicated in diagrammatic form (Fig. 4).
Through repeated sampling and adaptation stages, the desired

effects (in this case of auxetic behaviour) are refined.
Figure 1. Auxetic effect.
Described in engineering terms as a Research Process

negative Poisson’s ratio.
Figure 2. ‘Double arrowhead’ structure.
Shows a re-entrant structure, which

served as inspiration for the chevron
forms in the knitted fabrics and
subsequent prints.
Figure 4. Diagram showing the effect of stretching the fabric (in figure 3), as
based on the final physical form.
Figure 3. Weft-knitted auxetic structure shown in placement on plain knitted
fabric.
The decision was made to choose the final form of the sample to
The knitted textile development took place at Nottingham Trent better match the final geometry of the fabric, rather than the
University on electronic Stoll knitting machines. This took conceptual model of the structure, both of which are often
52
significantly different. Here, printed forms were made that copied

the physical profiles of the most successfully auxetic of the knitted
fabrics, chosen from results of testing at an earlier stage in the
research. The printed structure in two variations (one with a rubber-
like material with added hard, plastic struts on some of the
ligaments (Figs. 6 and 7) and one with only the rubber (Fig. 8),
showed similar auxetic behaviour to the knitted fabric.
The originality of this method is that the 3D-printed material could

Figure 5. Close-up of knitted auxetic
not be produced in any other way. Much like a craft methodology,
fabric. the development relies on tacit and experiential knowledge at each
stage (Harrod, 2007). The geometry developed is different from
Shown here in covered elastic yarn,
knitted on 14 gauge electronic Stoll
other auxetic geometric models and uses knowledge of different
knitting machine. materials and handle (see fig. 9) in a way well known and integral Figure 8. Second replication of the geometric model using rubber only and
to textile design, but unusual in the auxetic field. increased condensing of the form.
The use of a knitted geometry as a process to create an auxetic

Research outcomes shape was tested, and proven to be successful. Also, the method
of working from a physical outcome, to develop a model through a
design process was proven to be successful (as seen in Fig. 10).
The implications for this material are that, where a knitted fabric
can be seen to be unsuitable (for example, due to porosity, scale
limitations or uneven stretch), the production of a plastic, rubber or
different solid could greatly expand the application potentials.
Furthermore, it would be easier to produce shaped or tubular
Figure 7. Close-up of 3D-printed
versions that may be limited in the original knitted geometry. This
structure in two materials.
complements feedback from focus groups, who, when discussing
Printed using black rubber main with the knitted fabrics, often envisaged applications for auxetic
supporting ligaments in white plastic.
structures, which would not be suited to knitted fabrics, such as
sails, a skate park landscape, building materials, medical items

such as stents.
Figure 6. The first replication of the geometric model. A rubber 3D-print with
plastic ligaments.

53
Acknowledgements
3D-prints made at Aalto University, Helsinki. Programmed and
printed in collaboration with Vanja Valencak and Jussi Mikkonen.

References
El-Mogahzy, Y. (2009) Engineering textiles: integrating the design and
manufacture of textile products. London: Taylor & Francis. pp. 10
Figure 9. Close-up of knitted auxetic Farrell, R. and Hooker, C. (2012) The Simon–Kroes model of technical
fabrics showing alternative effects artifacts and the distinction between science and design, Design
available using a knitted textile craft Studies, 33 (5). pp. 480-495
methodology. Glazzard, M. and Breedon, P. (2012) Designing a Knit Methodology for
Technical Textiles Smart Design: First International Conference
Proceedings. pp. 103-108
Harrod, T. Otherwise Unobtainable: The applied arts and the politics and
Figure 10. Details showing the transverse expansion of 3D-print showing
poetics of digital technology in Alfoldy, S. (2007) NeoCraft:
expansion when stretched in the length. modernity and the crafts. Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
pp. 225-241
Lakes, R. (1987) Foam Structures with a Negative Poisson's Ratio
.
Conclusions Science, 235. pp. 1038-1040
Liu, Y. and Hu, H. (2010) A review on auxetic structures and polymeric
Final material products have been developed through a process of materials. Scientific Research and Essays, 5 (10). pp. 1052-1063
making that is only replicable through the experiential and tacit
knowledge of the designer in the role of the manufacturer.
The experiential knowledge involved in the process of designing

the fabric and then choosing the most relevant aspects of a sample
to its behaviour (rather than its most logical aspects) is unique to
each designer in the manner of a craft process.
Knitted fabrics are regular and highly structured, but the results of
combining yarns, stitch structures, tensions and gauges are often
unpredictable. The theoretical structure and the actual form are
often significantly different and it takes time and practice for a
practitioner to be able to draw out the differences between desired
effect, inherent fabric properties and unexpected side effects of the
decisions made in the design process.

54
Collaboration across design disciplines to create a new designer

maker’s tool
Danny Duquemin -Sheil Abstract The manufactured tracing wheels available in the market are
Northumbria University generally made from plastic and a cheap metal wheel. They look
Newcastle upon Tyne like toy cowboy spurs. The spur wheel is the pricking implement
NE1 8ST UK that rolls through the calico prototype to obtain a 'traced' pattern.
danny.duquemin-sheil@northumbria.ac.uk The differing tracing wheels available lack tactile ergonomic use
and/or do not leave a defined 'prick' in the paper required to obtain
Sarah Morehead an accurate pattern.
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK The case to hold this tool will be of equal importance to the tool
sarah.morehead@northumbria.ac.uk itself, a protective barrier that holds the respected tool as a jewel. A
maker and their tools have a synergy. As in Sweeny Todd talking
about his razors as an extension of his arm; “these are my friends,
see how they glisten, see this one shine, how he smiles in the light,
my friend, my faithful friend” (Sondheim, 2010). The product
designer in conversation with the fashion designer have worked
through the problems of use in current and vintage tools. Both
designers have contributed to the process in exploring flatware
designs (cutlery) for weight and hand feel, making sketches, CAD
representations and modelling in OBO Model Board. Through
several iterations the finalised design has been executed in brass.
The weight of the Brass in the product is hoped to give a better
hand feel and a positive user experience. It is intended to translate
Figure 1. Final Design. a cheap plastic tool to one that has greater worth, feel and
responsiveness to inspire further creativity in pattern translation. A
This cross-discipline collaboration was initiated to create a design tool that may engender continued pleasurable use in creative
tool that enhances creative use and accuracy in fashion pattern pattern cutting.
construction, a tracing wheel. A tracing wheel aids the pattern
designer to translate a 3D Moulage design developed on a
mannequin into a flat paper pattern. This pattern can then be used Author Keywords
to create a final garment with accuracy in the desired cloth. The Moulage; Pattern Wheel; Tool; Ergonomics; Materials Exploration;
Moulage process is used by couturier houses to obtain complex Dialogue.
shapes that are difficult to achieve through flat pattern cutting.
55


This practice based research was a response to the inadequacies
of a pattern cutting tool, the tracing wheel. A tracing wheel aids Research Process
fashion design pattern cutters to translate pattern pieces accurately Initial conversations between the two designers were about the
onto paper. Designers will often moulage an idea on a mannequin, tool, its function, existing products and their strengths and
molding, draping, easing, shaping and forming fabric around a weaknesses. The cheap, disposable products available on the
substitute human form. This 3D construction is dismantled from the market were neither visually appealing nor ergonomic in handle
mannequin with all the annotations and traced through the fabric design (Fig. 4).
Figure 2. Existing Plastic handle Tracing
with the pin pricks from the tracing wheel in order to obtain a flat
Wheels. The tool on the left has burs left pattern that when cut in the desired cloth will form the final
by the plastic molding processes that are garment. The current tracing wheel tools vary from those with
sharp in the palm of the hand. The tool on cheap plastic handles with sharp burs left from the molding process
the right has a pressed metal wheel with to those with wooden handles on a metal shank with thin pressed
blunt serrated points.
serrated wheels that leave a blunt impression on the pattern paper
(Fig. 2).

Danny Duquemin-Sheil from Northumbria Designers in Residence
has been building a body of work that explores tools for everyday
living. The Designers in Residence latest inquiry is to form a
partnership for a collaborative project. Danny and Fashion Design
Academic Sarah Morehead discussed tools in fashion design and
the increasingly disposable nature of tools that did not enhance the
user’s performance but possibly hindered the processes through
discomfort in use.
Figure 3. Pre sketch that initiated the This new tracing wheel tool was to sit comfortably in the hand, feel
Figure 4. Examples of existing products, their handles and wheel structures.
collaborative conversation. smooth to touch, keep the wrist at a consistent angle and have
greater aesthetic appeal than those already available for purchase.
Danny became aware through demonstration from Sarah of what
The cost of the tool would be considerably more expensive than
the tool should be able to do and the short comings of existing
current disposable models and possibly equal in value to a good
tools. This led to a series of rough sketches to explain in more
knife. Like any artist, having the right tools to craft your work is
detail the tool’s function and aesthetics (Fig. 3). Each designer
vitally important. Having a connection to those tools that they
discussed 3 D forms that could be relevant to the design and
become an extension of your physique adds to this interplay of
making of a more elegant tracing wheel tool. Danny bought
body and tool.
different sculptural Japanese bamboo knifes, spoons and strainers
whilst Sarah shared an understanding of how historic cutlery might
56
inform the process (Brown, 2001). The simple forms of the molded Danny designed the steel spiked brass wheel through CAD and
and cut bamboo were very elegant (Fig. 6). The Pistol and Rattail provided the details to enable a local engineer company to provide
th
designs of 18 century cutlery offered a tactile shape that could sit a costing (Fig. 5). Dialogue with Tom Jones from M Machine, the
across the palm of the hand with comfort (Fig. 7). Through specialist in this area of manufacture, offered two ways of
conversation and overt and discreet demonstration each executing this component. Handmade would cost £300 and to have
practitioner gained knowledge and understanding of the materials a production tool made for batch work would be similar. At this
and processes required to create the tool. Discreet demonstration point we discussed refining the spiked wheel from an older tool for
as in the hand movements and body gestures that accompanied inclusion and attachment to our newly formed handle. This wheel
the conversations which gave a richer understanding of the joint was ground and polished to give a more considered aesthetic
process we were undertaking. appeal to the pinched brass structure that holds in the conical steel
Figure 5. CAD illustration of wheel area. points. Danny made a special wooden clamp to hold the wheel
Through exploring, handling and feeling the shapes of modern whilst grinding and polishing the faces of each side of the hub. He
bamboo and traditional cutlery the first developments, sketches and developed a tool to create another tool. The sex bolt that holds the
model in OBO modeling foam were produced. The tool was to fit an spiked wheel in place was purloined from an old Anglepoise light.
average size 7 hand. In the first model the handle fell into the cup This dictated the size of the central hub hole and is aesthetically
of the hand, from user experience this can cause pressure when larger than desired.
pushing the wheel into the small bones in this area resulting in
pain. The second iteration was elongated to sit on the mound of The box is of wooden construction with the inner area routed and
flesh, the Hypothenar muscle group opposite the thumb group of lined to hold the instrument in place. The lining will be in crushed
muscles called the Thenar (Fig. 8). the length of the tool was now velvet or similar to reflect the inside of a snooker case, jewel box or
Figure 6. Japanese Bamboo Tools. established along with the upper girth and comfort in the palm. cutlery canteen, (see link to Maria Theresia Vienna). The new
Focus was now placed on how the fingers curved around the tool to tracing wheel is considered as an item to be cared for much in the
grip the handle. The underside area of the tool where the fingers same way as a snooker player carries their own identifiable cue in
curl back to grip was skived and pared to enable an internal its bespoke case. This tracing wheel should also have its own
precision grip. The forefinger should direct and control the wheel as ceremonial space.
a drawing implement. The area above the wheel needed to be of
sufficient width to comfortably rest the pad of the finger at a relaxed
angle. The shape of the tool was to enable good grip and minimal
effort in wrist movement allowing an imaginary straight line through
the pad of the forefinger through the hand and up the wrist to the
Figure 7. Contemporary Pistol Flatware.
forearm (Fig. 1). All of these parameters had informed the
subsequent models. At each stage we discussed the evolving
aesthetic. To Sarah, the now functional tool needed to have a more
jewel like aesthetic and to encompass the elegance of fine dining.
For Danny the tool had become an elegant bird like form.
Figure 8. Hypothenar and Thenar.

57
conversations about similarity to flatware. Flatware, cutlery, also

has to feel comfortable in the hand as a discreet but pleasurable
th
tool to aid dining. Affluent travelers’ during the 18 century carried
their own flatware housed in elegant boxes, (see Britannica
reference). This tracing wheel has been created with the same
consideration. The tool is expensive in comparison to its disposable
counterparts. It was not necessarily intended for mass manufacture
and would be comparable in price to a good pair of drop forged
English bespoke shears. However, it could be cast in brass to
make the tool more economically viable as a product. As many
musicians are aware, practicing with a beautifully made instrument
aids positive feedback through both sounds and touch. The tracing
Figure 9. Filing and refining final tool. wheel tool was intended to aid the connectivity of man to craft and
the wielding of materials in creative flow. Just like the musician, the
Research Outcomes greater connectivity to the tool, the greater the reward in learning,
performance and tacit understanding (Figs. 10,11,12).
The journey and understanding between each different design
discipline, 3D product and fashion, has led to a wider knowledge in References
hard and soft materials and the performance qualities of hand tools. 1. Brown, P. (ed), (2001) British Cutlery; An Illustrated History of Design,
The process has brought a mutual acknowledgement in how we Evolution and Use, Philip Wilson Publishers Limited: Sheffield
explain and communicate ideas through pre sketch, actions, 2. Sondheim, S. Sweeney Todd Vocal Score.(2010) Hal Leonard
conversations, metaphors and the different vocabularies of each Corporation
Figure 10. Finished design.
discipline. Performance of the user is inextricably linked to the 3. Encyclopedia Brittanica entry
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/147537/cutlery.
performance of the tool and has impact on the creative flow and
Accessed 25th June 2013
intentions of the creator. Disposable tools impinge on how we feel
4. Personnal Cutlery Maria Theresia Vienna 1
about our craft processes whilst using them. We are more http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Personnal_Cutlery_Maria
conscious of the negative sensations of the tool in use. A tool that _Theresia_Vienna_1.jpg. Accessed 25th June 2013
becomes a seamless extension of our selves and where we
become less conscious of its presence enables an interrupted
creative flow. When we put the tool away, look after it, we take
ownership of its function and ability to perform for us in a pleasing
manner. This in turn builds pleasurable memories of positive use,
creating a virtuous circle of care, use and performance.
It is understandable that sons wish to care for their fathers tools

Figure 11. Wheel Section, Sex Bolt is too
large.
which although grey and worn through time have a stronger
construction, feel and lasting performance. Good tools have

Figure 12. Finished design.
emotional resonance. This tool in solid brass has elicited
58
Technological Microcosms – Considering Materiality and Collaborative

Practice in the Creation of Wearable Futures
Katharina Vones Abstract Research Imperatives
The University of Dundee
With the increased prevalence of digital technologies in our The idea of creating a jewellery organism that comes alive on the
Dundee
DD1 4HN everyday lives, the questions posed to the contemporary craft body has fascinated and inspired my research ever since learning
k.b.childs@dundee.ac.uk practitioner regarding creation of an emotionally resonant about the potential inherent in smart materials almost ten years
interaction between the digitally enhanced object and its wearer ago. While smart materials have been known to scientists for far
have become progressively more prominent in the applied arts. longer (Huang et al., 2010) and have been used to great effect in
Through examining the notion that human biology is a part of engineering and aeronautic applications as actuators, their use in
material culture, my research explores how recent developments in contemporary art and craft has been sporadic, most likely because
material science and wearable technologies can be viewed as of the challenges posed in accessing, processing and shaping
contiguous rather than oppositional to the organic processes of the them. Many smart materials with the most fascinating
human body and how to bridge the gap between the craft characteristics are not yet commercially available to the
practitioner and scientific discovery. More immediately, this contemporary craft practitioner, and can only be accessed through
research challenges the perception of smart materials and their a process of seeking out collaborative relationships with the
application within the field of contemporary jewellery in both an scientific community or industrial producers. How the gap between
artistic and scientific context through proposing the development of the practitioner and cutting-edge scientific discovery can be bridged
symbiotic stimulus-reactive jewellery organisms. Bringing together to facilitate such collaborative efforts and benefit all parties involved
digital methods of fabrication with craft methodologies, I use is a key question of this research. Developing a holistic approach
materials such as silicone in conjunction with thermochromic whereby material experimentation and digital production processes
pigments to create objects that respond intimately to changes in the are used to facilitate the development of a coherent aesthetic
body of the wearer and the environment. Potential practical language that supersedes ideas of mere gadgetry and enables
applications for these jewellery objects exist in the areas of human– wearable technologies to be imbued with life is at the centre of my
computer interaction, transplant technology, identity management research. I challenge the perception of smart materials and their
and artificial body modification, where such symbiotic jewellery application within the field of contemporary jewellery in both an
organisms could be used to develop visually engaging, artistic and scientific context by exploring the use of thermochromic
multifunctional enhancements of the body. pigments and microelectronic components to develop symbiotic
stimulus-reactive jewellery organisms that are visually engaging yet
Author Keywords multifunctional enhancements of the human body (Figs.1 and 2).
The permeation of digital technologies into even the most personal
Smart Materials; Wearable Futures; Contemporary Jewellery; realms of our day-to-day lives has facilitated the acceptance of the
Rapid Prototyping; Thermochromics; Collaborative Practice concept of cybernetically modified bodies through advances in
medical technologies and procedures (Bland, 2010, Clark, 2003).
Craft Practitioners who define themselves as technical creatives,
59
the linear process of problem/need identification – visualisation –

prototyping – testing applied in product design and its related
disciplines. However, it is less well recognised as being an integral
part of contemporary craft, and within the context of disciplines
such as fashion, ceramics and jewellery design, prototyping is often
referred to as making ‘test-pieces’ or ‘mock-ups’ – a description
that belies the huge potential inherent in this creative process. In
her investigation of design principles used with contemporary craft,
Sarah Kettley successfully identifies the internalisation of a
particular material or process achieved through visceral immersion
through manipulation, handling, repeated exposure and drawing as
Figure 1. The Geotronic Brooch contains
one of the key factors in imbuing crafted objects with emotionally
a programmable colour LED which is set
to beat like a human heart. resonant qualities that transcend mere artistic and personal
expression (Kettley, 2005). As soon as playfulness is combined
with prototyping, a creative process of trial and error emerges that
can yield innovative and sometimes unexpected results
(Lieberman, 1977). Using design methods such as drawing, photo
studies, collage, image boards, experiments, personal inventories,
generative design and prototyping (Martin and Hanington, 2012),
Figure 2: Kathy Vones, Geotronic Brooch in darkness, Silicone, Copper, my research process consists of developing a series of material
Vitreous Enamel, Sandstone, Electronic Components, 18ct Gold (2013)
experiments as well as finished jewellery pieces and objects based
aesthetically on microscopic structures found in the natural world.
well versed in both scientific and artistic methodologies and Over the last twelve months, particular emphasis was placed on
working on the development of wearable futures (Miodownik, developing complex silicone shapes with the help of three-
2003), are moving towards a present in which technology could dimensional printing technologies that integrate thermochromic
become permanently integrated into the complex systems of the Leuco dye pigments to achieve temperature induced colour change
“Craft has been described as being human body. The possibilities and challenges facing the cycles. During a series of controlled experiments, ratios of liquid
“without design” […] It is continuous, contemporary jeweller in particular, to advance the debate Leuco dyes increasing in increments of 0.1ml were mixed with
rather than discreet in nature, and it is surrounding the modified body and interactive adornment while
suggested that this is the root of the silicone compounds and carefully controlled amounts of powdered
engaging in successful collaborative projects with partners from the artist pigments to achieve varying degrees of colouration and
‘holistic’ perception of craft.” (Kettley,
2005, p.10) scientific community, will constitute the focus of this research. transparency in the finished silicone shapes. It was discovered that
upon reaching the activation temperature of approximately 31˚C the
Research Process Leuco dyes reach transparency and reveal the underlying
pigmentation stemming from the addition of artist pigments (Figs. 3
My research process focuses on the concept of playful practice and
and 4). Upon cooling, the thermochromic pigments are restored to
its emphasis on material experimentation. The process of
their original opaque state, thus reversing the colour change. This
prototyping is one of the methodological cornerstones of playful
cycle is repeatable infinitely, although further long-term testing is
practice and is often regarded as being one of the final steps within
60
necessary to check for material fatigue and discolouration. It is

hoped that through future collaboration the potential of
thermochromic liquid crystals and their spectral colour change
cycles can be investigated in this context.

Research Outcomes
The Cocoon Earring (Figs. 5 and 6) exhibited at the Praxis and
Poetics Conference represents the first of my research outcomes to
combine thermochromic silicone shapes and a three-dimensionally
printed structure with microelectonic components while achieving
stimulus reactivity. Unlike its predecessors the Geotronic Brooch
(Figs.1&2) and the Mycelia Brooch (Fig.7), which relied either on
pre-programmed cyclical responses or external light stimuli to Figure 5. Kathy Vones, Cocoon Earring - first production sample
create interactivity while being worn, the Cocoon Earring reacts incorporating thermochromic silicone shapes and a sandstone structure
intimately to the biological impulses created by the human body. (2013).
Through the incorporation of a pulse sensor in the clip-on earring
While relatively large in scale, the Cocoon Earring is designed to
finding, the wearer’s heartbeat is measured continuously when the
Figure 3. A temperature induced colour almost fully envelop the ear conch to create the impression of a
Cocoon Earring is fitted onto the earlobe. As soon as the wearer’s
change cycle (low to high) from magenta calcified growth that emerges from the ear. This further emphasises
heart rate rises from its established base levels, a signal is sent to
to blue in thermochromic silicone the concept of a jewellery organism that is intimately connected to
samples for the Cocoon Earring series. a small microcontroller. This signal is in turn translated into heat
the wearer, thus creating an original visual language that
impulses and sent into thin wires embedded in the thermochromic
transcends functional considerations and focuses on harmoniously
silicone shapes. The heat from the embedded wires gradually
integrating microelectronical components and smart materials into
starts to activate the thermochromic pigments and the silicone
an object that is both aesthetically as well as functionally resolved.
Figure 4. Below is an example of the shapes start to change colour as the heat is distributed throughout.
colour range achievable in combining If the wearer’s heart rate falls back to its established base rate, the

thermochromic Leuco Dyes with Silicone wires start to cool and the thermochromic pigment slowly returns to Through engaging in a holistic process of material immersion and
its initial inactive state, thus reversing the colour change in the experimentation I am developing a body of work that is emotionally
silicone shapes. resonant while leaving space for serendipitous discovery. The rise
of technical creatives represents a new breed of studio artist,
equipped to contribute to the debate surrounding the role of the
practitioner in an age defined by digital revolution and material
discovery. Against a background of growing fascination with and
reliance upon technologies and devices that contain some form of
interactivity, my research provides an essential part of developing a
discourse on the place symbiotic jewellery and the contemporary
craft practitioner occupy within this setting. The challenge to
61
reconfigure craft-based techniques and aesthetic considerations

within a methodological framework focused on the user experience
of wearing and interacting with stimulus-reactive jewellery objects
will provide the basis for the further development of these ideas in a
variety of practical applications.
References
Bland, S. (2010) Growing Artificial Bone, Materials Today, 13, p.10.
Clark, A. (2003) Natural-Born Cyborgs – Minds, Technologies, and the
Future of Human Intelligence, New York, Oxford University Press.
Figure 6. Three Dimensional Design Huang, W. M., Ding, Z., Wang, C. C., Wei, J., Zhao, Y. & Purnawali, H.
Drawing of the Cocoon Earring (2010) Shape memory materials, Materials Today, 13, pp. 54-61.
Kettley, S. (2005) Crafts Praxis for Critical Wearables Design, AI & Society,
22, pp. 5-14.
“The real value of a model or simulation Lieberman, N. J. (1977) Playfulness - Its Relationship to Imagination and
may stem less from its ability to test a
Creativity, London, Academic Press, Inc.
hypothesis than from its power to
generate useful surprise. […] It holds Martin, B. & Hanington, B.( 2012) Universal Methods of Design, Beverly,
equally true that chance favours the MA, Rockport Publishers.
prepared prototype: models and Miodownik, M. (2003) The Case for Teaching the Arts, Materials Today, 6,
simulations can and should be media to pp. 36-42.
create and capture surprise and
Schrage, M. (2000). Serious Play - How the World's Best Companies
serendipity.” (Schrage, 2000, p.117)
Simulate to Innovate, Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Business
School Press, p. 117.
Figure 7. Kathy Vones, Mycelia Brooch,

Sterling Silver, 18ct Gold, Silicone,
Mineral (2012).
This piece was inspired by growth

patterns of microscopic fungi and the
silicone shapes contain UV reactive
pigment.
62
FutureFactories: Practice-Based Research in the Creative Use

of Digital Design and Manufacturing Technologies

Dr Lionel T Dean Abstract control, and mass customisation, where the product is configured to
a specific consumer need or desire (Davies, 1987).
De Montfort University FutureFactories is a research program exploring the creative
Leicester
potential of emerging digital design and manufacturing technologies Through a series of case studies, this paper will describe attempts
LE1 9BH UK
lionel@dmu.ac.uk specifically Additive Manufacture (AM) or 3D printing. The project to personalise industrially manufactured artefacts and to engage
developed from the author’s practice-based PhD study in 2003. consumers in the creative process. The research questions
A central aim has been mass-individualisation, defined as the explored include the potential to ‘add value’ through customised
industrial scale production of one-off artefacts. Whilst mass production; the design of a solution space rather than a singular
manufacturing has made quality products affordable, their ubiquity optimal solution and the retention of a coherent and functional
and omnipresence brings an associated sense of devaluation and design solution in spite of automatically generated variance.
disposability. Functional, durable products are often replaced as a
result of emotional responses such as identity, convenience and
Author Keywords
status rather than actual need (Chapman, 2005). Making each and
every artefact unique in some way might encourage a consumer- 3D Printing; Additive Manufacturing; Digital Manufacturing;
product emotional attachment; sentiment often associated with Individualisation; Customisation; Computational Design.
bespoke, pre-industrial, handmade artefacts. This project explores
how individualised production might be achieved without losing the Research Imperatives
economic efficiency (and associated market supported product
 Creative possibilities
development opportunities) of mass-manufacture. The study
combines parametric Computer Aided Design (CAD) and computer  Emotional attachment
programming in a computational design approach that facilitates  Customisation/ individualisation
the automated generation of variants. Coupled with the flexibility of
additive manufacture this allows tangible personalised products to
be ‘printed’ direct from on-screen meta-designs (Atkinson and
Dean, 2003). These virtual templates remain in a constant state of
flux, generating alternate design variants as and when required.
Early in the project a distinction was drawn between mass-

individualisation, with changes in form outside of the customer’s
63
key-frame animation of CAD models. In key-frame animation an

entity is created along with a series of developmental stages for
that entity over time. Software then extrapolates between these
key-frame states creating a seamless animation and, at the same
time, a discreet 3D model configuration for each frame of this
animation. A vast number of models can be created from even a
short movie sequence (30 frames per second was used in this
work). The idea was that the consumer would view ‘living’ designs
morphing on screen (Fig. 3) in real time via an on-line shopping
experience. There would be the option of freezing the development
at a moment of choice thereby creating a unique variant and
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- placing an order if desired (Atkinson and Dean, 2003). Once an
Caption order is placed the digital file would be forwarded automatically to
an appropriate production bureau and the printed part delivered to
the customer’s door.
Figure 2. Phenotype CAD model and genotype parameter code
Research Process
The work began with envisaging how a design might change over
time as opposed to the creation of a singular ‘optimal’ solution, and
by considering how this might be presented to the consumer. A
virtual on-line viewing experience seemed appropriate. Parametric
CAD models are defined by the relationships between parameters
rather than the absolute values to the variables themselves.
Modifying these parameters according to pre-defined rules and Figure 3. The Tuber lamp animation
relationships can therefore be used to generate geometric variants
(Fig. 1). Each discrete phenotype variant will have its own
genotype code of parameter values (Fig. 2). In early
Figure 1. Tuber iterations 1 - 5
FutureFactories work morphing designs were created using the
64
buttons expand in a uniform axisymmetric manner until they almost

touch; this is then followed by a non-uniform expansion to fill in the
gaps. In a final manual operation the buttons are connected by a
matrix of curved links that act as live springs allowing the whole
back to flex like a sprung mattress. This manual addition is termed
a manual mapping process (Dean et al., 2004). The modeling of
the links could have been automated in the software with sufficient
programming investment. Holy Ghost variants are shown in
Figure 5. Holy Ghost iterations 1 and 2
Figures 5 and 6.
A program of exhibitions at the end of the initial one-year residency

period yielded valuable feedback on the concept. Would-be
consumers, in this case exhibition attendees, expressed a desire
for more dramatic and fundamental changes in form than the gently
writhing morphing of Tuber allowed. This would be hard to
accommodate as the techniques thus far involved the manipulation

of existing parametric CAD models rather than the creation of new
geometry. Also, whilst the key-frame animations provided proof of
concept, they were of fixed length and offered only a finite number Figure 6. Holy Ghost iterations 3 and 4
of solutions: the intention had always been to create scalable, script
driven solutions generating potentially infinite variety. The solution Research Outcomes
was to combine the existing parametric morphing strategy with a Mugge (2009) shows that effort invested in personalising a product
building block Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) approach. In has a direct effect (as a result of the extended period of time spent
CSG complex three-dimensional models are created from the with the product) and an indirect effect (via the personalised
combination of simpler solid elements using Boolean operations. product's self-expressive value) on the strength of the emotional
Using this technique features could be added or subtracted using a bond with the product. This research attempts to show that similar
library of pre-defined geometric entities. Once placed in the model benefits can be achieved through more passive involvement in the
these library elements could be subject to the same parametric creative process. Whilst the generative processes in general have
manipulation employed in the Tuber design. had significant popular appeal it has proved difficult to access the
desirability of individual iterations where an actual purchase is not
In the Holy Ghost chair the process begins with a standard build being made. At exhibitions 2D prints of individualised products
unit termed a button (deliberately reminiscent of traditional button have been offered to visitors to demonstrate the principles; these
leather furniture). In the first phase of program (Fig. 4), the number however do not appear to stimulate greater interest in one outcome
of buttons that will make up the back is determined (between 22 over another. Nonetheless the added dimension of a pre-purchase
and 28). A three-dimensional surface pre-determined by virtual experience centered on the creation of the product appears
ergonomics is then populated with this number of buttons attractive. This virtual ‘performance’ may be to some extent lost in
Figure 4. A schematic of the script positioned at random. In the third phase of development the the physical object that is ultimately ‘taken home’.
65
fundamental part of the concept and its potential allure to the

buying public. In order that the consumer gets full value from the
design it is important that this video clip can be seen alongside
the isolated pose that each physical ring represents. A Quick
Response (QR) code is laser etched on the underside of each
ring. Viewing this code through the camera of an appropriate
mobile device allows the user to see the virtual animation
superimposed on the ring itself via links to the digital file posted
on the internet.
The flexibility of AM offers far more than free form geometry. The
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- absence of production tooling and its associated investment can
Caption change relationships between designer, manufacturer and
consumer. AM however will remain a premium process for the
foreseeable future and it is only through added design value that its
use can be justified. New marketing models are sure to emerge but
these are as yet difficult to imagine in an industry shaped by the
industrial age. Linking research and practice has allowed the
exploration of novel concepts and offers some insight into
consumer reaction. Tuber luminaires have been acquired by the
Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), (2005), and DHUB,
the Design Museum of Barcelona (2010) for their respective
Figure 7. Phenotype CAD model and genotype parameter code
permanent collections. Holy Ghost with feature in Out of Hand:
The proliferation of web-enabled devices, in particular smart Materialising the Virtual at the Museum of Art and Design New York
phones, potentially offers a ready link between virtual design from September 2013.
concept and physical artefact through an augmented reality
References
experience. T-Rex Versus Gorilla is inspired by 60’s Japanese
th
science fiction cinema. The design centres on a fight sequence 1. Atkinson, P; and Dean, L. (2003) Teaching Techné, 5 European
Academy of Design Conference, EAD, 2003, Barcelona, Spain
between monster characters. These figures wrap around
2. Chapman, J. (2005) Emotionally durable design. London:
opposing sides of the finger to form a ring with the gorilla gripping Earthscan
the T-Rex’s tail on the underside (Fig. 7). The fight sequence
3. Davies, S. (1987) Future Perfect, New York, Addison-Wesley
exists as a virtual animation with the protagonists exchanging
4. Dean, L., Atkinson, P., and Unver, E. (2003) Evolving
blows and with a precious stone employed as a weapon in the th
Individualised Products, 6 European Academy of Design
confrontation. Five key frame poses from the animation have Conference, EAD, 2005, Bremen, Germany
been materialised into a set of ring designs (Fig. 8). These pieces 5. Mugge R.;Schoormans J; Schifferstein, H. (2009) Emotional
are cast in silver from printed waxes with the gorilla distinguished bonding with personalised products. Journal of Engineering
Figure 8. The set of 5 ring iterations Design, Volume 20, Issue 5
from the dinosaur using oxidation. The animation is a
66
Seeing Me? : Returning the Poetics of the Body to the Medical Consultation

Abstract Research Imperatives
John McGhee The role of the somatic body as a physical and visceral object is Historically, a patient’s body ‘belonged’ to the doctor and the
Duncan of Jordanstone College of waning within the history of the medical consultation. For while the medical consultation was a one-way communication; where the
Art & Design, University of Dundee, corporeal body once held centre-stage in the communication patient offered up information on the ‘body’ only on request from
Scotland between doctor and patient, today the somatic body has been the doctor. Today, in a shift towards patient-centred care,
DD1 4HT, UK
transformed into disembodied artefacts, such as X-rays and individuals are increasingly involved in their healthcare, which relies
j.mcghee@dundee.ac.uk
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This transformation and on an understanding of what is happening to their physical body, in
transparency of the physical body aims to increase an order to make informed decisions with their health professional to
Fionagh Thomson understanding of ‘what is happening’ within the dynamic and develop care plans (Houts et al., 2006). Visual images, such as
Geography & Sustainable complex object that transports us through our everyday lives. Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI), are proposed to be a useful
Development However the interpretation of images, such as MRI, is restricted to communication tool in bridging the gap in knowledge between
St Andrews University, Scotland
the trained eye of the medical practitioner. As a result, these patient and health professionals (Mishler, 1984), although their
KY16 9ST, UK
fionagh.thomson@st-andrews.ac.uk
images often remain inaccessible to the patient who is being asked purpose has always been diagnostic since the early 1980s.
by the health professional to understand (potential) changes in
‘their body’ and make treatment decisions.
Diagnostic Gaze and the human body
This paper outlines the exploratory research of a 3D CGI artist 3D visualisations in medicine use technologies that offer the
during a two-year residency in a radiology department; in response clinician a window into the inner body of the patient, through
to an invitation to ‘improve the realism’ of existing MRI images and images such as MRI. This ‘view’ captures complex clinical
develop a communication tool with patients. Initially responding to datasets that display, in detail, the internal organs and tissues of
the brief, the artist reframed the question and explored an the human body, in a way not previously possible. Both clinical (2D)
alternative approach that aimed to return the poetics to the human and subsequent 3D visualisation of medical scan data are designed
anatomy. to render the body transparent, thereby allowing science to ‘see’
and ‘map’ the inner body (Dijck, 2005). The ‘mechanical-medical
eye’ (Dalton, 1989) allows the body to be exposed in ever-
Author Keywords increasing transparency, although this ability to see more detail
3D Visualisation, Medical Imaging, Patient Communication, 3D does not automatically equate with increased knowledge. These
CGI, sociology of diagnosis, embodied geographies representations of the body are based on protocols that describe
the patient’s disease in the language of medical science. A
language, which is abstract, highly specialist and is distinctly
separate from the ‘body’ as experienced by patients within their

67
everyday lives. As a result, while these images have been Establishing a Pipeline: MRI clinical data had never been imported
designed to be interpreted by, and are useful to, radiologists into the artist choice of software (MAYA) and considerable time
(Hartswood et al, 2001). they remain inaccessible to the untrained was spent working out a pathway.
eye of most patients. Consequently, developing visual diagnostic Tumbling: once the pipeline was established, the artist extracted a
tools, such as MRI, into a communication tool within the 3D model of anatomy (a wireframe), from the MRI data that had no
consultation raises the question: how do we develop images that light or colour; usually present in photographs though notably
are accessible to patients whilst also maintaining a representation absent within the darkness of the inner body. The artist then
of the medical body to aid decisions around treatment plans? 1
‘tumbled’ through, around and inside the 3D mesh exploring the
complexity of the anatomical form and developing ideas for
different visualisation techniques. Examples include:
• CGI lighting to develop a visual quality that renders the inner
body glass-like rather than soft organic tissue (fig 2);
• Placing the image against a dark background, with
exaggerated angles of perspective, evokes a feeling of
space exploration or suggests the inner body as a deep and
dark oceanic place (figs 1-2)
Dynamic & hybrid approach: once the light, colour and structure
were established, the focus was on representing blood flow through
the arterial structures and, for example, slowing down ‘the flow’ to
offer patients time to reflect. The artist increasingly drew on
different sources of knowledge. For example, ‘Stenosis’ (fig 1),
drew on four sources to create the final image:
• MRI: the scan of an aorta was used to generate a digital
wire-frame of the aorta.
Figure 1. This 3D CGI rendering is a visualization of the human left kidney, • MRI video footage: data from several seconds of a beating
aorta and right renal artery, entitled ‘Stenosis’. The animated image is heart from a test subject
derived from clinical renal angiogram MRI data visualising renal artery • Drawings/verbal: the radiologist generated, and discussed,
stenosis. (Created by J McGhee.)
a series of drawings of a heart to communicate the
rhythm/parameters of blood flow.
Research Process • Artist’s Interpretation: personal vision of the inner body
based on cinematic reference material.
The development process was non-linear, highly exploratory and
cyclical though there were three main reference points:
1
A term used in 3D software packages to describe how an artist moves
around a 3D object.
68
The primary intention in all these images (see figs 1-2) is the own interpretation of ‘how the image should look’. ‘it doesn’t look
“Observing the world with rigour development of a language that describes the body more like that’: an artist interpretation
and curiosity is an act of both art holistically and focuses on the visual aesthetic of the image as a
and science. Artists scruinise the In Stenosis (fig 1 & 3), the moving particles inside the vessel were
whole, rather than highlighting the aspect of the human anatomy not intended to ‘accurately’ replicate the way in which blood moves
world around them for its beauty, its
contradictions a nd its signs of that is diseased. The aim was to create an image with a degree of through the arterial system. The movement of blood in the human
human experience sensibility in an attempt to bring the viewer closer to the nature and body follows a cycle, one that bursts, twists and pumps through the
beauty of inner kidney structure, and also as a means to penetrate arterial system of the vessels, providing an aesthetic of movement
(Thomas et al, 1997:76) the complexity of arterial disease. that is absent from static MRI. Influence came directly from the
cinematic, drawing from the popular inner body aesthetics seen in
feature films such as Innerspace (Dante, 1987) and Fantastic
Voyage (Fleischer, 1966).

Figure 2. ‘Medulla’ – visualsation 2. Final stage image: a 3D CGI rendering
of human kidneys from clinical renal angiogram MRI data. Represented as Figure 3. ‘Flow’ – visualsation 2. Final stage image: a 3D CGI rendering of
glass-like structure rather than soft organic tissue. (Created by J. McGhee.) aorta from clinical renal angiogram MRI data. A still image taken from an
animated movie sequence. (Created by J. McGhee.)
Research outcomes
Radiologists responded differently to the perceived ‘accuracy’ of
Tackling the challenge of exporting the MRI data into the existing
the final image. One radiologist approved of the moving image
artisan software (MAYA) led to extensive technical experimentation
while another stated that it didn’t represent how blood flowed. The
prior to creating any final visual images. A new design method
artist offered one explanation behind the non-realistic
evolved which renders 2D MRI data into 3D visual moving images.
This drew on multiple reference sources, most notably the artist’s
69
representation: “it would look like a butcher’s shop if I represented it References

faithfully”. Dalton (1989) Medical Imaging. Seattle: University of Washington
Press.
Concluding remarks and Caveat Dante J (1987) Innerspace. USA: Warner Brothers.
Dijck JV (2005) The Transparent Body: A Cultural Analysis of Medical
With the rise in the role of the patient in the healthcare, there is an
Imaging
increasing need to describe the inner body in a more accessible
and holistic way for patients. Here we present only one potential Fleischer R (1966) Fantastic Voyage. USA: Twentieth Century-Fox
Film Corporation.
design solution to this complex social challenge: a visual
communication tool that can be used by both clinicians and patients Hartswood, M., Procter, R., Rouncefield, M. and Slack, R. Performance
Management in Breast Screening: A Case Study of Professional Vision
within a medical consultation. The intention of these images is not
and Ecologies of Practice in Johnson, C. (Ed.) special edition on
to offer a ‘realistic’ view of the mechanical processes of the body Human Error and Medical Work, Journal of Cognition, Technology and
but to begin developing a joint communication tool, and language, Work, Springer, 2001.
for patient and health professionals during the consultation
Houts PS, Doak CC, Doak LG, et al. (2006) The role of pictures in
(McGhee, 2010, Thomson, 2012). improving health communication: A review of research on attention,
We propose that 3D CGI artists have an important role in the comprehension, recall and adherence. Patient Educ Couns 61, pp173–
190.
interpretation process in their ability to tell stories through their
chosen medium (in an attempt to increase access to anatomical McGhee J (2010) 3-D Visualization and Animation Technologies in
Anatomical Imaging. Journal of Anatomy, 2. (216). pp 264-270
clinical imagery for patients). Inevitably, this proposed role raises a
number of ethical questions on the integrity of the image: McGhee J (2009) Visualise: An Exploration Of An Artist’s Approach To
• How far does/should/can the artist interpret the data? 3-D Computer Visualisation In Clinical Radiology, University of Dundee.
Unpublished Thesis
• Is an abstracted visual narrative appropriate as a
communication tool for patients? Mishler EG (1984) The Discourse of Medicine. New York
However, while the role of the 3D CGI artist is to work with clinical Thomas, A., Braun, M., Cazort, M., Kemp, M., Mcelhone, J. P. &
colleagues it is not as a conduit for, or servant to, medical Schaaf, L. J. (1997) Beauty of another order Photography in Science,
Yale University Press.
knowledge. Instead we propose the role of a critical friend: one who
challenges existing visual representations of the patient’s body, that Thomson F (2012). Virtual Bodies & the Diagnostic Gaze: the
predominance of the visual in the diagnostic process within
currently appear to offer only the health professional a transparent
telemedicine Design. Conference on Images & Visualisation: Imaging
view of the patient’s body. Technology, Truth and Trust, Norrköping, Sweden.

Next Research Steps
Constructing an image that provides both medical clarity and
alternative ways of viewing disease and anatomy for patients
proved challenging. As such our next steps are to invite patients to
explore and redesign these images in a hospital setting.
70
Praxis and Poetics: Can design methods facilitate the personalisation of
healthcare for individuals with Type 1 diabetes within a National
Health Service context?

Katherine Henderson Abstract have learnt more about themselves and their preferences and have
also gained more knowledge about their condition. The Prompts
Northumbria University This study employs a research through design approach. It reflects have facilitated the exploration of two very distinct disciplines and
Newcastle upon Tyne upon the design, making and application of a probe-based design their practices.
NE1 8ST UK method within a National Health Service (NHS) context. Creative
katherine.henderson@northumbria.ac.uk Prompts take the form of physical artefacts and act as vehicles for
Keywords
exploration by supporting patients to self-reflect, articulate and
Robert Young express their thoughts, emotions and experiences of Type 1 Creative prompts; Long term conditions; Probes; Reflection;
Northumbria University diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Each of the seven Prompts frames an Patient-healthcare professional interaction; Patient empowerment
Newcastle upon Tyne area for exploration and pose ‘questions’ to patients through the
NE1 8ST UK completion of different activities. Patients use the Prompts Research Imperatives
robert.young@northumbria.ac.uk independently within their own home and then share their
outcomes in an interview with the researcher. This research This study explores the potential of design methods to facilitate the
Jayne Wallace method elicits a different type and quality of information from the personalisation of healthcare for individuals with Type 1 diabetes
patient than orthodox methods and enables a richer expression of mellitus (T1DM). It also investigates the ways in which design
Dundee methods can enrich patient-healthcare professional (HCP)
DD1 4HT an individual’s personal perspectives and experiences. It engages
patients in an interesting and creative way as opposed to box interaction.T1DM is a Long Term Condition (LTC),which cannot be
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk
ticking, generic forms and questionnaires. This creative form of cured but can be managed with medication or other treatments.
Being diagnosed with a LTC can have a negative impact upon an
Joyce Yee engagement facilitates the starting of ‘new conversations’ and in
Northumbria University turn enriches patient-healthcare professional (HCP) interaction. individual’s sense of wellbeing and quality of life. A diagnosis of
Newcastle upon Tyne The outcomes of the pilot study to date are very positive. There is T1DM is a life-changing event, which necessitates an immediate
NE1 8ST UK
evidence of positive behavioural change amongst patients. Patients change in an individual’s behaviour and lifestyle. It places high
joyce.yee@northumbria.ac.uk behavioural demands upon an individual on a daily basis such as
have demonstrated a growing sense of empowerment and have
become more pro-active and engaged in their care. The quality of monitoring blood glucose levels and self-injecting insulin. This level
interaction between patient and HCP has improved as patients feel of management can be emotionally and mentally exhausting.
more organised and confident in articulating their experiences, People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop depression than
thoughts and needs in a more concise way. Medical consultations the rest of the general population (6) but in 30-50% of cases
have become more problem-solving orientated, and patients now depression remains undetected (1). The need for ‘parity of esteem’
set their own agendas. In completing the Prompts patients feel they for mental health in T1DM care is recognised by Governmental
71
bodies and independent organisations but service provision reflect, articulate and communicate their thoughts, emotions and
remains poor and variable. Poor psychological wellbeing can affect experiences relating to T1DM. They are also a method for
an individual’s ability to self-care and lead to poorer healthcare engaging and empowering patients in their own health and care.
outcomes, increased risk of developing complications and a The study employs a qualitative approach and uses a multiple-case
reduced quality of life (3). study design. It is to be hosted by Newcastle Diabetes Centre
(NHS) for a duration of twelve weeks. The sample group consists of
Recent Government health and care reforms (2) promote a patient- six patients. The group will be made up of both male and female
centred NHS, that will focus on “personalised care that reflects patients between the ages of eighteen to fifty years. Patients must
individuals health and care needs” (2) and makes shared decision- have been diagnosed for a minimum of six months to a maximum
making the “norm” (2). This is a transformational change for the of six years. The sample groups inclusion/exclusion criteria will
“It is estimated that 41% of people NHS, which has provided many challenges, one of which is the ensure a diverse range of individuals with varying experiences of
with diabetes suffer poor
psychological wellbeing”
implementation of policy into practice. It is at this juncture that T1DM. A pack containing seven CPs is given to patients at the
design can provide a means of translating policy into something beginning of the study to use independently at home. The
(Mind the Gap, 2008) tangible that can be used by HCPs and patients. Personalised Care researcher interviews each patient individually after the completion
Planning is a method used to in the NHS to empower patients with of a CP, during which the researcher uses the ‘outcomes’ of the
LTCs and encourage them to take greater ownership and Prompt to gently guide the conversation. The ‘outcomes’ of a
responsibility for their care. It is a generic ten page paper document Prompt helps to establish the structure and pattern of the
with a question box format. A patient and HCP complete the form conversation. The Prompts start conversations at the right point for
together, the patient answers the spoken questions and the HCP the patient and on a topic that is meaningful and important to them.
writes them down. This method affords very little time for reflection Patients have control over what is discussed and when which
and consideration. The mode of patient involvement and creates a more equitable and potentially more productive form of
“Only a third of people had an
individual care plan to meet their
expression is limited to verbally answering the questions, which can clinical engagement in practice.
needs, and where it was offered, it prove a difficult task for some to articulate and communicate their
was not given the time it needed or personal emotions, experiences and needs. Fundamentally Care Operating within the NHS presented opportunities and challenges.
felt like a form filling in exercise”. Plans are clinical artefacts not patient artefacts. The Plans ask It has also provided insights into the complexities of applying
patients to ‘report’ and ‘add’, they are more ‘about’ the patient and design thinking across disciplines. Designing for an NHS context
(Diabetes E PCT survey, State of
the Nation, 2012)
not ‘for’ the patient. Opportunities are being missed to engage influenced the design of the CPs, design decision-making and the
patients on a different level and as a result many individuals suffer design process itself. Each Prompt is designed to explore specific
from a silent misdiagnosis (Mulley et al, 2012) as a consequence of aspects/ issues/themes relating to T1DM. Design decision-making
poor articulation and communication of personal preferences. was influenced by the constraints of working within the NHS for
example minimizing costs, meeting ethical requirements and
Research Process accounting for a HCPs time. The researcher consulted HCPs as to
the feasibility of some CPs for everyday practice. A wide range of
This study uses a practice-based approach to design research. It design ideas were collated and mocked-up. A means of evaluating
employs a probe-based method derived from Cultural Probes their potential was devised. A set of primary and secondary
(Gaver et al, 1999). The designed artefacts are called Creative evaluation criteria was established and applied to introduce greater
Prompts (CPs) and their purpose is to support patients to self- rigour and validity to the selection process. Each Prompt was then
72
Figure 2. ‘Mood calendar’ Prompt
plotted on a radar diagram against both sets of criteria. This The ‘Mood calendar’ Prompt (Figure 2) last for twenty-eight days
process enabled a full and fair comparison to be made. In addition, and uses colour to increase a patients emotional awareness and to
the researcher’s personal intuition was used to select the CPs. This help to identify causal links between behaviour, emotions and
intuitiveness developed naturally as insights where gained and external influences.
empathy for patients grew.
The researcher also conducted an experiment to see if the same

The coloured tip on the end of each
type and quality of data could be elicited from a patient without the
stick creates a visual, which maps
aid of CPs. This experience proved difficult and further evidenced
out a patients emotional wellbeing.
the value of foreknowledge and the importance of providing a
structure for a conversation of this nature. It also highlighted the
Figure 3. “Bottled up emotions’
need for a ‘tool’ to identify a patient’s personal boundaries and the
subjects that they feel comfortable discussing and in what depth.
The design of the Prompts centred on the process of reflection.

Individual prompts use specific actions and visual cues to guide
and support patients into a state of reflection. The ‘Peeps’ Prompt
Figure 2. The ‘Mood calendar’ Prompt.
(Figure 1) uses human-like forms to explore relationship dynamics.
The physicality of the ‘dolls’ encourages patients to pick them up
A Prompt aesthetic adopted was appropriate for both a clinical and
and move them around as if they were in conversation with each
non-clinical setting. The CPs had to blend into the home and feel
other.
as though they were the property of the patients (Figure 3). ‘Space’
for patients to personalise and express themselves was designed
into each Prompt and for this study a greater amount of space was
allocated due to the design of the study. Patients use the Prompts
in whichever order that suits and are able to reflect and consider
privately before sharing their needs, emotions and experiences with
HCPs. The Prompts engage patients in a creative way that
introduces an element of fun and learning into healthcare. The
This Prompt plays on the metaphor
Prompts become unique to that patient.
‘bottled up emotions’, which is
frequently used in a health context.
The natural flow of the design process, with its iterative cycles was
Patients write/draw on leaves of
interrupted by the need to gain NHS ethical approval at a
paper, place each into a cork and
‘Research’ classification. A small pilot study was conducted prior to
then drop then into the bottle for
this process as design changes could not be made following ethical
safekeeping.
approval.
Figure 1. The ‘Peeps’ Prompt.
73
Research Outcomes memories/reflexive tools. Patients enjoyed engaging in the

different activities offered by each of the Prompts. Patients
This practice-based approach to design research resulted in developed a strong sense of ownership over the Prompts with one
knowledge and insights being gained in both design and medicine. patient taking a Prompt (Figure 3) on holiday with them.
Creative Prompts have shown to be a very simple but effective
mechanism for engaging participants in their own care by HCPs responded positively to the CP’s and appreciated the need
supporting self-reflection and the articulation of personal emotions, for such a method. Several HCPs regarded the Prompts as “giving
thoughts and experiences. permission to the patient to change the conversation” and were
excited by the potential of the Prompts to readjust the power
Using the Prompts increased patients’ emotional and psychological balance between patient and HCP. One HCP recognised the added
awareness in relation to self, diabetes and others. Positive value they could bring to patient experience as patients “go away
behavioural change did occur as patients became more involved in believing that they’re more important than their blood sugars”. A
their care. A growing awareness amongst the patients developed HCP described the Prompts as “giving them [patients] the how”.
regarding the control they have to shape their interaction with The Prompts provide patients with the ‘how’ to identify and
HCPs and therefore treatment direction. Patient A found the communicate their needs, personal preferences and perspectives.
Prompts gave her the “ability to talk more openly about how you
feel about your diabetes without it being depression” rather than References
simply answering yes or no to a depression screening question.
After using two of the seven Prompts Patient B explained “your 1.Arthritis Research UK et al, 2012,Twice as likely: Putting long
term conditions and depression on the agenda.
more defined in what you want to talk about rather than it just being
‘Hi, how are you doing?’ or I haven’t thought about it until I’ve 2. Department of Health (2010), Equity and excellence: Liberating
the NHS, Great Britain: The Stationary Office.
walked through the clinic door”. Patients began to set their own
agendas for medical consultations and started to view them more 3.Diabetes UK, 2008, Minding the gap: The provision of
as a problem-solving opportunity. Patients were more motivated to psychological support and care for people with diabetes in
the UK, Macleoad House, London
get the most out of their HCP. There was a shift in mind set from
feeling as though they had to justify their HbA1c levels to their HCP 4.Diabetes UK,2012, State of the Nation, Macleoad House,
to what can they as patients get out of the consultation. Patient A London.
changed their healthcare provider after reflecting on the outcomes 5.Mulley A, Trimble C, Elwyn (2012). Patients’ preferences matter:
of a Prompt designed to engage patients in healthcare service Stop the silent misdiagnosis. London. The King’s Fund.
evaluation. The type and volume of responses to this Prompt 6.Naylor C, Parsonage M, McDaid D, Knapp M, Fossey M, Galea
highlighted the degree of dissatisfaction she had with her current A, 2012, Long-term Conditions and Mental Health-The
care which led her to take action. The Prompts operated on both a Cost of Co-morbidities, The Kings Fund and Centre for
Mental Health.
practical and emotional level with some using them as a cathartic
outlet “it was an interesting piece of work because I’ve never really
[long pause] I’ve carried that in my head you know and to get it out
of your head and into to somewhere is actually very…I enjoyed
doing it to be honest” (Patient B) (Figure 3) and others as aide-
74
Interactive Teaware: Sharing Experiences in Old Age

Thomas Dykes Abstract on the saucer, and your tea cup gently moved, emotive
Northumbria University combinations of words subtly appear as projections at random
Interactive Teaware was designed to support conversation and locations on the tablecloth (Figures 2 & 4). The greater the
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK socialisation while having tea and coffee. We discuss themes duration of movement the more words appear. These words fade
thomas.dykes@northumbria.ac.uk emerging from the design of Interactive Teaware in order to in to white and then fade out. They vary in size and orientation and
propose characteristics that we believe constitute appropriate, appear as part of the fabric surface (Figure 4).
Jayne Wallace meaningful and useable interaction design for older people living in
University of Dundee care homes. These include the integration of digital artefacts into a
Dundee resident’s daily life, as opposed to scheduled activities. Given that
DD1 4HT
life in the care home is often associated with disempowerment, we
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk
propose augmenting residents’ existing abilities. We also assert
that digital artefacts need to avoid negative stigmas through
Tim Regan
Microsoft Research Cambridge medical styling and instead enforce a positive and familiar identity
21 Station Road through the use of associated materials, such as porcelain.
Cambridge Implications for design stem from insights gained through time
CB1 2FB UK spent in the care home.
timregan@microsoft.com
Author Keywords
Elderly, Care Home, Conversation, Ceramic, Digital Artefacts,
Design, Dignity, Communication
Introduction
Interactive Teaware (Figure 1) was designed to encourage
conversation while care home residents are having tea and coffee
Figure 1. Interactive Teaware
at the dining table. The set consists of a table, tablecloth, cups and
saucers. The cups and saucers are made of porcelain and have Designing to support the social lives of older people has become a
aluminium radial patterns on their surfaces. Upon the underside of pertinent issue in HCI and design. However, other than Blythe et
the cup is a small copper protrusion (Figure 6). On the table is a al. (2010), Gaver et al., (2011) and Wallace et al. (2012), few digital
cotton cloth that’s eggshell in colour and sewn onto this are three design studies focus specifically on care home residents. This is
black felt pads with two grey semi-circular patches on top of each despite writers such as Wilson et al. (2012) emphasising the
(Figure 8). When the saucer is sat on the felt pad, the cup placed prominence of loneliness and isolation, and a lack of support
75
around sociability. Moving to the care home is a significant life The principal motivation for Interactive Teaware was that
transition that impacts upon long term relationships and often conversations were often restricted to the weather or the meal
involves residents striving to form new friendships with other itself. This was highlighted when one staff member suggested that
residents and staff. This endeavour can be hampered by sensory, a poster stating today’s weather was visible in the care home since
cognitive and communication problems and the prevalence of over- residents were always asking about the weather during breakfast.
worked staff who in turn neglect meaningful social contact (Wilson, While discussing the poster we felt this staff member had shown
et al. 2012). Difficulties in forming relationships, resulting in some animosity towards the repetitiveness of this question and in
isolation, may contribute to research demonstrating that up to 40% turn misinterpreted a classic opening to conversation. Maureen
of people living in care homes suffer from depression (Llewellyn- also directly pointed out a lack of conversation while dining and
Jones et al. 1999). expressed a desire to learn more about those she shared the care
home with (Figure 3).
Consequently we were motivated to explore and expand on the
roles and forms that digital design to support sociability might A series of considerations informed our decision to have words
Figure 2. Example words. assume within care homes. In order to do this we spent time in gently appear on the table cloth (Figures 2 & 4). While talking with
Pebble Glen House getting to know a small number of residents, two other residents, Maureen gained our attention and abruptly got
“oh… is anything happening staff and the care home environment. Our experiences in Pebble involved in the discussion by announcing her love of words, thus
today, no it just really doesn't Glen House then informed a design and making process. This changing the topic of conversation. In turn we proceeded to talk
work, the weather and that sort of paper discusses aspects of our design rationale in order to about words and Maureen’s love of words, which included
thing, aren’t the trees blowing” contribute characteristics we believe are appropriate to designing fascinating words, long words and crosswords. We reflected that
digital artefacts for the care home. These put the humanity of the perhaps Maureen had wanted to share this with us, yet had not
Figure 3. Maureen discussing the lack of
stimulating conversation residents in the foreground and offer new ways for sociability and found an appropriate opportunity to introduce the topic.
relationships to develop and be supported.
When starting a conversation with someone we are not well
Design Rationale acquainted with, we commonly find a ‘ticket to talk’ (Svensson &
Sokoler, 2008). A ‘ticket to talk’ involves using something in our
Our design rationale was informed by a series of semi-structured environment to begin a conversation, from which other themes can
interviews with a small number of residents, opportune be introduced. Even while dining with friends, we may refer to the
engagements with staff members and observations while in Pebble menu, the décor or a picture on the wall. Our environment naturally
Glen House. The interviews were on occasions supported by helps us find or introduce topics of discussion. As the care home
visual and audio prompts, which included old photos of areas that communal area was unchanging, repetitive and impersonal we
residents had spoken of and historical radio broadcasts. The most wanted to introduce opportunities to engage in novel and varying
insightful engagements took place while drinking tea in the conversations while having tea and coffee.
Figure 4. Words appear on the table cloth
communal area as our discussions were often more relaxed, and
surface. We selected thick cotton from a
series of materials as this made the
because we were able to observe in a natural manner the workings The notion of a ‘ticket to talk’ and Maureen’s love of words led us to
projection textured and appear more like of the care home. One resident (Maureen) is referred to on a consider the use of diverse and emotive combinations of words that
it was printed on the surface. number of occasions as she became a key informant and would gently fade onto the tablecloth. These words are taken from
inspiration in the design of Interactive Teaware. poems and people’s reminiscences (Figures 2 & 4). As with other
76
‘tickets to talk’ the words can be referred to in an open-ended way. designing our sensor we referenced existing ceramics, whilst also
For example, they might offer ways into new conversations (other considering how these designs might equate to a sensor that is
than the weather), be formed as questions by staff members or able to detect movement.
inspire the topics of stories amongst residents.
Discussion
Informing our design was awareness that gadgets or screens are
often understood as inappropriate at the dining table. Through Interactive Teaware we have expanded on the roles and
Consequently we focused on augmenting existing aspects of the forms that digital technology to support sociability might assume
table setting, ensuring we did not create a distracting focal point. within the care home.
Figure 5. The radial pattern on the For example, the table cloth is used as a surface onto which words
saucer is designed to reflect a modern appear, thus they are not directly in one’s line of sight. Additionally, The true reason for the poster stating the current weather, as
ceramic and yet is able to detect the as we never wanted to impose sociability and since ‘quiet time’ can mentioned previously, may have been a form of psychological
movement of the cup on its surface. treatment for confusion known as reality orientation (RO). RO
also be desirable whilst having tea and coffee, the words are not
Each alternate line is a switch contact, involves continually reminding residents of basic information, such
when two neighbouring lines are always shown. Instead by gently moving the cup on the saucer
residents are able to conjure, or stir up conversation when it’s as the weather, current date, who they are etc. Patton (2006)
contacted with a protrusion under the cup
(Figure 4) we are able to calculate the desirable to do so. The greater the duration of movement the more draws attention to a lack of contemporary research around the
rate at which the switches are contacted words appear. benefits of RO and therefore doubts its effectiveness alongside
using a microcontroller (a basic rotary contemporary approaches to care. Being continually reminded of
encoder). This equates to the speed at basic information could contribute to a stigmatising environment
which the cup is turned on the saucer. In designing this interaction we observed people drinking tea and
found that it is common to fiddle with the cup. The tactile qualities that stifles normal conversation. In fact, MacDonald & Settin (1978)
of ceramic, its clinking sound and other feedback can encourage us found that their research participants became dissatisfied and
to play with them. While experience prototyping kinds of bored during RO. In contrast to RO, this work advocates support
interactions, we found that the cup affords spinning on the saucer, for genuine conversation through the introduction of diverse and
while holding its handle. We therefore reasoned that fiddling could changing stimulation in care home communal areas.
offer a means of integrating technology without understanding how
something works. Instead one can learn by play, feedback from In the care home we encountered ‘reminiscence’ sessions. These
the table surface and the affordances already presented by the cup are able to support conversation and storytelling (Astell et al. 2010).
on the saucer. Fiddling is also a behaviour that happens when we In contrast to these scheduled activities we propose that digital
are restless and bored, perhaps when there is little conversation. design supports socialisation in daily life, by subtly integrating

technology. Rather than attending activities, residents could be
Figure 6. The protrusion on the cup is encouraged to lead their own social lives, which may be less
made of copper which is able to connect
In designing the cups and saucers we wanted to create a sensor,
whilst also achieving a unique and striking lustre design. In order stigmatising and appropriate for some care home residents. This
the switches on the saucer surface. This
is shaped to sit on the inside rim of the that the cup and saucer can be drunk from, washed and dried as can be achieved by further investigating existing social etiquettes
saucer surface. normal, we could not use existing electronic components. Rather and situations which residents encounter on a daily basis.
we explored the use of conductive lustre, which could be used to
create a simple sensor (Figure 5) that would be manufactured Interactive Teaware avoids traditional notions of technology and
using processes already prevalent in the ceramics industry. In manufacture and instead looks towards augmenting artefacts that
77
are familiar. The care home environment tends to disempower Astell, A. J., Ellis, M. P., Alm, N., Dye, R., & Gowans, G. (2010). Stimulating
people with dementia to reminisce using personal and generic
residents. The room temperature, times of dining and visiting hours photographs. Int. J. Comput. Healthc., 1(2), 177-198. doi:
may all be dictated by staff. Many residents are still able to drink 10.1504/ijcih.2010.037461
tea and handle the cup, however. By augmenting this ability we Blythe, M., Wright, P., Bowers, J., Boucher, A., Jarvis, N., Reynolds, P., &
are building on existing capacities and enabling individuals to affect Gaver B. (2010). Age and experience: ludic engagement in a
their social interaction with other residents and staff. residential care setting. Paper presented at the Proceedings of
the 8th ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems,
Aarhus, Denmark.
Through the use of porcelain and our lustre design, we are
Gaver, W., Boucher, A., Bowers, J., Blythe, M., Jarvis, N., Cameron, D.,
conveying to residents that they are valued. As discussed, there is Wright, P. (2011). The photostroller: supporting diverse care
a dynamic in care homes generally where residents are largely home residents in engaging with the world. Paper presented at
Figure 7. The underside of the saucer disempowered and unable to alter the environment in which they the Proceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human
has two semi-circular contacts on its factors in computing systems, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
live. Given that our homes tell us about who we are through the
central rim that lead to either of the two Llewellyn-Jones, R. H., Deeks, J. J., Baikie, K. A., Smithers, H., Cohen, J.,
messages they afford (Rubinstein, 1989), we believe that attention
sets of radial switch contacts on its Snowdon, J., . . . Juszczak, E. (1999). Multifaceted shared care
surface.
should be paid to not inflicting negative identities on residents (i.e. intervention for late life depression in residential care: randomised
patient). Rather by creating captivating artefacts for the care home controlled trial Commentary: Beyond the boundary for a
it may be possible to enhance an individual’s sense of pride in the randomised controlled trial? BMJ, 319(7211), 676-682.
space. MacDonald, M. L., & Settin, J. M. (1978). Reality Orientation Versus
Sheltered Workshops As Treatment for the Institutionalized
Aging. Journal of Gerontology, 33(3), 416-421.
An elder in his or her own room has prompts to introduce topics of Rubinstein, R. L. (1989). The Home Environments of Older People: a
conversations that are meaningful to him/her. We experienced this Description of the Psychosocial Processes Linking Person to
first hand during our visits when Maureen became fluent, engaged Place. Journal of Gerontology, 44(2), S45-S53. doi:
10.1093/geronj/44.2.S45
and enthusiastic while surrounded by her belongings. The
Svensson, M. S., & Sokoler, T. (2008). Ticket-to-talk-television: designing
familiarity of her objects enabled her to easily direct the
for the circumstantial nature of everyday social interaction. Paper
conversation. As visitors we were also supported in getting to presented at the Proceedings of the 5th Nordic conference on
know Maureen as we could ask about objects in the environment. Human-computer interaction: building bridges, Lund, Sweden.
While we used words, other table cloth designs might include Wallace, J., Thieme, A., Wood, G., Schofield, G., & Olivier, P. (2012).
Figure 8. A conductive fabric pad on the Enabling self, intimacy and a sense of home in dementia: an
table cloth connects the saucer to a
personal content (i.e. photos, maps) by using cups that can be
enquiry into design in a hospital setting. Paper presented at the
microcontroller on the table. The semi- uniquely identified. As such residents could extend the familiarity Proceedings of the 2012 ACM annual conference on Human
circular grey sections match with the of their personal space to their interactions with others in communal Factors in Computing Systems, Austin, Texas, USA.
underside of the saucer. Using soft areas. In essence the communal areas could become transient to Wilson, C. B., Cook, G., & Forte, D. (2009). The Use of Narrative in
conductive fabric allows the rigid ceramic the needs of individual residents. Currently we are working with Developing Relationships in Care Homes. In K. Froggart, S.
to make good electrical contact. Davies & J. Meyer (Eds.), Understanding care homes: a research
individuals in dementia care to expand on both the content and the
and development perspective (pp. 72-89). London: Jessica
ways in which we might integrate and individualise ‘tickets to talk’ in Kingsley.
the communal areas.
References
78
Poetics of Play: Touch and Movement in Garment Design with
Sheepskin, Silk and Lace
Sarah Morehead Abstract
This is a start to an area of research into both the somaesthetic
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK
responses and dialogue the fashion designer has with materials, in
sarah.morehead@northumbria.ac.uk
particular sheepskin, silk and lace but also the envisioned
somaesthetic response the designer aims to elicit from the user in
the wearing of a styled artefact in these fabrications. Richard

Shusterman’s philosophical concept of the importance of the soma,
the body as an object of ‘knowing’ through sensory aesthetic
understanding informs this work. This research will explore how a
garment feels to the body and our relationship with materials. A key
interest is how the somaesthetic qualities personal to us might
contribute to the psychological attachment to an item and how this
in turn may correlate to how we then treasure and keep these items
of clothing.The intention to create new processes and practice in
structuring sheepskin, silk and lace will start with a representative
human frame in the form of a mannequin. Sculptural structures that
emulate the frozen physicality of human action will be added to the
mannequin and the designs will be based around this new
silhouette from which a pattern will be taken and a garment
constructed. Once completed the added structure will be withdrawn
and allow the new garment silhouette to hold itself or fall to the
body frame. The garment will be a result from a physical dialogue
by the designer with the differing breeds and varieties of sheepskin
that explore constraint, flow, drape, volume, loft, tactility, and the
somatic presence of how the user will both feel the differing
surfaces in some element but also potentially be made more aware
of the negative or 'silent' areas where material does not touch the
body but rather frames or ‘captures’ air.
Author Keywords
Somaesthetics; Touch; Interaction Aesthetics; Materials
Exploration; Physical Dialogue

Figure 1. Initial sketch.
79
Research Imperatives learning in how we use materials.Somaesthetics gives a

philosophical understanding as to how tacit skills are imbibed into
This research was motivated to explore the material qualities of our physique, our soma.
sheepskin, silk chiffon and guipure lace in the context of
Somaesthetics. ‘Somaesthetics is a form of reflective bodily
awareness intended to show the importance of paying serious
attention to the body’s role in enhancing knowledge, improving
performance, and increasing the pleasures of living. It considers
the body as our primary means of engaging with the world,
including structuring of our mental life, and is intended to fill a gap
in the philosophical and practical understanding of the body’s role
in experience, including the making and experiencing of the arts’
(Carter, 2008).
This is an inquiry into sheepskin, silk and lace and their handle and
capacity to be manipulated and crafted into a fashionable garment
that would feel good to wear as a multimodal sensory experience.
Figure 2. ‘Fabric hand, or handle as it is often called, is defined as the human
Exploratory sketch to inform tactile sensory response towards fabric, which involves not only
construction. physical but also physiological, perceptional and social factors; this
very fact complicates the process of fabric hand evaluation
tremendously’ (Pan, 2007).
The research details how I, as the crafts person, ‘Think through the
Body’ (Shusterman, 2012) and, use my own somatic experiences in
the making of the garment. The thread of both user and maker are
intertwined through difference and commonality in bodily Figure 5. Torso Development from plaster shoulder cast.
experience that could be said to be an aspect of empathy in design.
Research Process
Much has been documented on ‘Tacit’ Skills in the design process.
As a kinaesthetic learner, I use my body to learn and absorb new
Figures 3&4. Polanyi ‘Personal Knowledge’ (1998) gives credence to the
knowledge and to understand the world more fully, a process of
Plaster cast of shoulder area personal involvement of the knower in their understanding of the
constant movement to cause triggers in my thinking, my
world. He considers that we are able to recognise that we believe in
prioperceptive self. Prioperception meaning the ‘sense of
more than we can prove to be true and at the same level know
orientation and awareness of one's surroundings; innate sense of
more than we can say. This design practice is an exploration of
the relationship of body parts with one another via sensory input
bodily knowledge and thinking through the body. The body that
from prioperceptive nerve endings in muscles, tendons and joint
informs the mind and can enables a greater capacity for unspoken
capsules’(Shusterman 2012). It is for me and many designers the
80
actions that inform my knowledge that then through reflection and chosen to enable a flow and lightness over the skin, its ability to
new synthesis inform my doing and creation in the use of new flutter in air currents that form eddies around the body and its
materials to create new products. The tactile processes of feeling strength as a platform to mount other fabrics upon. I use a heavy
through my body and fingers inform my sensations on what the Guipure Lace for its decorative quality embroidered with cornelli
fabrics can do, in other words their potential to bend, yield, explode, cord over the top of more complex woven micro structure with
crack, flex, drape, and mould to my expectations to create different densities of designed hole structures. It has a sturdy
something new. It is this thinking through feeling, thinking through construction that allows appliqué, cutting raw edges and defining
my body that has informed this garment and how it will encourage areas of garment.
awareness of the users own body through restriction and play.
Design and making process

Physiotherapists encourage clients to undertake specific exercises
to maintain an S bend in their spine that supports the body’s core
muscular structure. Standing with your arms by your side and
palms of your hand facing forward forces your shoulders back and
places your spine into a gentle healthy ‘S’ shape. I have used this
posture to make a plaster cast of the shoulders and take a pattern
to from the upper torso of the dress (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). It is hoped
that the user will be conscious of allowing the fabric to lie flat
across the front area of the garment. Slouching forward would give
stress to the back bodice and cause a wrinkled affect on the front
area. The neck line has Toscana sheepskin inside the neck and a
trim meeting the inside facing. This has been placed to inform the
wearer of the tactile soft hair and air as they move their neck. The
main body of the dress has layers of lace and chiffon. The chiffon
allows air to permeate around the body. The layering affords both Figure 8. Frayed chiffon braid and Toscana sheepskin.
privacy and a building of subtle colour changes. Both the hems of
the dress and sleeve are constructed with fluted cut chiffon Research Outcomes
sections welded to sheepskin. The chiffon intersections allow the This garment results from an approach that foregrounds an
cuff and hem greater articulation to swing around the arms and attention to somaesthetics in the making process. The subsequent
legs. Texel, Mongolian and Truscana sheepskin have been used mental and physical knowledge from the creative process informs
between each section of chiffon. The differing sheep breeds have the next phase of making and creating a product. Perception
specific qualities of touch and handle in both the skin support and informs movement and movement informs knowledge. The
Figure 6. Sleeve cuff in stretch chiffon wool fleece. knowledge impacts on perception and thus new creative actions,
with welded sheepskin cuff structure. thoughts and understanding ensue. This forms a spiral of creative
Figure 7. Development of the silhouette. The initial sketches (Figs. 1 and 2) were diverse and explored the physical and mental action. The sensory feedback from realising
on the mannequin different properties of each material. The stretch silk chiffon was different iterations in prototyping informs our thinking in re-
81
examining and re-creating new iterations. Thinking through our thinking through my body that has informed this garment and how it
bodies is an important part in how we recognise multimodal will encourage awareness of the users own body through restriction
aspects of the creative process. Our understanding of our own and play. Garments have a performative quality, how we perform in
soma has the potential to make an important contribution to our garments will depend on situation, place and social
feelings of empathy with the end users of our creativity. circumstances. This garment highlights our relationship of our
bodies as the key locus of these performances. It highlights the
The process in designing this garment has been a considered act position of the designer and their understanding of their own soma
of doing, thinking through my body to create an item that when styles and design processes.
worn could resonate with another through the felt experience of This garment has been constructed by consciously exploring
wearing the dress. The way the garment restricts and allows prioperceptive, kinaesthetic movement of this designer’s body in
movement, the textures felt against the glabrous hairless skin learning to manipulate and mould fabrics playfully, poetically and
(palms and soles) and with hair skin of the user somatically inform sympathetically to the human frame. The dress is the start of
the user of how they wear the item. The somaesthetic response of exploring somaesthetics and materials in the processes of design.
wearing a garment could be said to be an empathic response of the It has been through examining my thinking body that new
design process and vice versa. Our bodies are a key focus in how observations about my practice have become more transparent
we learn and the vehicle, the physical container of our worldly and other connections to the importance of how we use our bodies
experiences and knowing. in a changing material landscape.

Complex personal emotions arise in designing and re examining
References
one’s own bodily experiences in the design process that are also
informed by watching other people and how they wear their Carter, C (2008)
http://www.fau.edu/humanitieschair/pdf/Carter_Review_of_Body_Conscious
clothing. Not what they wear but how they stand, move and perform th
ness_from_JAAC.pdf Accessed 26 June 2013
in their bodies. Our interactions with materials that cover our
physique inform our sensitivities to ourselves and others.Clothing is Pan.N. (2007) International Journal of Design and Nature. Vol. 1, No. 1
more than a shield, decoration or status emblem; it allows us to http://ningpan.net/publications/101-150/136.pdf
th
Accessed 26 June 2013
learn and play through our soma in different scenarios. The
connections between person, space and clothing is connected to Polanyi,M. (1998) Personal Knowledge. Towards a Post Critical Philosophy.
our thinking bodies. Shusterman says a person can have different London: Routledge
Figure 9. Final Garment Simulation.

somatic style, way of being, on different occasions and at different Shusterman, R. (2000). Somaesthetics and care of the self: The case of
Montage of images using Photoshop times of the day. This adds to the complexity of designing garments Foucault. The Monist Vol.83,No.4, Philosophy as a way of life. Hegler
Institute. Accessed 20thMarch 2013 : http://www.jstor.org/stable/27903703
from each of the developed samples to across varying times and locations. Shusterman talks about the
simulate aspects of final garment. mirror neuron system as providing a neurological basis for
empathic experience. ‘As seeing the movement would activate not
only relevant visual neurons but also motor neurons associated
with performing that action’ (Shusterman 2012). We would try to
emulate the movements, copy them, to understand how it feels/felt
to perform in a particular way. It is this thinking through feeling,
82
“Touch Me, Feel Me, Play with Me”

Eunjeong Jeon Abstract Author Keywords
Eindhoven University of Technology
“Touch me, Feel me, Play with me”, as a meditative tool invites Touch, feel, comfort, haptic experience, textiles
Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ
5600 MB Eindhoven, people to touch, feel, and move for their own comfort. The design
The Netherlands process involves a methodological balance between research and
e.jeon@tue.nl design, between the designer’s skills and the user’s sensorial Research Imperatives
awareness. The aim of this design project is to contribute to the
The significance of design research project used with a research-
discourse on comfort by investigating the influence on haptic
through-design approach has two main aspects. First is to
experience, kinetic interaction, and emotion. In this design
contribute to the discourse on comfort by investigating the influence
approach, dialogue between material explorations and bodily
on haptic experience, kinetic interaction, and emotion. We can
sensorial awareness leads to: (1) incongruent tactile feelings of the
experience a feeling of comfort based on what we see an object
properties of felted wool; and (2) haptic experience that consists of
through what we touch and how we touch. For example, we feel
both touching and seeing, an act that involves not only the hands
comfortable when we touch an old and faded woolen blanket,
but also the entire body. In the context of the haptic touching
which absorbs the body’s smell and sweat and invites hands to
particularly, the textile invites the wearer to create dynamic modes
stroke the surface of the blanket. Through touching process, the
of touch like squeezing, pressing, and stroking. The textile is
blanket elicits sensorial experiences such as smooth and warmth. It
designed for the users’ act of moving over the textile surface, which
also elicits sensuous imagery that evokes memory of the senses
makes form discernible. In order to achieve this paradoxical haptic
such as a sense of empathy and nostalgia for childhood. This is
experience, the textile is designed to incorporate an irregular
what Merleau-Ponty (1962) identified term as a “perceptual field”
polygon, shaped both concave and convex, to trap air on one side
that means our lived awareness is not the sum of isolated sensory
and creating geometric pockets on the reverse side within the felted
inputs but a dynamic commingling of sensory possibilities. Merleau-
wool structure. The textile can be configured in various ways by
Ponty (1962) phenomenological standpoint has opened the door to
bodily interaction, which allows wearers’ to express themselves. In
reconsider how perception is formed by our bodily experience of
conclusion, the design research project contributes to an
knowing the world. Haptic experience inspired the author by the
understanding of what makes the body “feel good or bad” adopted
philosophical idea of perception of phenomenology (Merleau-Ponty,
by body-centered and the sense-driven design approaches. In
1962) expresses unity of tactile and kinesthetic phenomena and
particular, the textile used in the sense-driven action design
unity of senses. In other words, we are able to ‘see’ an object
approach contributes to enhancing the user’s wellbeing and
sensuously and perceptually through the hands, which are a
emotional connection to the textile, and therefore are as important
perceptual and manipulative organ and the entire body (Gibson,
as the physical qualities of comfort.
1966). This perspective is significant for the design of body-
centered and sense-driven clothing. Especially, it is worth noting

83
that how the intertwining of senses and motor skills enhances our
emotions. Research Process
The design explorations were done in an experiential manner
The second point of significance in this design research project is through action and reflection. The focus in this design research
to contribute to how the design process used with a methodology of project was reflected in women’s (n=15, age of 20-40 years) haptic
haptic experiment influences a design and creates communicable experience, particularly their responses to:
knowledge through the act of designing. Haptic experimentation • How they touch and move;
through body empowerment makes people (including designers) • What they feel through touch;
more creatively active (Deleuze, 2003). This is because our body is • How what they see through touch affects what they imagine;
experienced as a duality, both as an object — you can touch your and
own hand, and as your own subjectivity — you experience being • How hand touches are related to the other body parts being
touched. This is also because people can draw on their imagination touched.
to fill in what is in what is the conscious image in their head not
through thinking but rather through action involved (Figs. 1 and 2).
This action-driven haptic interface has a strong influence on
people’s strong sensuous response. This perspective is significant
that the textile design should take into account how people act or
how they are acted upon in the process of interacting with textiles
in everyday experience. The context of everyday experience in this
sense refers to activities and movements in interaction with nature

such as forms of wrapping objects and modes of touching.
Accordingly, the textile design needs to involve how the meaning of
comfort is experienced by user’s bodily interaction. The design
approach takes people’s doing not thinking into account.

Figure 3. Categories of modes of movement; fifteen participants were
Figure 1. The process of making form of
observed for dynamic touches: stroking, grabbing, fumbling, pressing,
“Touch me, Feel me, Play with me.”
Figure 2. “Touch me, Feel me, Play with me” made out of 100% merino rolling, sliding, rubbing, and squeezing.
wool used with engineering felting technique: 140cm x 125cm x 3.2 cm.
84
Four important outcomes, which influenced textile design, were • How can textile empower the body to touch/ be touched, feel/
found from the observation applied to the group of women. First, be felt, and move/ be moved to enhance self-expression and
various emotions were evoked by the way participants handled the self-therapy?
fabric such as stroking, squeezing, rubbing, lifting, sliding, and
pressing. Most of the participants easily experienced passive touch,
such as sliding, pressing, and fumbling. However, when the
participants exerted active touch, such as stroking, squeezing,
pressing, and lifting, they seemed to engage in more sensory
Figure 5. Structure of “Touch me, Feel experiences (Fig. 3). Active touch, in particular squeezing when the
me, Play with me”: On the one side,
five figures of the hand compress the surface (detected texture) of
irregular polygon, concave and convex
with the trapped air unit structure. This textiles enhanced the strongest bodily sensory-tactile experience
creates different points of body contact. for “feeling good” while also, paradoxically, “feeling bad.” Second
On the reverse side, this creates results revealed that unconscious movements, which refer to how
geometric pockets. When sensors (LED) participants played with an object without thinking seemed to
are embedded in pockets, the felted wool
influence positive affective states. For example, unconscious
is automatically moved to adapt to body
movement. gestures, such as pressing and rolling seemed to make the
participants calm, and soothing their state of discomfort, anger or
annoyance. In the experiment, it became apparent that such Figure 4. Having different inside and outside texture and forms for sense of
unconscious movements could assist people to evoke positive touch and open to experience the textile design.
emotions that modified their negative states and changed them into
In order to achieve this question, the context of design approach
positive emotion, moods or sentiments. Thirdly, the results showed
used was twofold: haptic touching and haptic seeing (Craig &
that active their hand touches were related to how the body part is
Rollman, 1999). In the context of haptic touching the textile was
sensorially intertwined. This is because the process of obtaining a
designed to invite the wearer to create dynamic modes of touch.
sense of hand touch was coordinated with whole body movements.
Different modes of touch stimulate different level of sensorial
This contributed therefore to the overall impression of “feeling good
responses (Fig. 4). By taking these dynamic touches into account,
or bad.” Final results revealed that sensory modalities were the textile was structured to incorporate an irregular polygon,
connected perceptually. For example, when participants touched shaped both concave and convex, to trap air on one side and
an object whilst blindfolded, they described the conscious of creating geometric pockets on the reverse side within the felted
images evoked “ripples in water = soft = surface = feeling good.” wool structure (Fig. 5). This 3D structure expands different points of
The results revealed that what participants touched affected what body contact in the skin, which enhances sensorial stimulation.
they see. Felted wool combined with engineered felt was used as material
explorations. This is because felted wool has innate properties
The textile, “Touch me, Feel me, Play with me” was developed by such as resilience, versatility, and roughness but still has a feeling
Figure 6. The process of transforming one
reflection on the outcomes from this haptic experiment and the of softness and warmth. The quality of the textile was also
form into another form of “Touch me, Feel
me, Play with me” employed with crafting philosophical idea from phenomenology. The primary research designed to be open to experience, like to enjoy, to inspire, and to
techniques. question was as follows: strengthen an individual’s identity. For this reason, the textile can
be configured in various ways by bodily interaction, which allows
85
wearers’ to express themselves. Body becomes an essential Research Outcomes

structure in crafting the form of the textile design (Fig. 4).
This research project showed how design practice synthesizes
In the context of haptic seeing the textile was focused on texture from theory of phenomenology of perception (Merleau-Ponty, 1962)
and crafting. “Touch me, Feel me, Play with me” was employed and haptic experiment from user test. “Touch me, Feel me, Play
with crafting techniques — sewing, folding, and engineered felting with me” proposes how the people interact with the textiles in the
— that fuses conventional craft skills into technology involved in sensory-motor and emotional way with which they explored and
felting process (Fig 6). In the design process, the textile can allow enhanced their self-expression and even worked out as self-
people make together through sewing, which can create therapy. It is worth noting that how dynamic modes of touch could
interpersonal dialogue between them. This dialogue can lead to assist people to evoke positive emotions that can modify their
personal attachment of their stories to this prototype. By taking negative affective states and change them into positive emotions or
these crafting techniques into account, the texture of the textile moods. Designers should give greater consideration to what seems
looks very sophisticated and a bit coarse, but maintains still soft a central feature of the touching process, which can be fruitfully
texture. In addition, the textile was designed for the users’ act of employed in the interactive design process. The fact that people
moving over the textile surface, which makes form discernible. To can appreciate small differences in touch enhances their
sum up, by intermingling beneficial properties of felted wool with psychological benefits from interaction with the textile, helping to
crafting techniques involved in 3D felted wool structure, the textile relieve depression and increasing a general sense of wellbeing.
can invite people to touch in the various ways of touching modes, This design project argued that theses qualities have the potential
which amplify the feelings of mystery for the wearer who enables to to enhance the user’s wellbeing and emotional connection to a
elicit compound emotions (Fig 7). In addition, the fact that textile textile, and therefore are as important as the textile qualities of
was designed to be open to experience can lead to express comfort.
dynamic self-expression. The wearer therefore could experience
various feelings and emotions while interaction or even without References
interaction with the textile. This research is linked to the ARC Linkage project “Innovative Solutions for
Wool Garment Comfort though Design” (Project ID: LP0775433), in
conjunction with the Wooldesk at DAFWA (Department of Agriculture and
Food, Western Australia).
1. Craig, J. C. & Rollman, G. B. (1999) ‘Somathesis’, Annual Review of

Psychology. (50), pp. 305-331.
2. Deleuze, G. (2003) Francis Bacon: the Logic of sensation, London:
Continuum.
3. Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962) Phenomenology of perception (C. Smith,
Trans.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
4. Gibson, J. J. (1962) ‘Observations on active touch’, Psychological
Review. 69(6), pp. 477-490.
Figure 7. Dynamic tactile experience through 3D felted wool structure and 5. Gibson, J. J. (1966) The senses considered as perceptual systems.
crafting techniques. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
86


‘Illustrating Fashion’s Invisible Woman’

the early stages of academic and creative research in interviewing
1
and drawing older fashion muses from life, and stakeholders’
Ann Marie Kirkbride Abstract responses to the drawings. The proposed output will therefore be a

Northumbria University In this homogenised, saturated fashion market opportunities to creative process journal of work-in-progress to date that will inform
Newcastle upon Tyne engage new customers are rare. However, market intelligence future creative direction.
NE1 8ST UK suggests the existence of a relatively untapped market in the older
ann.kirkbride@northumbria.ac.uk
fashion consumer (Sender, 2012a: Unpaged). Growth in this The longer term goal of this research is to give the ‘invisible
woman’ a presence in the fashion market through fashion
market is being fuelled by a shift in spending power from the
illustration.
traditional younger consumer to the relatively more affluent ‘Baby
Boomer’, supported by an increasingly ageing female society, a
longer working life and greater longevity due to better diet and Author Keywords

healthcare (Mintel, 2000: Unpaged).
age; fashion; style; illustration; diversity; identity;

‘While there has been some
Despite this, the over-50s consumer remains under-represented in
the current fashion marketplace. The reasons for this continue to
improvement in the offer for this Research Imperatives
age group, the over-55s fashion be the subject of debate, but initial personal research reveals that
market still remains largely not only does the industry seem unable to recognise her, but more Professional work as designer-maker, illustrator and teacher, has
untapped’ (Sender, significantly, she is unable to recognise herself in either the fashion resulted in a portfolio career with all elements underpinned by an
2012a: Unpaged). product on offer or imagery designed to attract her. Furthermore, interest in ethical practice. The chosen focus of initial research is
recent research shows that this problem has implications beyond diversity within fashion illustration, with visual responses to issues
‘Figures gathered from the 6
fashion and that the older woman ‘disappears’ from broader of gender, body type and race undertaken to date (Fig. 1). Learning
main UK broadcasters suggest
women disappear from TV popular visual culture too (Harman, 2013: Unpaged). In its more about the over-50s consumer, her relationship with fashion
screens as they get older’ (Age continued use of stereotypical and outdated reflections of the older and its impact on her identity; and to respond to the tension
UK, 2013: Unpaged) woman, the media sends a clear message that in both society and between fashion and age through drawing is a natural extension to
visual culture she is to be neither seen nor heard. this initial research and offers an interesting challenge.
‘According to Mintel’s report
Lifestyles of the Over-55s – UK – This research is a personal exploration of the relationship between The use of an illustrated muse is significant due to its dual role of
April 2012, one in six females fashion, age and identity through fashion drawing, and forms part of stimulating the designer and connecting with the client, if relevant,
aged over-55 don’t feel that
an existing personal interest in addressing diversity through fashion and also the target consumer. Sketching the muse at the design
advertising is aimed
at them, peaking among over-
drawing. In the early stages it became clear that not only is the stage often sets the creative direction for promotional imagery and
75s.’ (Sender, 2012b: Unpaged) original question ‘how can fashion illustration meet the needs of an styling for photo shoots, and ultimately model casting.

ageing market?’ too complex to be resolved within the scope and

limitations of this project, but that further questions were emerging 1
Stakeholders include a range of potential audiences such as fashion
that required consideration. For this reason this project focuses on professionals e.g. designers, retailers, journalists etc., older fashion
consumers, and fashion students.
87


2
Initial research raised questions as to the reasons behind the PESTEL model, and also potential creative influences such as
disappearance of the over-50s woman from fashion and visual illustrators, photographers and artists.
culture; are older women less inclined to consume fashion and, if
In defining fashion it is clear that it goes beyond the clothes people
so, why; or are their needs simply not being met? Or could it be wear and how they wear them. It can be an individual’s interface
that the fashion media simply prefers to promote its products and with the world, identify them as a member of a particular group, or
services on traditional younger models, regardless of the target set the wearer apart. On a deeper level it can reveal the physical,
audience? Mintel’s Senior Clothing and Fashion Analyst, Tamara
emotional, intellectual, spiritual elements of the wearer’s identity.
Sender, suggests that the latter may be true (2012b: Unpaged). As an illustrator I have a particular interest in not only the visual

Additionally, research supported the hypothesis that the relationship between the body and the cloth, but also the subliminal
relationship between age, fashion and identity was not being messages and narratives fashion conveys. For this reason the
addressed by the creative industries beyond tokenism (Twigg, research process had to involve discovering the messages and
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- 2010: Unpaged; and Barry, 2013: Unpaged). stories behind the models’ relationship with fashion and using the
Caption
findings to direct the physical representation though drawing.
As contemporary research on the subject seemed to be
generated by health and/or social scientists, there seemed potential Inspired by secondary research findings I went in search of
for both originality of perspective on the subject matter and impact fashion’s ‘invisible woman’ by conducting an audit of older women
on the fashion industry. Furthermore, as a tutor working with in key fashion magazines: Vogue (as a driver of style) and Grazia
Figure 1. Examples of the author’s students whose choice of muse usually reinforces the status quo, (as the best-selling ‘fashion’ magazine in the UK), as well as
fashion drawing from life using mixed the opportunity to inform and inspire future fashion professionals in conducting a search for older models on the Autumn 2013-14
media in response to issues of body their choices, or even their careers, could not be resisted. The catwalk shows at London Fashion Week. While there was some
type and gender. Above: Kate (2012), creation of original artwork as a result of academic research evidence of eccentric, celebrity or incredibly youthful over-50s
Below: Farika (2010) supports the project’s potential for originality, subject to a positive fashion icons in the fashion press and related blogs, primary
response from identified audiences both to the illustrations and to research confirmed that these women were considered
the discussion it provokes. inaccessible and removed from the typical over-50s fashion

consumer. The choice of muses was therefore crucial. They had
to both inspire me as the artist and be aspirational and accessible
Research Process
to the over-50s consumer. My first thoughts were to use eccentric
An analysis of terms, mind mapping and planning tools initiated the older women that would offer the high impact and light
research process, and this enabled further clarification of both heartedness that would suit my style of drawing. But this notion
scope and limitations of the research and subsequent planning. was abandoned as a result of initial research findings (Barry,
The enormity of the set task became clear and a rethink was 2013: Unpaged). I eventually chose women that not only inspired
necessary to ensure the aims would be met. As the research was me visually, but also that I knew very well and that I knew had a
exploring identity, qualitative data was discovered through interview positive relationship with fashion and their own distinctive style:
questions in the first instance, and the findings were used to inform
the drawings. Secondary research was conducted using a

2
PESTEL is an analytical tool researching Political, Environmental, Social,
Technological, Ethical and Legal influences on the market.
88


Muse 1 (Fig. 2) is 51 years old and works as an art teacher. She Research Outcomes
has a commanding physical presence due to her athletic build,
A series of drawing sessions was arranged and the work analysed

height and minimalist style. Her fashion tastes are smart casual
for future direction. During the first session with Muse 1, 2
with minimal makeup and styling, preferring to let the quality of
drawings were produced. Figure 2 shows a seated pose with a
the clothes make the statement for her. She is influenced by
direct gaze at the viewer, chosen to reflect her minimalist style and
American fashion, in particular the ‘preppy’ look. For special
confidence. The chair was a high backed red leather Chesterfield
occasions she prefers shift dresses in bold colours and
style, chosen to represent Muse 1’s classic style. She was wearing
interesting fabrics. She describes herself as at her most
a striped matelot style sweater, scarf and jeans. Her hair was
confident age, ‘I’ve become more confident in knowing what I
scraped back and she wore minimal makeup. The drawing started
like… Yeah …and what I don’t like. I shop less, but I’m more
off well with a likeness captured. However, it was completely
discerning’ (2013). She admires stylish icons such as Catherine
overworked and there was too much of the chair involved. The
Deneuve and Katherine Hepburn who radiate confidence without
3 result aged the subject, did not show her vivacity and the literal
being ‘tarty’ . Muse 1 doesn’t feel there’s much out there for her
representation of the chair made her look like a resident of a care
as ‘it just seems as if it’s aimed a particular market and I’m kinda
home. Although the subject did not agree with my own
(sic) caught between what’s happening, you know, on trend at the
interpretation of the drawing, further discussion suggested a linear
minute and then stuff like bloody Marks and Spencer’s’ (2013).
depiction of a more ‘contemporary classic’ chair might address this
Nor does she feel as though she sees herself reflected in the
issue, or the use of a less passive pose. Figure 3 attempted to
Figure 2. Muse1: Despite a direct gaze imagery of fashion, which is ‘all kind of celebrity, isn’t it?’ (2013).
redress this. It was more quickly produced and focused on the
the model appears older than she is due
Muse 2 (Fig. 4), an artist, is 69. She exudes an attractive subject’s distinctiveness of body type, lustrous hair and fresh faced
to the passive pose and the style of chair.

haughtiness with her short, ash blond hair that she describes as minimalism. Quick bold lines were used to convey her hair, and
‘thin’, and has an animated personality. She is both fashionable coffee was used in a brush pen to tint the skin, suggesting simple
and stylish, and is one of the few older women I know who have facial lines in a subtle way. The result was a closer representation
not remained in the style of their ‘peak’ years, but is actively of her age and was both glamorous and conveyed her character
interested in contemporary fashion. She considers ‘dressing up
better. The drawing style was also more appropriate to the fashion
and putting outfits together’ as a hobby, and constructs her look illustration genre. Feedback from the subject was positive and
as she would one of her paintings. Every Saturday she goes out raised much discussion. Artistically, the bold colour of the dress
for dinner with friends and enjoys the ritual of preparing to initially overpowered the subject in the drawing and further attempts
‘present herself’ as part of the occasion. She often ‘disappears were made to achieve a cohesive result by using the cobalt blue of
for hours upstairs to play dress-up’, experimenting with styling
the dress in the shadows of the face and hair. It was felt important
her outfits just for fun. She favours a layered silhouette in a that the dress did not ‘wear the person’, as research revealed that
range of sophisticated colours and fluid fabrics that enhance her both muses felt confident and at ease with their looks and style,
animated presence. Her aim is to present an elegant and and the drawings needed to reflect this.
individual look and she doesn’t mid looking older as long as she
looks ‘right’. She likes her look to be ‘together’ but not matched. As fashion is about attitude as much as the clothes, initial drawings
Figure 3. Second sketch (detail); the
of Muse 2 focused on capturing her facial styling (Fig. 4). Again, as
model appears younger and more 3
Initial primary research revealed there is an overwhelming fear in the over- she was wearing black, the resulting drawing was overworked in
fashionable with the quicker line quality 50s interviewed to avoid being ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ at all costs. This
which implies movement and energy. was confirmed by secondary research findings.
89


terms of the garment rendering, which killed it. To take this forward
a less opaque medium such as ink might be used when illustrating
fluid black garments for a lighter result. Although her face did not
look older, the composition failed to capture her vivacity. Feedback
from Muse 2, and her husband, was flatteringly positive, but the
results were not what I wanted, and I started to develop them
further in the studio from smartphone photographs (Figure 5), with
more fashionable results – lengthening the neck, a lighter touch in
use of media, composition etc. However, the ‘light bulb’ moment
for the project eventually came when applying the following
research to the drawings. Dr. Ben Barry (2013) found that women
were more likely to purchase fashion if they saw themselves
mirrored in the choice of model, but that these images still had to
Figure 6. Examples of illustrations of older models (Various sources, 2011)
show a distinctive creative direction to motivate the purchase. My

personal practice must therefore explore the potential conflict References
between the ‘rules’ of fashion illustration, i.e. minimising the signs
Figure 4. Muse 2 - static pose is
ageing and despite physical of age and imperfection, and producing fashionable, characterful 1. Barry, B. (2013) Does My Bottom Line Look Good in This?
similarities to subject, does not drawings that reflect and inspire the older consumer. Rexbye and Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI-jnRpnBuA
represent model’s character. Povlsen’s research (2007) into visual signs of ageing found that (Accessed: 25 May 2013)
perception of age to be more complex than physical appearance 2. Harman, H. (2013) Figures show that women over 50 disappear from our
alone and involved style, grooming, openness to activity and TV screens. Available at http://www.harrietharman.org/new-
figures-show-women-over-50-disappear-from-our-tv-screens---1
connectivity with others and society. The ageing effects of a static (Accessed: 25 May 2013)
composition and lack of narrative context in my initial drawings 3. Mintel (2000) 2020 Vision, Available at
seemed to support these findings. http://oxygen.mintel.com/display/524/# (Accessed 28 May 2013)
In conclusion, initial research showed that while some progress is 4. Rexbye, H. and Povlsen, J. (2007) Visual Signs of Ageing: What Are We
Looking At? Available at
being made to reflect diversity in fashion in general, there was still
http://www.ep.liu.se/ej/ijal/2007/v2/i1/a4/ijal07v2i1a4.pdf.
work to be done to redress the existing tension between age and (Accessed: 30 April 2013)
fashion in particular, and that there was scope for further study. 5. Sender, T. (2012a) Fashion for the Over-55s; Issues in the Market,
Critical review of initial personal practice based research also Available at
indicated that further experimentation with composition, style of http://academic.mintel.com/display/645800/?highlight=true#hit1.
(Accessed: 25 March 2013)
drawing, fashion styling and narrative content was necessary to
move further towards achieving the project aims. Furthermore, 6. Sender, T. (2012b) Lifestyles of the Over-55s. Available at
http://academic.mintel.com/display/629245/?highlight=true.
additional consideration needs to be given to the type and purpose (Accessed: 25 March 2013)
of the fashion illustrations i.e. design sketches that are
Figure 5. Second sketch - direct 7. Twigg, J. (2010) How does Vogue Negotiate Age? Available at
communicative, and mood illustrations that are aspirational, http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/staff/academic/twigg/paper9.pdf
gaze and context introduces link to
promotional or persuasive in function. If they are to challenge (Accessed: 28 May 2013)
interests and connection with others.
existing attitudes towards the older consumer, the drawings’
‘fitness for purpose’ will also need to be tested on a range of
audiences; the older consumer, design professionals, students.
90

Poetics
DAY 3
Papers
91
Legibility Investigation: Towards controlling typeface variables

Sofie B eier Abstract Research Imperatives
The Royal Danish Academy
One frequent problem in legibility investigations is that the tested Many studies into typeface legibility are carried out by researchers
of Fine Arts,
Schools of Architecture, Design and typefaces vary on too many variables. In an investigation that from a non-design oriented academic background. These
Conservation (KADK) compares typefaces that vary on letter width, weight, contrast and researchers – naturally – do not have a professional understanding
skeleton, it will be difficult to determine precisely why the findings of typography, which tends to reduce the suitability of their test
Philip de Langes Allé 10 come out as they do, and the external validity suffers. By applying a material. For example, basing the test material on the typefaces
DK-1435 København K
method of integrating design practice with academic research, I Times Roman and Courier will cause problems in the analyses of
DENMARK
sbe@kadk.dk have designed a new typeface family that addresses this problem the outcome, since the typefaces differ on a number of stylistic
of multiple typographical variables. At its current stage, the features including stroke contrast, weight, height-width proportions,
typeface family Neutral Test has seven members. One is the letter skeleton and the shape and style of the serifs (fig. 1). It will
master typeface; three of the remaining typefaces have one stylistic consequently be difficult to draw any conclusion about why the
feature that differs from the master (skeleton, weight, and width); results came out as they did. Such comparisons will only inform us
and three have two stylistic features that differ from the master about the difference between the two typefaces in question, without
(weight/skeleton, weight/contrast and weight/width). In an providing any new knowledge to inform our understanding of
experimental investigation where the test material is based on the typeface characteristics in general.
different members of Neutral Test, the researcher will thus be able
to identify the specific stylistic feature that causes a given This comparative method of testing typeface legibility has – until
difference in performance. recently – been the main approach for legibility testing (for a review
see: Lund 1999). In some cases, this is likely because the
researchers’ key area of interest lies elsewhere. In other cases,
Author Keywords researchers have struggled with the technological limitations before
Type design; fonts; legibility; reading; perception the era of digital type design.
This latter problem no longer exists, and a number of recent studies

have implemented test typefaces that are controlled for unwanted
variables (Bessemans 2012; Chahine 2012; Dyson 2011; Beier &
Larson 2010; Morris et al. 2002). The test typefaces in these
studies are developed specifically for the investigation in question.
Because the variables are controlled, it is easier here to determine
why the results come out as they do, and the produced findings
consequently support a broader understanding of how typefaces
92
influences the way we read. The downside of this approach, among type designers (Gates 1969), and it is something that all
however, is the time-consuming task of developing test typefaces professionally developed typefaces take into account. Obviously,
from scratch for each new project. As a typeface family that, on the
one hand, is subtle in expression and, on the other hand, is
designed for the control of variables, the typeface family Neutral
Test offers a useful test material across a wide range of legibility
Figure 1. The typefaces Times New
Roman (top) and Courier (bottom).
investigations.
These typefaces differ on so many stylistic

features that in a test situation, it will be
nearly impossible to identify why the Research Process
findings come out as they do.
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- The intention behind the design of the master style was to create a
Caption typeface that is as neutral as possible. This follows the idea put
forward by the renowned type designer Adrian Frutiger (1998;
2008), in that all characters are modelled on a basic letter skeleton,
which emerges as a dark area when the most popular typefaces
are superimposed on each other in light shadings. The theory is
that this skeleton constitutes a neutral letter shape, since its
features are identical to the shared area of the eight popular
typefaces. The master typeface is derived from this basic skeleton
Figure 2. The letter matrix model (top) is based on the typefaces defined by
(figure 2). The remaining members of the family all derive from the
Adrian Frutiger as the most widely read: Garamond, Baskerville, Bodoni,
master style. Excelsior, Times, Palatino, Optima and Helvetica. The design of the master
font Neutral Test Regular (bottom) was based on the superimposed
In the work of isolating typographical variables, a number of typefaces from Frutiger’s letter matrix model.
dilemmas arose. Some of these relate to the bold weights of the
family. The intention with Neutral Test Bold is to vary from the
master solely on the added weight. To maintain the same level of this method of adding different weight does not constitute a
stroke contrast as found in the master, the stroke should have the scientific approach, where all letters and letter parts would have to
same weight added in all parts of the letters. However, when weight change at the same mathematical formula. However, to create
is added in this way, letters such as ‘e’ and ‘a’ will close up in the functional typefaces, it is necessary to make perceptual
inner space (top row, figure 3). Consequently, the added weight adjustments, and so these adjustments were made in the bold
could not be the same in all bold-style letters. A second dilemma weights of Neutral Test.
pertains to our perceptual understanding. It is a well-documented
phenomenon that we do not perceive all shapes and forms in their Typographical variables tend to have a strong influence on each
mathematically correct dimensions. For vertical and horizontal other (Beier 2012). This too resulted in a number of dilemmas. One
strokes to appear equal in weight, horizontal strokes should be of these relate to the perceived difference in weight between styles
lighter in weight than vertical strokes. The issue is well known of different stroke contrast. The high stroke contrast typeface
Neutral Test Contrast has the same letter width and the same
93
Research Outcomes
The range of dilemmas related to how the different styles are
perceived by the viewer demonstrates that the task of isolating
typographical variables has its difficulties. However, when held up
against the method of comparing completely different typefaces
such as Time Roman and Courier, it still offers a considerable
improvement.
In addition to the master style, the six current members of the

typeface family can be divided into two groups (figure 4). Group 1
holds the typefaces that all differ from the master on one stylistic
feature, and the group 2 holds the typefaces that all differ from the
Figure 3. ‘Neutral Test Bold’ (bottom) is adjusted in stroke weight to avoid
master on two stylistic features.
the counters closing up as it happens in the top row where the stroke weight
is the same in horizontal and vertical strokes in all the letters. The middle In a comparison between the master and a typeface from the first
example shows the two versions superimposed. group, a difference in performance can be located to the added
stylistic feature. In a following comparison between the master and
a typeface from the second group, a further difference in
weight in the vertical strokes as Neutral Test Bold. The two differ
performance can be attributed to the additional stylistic feature.
solely on contrast. However, due to the light hairline strokes of the
Contrast style, this may result in the style being perceived as lighter
As a test material, members of the Neutral Test typeface family can
in weight than the corresponding Bold style. The same dilemma is
inform us on a number of legibility-related matters. One relevant
found in the relationship between the styles of regular width and the
question is whether high stroke contrast reduces distance legibility.
styles of extended width. Due to the extra white space inside the
A distance comparison of the Bold style and the Contrast style
letters of the extended width styles, these may appear lighter in
would shed light on this particular issue. Another question is
weight than the corresponding regular width styles, even though
whether an extremely expanded style or an italic style would
the stroke weights are identical for the Regular and Expanded
hamper continuous reading, or whether the reader adjusts to the
styles and for the Bold and BoldExpanded styles. This dilemma is
typeface without complications.
difficult to solve; if the styles were adjusted for apparent equal
weight, the real boldness of the styles would not be identical, and
thus it could be categorized as an extra stylistic feature. On the
other hand, if the styles appear to have different weights, that too
constitutes an unwanted difference.
Figure 4. The family Neutral Test
Three of the family members have one
stylistic feature that differs from the
master, while three have two stylistic
features that differ from the master.
94
The typeface family Neutral Test can be applied as test material

within a wide range of experimental legibility investigations. References
Whenever a new research question comes up, additional test styles 1. Beier, S. (2012) Reading Letters, BIS Publishers
can be created, without requiring the design of a new typeface
2. Beier, S. & Larson, K. (2010) ‘Design Improvements for Frequently
family from scratch every time. One such question that might Misrecognized Letters’, Information Design Journal, 18(2),
facilitate the development of additional styles would be to identify pp.118-137.
the optimal letter weight for a given reading situation. For this 3. Bessemans, A. (2012) Letterontwerp voor kinderen met een visuele
investigation, a range of interpolations between the regular weights functiebeperking, Thesis PhD, Leiden University & Hasselt
University (English summery).
and the bold weights would be appropriate. Another interesting
question is the role serifs play in different reading situation. For 4. Chahine, N. (2012) Reading Arabic; Legibility Studies for the Arabic
Script, Thesis PhD, Leiden University
such investigations, new typefaces can be created with added
5. Dyson, M. C. (2011) ‘Do Designers Show Categorical Perception of
serifs functioning as an extra stylistic feature; these new styles can Typefaces?’, Visible Language, 45(3), pp.193-220.
take the outset in any of the existing typefaces of the family.
6. Frutiger, A. (1998) Signs and Symbols: Their Design and Meaning,
London: Ebury Press
In that way, the typeface family Neutral Test, is not to be viewed as 7. Frutiger, A. (2008) Adrian Frutiger Typefaces: The Complete Works, H.
a finished product; it is a tool that will continue to develop to meet Osterer & P. Stamm, Basel: Birkhauser
the needs of new legibility investigations. 8. Gates, D. (1969) Lettering for Reproduction, New York: Watson-Guptill
Publication
9. Lund, O. (1999) Knowledge Construction in Typography: The case of
legibility research and the legibility of sans serif typefaces, Thesis
PhD, The University of Reading, Department of Typography &
Graphic Communication
10. Morris, R. A., Aquilante, K., Yager, D. & Bigelow, C. (2002) ‘P-13: Serifs
Slow RSVP Reading at Very Small Sizes, but Don’t Matter at
Larger Size’, SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers. 33(1),
pp. 244-247.at Larger Size’, SID Symposium Digest of Technical
Papers. 33(1), pp. 244-247
95
Work In Progress

Jacob Sebastian Bang Abstract
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Author Keywords
Arts, School of Architecture I have created a collection of 1,001 models in plaster. To me it is
Philip de Langes Allé 10 interesting to make things that are not already in the world as the Models; Objects; Collection; Representation; Creation
1435 K - Denmark 1
sculptor Carl Andre once said . Things that no one asked me to
Jacob.bang@kadk.dk
create, things without a function but with inherent qualities as Research Imperatives
objects for further study and transformation into different series of
depictions. I think that working in a series provides a dynamic and The artefacts that I have brought to the conference show different
extensive production with a broad investigative and analytical examples of models or objects from an on-going creative process
process that expands the field of interest and awareness about with a huge production that has spanned over three years. I have
procedures. This is a way to reflect on your work and also a way to established an extensive collection of 1,001 different plaster
produce workshops for students. It is in this artistic practice I models for exhibitions and further explorations in new models and
experiment with architectural models and drawings in a quest for drawings. These depictions are at the same time works of art in
what I call ‘operational material’: models with inherent ideas, their own right as well as analytical material and possible concepts.
methods, rules and obstructions. The German painter Gerhard The model is there before the emergence of an idea so to speak. In
2
Richter put it in this way: “Meine Bilder sind klüger als ich” . It is a his book Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern
process of analysing the material to identify potential creators of Architecture, Adrian Forty shows this diagram as the “conventional”
Figure 1. 20x20 mm. Sealing wax 3
architectural processes and future possibilities by a comprehensive view on the process of architecture (Forty, 2000, p. 32):
process of transforming models into new models and drawings
both; ‘imaginative drawings’ and ‘analytically constructed drawings’. Idea→Drawing→Building→Experience→Language
The plaster models are transitional models and have the potential
as cognitive tools, but are also fragments in their own right. The My process is more like this:
operational model materialises in parallel with my fascination of
watching something emerge; something which in the beginning is Model / object→Drawing→Idea →Experience→Language
just itself - something that can be developed. It is a process of On the one hand you have the original work of art and the process
stepping back and forth. An earlier work could prove to fit into a of artistic creation and on the other hand the reflection of this work
new context: the work in its entirety, through time, is therefore a and subsequent development of rules and methods in a quest for
coherent work - an archive of research possibilities. what I would call ‘operational material’ or in other words different
representations that could bring me closer to a translation of the
1 3
“My art springs from my desire to have things in the world which would Forty points out that: “…the process of architecture in a diagram whose
otherwise never be there”. I haven’t been able to locate the exact origin of wrongness will be immediately apparent but which will nonetheless provide
the quote. us with an opportunity to discuss the relationship between the various
2
“My Paintings Are Smarter Than Me” activities that make up the whole practice of architecture”.
96
plaster models into architectonic signs and potency – into ideas, Research Process
manoeuvres and rules thus achieving an increased awareness of
the model's inherent opportunities. Production of moulds and plaster models
The research imperatives are: I have produced hundreds of different moulds and combined them
in several ways to cast 1,001 different plaster models (with
common features).
1. To create a collection: objects to study; exhibition
2. The creative process: transformation of objects; representation
Evaluation of models and finishing
3. The reflection of the process: language
I evaluated the models in terms of casting, logistics, proportions
and what to cut off in order to obtain a cut surface for future
registrations in drawings: I cut away pieces of plaster from the
castings to ‘alienate’ them or simply to cut away features that
irritates me. The cut is placed intuitive and done quickly. The
amount of models and the repetitive aspect of the process make it
easier and less painful to reduce the material.
Exhibition of models

I did a large scale exhibition at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine
Arts - School of Architecture - a four-phased exhibition for a period
of four weeks, to explore the 1,001 models, as a tool for different
distributions or compositions that went on from very organized
structures to a disorganized structure:
1. The grid
2. The negative circle inscribed in a grid
3. The circle
Figure 2. “1,001 Models.” Distribution: 1. Photo: Michael Dam 4. The dissolved version - laid out by my former students at the
4
I am very interested in creating forms and shapes - objects without School of Architecture in Copenhagen.
a function for further study. In this case 1,001 pieces! It is
imperative to optimize the process when producing such a huge
amount of models. The strategy is to develop a minor production to
begin with to analyse how to plan or devise the future work in terms
of: casting, moulding, wrapping, transportation, storage and so on –
also in relation to later exhibitions (Fig. 2 and 3).
Figure 3. “1,001 Models”. Distribution: 2, 3
and 4. Photo: Michael Dam 4
Aviaja Torbensdatter Hermann, Stefan Jesper Gründl, Martin Lukasiewicz,
Theis Munk Sørensen, Jonas Johansen and Jonathan Houser
97
the same size, have the same degree of detail and therefore
Evaluation of exhibition comparable to a certain extent and may be subjected to the same
The four distributions were all floor standing as seen in some of process and set of rules. I try to reduce the material into stamp-like
Carl Andre´s works (see: Malpas, 1998). As Robert Morris put it: drawings with a keen interest in the stamp as an instrument or tool
“The ground plane, not the wall, is the necessary support for the in itself as seen in some of my exhibited artefacts at this
maximum awareness of the object” (Malpas, 1998, p.16). The conference. It is interesting to define the stamp as a model with the
models could be seen as a kind of space, negatives, as in the properties intact as a tool for stamping. The models are both
works of Rachel Whiteread (see: Mullins 2004). As a generator in stamps and architectural models: an operational system with
the four different distributions I used the ‘obstructions’ given by the combinatorial possibilities (fig.6). I experiment with ‘repetitions’
exhibition space such as the size of the space, fire escapes, the (fig.5), movement, using the same stamp repeatedly and hereafter I
tiling on the floor etc. The four different distributions made the elaborate with ink, inspired by for instance Duchamp’ Nu
exhibition very dynamic. It proved to be an interesting way of Descendant un Escalier, no.2 from 1912. I work with the black and
testing ‘urban structures’, density and how to conquer space. white balance in the drawing and the negative spaces between the
figures (Fig. 4.3 and Fig. 8). I name places in the drawing:
Representations and transformations into models and drawings courtyards, walls, entrances, fences, stairs and so on.
Further explorations of the plaster models are done by transforming
them into registrations of architectural potentials (Fig. 4). The
registration of the models is a process of using both the classic
analytic measuring of an object and more imaginative and inventive
sketches to evoke the models specific nature, or inner idea, by
studying simple photographs, x-ray images or scanned images of
the model. Like in a cubist painting where the objects are dissolved
into geometric shapes and fragments seen from every possible
angle in one single glance. These depictions are addressed in
various ways of drawing, into a series of more reduced stamps.
The models are processed spatially, both as detailed architectonic
elements, as models in high relief in various materials (Fig.1 and
6), and, lastly, as structural models in strips of wood that make an
evaluation of the spatial qualities possible (Fig.7). I experiment with
Figure 5. Repetition. Drawing, Ink on paper.
‘mummification’ of plaster models with tape, covering models with
jigsaw puzzle pieces, insertion of models into a framework and so The different model experiments are pointing to the importance of
forth. changing scale and work with larger and more detailed models. I
am currently in the process of interpreting a selection of a hundred
Evaluation of models and drawings plaster models in order to produce large models of approximately
The explorations in drawings are in fact obstructions or resistance one meter in height. In that way I will change my view of the small
in it self: different techniques and methods of registration. The floor models to something that relates more to the body and will
thousand models are homogenous in expression, approximately eventually approach a more concrete architecture.
Figure 4. Representations 1-3. Scan, X-
ray and ink on paper.
98
material. I'm trying to find my references, the works of other

sculptors and architects, to define the tradition I belong to. This is
an on-going process – a new and wonderful world. I see the
different representations in models and drawings as documentation
of the process but also as independent works in their own right -
however they are supposed to radiate analysis and process. It is
about constructing knowledge and meaning in a process-based
practice. It is not a question of whether my work is art or
architecture, because I believe that it lies somewhere in between,
as it should do. It is already architecture when the first plaster

model is removed from the mould and present it self as a new
object in the world. I see the models as a kind of Architectural
Figure 6. 20x20 mm. Stamps in
magnesium. objects as we know them from Kazimir Malevichs famous models in
wood and plaster – the Architektons (Drutt, 2003).
To me it is imperative to have a dynamic workflow with a broad

investigative process that expands the fields of interests and desire
to explore the various depictions. This in order to invent techniques
and to create a personal expression and original works of art – and
not least the reflection of this work and subsequent creation of
workshops in relation to my teaching at the academy.
Figure. 8. Blend. Field - drawing

References
Research Outcomes 1. Drutt, M (2003) Plates. Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism. pp 204-209

The creative process, the models and the drawings are works of art 2. Forty, A (2000) Language and Drawing. Words and Buildings: A
in their own right and the main outcome of my research – art-based Vocabulary of Modern Architecture. pp 32
research or research by design – what ever the correct designation 3. Malpas, W (1998) Carl Andre. Land Art, Earthworks, Installations,
Environments, Sculpture. pp 16, 52-59
is. To me it is a way of being an architect: to construct collections of
models and drawings with architectural potency. I see new 4. Mullins, C (2004) Untitled (one hundred spaces). Rachel Whiteread. pp
71
Figure 7 Spatial Structure. Wood. connections between works I've produced earlier and new works
5. Von Flemming, V. (1993)) Meine Bilder sind klüger als ich. Köln:
which are brought into relief and form part of the future work, as a DuMont. (DuMont Creativ Video)
particular view of things, a special way to choose to or from in the
99
The Tao of Solidworks

David O’Leary Abstract Research Imperatives
Through my research I am exploring how novice or graduate Digital design tools have been in existence for over four decades,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK designers can make best use of Computer Aided Industrial Design yet there are few learning resources available to assist and enable
david.oleary@northumbria.ac.uk tools (CAID or CAD, specifically SolidWorks) to define and control the aspiring designer to make best use of them. Existing resources
their design intent in a professional manner. My research is forming predominately rely on learning by rote with little or no interrogation
the basis for a book to conceive and define effective methods of of the approach to modelling.
using CAD tools to explore, define and control design intent
through multiple iterations. The disciplines of Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering
have particular need to formalize the communication of artifacts.
The learning material that currently exists is not directly relevant or Industrial Design has its’ roots in the industrial revolution, changing
useful to industrial designers. Designers have different needs and the way that goods were produced forever.
are often working with incomplete information and designed
artifacts are subject to many cycles of revision. What they need is a Most objects were originally made by a single individual, a
flexible and fluid way to explore ideas and define form(s). Research craftsman. In this context there was little need to define the article
was undertaken into the evolution of the representation of objects being made, as it existed in the imagination of the maker.
in two-dimensional and three-dimensional form. This was done in The design was passed down from master to apprentice, from
order to allow the researcher to gain understanding of how father to son. The shift from small scale, artisan made goods to
methods of communication have developed in partnership with large-scale manufacture meant that design intent had to be
developments in mathematics, geometry and software tools. This formalised in some manner – so that it could be communicated and
research has led to a new perspective on the interplay between ultimately broken down into smaller, simpler operations to make
conception of form, knowledge of geometrical construction methods this possible.
and the potential for them to empower designers to create three-
dimensional forms. Further work is needed to explore techniques Professional design practice often requires a high-level of
and tools to this end. The long-term intention is to use this understanding of the tools themselves and the approach to using
knowledge to create more effective resources to teach students to them to create digital artifacts. The difficulty in this endeavor is
make best use of digital modeling tools. compounded by the need to go through numerous iterations of
such design. This high-level understanding and skill set is one that
Author Keywords is borne of many hundreds of hours of usage, learning from more
experienced users. This leads to the tacit understanding of the way
Digital craftsmanship; CAD; Solidworks; Solid-modelling; spatial- particular tools work best in a given situation. What can be learnt
cognition; industrial design education; learning resources. from the characteristics and knowledge utilised in such an
approach in order to better instruct novice users?
100
The particular case under consideration here is that of three- study was undertaken to look closely at how developments in tools
dimensional solid modeling, widely used in industrial design and and techniques have informed design practice and the profession.
engineering to define artifacts for manufacture. The predominate It is evident that design practice has changed markedly in the last
software tools are ‘hybrid’ modeling tools, that is to say that they two decades due to the adoption of software tools to speed up the
package. Operation of any three-dimensional (3D) CAD tool design process.
envisages forms, then devises a strategy to define them in
software. The main CAD tools provide very simplistic tools to do Research Outcomes
this; it is left to the skill and creativity of the operator in order to find
ways to create complex forms. Humankinds’ conception and understanding of the physical world is
informed by many disciplines, Euclidean mathematics and drawing
methods are the foundation of geometry, engineering drawing and
drafting (Fig. 1). Gaspard Monge is considered to be the father of
1
descriptive geometry (Booker, 1979). The evolution of methods to
represent objects on two-dimensional material, using a number of
conventions, has empowered people to not only depict artifacts but
to use such drawings to calculate optimum forms. Before formal
drawing standards existed many crafts and guilds developed their
own conventions and methods as to how to mark out material,
these methods were often kept secret and remained the privilege of
the discipline. Stonemasons in fact developed techniques to work
out compound angles by marking out dimensions on the stone
itself, as modern draftsman would use auxiliary views and
projections to calculate true shapes and sectional views (Fig. 2).
Figure 1. Different types of projection as determined in ancient Greek times.
Research Process
The author has over ten years’ experience in teaching CAD skills to
undergraduate designers. This has provided useful knowledge in
effective approaches to teaching others to use complex 3D CAD
tools.
Figure 2. Stonemason’s technique to mark out material.
Research was undertaken to understand the evolution of the
methods by which artifacts are defined and communicated. This
101
There were of course key figures in the development of such bend the strip to a desired shape. This relatively simple and
methods of geometrical construction, amongst them Gaspard reproducible method informed the manner in which ‘Bezier’ splines
Monge, who was employed as a student draughtsman in the (and in turn Non-uniform Rational Bezier Splines, NURBS) are
fortification design office of the Mézieres Military School in France, created and manipulated in software tools today – it resembles the
approximately 1760. His understanding and development of physical nature of their predecessor (Figure 3).
theories of descriptive geometry led him to develop more efficient
ways to calculate the ‘angle of defilement’ of a proposed military The confluence of the theoretical understanding of geometry,
emplacement. His method was so valuable to the School that is software implementation and affordable computing power has
Figure 3. A shipwrights drawing
was classified as a military secret and he was forbidden to publish made these tools commonplace and accessible to designers
from c. 1586, showing sections
superimposed upon the elevation. a book on these new drawing and geometrical construction around the globe.
methods until publishing his application to the Academy of
2
Sciences in 1780, at the age of 34 (Booker, 1979).
This development of mathematical theory and geometrical

construction led on to the development of polynominal equations
(Bézier and de Casteljau) that allow designers to define complex
spline based entities, the potential of this innovation was unrealized
until the accessibility of relatively low cost computer processing
power necessary to use these calculations to depict such geometry
on a 2D display. Pierre Bézier (Renault) and Paul de Casteljau
(Citroën) were pioneers in developing complex splines for use in
defining automotive forms, leading to the creation of UNISURF in
3
1971 using de Casteljau’s algorithim . This technology and
approach was also developed in other automotive manufacturing
organisations and was largely kept proprietary until the advent of
commercially available software tools in the 1980’s. Due to the
limitations in computing technology it was not until 1989 that Figure 4. Solidworks model of toy plane, in progress. Inset image is actual
4
specialist hardware was made available by Silicon Graphics . This item. Note the grey line sketches that form the master model that defines
the overall form and details.
allowed real-time interactive manipulation of NURBS curves.
The development of these tools, in particular those that have
Almost any contemporary computing device (even a basic mobile parametric functionality (Pro/Engineer, Soildworks), revolutionised
phone) is capable enough to process such calculations with ease. the practice of making visual representations of artefacts. Three-
Bezier curves are in fact closely related to methods previously dimensional parametric solid modeling packages function in a
employed by shipwrights in defining, reproducing and scaling completely different way to traditional drawing. The key principle is
complex curves to produce hull forms for marine vessels. that of constructing a central database of geometry and that you
Shipwrights would use thin flexible strips of a material and weights can then create ‘outputs’ from that. Operators using software
of a given size placed on them at measured locations in order to functions to define geometry, add secondary details, specify
102
material and colour information to entities. The screen-based

representation is itself a construct. Calculated from the data References
contained with each file. This dataset can be used to create two- 1. Booker, P J, (1979), A History of Engineering Drawing, Northgate
dimensional drawings and other digital artefacts. The key difference Publishing Ltd
is that creating a two-dimensional drawing is a snapshot of a point 2. Booker, P J, (1979), A History of Engineering Drawing, Northgate
in time, the 3d database can be edited as desired and the drawings Publishing Ltd, p95
made from that database will update according to changes made 3. Bézier, P. E. (1971) A Discussion on Computer Aids in Mechanical
(by means of the parametric functionality). So the database is a Engineering Design and Manufacture, Proceedings of the Royal
Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical
digital asset and drawings, PDF files etc. are ways to exploit the Sciences. Vol. 321, No. 1545, pp. 207-218
asset to your advantage, saving time and money in redrawing
4. Davies, A. G. J. (1967) Solid Geometry in 3D for Technical Drawing,
things manually. Chatto and Windus.
5. Maguire, D. E. and Simmons, C. (2003) The Manual of Engineering
It is evident that as methods and techniques for depiction of Drawing 2nd Edition, Newnes.
artifacts develop (i.e. through formulae or software) – the capability 6. Personal Iris 4D/20 launched in 1988.
of authors is improved. That is to say if all you are able to construct http://www.sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/personal.html#history,
on paper are arcs and lines then you are limited as to what forms accessed 7 July 2013. Note: no official source exists as the
company ceased trading in 2009.
you can depict. If you have greater understanding and better tools
then you can create more complex forms. Therefore, an individual’s
spatial reasoning and cognition enables their virtuosity with Image credits
physical and virtual tools to explore, create and communicate form. Figure 1 - Booker, P J, (1979), A History of Engineering Drawing, Northgate
Publishing Ltd, p4.
The more capable designer is able to apply complex analysis to a Figure 2 - Booker, P J, (1979), A History of Engineering Drawing, Northgate
given piece of geometry and break it down in to a series of steps. Publishing Ltd, p63.
This allows them to devise a strategy to build it in physical and/or Figure 2 - Booker, P J, (1979), A History of Engineering Drawing, Northgate
virtual form. The process of analysis and strategy is not adequately Publishing Ltd, p48 – plate 4/5.
understood or documented – therefore the opportunity exists to Figure 4 – Authors own images, Screenshot by kind permission of
Solidworks Corp, Waltham, MA, USA.
define such approaches and devise a means to transfer that
knowledge from the expert to the novice.
This research aims to analyse and understand the spatial

reasoning employed by designers when they imagine and express
form using software. This is done in order to define methods and
approaches to this undertaking; so that better ways to instruct
others can be developed.
103
A Sheep in Synthetic Wolf’s Clothing:

Creating a Hybrid of Natural and Man-Made Materials
to Combine Protection and Aesthetics in a Cold Climate

Fiona Kitchman Abstract
Northumbria University For thousands of years, humans have experimented with methods
Newcastle upon Tyne
of joining materials, not only to create objects for practical use but
NE1 8ST UK
fiona.kitchman@northumbria.ac.uk also to satisfy their desire for decoration and embellishment.
This research project aims to combine a man-made technical textile
Sarah Morehead with sheepskin (one of mankind's oldest protective clothing
Northumbria University materials), in order to investigate the potential of creating an
Newcastle upon Tyne
aesthetically pleasing garment that also offers high performance.
NE1 8ST UK
sarah.morehead@northumbria.ac.uk This concept is an inversion of the recent trend for mimicking
nature in textile construction.
In this paper the processes explored will include the rationale for
material selection, as well as construction methods such as
bonding, welding and minimal seaming, together with ergonomic

pattern cutting. Aspects of aesthetics will also be investigated. By
combining these materials, processes and fabrications into a
female-specific hybrid jacket, the intention of the research is to
resolve the tension between garment aesthetics and the need for
thermal regulation in a cold climate.

Author Keywords
Aesthetics; joining materials; man-made; natural; sheepskin;
technical textiles.
104
Research Imperatives Research Process

This concept is an inversion of the recent trend for bio-mimicry or The research process embraced three distinct phases: material
imitating nature in textile construction. selection; experimentation with pattern cutting and construction
For example, since the 1970s, synthetic fleece knitters have been methods; and investigation of aesthetic qualities.
developing “fleece” that shares some of the properties and
performance of wool, yet is faster drying, less bulky and offers Material Selection
higher warmth to weight ratio.
Sheepskin was chosen because it is naturally thermostatic, with a
It is from this inversion of the trend for bio-mimicry that this paper warm feel that is enjoyable to touch and wear. Crucially, it acts as a
draws its title– a sheep in synthetic wolf’s clothing. The intention, “buffer zone”, able to absorb moisture of up to 35% of its weight
then, is to create a post-modernist play on the usual discourse of without feeling wet. The exterior cells of wool have a waxy coating,
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- highly technical performance wear.
Caption making it water repellent, but microscopic pores allow water vapour
Figures 1 and 2. By using a natural material to replace the manmade textiles that to pass through into the inner core where it is absorbed. This buffer
Combining the best of ancient and are the norm for this type of garment, we intend to create a different zone is key to the comfort of the garment: as the wool absorbs the
modern materials. aesthetic, both visual and tactile, improving comfort and fit for the moisture it produces heat, so that the moisture is passed through
Wool’s unique structure and crimp creates wearer. In choosing sheepskin, a sustainable product, for the inner the outer fabric as vapour. Thus, perspiration can be absorbed until
a “buffer zone’” keeping the wearer warm of the jacket, the environmental impact may also be reduced. it is transported through the outer layer thus keeping the wearer’s
and dry.
Sheepskin will be combined with a technical, synthetic textile. The skin drier (and hence warmer).
A durable water repellant finish to the anticipated benefits will be: The structure of the inner cells also gives the wool its flexibility and
synthetic textile prevents the sheepskin
• to apply a durable water repellent finish to the outer crimp allowing the fibres to trap insulating air.
from wetting out.
surface to prevent the sheepskin “wetting out”; Three potential synthetic textiles were considered:
• to improve abrasion-resistance; • woven 100% polyamide;
• and to provide a vehicle for colour. • woven 100% polyester with a waterproof and breathable
This concept is an inversion of the recent trend for bio-mimicry or membrane;
imitating nature in textile construction. • recycled mechanical stretch woven polyester with
For example, since the 1970s, synthetic fleece knitters have been a protective backer.
developing “fleece” that shares some of the properties and The latter was selected because it is lightweight (circa 170
performance of wool, yet is faster drying, less bulky and offers grammes per square metre), has a long-lasting water repellant
higher warmth to weight ratio. finish and provides a vehicle for colour.
It is from this inversion of the trend for bio-mimicry that this paper With both warp and weft stretch, it also drapes well and moves with
draws its title– a sheep in synthetic wolf’s clothing. The intention, the body. This type of fabric is often used in combination with a
then, is to create a post-modernist play on the usual discourse of fleece backer for technical outdoor performance garments known
highly technical performance. as “softshells”.
105
can spring back, enabling the use of different heights of pile to

create textural/thermal effects.
A number of seam types were also explored. Lapped seams were
welded using adhesive tape. But the pressure of the wheel caused
seams in the stretch fabric to wave, so were unacceptable. Cross-
over seams were created with ultra sonic laser, however these
were not strong enough and easily pulled apart. Finally, by using
offset T-joint seams, pull strength and visual effect were improved.
Aesthetic Investigation
Aspects of aesthetics were also investigated, with design
improvements incorporated as part of an iterative process.
It was found that sheepskin shapes could be bonded across joints,
eliminating the need for panel shapes to be dictated by areas of
differing insulation.
This allowed some of the seams to be eliminated, resulting in a
cleaner design.
Figure 4. Sheepskin shapes bonded to adhesive prior to trimming.
Construction Experimentation
We established that sheepskin and woven polyester could be
bonded successfully using sheet adhesive. However, the result was
very stiff and reduced drape. Laser-cutting small holes in the sheet
helped counter this and also improved breathability without
affecting adhesion.
Subsequently, we discovered using smaller sheepskin shapes
rather than complete panels further improved drape. Rounded
shapes were more successful than those with points, in terms of
both adhesion and aesthetics.
Experimentation also showed that wool, unlike synthetic fleece,
retains its loft after being in the hot press. Its crimp means that it
Figure 5. T-jointing to improve seam pull strength.
106
At concept stage, it had been intended to close the jacket by References

inserting a zip by laser cutting/bonding. However, as the textile 1. Harris, S. et al (2010) Cloth Cultures in Pre-Historic Europe
edges sealed successfully when laser cut, it was decided that zips Archaeology International, Issue No. (Volume 12.). pp 22-26
were unnecessary. Instead, we opted for horn buttons with laser
2. Jones, I. and Stelios, G. K. (2013) Joining Textiles: Principles and
cut buttonholes and pocket mouths - this was considered more in Applications, Woodhead Publishing: Cambridge
keeping with the desired look of the jacket.
Research outcomes
This research project set out to combine a hybrid of traditional and
synthetic materials, utilising contemporary fabrications and
technologies (Jones and Stylios, 2013).
A number of outcomes emerged during the design process. During
the material selection phase, it became clear that visual and tactile
Figure 6. Jacket closed with laser cut
aesthetics do not have to be compromised to create a garment that
buttonholes and horn buttons. performs in a cold climate. Sheepskin and stretch woven polyester
offer the best of both ancient and modern, with each
contributing complementary strengths.
Figure 7. Pocket mouths take advantage

Secondly, we were surprised to learn how
of laser cutting to seal textile edges. well sheepskin adapts to processes such as hot
press bonding, literally bouncing back. This
suggests that other materials that have come to be regarded as
old-fashioned may be worthy of further investigation, to take
advantage of their intrinsic qualities in twenty first century
applications.
While we do not expect that a hybrid garment of this kind would
compete at the most technical end of the market, there may also be
scope for further research into its thermal performance.
Finally, the project demonstrated one of the key aspects of
practice-based research. Our final design sketch reveals
considerable development since our initial ideas. Although
concepts and hypotheses can provide avenues to explore, it is in
the doing and making that experiential learning occurs.
Figure 8. Sketch of final design developed through making and doing.
107
Quest for the Esteem Engine

Colin Wilson Abstract and appreciate the world of Product manufacture. The artefacts
Northumbria University were manufactured through regional engagement with specialist
Tradesman’s Wedges and Desktop Empires are the start of a body master craftsmen forming a network of industrial craft collaborators,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK of research investigating how we gain appreciation of everyday each bringing specialist knowledge and influence to the final
c.wilson@northumbria.ac.uk utilitarian objects and the industrial craft knowledge that has been outcome.
handed down, set against the advancement of technological
mystery. The pieces were made to interrogate thinking around
Author Keywords
Industrial Craft whereby the Craftsman uses an inherited archive of
knowledge and skills as he makes instinctive decisions to Industrial Craft Knowledge; Making; Appreciation of Artefacts;
manipulate tools and materials. The research argues that in our Digital Culture.
post attention economy, we have a legacy of undervaluing the
worth of craft skill and the natural world, where there is no Research Imperatives
appreciation for artifact or artisan.
This paper is part of a map that outlines the start of my journey of
The research investigates and examines conversations with tools contemplation around how we gain appreciation of objects and the
and materials in the act of making, in order to explore applied value role of industrial craft knowledge within this set against the
and worth. The pieces serve as counter propositions to our current backdrop of advancements in digital technology. Tradesman’s
culture, which focuses on digital devices and social networks. Wedges and Desktop Empires are the start of a body of work that
enables me to explore this terrain and develop positions within it.
Within the industrial craft disciplines, there exist overlooked props As such this paper acts as my first tentative step in articulating the
and aids used within the fabrication and manufacture of artefacts, terrain and my opinions informed by my 30 or so years’ experience
one such group of objects consists of engineering holding and of being a designer and maker. I do not set out to offer any final
clamping devices, these items are not regarded with any great conclusion, for as yet I have not travelled far…
value, yet are essential to the fundamentals of mechanics. I
revisited these artefacts in order to reveal their potential and worth A Quest(ion)
within a new context focused on aesthetic and tacit value that A knight-errant sets out upon a quest… to explore why our
would draw attention through material and process to reveal appreciation for the world around us and the things in it has
beauty, proportion and aesthetic value. An overriding rule of the dwindled. I assert this claim from my own experiences as a maker
design process was that first and foremost the objects themselves and educator, but also recognize that this is not a new
must be 100% fit for purpose as tools and also challenge phenomenon it has been rampant since the start of the industrial
perceptions and confront preconceptions of how we understand revolution and the move away from artisan production.
108
Why today in the world of new multi social media technologies are Considering the implications of passive attitudes to the things
we becoming more insular? What is it that this new world order around us, not only relating to consumerism, but to the modes of
holds in esteem? Have we become so engorged on ease and production, skill and craft necessary to develop the artefacts that
comfort facilitated by a culture of reliance on digital technologies surround us it is my opinion that we need to eliminate the word
that we no longer value devoting ourselves to an endeavor such as JUST from our common vocabulary, as in can you ‘JUST do this’
developing a craft skill in order to produce artefacts and instead live or, ‘It’s JUST a…..’.The word cheapens the respect of experience
a more passive life where the effort and skill involved in the in the ability to do things, in this instance making things, it means
production of artefacts is missed? that an artisan can JUST make a chair, a boat, a kettle, a knife…
and ignores the fact that he/she can only do so by drawing on the
This is not an anti-digital polemic. There is nothing wrong with new generations of inherited knowledge and years of experience that
technologies or the products and services that surround them per underpin their craft and ability.
se and it would seem to be an act of human nature to want ease
and comfort, but what I want to question is at what cost? At this Now, for example, if an artefact is broken or damaged, even in the
moment it would appear that we are out of balance "In the UK, we slightest, we are encouraged to JUST get another one. Our
are raising the unhappiest kids in the developed world" UNICEF consumer culture driven by smart media devices, invites us to
(2007). One aspect contributing to this effect could be the lack of upgrade or replace; to move on rather than to live with. We are
appreciation for the act of making and the art of craftsmanship, encouraged to feel a sense of smug satisfaction in the knowledge
which has been eroded to such a point that our view of the world that we have the latest the greatest the smartest and the coolest
has been skewed; we demand and dam the consequences, digital ……and it’s insured…..so if needs be, you can just get, another
technology will overcome. clone and be like all the other individuals. As Killert (2002) argues
society today has become so estranged from its natural origins it
Are we suffering from mass “Nature deficit disorder”? American has failed to recognise our species’ basic dependence on nature as
author and journalist Richard Louv believes that “The future will a condition of growth and development.
belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses,
and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the
transformative power of the natural world and who balance the Research Process
Figure group 1. Tradesman’s Wedges.
The wedge is one of six simple virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more
Do we have a built in primordial sense that allows us to appreciate
machines; a simple machine is a nature we need.” Louv 2010. When we take this world for granted
things without understanding them, why are some things
mechanical device that changes the on mass, the consequences are shocking and far-reaching. One of
direction and magnitude of a force and
immediately nice, how do we know? In order to explore this I
the best visualisations of how this manifests itself is in the
has been used for millennia. considered that a test would be to create objects that have a niche
photographic work of Chris Jordan whose art works present us with
within an industry but to present them out of context so that the
The series consists of; Plain the magnitude of our consumerism and a sense of the
Wedge, Adjustable Wedge and Pivot
observer would have little understanding of their use. Tradesman’s
consequences of our mass consumption and action. Yale scholar
Wedge. They are wrought from Brass, Wedges (Fig.1) are an example of such objects. The objects would
Stephen Kellert asserts that “When (in America) 300,000,000
Phosphor Bronze and Gunmetal. be implicit in their nature. On exploring the language of making we
people do unconscious behavior it can add up to a catastrophic
find that every vocation has within it, its own dialects and sets of
consequence that nobody wants and no one intended” (2002).
jargon. From my own experience within industrial design and
manufacture and engineering I selected a set of objects/tools that
109
are in daily use and commonplace, but to an onlooker they may This might sound like an introduction to a neo-Luddite manifesto,
not register as familiar, and therefore create an air of mystery as but the fact is we are moving backwards in our knowledge and
how they may be first approached. understanding of how things work and are produced, whilst
technological advancement and development has built up so such
The tools to help on this quest were chosen for their anonymity, momentum that It could leave the majority of users like battery
in an industrial sense they are aides to fabrication, artifacts that chickens, being fed but having no understanding of where they fit in
have been developed within industrial craft and have generations to the world that surrounds them. Intrinsically there is nothing
of inherited knowledge (Figs 2 and 3). In their own context they wrong with the technologies or how they are applied, they are not
have little intrinsic value, but are essential to the fundamentals of created to be bad things, and the upgrades and new devices are
mechanics, they are knowledge that enables the manufacture of being developed to satisfy a need. But there is a cost and we are
such items that is held in esteem rather than the objects yet to fully appreciate what this will be.
themselves. An overriding rule of the design process was that As the Italian philosopher Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi has argued we now
first and foremost the objects themselves must be 100% fit for live in the tension between the infinity of cyberspace and the
purpose as tools and also challenge perceptions and confront vulnerable finitude of the body and the nervous system. He asserts
preconceptions of how we understand and appreciate the world that the acceleration of information exchange has produced an
of Product manufacture. The intention of this research was to effect of a pathological type on the individual human mind and even
design and create artifacts so they would reflect the esteem given more on the collective mind. Berardi writes in Precarious
to the knowledge of ‘how to’. Rhapsody “Individuals are not in a position to consciously process
the immense and always growing mass of information that enters
The objects are recognisable to the mind's eye as miniature their computers, their cell phones, their television screens, their
architectural building blocks that encourage the imagination and electronic diaries and their heads. However, it seems indispensable
promote the act of play. My hope was that on perceiving the to follow, recognise, evaluate, process all this information if you
objects for the first time individuals may not understand the want to be efficient, competitive, victorious.” (Beradi, 2009, p41)
context of use, but would understand the harmonies of material
weight and proportion in a designed object, and foster a belief The tradesman no longer puts down his tools at the end of the day
Figure group 2. Desk Top Empires.
that what they are handling has a greater value and worth. in the satisfaction that he has done a good job and his money well
made. Close of business is now extended, internet and smart
A series of wedges, vee blocks, shims In order to appreciate manmade objects it is commonly media don’t sleep, and you are expected to respond, to search, to
and packing blocks that can be used in a
machine shop or can be transformed into
understood in design education, that an understanding of the keep up in order to get on. “Where love rules there is no will to
your own Desktop Empire. These proportions of nature are perceived to be beautiful; after all it’s power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking,
devices are important in holding work how we measure beauty, to find beauty in another creature we the one is the shadow of the other” (Jung 1912).
steady for accurate precise machining of look for symmetry and proportion. The further we are removed
engineered and designed product. The
Blocks are wrought from Iron, Mild Steel
from contact with nature, our ability to see beauty within things Research Outcomes
and Brass with design skill.
dwindles. Pride in the practical is being replaced, leading to the
“extinction of experience” (Pyle 1993) which breeds apathy So back to the toolbox – Tradesman’s Wedges and Desktop
towards environmental concerns. Empires have been exhibited at ICFF (International Contemporary
Furniture Fair, New York) and at London Design Festival. I have
110
used these opportunities to view how an audience of designers and 5. Kellert, S (2012) Birthright people and nature in the modern world, Yale
Jung, C. G. (1923) On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to
laypersons of all ages interact with the objects, how long they Poetry. British Journal of Medical Psychology, Volume 3, Issue 3,
handle them for and explore them and how they relate to them. The p 213–231.
feedback strongly supports a case that an involvement with the 6. Pyle R. M. http://www.morning-earth.org/DE6103/Read DE/Extinction of
natural world creates ability for esteem to exist in objects. There Experience.pdf [Accessed: 7 June 2013]
would appear to be a generational split, the general opinion of an 7. Jung, C. G. (1912). Psychology of the Unconscious : a study of the
audience now in their late twenty’s that, although at first they have transformations and symbolisms of the libido, a contribution to the
history of the evolution of thought. trans. Hinkle, B. M. (1916),
no understanding of the objects, there persists an enquiring London: Kegan Paul Trench Trubner. (revised in 1952 as
willingness and playful understanding. Counter to that is the Symbols of Transformation, Collected Works Vol.5 ISBN 0-691-
younger generation in viewing the objects who seem to lack the 01815-4)
ability of persistence, their attention threshold is very low, if they 8. Berardi, F. (2009) Precarious Rhapsody, Minor Compositions.
don’t get it they walk away, the effort to find out is too great, there is
no immediate gratification. Perhaps an indication that bears out the
premise that in an attention economy the objects are of little value
and worth and there is no appreciation for artifact or artisan.
As I stated in introducing this work this is my first step into

Figure group 3. Desk Top Empires made considering these notions and the objects that I have made have
within the ‘Tools for Everyday Life’ served mainly as a way for me to think through these issues
project which is an on-going initiative to through making. I intend to develop this work to explore these
investigate the role and relevancy of
issues and this polemic further.
materials and processes knowledge in
the design of functional products. The
project is run from Northumbria
University’s Design Department and References
draws it’s designers from the community
of practice that surrounds BA(hons) 3D 1. UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 7, 2007. Child poverty in perspective:
Design and the post graduate Designers An overview of child well-being in rich countries.
in Residence scheme. http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc7_eng.pdf [Accessed:
7 June 2013]
The project results in both commercially
2. Louv, R. (2010) Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from
viable artefacts and opportunities for
Nature-deficit Disorder, Algonquin Books.
designers to articulate their positions on
the creation of things in general and the 3. Jordan, C. www.chrisjordan.com [Accessed: 7 June 2013]
relationship between craft knowledge and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6TbSJFbyUQ [Accessed: 7
product design more specifically. June 2013]
4. Larimer, C. Plug into nature: Finding Connections to the Outdoors for
Youth and Families in Larimer County.
http://www.larimer.org/plugintonature/pin_appendix.pdf
[Accessed: 7 June 2013]
111
Personalised Mass Manufactured Products: a possibility or a contradiction?

Jacqueline Power Abstract
University of Tasmania This paper and associated artefact builds on previous research by
Personalisation in product design refers to the ability for users to the authors exploring design methodologies operating at the
Locked Bag 1323 Launceston
Tasmania 7250 Australia alter or add features to products to best suit their needs and wants. intersection between mass manufacture, mass customisation and
Jacqueline.Power@utas.edu.au This can occur during different stages of the design process, but it craft.
is better known to occur in the manufacture phase - a process
Rina Bernabei known as mass customisation. However, true personalisation in
Author Keywords
University of New South Wales mass customisation is often somewhat limited, restricted to a
Sydney NSW 2052 Australia palette of materials, colours and styles that can be mixed and Product personalisation; user-completion; mass manufacture
r.bernabei@unsw.edu.au
matched.
In this paper, a case study of the Pop light will be used to explore
the possibilities of a higher level of user personalisation in a mass The motivation behind this research is to explore the possibilities of
manufactured product, than is currently offered in mass designing a mass-manufactured product that facilitates user
customisation methods. The design of this product implements a personalisation. The authors of this paper have previously identified
design methodology that the authors term user-completion. The and tested a design approach termed user-completion (Bernabei &
user-completion methodology defined by the authors comprises Power, 2013). The user-completion approach involves users in the
two key elements - a ‘design kit’ and aspects of the product left assembly and completion of products, during which personalisation
‘open’ for users to finish. The design kit delivered to users has the of the product can be achieved.
potential to be mass manufactured. Providing users the opportunity
to personalise their mass manufactured products once they take Personalisation has been defined as “a process that changes the
ownership of them, has the opportunity to arguably increase the functionality, interface, information content, or distinctiveness of a
intangible value of the product. system to increase its personal relevance to an individual” (Blom,
2000, p. 313). Researchers have identified seven aspects of
In addition to the case study discussion of the Pop light, the paper product personalisation – “Mental effort (degree of consumers’
will also briefly describe the development of the user-completion creative involvement), Physical effort (degree of consumers’
approach through an earlier testing of the methodology in the 2012 physical involvement), Flexibility (degree to which the
Stitch light. The Pop light, and its predecessor the Stitch light, are personalisation is flexible), … Initiation (degree to which the
designed by bernabeifreeman, a leading Sydney based design personalisation process is initiated by the designer) … Goal of
company, of whom one of the authors is co-director. Both the Stitch product personalisation (degree to which the personalisation fulfils
and Pop lights were designed as a kind of ‘real life’ testing of the utility-related and/or appearance-related goals), Personalisation
user-completion approach. moment (when does the personalisation take place), and
112
Deliberateness (degree to which personalisation is performed

deliberately” (Mugge et al., 2009b, p. 91-2). While there has been increasing research in the field of product
personalisation, such research does not present a design
Typically in product design, personalisation is achieved via mass methodology that can be implemented by the designer. In this way,
customisation in which “the end user gets to choose certain this research is considered original and significant in
features such as colour and apply them to a pre-designed product” complementing the existing literature regarding product
(Szita, 2009, p. 109). Frank Piller (2007, p. 631) describes mass personalisation. In this paper the implementation of the user-
customisation as providing, “an offering that meets the demands of completion design methodology will be described through a series
each individual customer, but that can still be produced with mass of products, which were specifically designed to test this approach.
production efficiency.” The user-completion approach seeks to offer
mass manufacture production whilst offering a higher level of Research Process
personalisation unachieved through mass customisation. User-
completion is particularly concerned with the investment of physical The Pop light, and its predecessor the Stitch light, are designed by
effort by the user in order to achieve personalisation. This bernabeifreeman, a leading Sydney-based design company, of
personalisation is initiated by the designer through the product whom one of the authors is co-director. Both the Stitch and Pop
being presented as a ‘design kit’, or a series of specifically lights were designed as a kind of ‘real life’ testing of the user-
designed components that can be fitted together in various completion approach.
combinations by the user (Bernabei anf Power, 2013, p. 6). This
design approach relies on the specialised skills of the designers to
design the components and understand the manufacturing options,
whilst leaving elements of the final product for users to finalise and
personalise. The “personalisation moment”, as identified by Mugge
et al (2009b, p. 90), takes place prior to use of the product. Until the
user undertakes the assembly and completion of the product
through the user-completion process, there is no final product and
possibly no function associated with the product. Mugge et al.
(2009b, p. 89) would describe this as an “extreme case of
initiation”, as “personalisation is obligatory in order to use the
product.”
There are benefits of product personalisation for both the designer

and user. For the designer, facilitating personalisation may result in
a product that is more finely tuned for its specific function and
environment, thus resulting in a better product. From a user’s
perspective, personalisation enables users to “communicate Figure 1. bernabeifreeman, Stitch light, 2012.
ownership of the product” and have the product better suit
The Stitch light (Fig. 1) was designed in 2012, and has been
individual needs and wants (Mugge et al., 2009a, p. 468).
exhibited at Object: Australian Centre for Design. The light is
113
delivered as a ‘design kit’, which consists of a series of aluminium It was with this understanding that the designers embarked upon
spinnings, a perforated aluminium diffuser center panel and nylon the design of the Pop light (Fig. 2). The design of the Pop light
cord. Each of these design kit elements can be mass seeks to enable an ease of personalisation so that users of all skills
manufactured. The design kit allows users to assemble and levels can achieve satisfaction in the end product. The Pop light is
personalise the light through assembly variations and embroidery a cardboard pendant light kit comprised of six semi-perforated
of the perforated diffuser panel, which the users stitch themselves. cardboard panels, a polycarbonate crossbar, and an electrical kit.
Like the Stitch light, each of these core design kit elements can be
The Stitch light required a relatively medium to high level of skill mass manufactured. The user assembles the card panels as per
from the user to achieve a successful design, particularly requiring instructions to create a predetermined pendant light form. Users
skill in embroidery. As a result “people may spoil the product, are then invited to ‘pop’ out any of the 300 semi-perforated holes
because they are not sufficiently skilled to design their own on each panel, into any arrangement they wish. Several ‘patterns’
products” (Mugge et al., 2009a, p. 473). Any negative experience are illustrated in the instructions, as examples, with encouragement
with the assembly and finishing of the product could have a for users to design their own patterns. Popping out the cardboard
devaluing effect on the product and the brand itself. holes is a much simpler and quicker method of personalisation,
than the embroidery of the previous Stitch light. For the Pop light
the designers wanted to use low cost materials, providing the
opportunity to analyse if the value of the materials can be increased
through the user-completion approach and personalisation.
Research Outcomes
It could be argued that through the simplification of the user-
completion approach in the Pop light, the product may have lost its
ability to be personalised to the same level that the Stitch light is, or
that for the highly skilled user, the product does not hold the same
challenge, and therefore value. Ruth Mugge et al. (2009b, p. 92)
suggests that “designers could search for ways to offer consumers
the opportunity to be mentally deeply involved in the design
process, while restricting the necessary investment of physical
effort.” She argues that the satisfaction will remain high while this
removes a lot of the potential disappointment that may occur in the
‘do it yourself’ process (Mugge et al., 2009b, p. 92). We believe this
is a fine line and needs careful design and user testing to
understand these gradations of user interaction and satisfaction.
To better understand if the Pop light is a successful example of the

user-completion model and of user personalisation, the authors aim
Figure 2. bernabeifreeman, Pop light, 2013.
114
to ‘test’ the Pop light through a series of workshops over the 3. Mugge, R., Schoormans, J.P.L. and Schifferstein, H.N.J. (2009a)
Emotional bonding with personalised products Journal of
coming months. They also want to understand if the card light has Engineering Design, Issue No. 5 (Volume No. 20). pp 467-476
a ‘greater perceived value’, through these processes. The planned
4. Mugge, R., Schoormans, J.P.L. and Schifferstein, H.N.J. (2009b)
workshops will invite user groups to comment on completed Incorporating consumers in the design of their own products. The
(assembled and pre-personalised) lights, aiming to gauge user dimensions of product personalisation CoDesign: International
value of the products. User groups will then be asked to complete Journal of CoCreation in Design and the Arts, Issue No. 2
(Volume No. 5). pp 79-97
the ‘design kit’ as the designers intended (assembling and
5. Piller, F.T. (2007) Observations on the present and future of mass
personalising to their wishes). User feedback and comments will be
customization International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing
collected throughout the process. Thus the Pop light will form the Systems, Issue No. 4 (Volume No. 19). pp 630-636
basis of on-going research and assessment of the implementation 6. Szita, J. (2009) Everyone’s an expert Frame, Sep/Oct, Issue No. 70. pp
of the user-completion approach in product design. 108-111
The value of this research is that it provides new ways for

designers to consider how product personalisation can be achieved
thus contributing to the existing dialogue regarding personalisation.
The theory of the user-completion methodology defined by the
authors has been implemented into several lighting products and is
ready to receive further testing through the Pop light in a series of
workshops. The user-completion design methodology tested in
both the Stich light and Pop light, provides a new pathway for
designers to facilitate user personalisation in mass manufactured
products. User-completion comprises two key elements - the
‘design kit’ and aspects of the product left ‘open’ for users to finish.
Although mass manufacture products may have once been
associated with impersonal, ubiquitous products, perhaps they can
now be become more intimate personal artefacts through designer
led implementation of user-completion.
References
1. Bernabei, R. and Power, J. (2013) Designing Together: end-user
collaboration in designing a finished and personalised product
10th European Academy of Design Conference - Crafting the
Future. pp 1-12. Available at: http://www.craftingthefuture.se/
2. Blom, J. (2000) Personalization – a taxonomy Extended Abstracts of
the CHI 2000 conference on human factors in computing
systems. pp 313-314
115
Fabric Fobs and Family Ties

Abstract This paper discusses the staff and parents' responses to the
process and recommendations for the next stage of the process.
Hazel W hite How can the co-creation of bespoke, handmade playful objects
Dundee University
support children who have complex communication needs? 'Fabric
Dundee Author Keywords
DD1 4HT Fobs' are prototypes of digitally tagged objects that comprise key
h.white@dundee.ac.uk
touchpoints of a service system that enables independent access Design; collaboration; craft; co-design; healthcare; public services;
to online communication in a demanding family-centred healthcare service design.
Sara Nevay context.
Dundee University
Dundee
DD1 4HT In a project funded by the Scottish Funding Council through its
s.z.nevay@dundee.ac.uk Spirit Innovation Voucher Scheme, the research team used a co-
design method: grounded in the understanding of the real life
Joanne Hodge experiences, ideas and skills of the people, who use, need and run
Dundee University
services. Design and craft methods were used to create an
Dundee
DD1 4HT
environment in which new digitally tagged objects could be created
joanne@joannehodge.co.uk by parents, children and health professionals to explore
relationships and observation, participation, conversation,
Mike Press prototyping and manufacturing could happen in the same space.
Dundee University
Dundee The collaborative workshops uncovered a latent need which the
DD1 4HT
team are currently working on – designing a service system to
m.press@dundee.ac.uk
enable the parents and carers of children with complex
Paul Mackinnon communication needs to share information about their child’s
Dundee University personality, likes and environmental needs. Figure 1. Mother, daughter and carer engaged with a ‘Fabric Fobs’ making
Dundee activity within a co-design workshop
DD1 4HT Working with children, their families and carers in ‘craft co-creation’
p.d.mackinnon@dundee.ac.uk
workshops enabled conversations about family relationships,
home, music, films, sounds and other activities which paint a Research Imperatives
Yumeng Zhou picture of the life of a child who cannot communicate be shared and
Dundee University
The aim of the project was to explore the value of working with
Dundee
documented. The families and carers of children with complex children with life-shortening conditions and complex communication
DD1 4HT communication needs became designers of their own interactions. needs, together with their families and carers, to design bespoke
ymingzhou@gmail.com

116
handmade playful objects that enable independent access to online The Fabric Fobs project applied these methods and practices to a
communication. new and highly challenging research context. Children’s Hospice
Association Scotland (CHAS) is the only charity that provides
hospice services in Scotland for children and young people with
life-shortening conditions, supporting over 300 children and
families, as well as providing a significant number of families with
bereavement support (CHAS, 2012). The relationship between the
design research team and CHAS was facilitated by Nora Kearney,
Professor of Cancer Care at the University of Dundee who had
seen a demonstration of the Hamefarers' Kist and recognised its
potential application in a new care environment.
The research team from the University of Dundee brought together

a range of expertise: Hazel White and Mike Press: co-design, craft
research and service design research, Paul MacKinnon, technology
expertise in programming and app development, Jo Hodge and
Sarah Nevay textile and design research research and practice and
Yumeng Zhou service design and UX testing..The team from
CHAS' Rachel House Hospice supported us at all levels, from
Figure 2. RFID tagged textile fob
children and their families, activities and care staff, particularly
Alison Blair and Carla Halkett to CEO Maria McGill.
A central research question is how can craft-based co-design
processes provide innovative solutions to accessing secure social
The project explores how technology can be humanised by using
networks that enhance the quality of care for such children and
handcrafted, often lo-fidelity artifacts created by users to give
their families? This builds on two previous projects by members of
meaning and purpose to interactions with secure online social
the research team exploring the value of communication systems
networks. The lo-fi approach enables non-designers to participate
integrating bespoke handcrafted components: Hamefarers' Kist
in the creation and development of the system. In this process,
(White, 2009) is a system developed to connect older people in the
young people and families at CHAS were invited to design bespoke
remote Shetland Islands with their far-flung relatives, using
communication systems that specifically met and complimented
networked knitted objects to link people and events; Pigeon Post
their needs, allowing those with conditions that may affect their
(Hodge, 2011) is a doctoral research project exploring
motor skills or mobility or their ability to verbalise or sign to begin to
communication between parents and children who are separated
independently build and maintain new bonds and relationships and
through illness or family breakdown, demonstrating the use of
share their changing likes and dislikes. This “opens up a world of
digitally tagged toys and accessories which enable very young
‘can do’” (Carer, CHAS 2013) and aids in self efficacy for young
children to activate Skype calls or send texts to family and relatives
people and their families. Furthermore, as Wallace (2010) states,
from whom they are separated.
the co-creation of personalised artifacts linked to these such
experiences allow objects to “act as anchor points to events in our
117
lives and consequently our sense of who we are”. For CHAS’s CHAS carers and activity staff - could try out the demonstrators
young people these objects as communicators and signifiers may with various handmade, tagged fabric fobs that connected to online
communicate, not only a basic need, phrase or like, but a sense of content on the iPad. The participants were enchanted; finding this
a person. interaction 'magical', expressing delight and wonder, that such a
simple, handmade object could control the iPad's online content.
We observed a heightened level of engagement from some
Research Process children when linking their customized fobs to their favoured online
content and parents commented on the power of these simple
We began by exploring how tagged textile objects could enable
interactions in “giving (their child) a voice” in directing even day to
young people with muscular dystrophy to continue to access their
day tasks and activities. As Wallace et al. state " Enchantment
favourite online content independently.
does not necessarily imply that the object of enchantment must be
novel or extraordinary, rather that the person sees how rich and
Two one day, co-design workshops running four weeks apart were
extraordinary the everyday and familiar can be...” (Wallace et al.
designed by the research team to create a natural and safe
2005)
environment in which families and staff could comfortably work over
a sustained period. Children, their families and staff explored their
We interacted with around six children, seven parents and nine
needs and abilities, and the requirements for the system. With
staff over the course of these two workshops. The first uncovered a
backgrounds in design, programming and craft, the design team
range of design opportunities, including validating the original
used their knowledge and experience of visualisation and making
premise of enabling independent access to online content with
objects to facilitate participating families and staff in becoming
some of the children, but suggesting other needs for children with
designers themselves within the co-design process, imagining how
more complex communication requirements.
they might use the system in the future and making their ideas
tangible.
The research team made a prototype sensor mat to present to new
children and families: a multi-pocket felt construction, designed so
Demonstrator 'fabric fobs' were prepared in advance: small RFID
that each individual coloured pocket contained sensors for different
(Radio Frequency Identification) tagged padded pockets that can
functions. This was trialed at the second workshop with the caveat
be customised by painting with fabric paint, or embroidery or
that it had not taken a long time to make and we work to the
embellishing with buttons, eyes, and bells, or applying transfers of
principle of ‘prototype like you’re right, listen like you’re wrong’
drawings and photographs. We used RFID technology to assign
(Moon, 2011). Over the next two hours a system of handmade
each tag a unique identification number, which is read wirelessly
objects was prototyped that could connect to an online interface
when in close proximity to a reader. This allows for activation
enabling both staff at CHAS and the grandparents of one child to
without the object needing to be accurately placed, meeting the
easily access music, images and video associated with him. The
needs of young people whose gross motor skills may be
discussion and evaluation of this rapidly constructed hand crafted
diminishing. A new iPad version of the app, which powered
demonstrator with the family and CHAS staff led to the
Hamefarers’ Kist, was programmed so that online content could be
development of the key requirements for the next iteration of the
shown on tablet technology, which is familiar and readily in use by
system.
children and staff at CHAS.
In the workshops, participants – children, siblings, parents and
118
Research Outcomes by which families and carers can be encouraged and enabled to
become designers of their own interactions.
Conversations with families and staff, facilitated by the making
activities within this research, led us to uncover an unanticipated The outcome of the project has been the development of design
latent need: for products and services to help the parent and carers requirements for a system which will enable staff at CHAS and the
of children with complex communication needs to share information families and relatives of children with complex communication
about their child/s personality, likes and home life. needs to share the personality of a child through bespoke
handcrafted objects which link to private social networks.
CHAS staff commented that they had ‘got to know well’ the family
in Workshop 1 in a relatively short time, whereas they might have References
expected to have built that relationship over a number of visits. The
1. Corkhill, B(2007) Therapeutic Knitting;
co-design environment therefore had unanticipated therapeutic and
http://www.knitonthenet.com/issue4/features/ therapeuticknitting/
healthcare benefits as families and staff had the opportunity to Accessed: 5/9/2012
share their stories, learn from and afford one another a deeper 2. Fratiglioni, L, Paillard-Borg, S, Winblad, B (2004) , An active and
understanding of their needs and personal circumstance in a safe socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against
space, without pressure as the making activities took focus. dementia, The Lancet Neurology, Volume 3, Issue 6, June 2004,
Pages 343-353
This project demonstrates the value of craft-based collaborative 3. Hodge, J (2011) Facilitating Communication over Distances Between
Parent & Child through Interactive Textile Objects. Arts and
making in a healthcare context in ways rarely explored by previous Humanities Research Council Funded PhD Transfer Report,
research. Corkhill (2007), Argyle and Bolton (2005) and Fratiglioni University of Dundee.
et al (2004) variously attribute benefits to craft’s role in healthcare. 4. McCarthy, J., Wright, P., Wallace, J. and Dearden, A. M. (2005) The
Wallace has explored the value of creating jewellery objects for use experience of enchantment in human computer interaction.
Personal and ubiquitous computing, 10 (6) 369-378
in clinical contexts. But as Yair (2011) observes, “Craft’s
contribution to wellbeing is not limited to clinical and therapeutic 5. Moon, J. TED Global, Edinburgh 12.6.11http://blog.ted.com/
2011/07/12/%E2%80%9Ccreativity-is-the-life-force-of-the-
settings. In the wider community, there are very specific ways in universe%E2%80%9D-report- from-session-2-of-ted-university/
which craft can bring us together and strengthen our sense of accessed 31/1/13
connectedness.” 6. Wallace, J (2010) Personhood in dementia,
http://www.digitaljewellery.com/jaynewallace/
personhood_in_dementia.html accessed: 5/9/2012
Research has thus demonstrated (i) the therapeutic value of
making both in itself and as a consequence of its social dynamics, 7. White, H., Steel, E., (2007) Agents of Change: From Collection to
Connection, The Design Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, p.22-34,
(ii) the value of handmade objects in some clinical contexts and (iii) Ashgrove
the community-based value of craft that has indirect health and
8. White, H (2009) remotes/http://hazelsnotes.wordpress.com/interactive-
wellbeing benefits. However, there has been less attention paid to craft/knitted-remotes/
studying the processes of creative making as a mediator between 9. Yair, K (2011) Craft and Wellbeing;
providers and recipients of healthcare. The value of this study is in http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/about-us/press-room/
demonstrating the potential value of this, not only as a means of view/2011/craft-and-wellbeing?from=/about-us/press-room/list/
accessed: 5/9/2012
enhancing communication per se, but very specifically as a process
119
Empathy and the Individual

Matthew Coombes Abstract a designer and researcher and will present artefacts from my
Northumbria University research to illustrate this. When using such an approach with
I will argue that an empathic approach focusing on the individual individual participants you can still achieve understandings that
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK has the potential to create insights that have relevance beyond the translate into a broader context. Insights include the ability for a
matthew.coombes@northumbria.ac. individual study and persons involved. I will use one case study and designer or researcher to relinquish a large amount of control
uk my development of an empathic design research approach, leading during the process, and particular ways of listening and gathering
to the production of artefacts that reflect meanings and information in order to imagine the experiences and feelings of the
Jayne Wallace perspectives of individual participants. The case study is a project
University of Dundee individuals.add additional images (Fig. 2),
designed to encourage discourse around grieving while the last
Dundee
section of the paper focuses on how I am using empathy when
DD1 4HT Empathy
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk approaching design research with people with dementia. I will
emphasise the value of this approach to design and to design Empathy is the key dynamic in these engagements. While it can be
Mark B lythe research when focusing on sensitive subjects such as grieving or dissected into various types I will focus on imaginative empathy
Northumbria University working in complex contexts such as with people with dementia. (Margulies, 1989, Wright & McCarthy, 2008). Unlike in a
Newcastle upon Tyne Co-experience and co-creation can be used to establish bonds and therapist/client relationship, when a design researcher approaches
NE1 8ST UK
create artefacts that represent perspectives of individuals but a potential research participant a more equal, democratic and co-
mark.blythe@northumbria.ac.uk
empathy can most easily be formed in a safe environment. creative relationship is possible. An empathic approach would

Colin Wilson include direct dialogue with the participants, not only verbally, but
Northumbria University also gesturally, through objects and narrative, as well as spending
Newcastle upon Tyne Author Keywords some time in their usual environment. This type of approach has a
NE1 8ST UK
Design; Empathy; Individual; Grieving; Dementia; related yet separate texture to, for example, ethnography in which a
c.wilson@northumbria.ac.uk researcher seeks not to disrupt an environment through their
Significance/Personal Meaning; Artefacts; Co-creation; Co-
experience potentially different behaviour/customs/beliefs, rather it is about co-
experience (Battarbee K and Koskinen, 2005) and meaningful
interactions with individuals.
Introduction
When designing for individuals one approach is to gain knowledge What empathy is and how to achieve it has become an increasing
of a person’s experiences and reflect these back in the design of concern in Design research and the related field of Human-
artefacts (Wallace et al., 2013). I will reflect on aspects, dynamics Computer Interaction (Battarbee & Koskinen, 2005, Dyrks et al.,
and sensibilities of how I have developed this approach. I will 2009, Wright & McCarthy, 2008). Wright and McCarthy (Wright &
discuss what is relevant before and during empathic engagements McCarthy, 2008) have accentuated the dialogical character of
in order to achieve this type of relationship from the perspective of empathy, where “empathy (is) communicative performance built on
120
responsivity to others.” They have drawn on Bakhtin here who body language to tones of voice while perceiving insights and
“characterised this responsivity as aesthetic seeing. He described it making useful connections. You need to direct the conversation to
as a creative understanding that emerges from seeing each person keep it on topic while allowing freedom for the unexpected
as a separate unique centre of value and then responding to them (McCracken, 1988). From an empathic point of view, the
from the special value position that is one’s own” (Wright & interviewer needs to perceive the emotional state of the interviewee
McCarthy, 2008). They make each individual equally important and to give them time and space. A balance has to be maintained
stress the significance of an equal communication. The imaginative between awareness of your own experiences, personality and
or creative nature of empathy is portrayed as well as the need to be emotional states with those of the interviewee. My own knowledge
aware of your self while attempting empathy. A researcher can try of grieving gave me insights into other people’s experiences but I
Figure 1. Single Tear Catcher, 2009. to gain empathy in various ways such as live action role-play needed to use my imagination for empathy regarding individual
The Single Tear Catcher is a series of five (Dyrks et al., 2009) or through differing types of interviews. variations and nuances.
corked glass vials, five scrolls of paper Experiencing the same thing as someone else at the same time
and a stainless steel wire and mahogany (Dyrks et al., 2009) creates a bond, an anchor from which to Resulting from insights gained from the interviews and my own
handle, secured by black satin ribbons in develop more meaningful relationships. This, one could argue, is personal reflections I presented twelve design artefacts on a blog
a mahogany and cork box. The original
where the real empathy starts. for public comment (Coombes, 2009). Several artefacts were
inspiration came from me shedding a
solitary tear at a funeral but it evolved into adopted by people who had seen the blog in order to gain further
a means to capture important emotional Case Study: ‘Non-Therapeutic Tools of Grieving’ feedback around perceptions and meanings of the objects. After
moments in time, positive and negative. the adoption period of 1 week, the adopter was interviewed with the
Not being overly prescriptive was built into The design project forming this case study portrays the start of an object and their interactions were documented. Comments from the
the design process allowing anyone empathic approach to design with the goal of encouraging adopters and my observations as they handled the objects were
involved to project themselves onto an discourse around grieving. The project was approached with a
artefact in some way, resulting in some valuable to the design process, giving me insight into the
influence on the final object.
focus on a sensitive subject and the affected individuals. relationship they had created with the objects and how they felt
Due to the sensitive nature of grieving, I interviewed three people I about them. The result was three artefacts, the Single Tear Catcher
knew who had had contact with death and, therefore, would talk (Fig. 1), Husband Stilts (Fig. 2) and Cuticle Protectors (Fig. 3) that I
openly with me. I also immersed myself into C. S. Lewis’ A Grief made in response to feedback throughout the project, including the
Observed (Lewis, 2009) as a good account of the grieving process. adopters experiences and interactions with the objects and
Finally, I explored my own experiences with the grieving process. If comments on the blog.
I had not known the interviewees, one challenge would have been
how to create the trust and comfort to allow them to share intimate Throughout the project, I needed to be empathic with different
feelings with me. Rather empathy was primed by my pre-existing groups of people and perspectives of grief, the original
relationship with individuals. However, I was aware of the risk that interviewees, the adopters, people commenting on the blog and
Figure 2. Husband Stilts, 2009. empathy could have transformed into too much overt sympathy and people at the exhibition. It was difficult balancing my self-
The Husband Stilts are made from
was sensitive to this. awareness with that of the people I interviewed but in the end I
aluminium, cork and ribbon. These are created artefacts that represented experiences and concepts that
based on the experiences of a woman Listening properly is important because the interviewee is less most people could relate to. The making process enabled me to
who could not reach things that her likely to be forthcoming if they feel that the interviewer is not articulate complex insights and empathise further by making things
interested in the conversation. You must listen to everything from that responded and reflected the nuances of people’s grief.
121
Towards Empathy Sharing experience can precipitate a feeling of connection. While

husband used to get for her, before his gardening I noticed a care home resident playing with potting mix
death. They became representative of any Next I examine and reflect on what is involved in developing an and found myself doing the same, becoming very aware of the
physical practicality that becomes
empathic approach with people with dementia. Unlike the first case textures against my skin. Also, I was asked to test a design for a
problematic after a person’s partner is no
longer around to help. study I don’t have any previous relationship with any participant. I contemporary two-person rocking chair. Rocking at the same time
am, however, calling on similar skills and sensibilities, such as the to feel comfortable created a connection, a shared space or co-
ability to really listen and to be sensitive and empathic when experience between me and the designer. These scenarios could
creating a dialogue around emotionally charged subjects. present further opportunities for empathy but are most powerful
with mindfulness. This is argued to be how people with dementia
It is important to emphasise the time preceding empathy, the increasingly experience the world (Allan, 2010).
recruiting of participants and the introductions and personal
knowledge of the participant. In conducting research with people
Conclusion
with dementia there are gatekeepers; people whom I will call
‘introducers’, who can lay an invaluable knowledge base about The grieving project showed, with the use of empathy, the ability to
Figure 3. Cuticle Protector, 2009.
participants before the researcher’s feet. Empathy is more likely to imbue complex meanings and concepts around loss into artefacts,
happen once this knowledge is gained, in order to be built upon. enabling a wider audience to connect with the fabric of people’s
The Cuticle Protector is a brass ring, worn grief. When trying to establish empathy, you can create an
at the top of your finger, over your cuticle
in order to stop you from picking at or
From listening to and working with several creative researchers and embracing and safe environment by applying principles of drama
biting your cuticles. This was based on a practitioners, such as Occupational Therapist, Claire Craig (Killick improvisation. From this, a meaningful, multifaceted dialogue can
realisation, during an interview, that biting & Craig, 2011), several observations were made. Firstly, getting to take place through, for example, co-creation and co-experience.
and picking at a woman’s cuticles, was a know the individuals involved. Secondly, the importance of how The ability to listen and get to know participants is essential to the
nervous habit that she began after a appropriate the environment, in which an activity is occurring, is for development of empathy. The ensuing empathy may lead to richer
traumatic experience of being next door to
her friend who got stabbed at school. This
the people and the activity. Whilst the physical environment is very data and important insights for design research.
object partly became one of the final three relevant, I would like to focus on the psychological or emotional
as a large number of people, more than I environment. Gerber discusses the relevance of Johnstone’s References
thought, related to this nervous habit. drama improvisation principles to brainstorming in design (Gerber, 1. Allan, K. (2010). In a moment, for a moment, in the moment. In
All three final designed artefacts now 2007). She uses his principles as a way to create an environment Gilliard, J. & Marshall, M. (Eds.), Time for Dementia: A collection
encompass a broader range of suitable for good brainstorming. The same environment is ideal for of writings on the meanings (pp. 82). London: Hawker
experiences than those with which they creating empathy with people with dementia. Johnstone’s general Publications.
originally started. principles (Johnstone, 1981) of improvisation are “Be Obvious,” 2. Battarbee K and Koskinen I. (2005) Co-experience: user
“Accept Offers” and “Fail Cheerfully.” His principles emphasise experience as interaction. CoDesign 1: 5-18.
building trust in safe environment in which people can be creative 3. Coombes, M. (2009). non-therapeutic tools of grieving. Blog.
and spontaneous without fear of being judged. This may be the Retrieved from https://grievingdesign.wordpress.com/ Accessed
best possible approach to co-creating/research with people with on 22 April 2013.
dementia and for creating empathy. Thirdly, the ability to adapt can 4. Dyrks T, Ramirez L, Denef S, et al. (2009) Designing for
be encouraged by concepts of improvisation. firefighters—building empathy through live action role-playing. In
Proc International Conference on ISCRAM.
122
5. Gerber, E. (2007). Improvisation principles and techniques for

design. In Proc SIGCHI conference on Human factors in
computing systems.
6. Johnstone, K. (1981). Impro: Improvisation and the theatre:
Routledge.
7. Killick, J., & Craig, C. (2011). Creativity and Communication in
Persons with Dementia: A Practical Guide. GB: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
8. Lewis, C. S. (2009). A grief observed. HarperCollins.
9. Margulies, A. (1989). The empathic imagination: WW Norton New
York, pp. 17.
10. McCracken, G. (1988). The long interview: Qualitative research
methods. Volume, 13, 17.
11. Wallace, J., Wright, P. C., McCarthy, J., Green, D. P., Thomas, J.,
& Olivier, P. (2013). A design-led inquiry into personhood in
dementia. In Proc CHI 2013, ACM Press.
12. Wright, P. and McCarthy, J. (2008) Empathy and experience in
HCI. In Proc SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems. ACM, 637-646, pp. 644.
123
Writing Practice as Contemporary Practice: Experience, Imagination,

Knowledge

Winnie Ha Abstract listening in, my purpose is to provoke a deeper sense of closeness
RMIT University,
– not only towards the body in fashion but also the embodied state
This paper puts forward a fashion practice that experiments with of writing. My own voice is on the line – disembodied, but
Melbourne, Australia
wslh81@gmail.com
writing as a means to provoke the experience and imagination of immediate.
fashion. As the core of a practice-based PhD research project, the
practice of writing fashion aims to expand the ways by which
fashion is expressed in the form of narrative and through the Author Keywords
medium of words. The concept of fashion is premised as embodied Writing and fashion; imagining; communicating/performing; fashion
phenomenon and depth of aesthetic experience – whether real or as narrative; experience; fashion knowledge and knowing
imagined. Beyond the written page, the research also explores the
ways by which the fashion text is communicated and experienced
live, through audio-based installations and reading performances.
Tapping into the performativity of fashion, the goal is to test what Fashion plays a vital part in the cultivation of our individual and
the writing does, to see how knowledge is enacted. It is about collective selves through the everyday experience of dress. And yet
exploring how the weight of fashion, as experience, is performed much remains unwritten (unheard, unknown) of the intimate
through the gravity of words – to find a language that supports it dialogue between the subjective body and dress experience. While
and a medium that performs it. there is interest in the scholarship of fashion and dress as
The discussion in this paper is drawn from one of the prose works embodied practice (Entwistle, 2006), it remains a marginal area in
produced as an experiment in writing fashion, entitled, ‘Through My fashion, dress and body studies. Extending from the concept of
Writing Body, A Beginning of a Narrative.’ The idea of the ‘writing body-dress relation as lived phenomena, and guided by a
body’ tests the implication of the writer’s body and voice in the phenomenological undertone, I propose that the language used to
production of an imaginary narrative experience. As a metaphor for express it must have the capacity to provoke a sense of
the ‘dressed body’ in fashion, it explores how narrative and subjectively embodied dynamism. To this end, the research draws
meaning are generated and performed by and through the self and from diverse voices across fashion criticism, body studies, fashion
social body. This piece was written for the purpose of a public performance, fiction, confessional writing, embodied writing and
reading performance – to capture live the dynamism between my poetry, to augment the effect of language on our understanding of
own body and the written body, between the reader and I. Through fashion in relation to the self.
shifting points of view and voices, the writing pursues a heightened The research is located at the juncture of the lived experience of
awareness of the multifarious body. It is an attempt to approach fashion and dress, the body as site of imagination, and the
fashion through the intimacy of words. By writing, reading and construction of narrative as an approach to knowledge. It resists
124
the commonly held view of fashion writing whose main function is psychoanalyst Adam Phillips to choose a series of ‘definitions’ of
to describe, explain and report on the visual – in all cases playing a selected words based on their sartorial, spatial and psychological
supporting role to the figure, drawing, pattern and image. What significance. The definitions were then used as prompts to curate
writing fashion aims to do is to explore what happens when our 11 site-specific garment installations. The associations between the
experience of fashion is generated and mediated solely through the words, definitions, images, spaces and materials set each other off
process of writing and the potency of words. The proposal is that to bring about imaginative narratives. Clark’s use of text as the
this mode of expression could expand the formal spectrum of medium of experience was also evident in the project ‘Captions’
fashion practice and knowledge. (Fig. 2), which was an experimental project around the elements of
The formal spectrum of fashion writing includes writing on and dress display. A dramatic Alexander McQueen silhouette was
about fashion that positions itself as official, factual and explicatory exhibited in the gallery and visitors were invited to write captions
information, such as in academia, journalism and reportage. The that were then nailed to the wall opposite the gown. Clark’s
format, style and voice of the writing must follow conventions and curatorial experiments with text resonates with the way I use writing
rules. This is writing that premises truth, accuracy, precision – to mediate the experience and imagination of other worlds, to
writing which is research and evidence-based, opinion-led, generate possibilities for knowing. The research asks, ‘how does
objective, and with necessarily (though arguably) distancing writing generate and shape fashion expression and how does it
language. Another form of fashion writing that could be considered contribute to fashion thinking? In other words, the question is not
‘formal’ is the writing that functions purely as description and about ‘what kind of writing on fashion should there be?’ but rather,
clarification of the visual, such as instructions in dress-making ‘what kind of thinking on fashion should there be?’
manuals and patterns, magazines, product catalogues and
exhibitions. Again this is writing that premises facts and the transfer
of precise information in order to support the image in fashion.
My practice is posed as an opposition to these forms of fashion
writing. I use the writing as a process to draw out the relationship
between the body, dress, fashion and the self, rather than to define
it; it is about writing as the instigator of experience rather than its
closure. To this end, I am specifically interested in how text is used
in fashion-art exhibitions, events and happenings not to merely
describe or represent the content, but rather to perform as content
and mediator of expression and meaning. A contemporary
exemplar is the work of fashion curator Judith Clark: resisting the
traditional function of text to describe the provenance of exhibits, (Left) Figure 1: The Concise Dictionary of Dress by Judith Clark and Adam
1 2
text – through the curation of its affect and experience – is used to Phillips; and (Right) Figure 2: Captions by Judith Clark.
expand the possibilities for encountering fashion and dress
histories, and the subsequent formation of meaning, in relation to 1
Clark, J. and Phillips, A. (2010). The Concise Dictionary of Dress.
present experience. For the exhibition and publication project ‘The Exhibition at the Blythe House, London.
Concise Dictionary of Dress’ (Fig. 1), Clark collaborated with 2
Clark, J. (2000). Captions. Exhibition at The Judith Clark Costume Gallery,
London.
125
5. There is an inherent performativity to the practice through

“Our methods were not the same. Hers
was to collect a heap of vivid objects and Research Process (through Writing Practice) procedures of writing, reading and listening; public
good words and make a pattern; the readings, text and sound-based exhibitions and
pattern would be projected from
The research process is drawn through the writing practice, which happenings are used as devices to express such
somewhere deep inside, from her very is in turn driven by specific intents. It is important to note that the performativity.
distinctly evolved myth. My method was to writing is not based on the conventions of writing genres but rather
find a thread and draw the rest out of a framed as a mode of creative practice. The process explores the The specific prose work presented with this paper is entitled
hidden tangle. Her method was more production of prose works, as well as the communication of those ‘Through My Writing Body, A Beginning of a Narrative.’ It explores
painterly, mine more narrative, perhaps.” how fashion and dress construct, as well as transform, the
(Agarwal, 2003, p.172)
works to enact the words as experience.
experience of our bodies and voices – and how this experience
The processes of my research and practice are guided by the
The poet Ted Hughes, on comparing his could be written as, and through, narrative. It was a way to work
writing approach to that of his late wife following parameters: through the issues of how and what to write, who to write for, from
and fellow poet Sylvia Plath.
1. The multifarious body is the starting point; it is the whose perspective, and in what/whose voice. Subsequently the
protagonist and forms the narrative trajectory. The writing piece is a juxtaposition of various bodies and voices that interrelate
is a way of exploring sensations of the dressed or dressing and allude to one another. The intertwining of multiple voices,
body, my own body as writer or narrator, the body as: bodies and disparate references alludes to the parallel experiences
static, living, object/objectified, subject/subjective, image, and exchanges between myself, the reader and other subjects
physical, virtual, and the body (as in fashion) in perpetual implicated within the work. It attempts to enact the complexities of
metamorphosis. mutually implicated relationships: just as fashion ascribes identity
2. The writing conflates fiction, confessional, critical and onto the body of the wearer, the wearer projects his/her identity
embodied writing. The voice shifts between first, second through fashion, an imagined protagonist is written into being, and
and third person perspectives, to augment the sense of the writer’s voice becomes inscriptions on the page.
reflexivity and metafictional experience innate to all artistic My writing stems from my background as an experimental fashion
production and processes. practitioner working primarily in sound and live performances, with
3. Vivid scenarios are juxtaposed with sparse narratives. an interest in the body. I do not write narratives based on plot;
Narratives are driven by painterly impressions, bodily rather, I compose the writing with fragments of words and images
sensations, sounds, mood, atmosphere and tone, rather to generate textual sketches and collages. For the reader/listener,
than plot. The narrative is gradually drawn out from the sense of ‘fragmentation’ and ‘incompleteness’ do not indicate a
fragmented scenes unfolding from extreme close-ups, lack in definition, but rather each fragment speaks to another
fading out and dissolving of images. through metaphor, association and disjunction. Each piece is not
an end in itself, but a part of an on-going, iterative process. Ted
4. The writing employs intertextual elements such as Hughes (refer to left hand panel) conveyed the sense of ‘drawing
allusion, quotation, appropriation and satire. Iconic fashion out’ as an act of bringing forth, eliciting, evoking and extracting,
figures, images and events are referenced and juxtaposed from the depths of our imaginations and experiences, leading
with the fictional. Other texts are referenced by folding the towards the formation of a narrative. As with any creative
voices/bodies of other authors into the writing – as if in production, my writing process is spurred by a self-conscious effort
dialogue with them. to pursue a particular concept or idea – to bring into clarity a certain
126
impulse or an impression, and herein lays the power of writing as a In closing, the contribution of my research is an assertion of an
function of expression and subsequently knowledge. experimental writing practice that expresses the immediacy of
fashion as experience, in relation to the body, self and subjectivity,
and how the writing could be performed/experienced beyond the
Research Outcomes
page. Focusing on the role and possibilities for writing as creative
The research is driven by two interrelated operations and their practice and destabilising the formal conventions of fashion writing,
outcomes: (i) the production of texts as experiments in ‘writing it provokes expansive fashion knowledge that premises subjectivity,
fashion’; and (ii) the communication and dissemination of those embodied experience and imagination. Ultimately, the practice of
texts. Firstly, in terms of its written outcome, while the work draws ‘writing fashion’ is about finding and expressing a voice that
from design criticism, metafiction, fiction and embodied writing, it adequately addresses the pursuit of fashion/writing as a process of
should be evaluated on the grounds of expanded fashion practice self-expression and cultivation. This is about my own body, voice
rather than against the conventions of criticism and literary genres. and the possible selves that lay beyond the words.
Secondly, as alluded to throughout the discussion, the practice
being undertaken is not just writing, but also its communication and
performativity. Using live scenarios such as reading performances, References
voice/audio-based installations and ‘fashion happenings’ to present
1. #thathautecouturefeeling (2013). Exhibition by Dolci & Kabana.
the work, the intent is to experience the immediacy of words http://busprojects.com.au/2013/03/11/thathautecouturefeeling/
through live participation. This taps into a broader spectrum of (accessed 25 April 2013)
experimental fashion/art practices and projects that emphasise
2. Agarwal, S. (2003). Sylvia Plath. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre,
fashion as communication, operating across visual performance, p. 172.
film and publishing. As ‘performative agents,’ they employ
3. BC Fashion (1995-1998). Fashion-art project, Bernadette
strategies of fiction, satire and artifice to coax the audience to Corporation. http://www.bernadettecorporation.com/bcfashion.htm
imagine and speculate what it means to ‘experience fashion.’ (accessed 26 June 2013)
Examples include Bernadette Corporation’s semi-fictional fashion
4. Clark, J. and Phillips, A. (2010). The Concise Dictionary of Dress.
label 'BC Fashion,’ the magazine ‘Made in USA’ and also ‘The London: Violette Editions.
Complete Poem,’ Keupr van Bentm’s ‘Friction/parade,’ Dolci &
5. Entwistle, J. and Wilson, E. (eds.) (2001). Body Dressing. UK: Berg
Kabana’s ‘#thathautecouturefeeling,’ and Adele Varcoe’s
Publishers.
‘Imagining Chanel.’ These are ‘non-garment-based’ fashion
practices driven by the experience of the fashion concept rather 6. Friction/parade (1999). Fashion-art project, Keupr/van Bentm.
http://keuprvanbentm.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/friction-parade-1999-
than the product, emphasising the performativity of actions and
in-collaboration.html (accessed 13 April 2013)
language in the expression of fashion. Therefore, in terms of what
this research produces and how to position it, it is about creating 7. Imagining Chanel (2012). Live performance, Adele Varcoe.
http://www.imaginingchanel.com/ (accessed 25 April 2013)
experiences of fashion through words, as an expansion of
contemporary fashion expression and knowledge. 8. Made in USA (1999-2001). Magazine publication, Bernadette
Corporation. http://www.bernadettecorporation.com/musa.htm
(accessed 01 May 2013)
127
The Loneliness of the Roving Martian Robot: The Mini Mars Rover

Michael Shorter Abstract about space. The Mini Mars Rover is invaluable in making complex
University of Dundee and inaccessible data interesting and engaging.
The Mars Curiosity rover sealed its fate when it took a one-way
Dundee
ticket to Mars. Being a robot, the lonely robot probably doesn’t
DD1 4HT Author Keywords
mail@mrshorter.co.uk understand that it will be alone until the end, but we, as humans,
can sympathise with it. Martian; Data; Physical; Internet
Tom Metcalfe
University of Dundee When the rover is so far out of sight, it tends to slip out of mind. For Research Imperatives
Dundee our empathy to be triggered, we need reminding what the Mars
DD1 4HT
Curiosity is up to. We could look at the data it produces, but for There is currently an unimaginable amount of interesting data
tom@tommetcalfe.com floating around the internet in un-assuming and hard to find places.
most of us, statistics are not very emotive. What would our
response be if we had something physical in our home that made More and more people are starting to make this data a little more
Jon Rogers
this data feel more real? accessible and usable by the general public, knowing that there will
Dundee be someone out there who will create something useful and
DD1 4HT Roll in the Mini Mars Rover. The Mini Mars Rover is designed to tangible. As part of NASA’s open initiative they launched the
move in the same pattern as his big brother, as well as display SpaceApps Challenge, a worldwide organised hackathon where
other live data from Mars, such as sounds and images. This participants are asked to respond to a series of briefs
Ali Napier (“International Space Apps Challenge,” 2013). One of those
University of Dundee project’s aim was to take complex data that is currently hard to find
and make it tangible, accessible and exciting. challenges was Curiosity at Home, which aimed to bring awareness
Dundee
DD1 4HT of the Curiosity rover’s activities back to earth. The Mini Mars
ali@computing.dundee.ac.uk The Mini Mars Rover was built out of sympathy for the real Mars Rover was built to answer the following questions:
rover. As the Mini Mars Rover moves about a domestic
Jayne Wallace • Can complex, inaccessible data be made physical and
environment, it will make people think about the brave controller,
University of Dundee easier to interpret?
Dundee potentially the only life on Mars, battling on a mission of discovery.
When the users look at the Mini Mars Rover, what do they see? Do • Can an object create an emotional connection between the
DD1 4HT
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk they see a mischievous little robot driving around their house and user and the Mars Curiosity rover?
crashing into walls, or the loneliest robot in the Universe, struggling • How can an avatar of the Mars Curiosity rover challenge
James Thomas against the unknown in the hopes of sending amazing discoveries perceptions of itself?
back to Earth?
Newcastle upon Tyne By making use of Open.NASA data we were able to take previously
NE1 8ST UK
The Mini Mars Rover was designed to excite space enthusiasts, but unavailable data and transform it into something interesting, new,
james.e.thomas@northumbria.ac.uk
more importantly to excite the everyday person and ignite curiosity and most importantly, physical.
128
motor controller board, and most importantly, an Electric Imp

(“Electric Imp,” 2013). The Electric Imp is an SD card sized device
that allows physical objects to be connected to the internet with
ease (see Figure 4). By using open source hardware and
electronics we were able to have complete control over the
behaviours and appearance of the Mini Mars Rover. This open
source approach felt very appropriate as the inspiration for the
Figure 2. Video still from user testing at project came from the open source data of OpenNASA. The
SXSW, 2013. complete instructions, design and code for the Mini Mars Rover is
open source and available online at
http://productresearch.dundee.ac.uk/mini-mars-rover/.
To give the Mini Mars Rover a sense of character we took design

reference from the Mars Curiosity rover, abstracting some of its
details to make a robot that was recognisable as part of the Mars
Curiosity family and also an intriguing, friendly looking robot
(“NASA - Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover,” 2013).
The aim was to really make sure that the users/observers could
easily make the connection between the Mini Mars Rover and its
counterpart, off exploring Martian territory in complete solitude. The
Figure 3. Video still from user testing in
the domestic environment. intent of this decision was to provoke emotional perceptions of the
object.
1
From the outset this project aimed to access the live data
produced from the Mars Curiosity rover. We hoped to gain access
to both the travel data as well as other data from the thirteen main
Figure 1. The Mini Mars Rover in action outside the University of sensors (including photos) that the rover produces on its day-to-day
Dundee. business. Unfortunately, as the Mars Curiosity rover is a military
owned device, gaining access to this data is not easy. In the
meantime (as we continue to try and procure this data), we have
created an experience prototype (see Figure 4).
Research Process
In creating the Mini Mars Rover, the Wild Thumper chassis was
used due to its modular nature (see Figure 1). The easily
adaptable chassis meant that it was very easy to retro fit a laser
1
cut body onto it. Under the bonnet is an Arduino (“Arduino,” 2012), As live as possible as there can be anywhere from a three to a twenty-one
minute time delay as the data makes its way across the universe.
129
There is still a barrier to obtaining permission to access the data, so

to simulate authenticity a time delay has been added between the
command and the Mini Mars Rover’s movements. This delay gives
people time to think about both the journey of the data and the
Mars Curiosity rover itself. The time it takes for a signal to go from
Mars to Earth is anywhere between three and twenty-one minutes
depending on the position of the planets in their orbit. The Mars
Curiosity rover moves between one and fifty metres at a time. From
this data alone we can roughly mimic the way the Mars Curiosity
moves. Since fifty meters is quite a long distance for the domestic
environment and since our Mini Mars Rover (roughly thirty
centimetres) is a tenth of the size of the Mars Curiosity Rover
(three metres), we divided the distance travelled by ten so it moves
relative to its size.
Figure 5. Diagram illustrating the basic
user interface created to control the Mini
Mars Rover. This can be accessed
Interpreting Physical Data
through any web-enabled device. By making the Mars Curiosity rover data physical we created a fun
Figure 4. Diagram showing the proposed flow of data from the Mars and engaging object from information that would otherwise remain
Curiosity rover to the cloud to the electric Imp/Arduino to the Mini Mars
hidden under some virtual rock in a dark corner of cyberspace.
Rover.
Making this data physical through the Mini Mars Rover made it
much easier to visualise how the Mars Curiosity rover was moving
Whether the Mini Mars Rover was going to be controlled by live
on Mars.
data or not, it still needed to be an internet-controlled object that
could challenge users perceptions.
Creating Perceptions of Objects

To keep the input method for the Mini Mars Rover flexible we
As users engaged with the Mini Mars Rover during testing they felt
made an easily adaptable platform that could be controlled in
it had character. They would speak to it as if it were really alive; this
many different ways, from live data to a mobile phone app. The
demonstrated their emotional connection to it and therefore the
basis for this internet-controlled platform was created using
Mars Curiosity rover (see Figure 3). As observers watched the Mini
JSON, PHP and an Electric Imp.
Mars Rover their perception of it transformed; instead of mild
curiosity about a toy, they wondered about the Mars Curiosity itself.
The Mini Mars Rover is currently being controlled using a web
app (see Figures 2 and 5). There is also a small screen in the
Emotional Connections
head unit, which displays footage from Mars.
Observers treating the Mini Mars Rover as though it was alive
Research Outcomes clearly showed some sort of emotional connection. This emotional
connection revealed that people really cared about how the Mini
130
Mars Rover was moving on earth; they understood there was

a direct connection between it and the Mars Curiosity rover.
The Mini Mars Rover is a great example of the current

developments of the web driven Internet of Things (Webb,
2013). By making use of open source data, design and
technology we can inspire anyone to make things (Anderson,
2012). We can take curious looking items and give them
exciting and surprising behaviours through the power of the
internet and the incomprehensible amount of data it harbours.
References
Arduino [WWW Document], 2012. . URL http://www.arduino.cc/
Electric Imp [WWW Document], 2013. . URL
http://electricimp.com/
International Space Apps Challenge [WWW Document], 2013. .
URL http://spaceappschallenge.org
NASA - Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover [WWW
Document], 2013. . URL
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html
Webb, M., 2013. Berg Cloud [WWW Document]. Berg CLoud.
URL http://www.bergcloud.com
Figure 6. An example of the open source

CAD files available online.
131
Campaign Badges: Creating Meaning Through Making

Julia Keyte Abstract Research Imperatives
Sheffield Hallam University
This paper is a reflection on a practice led research project called A key part of the role of a designer is to create meaningful products
Sheffield
S1 1WB the Campaign for Objects in Purgatory, which sets out to discover that encourage user engagement. This is sometimes motivated by
j.keyte@shu.ac.uk how meaning develops in a possession during its life in the home. It the need to sell products, but there is also a recent drive to create
explores the implications for designers seeking to create lasting products that are meaningful to their users in the long-term. This
meaning in their products, particularly in the context of emotionally movement towards the design and production of emotionally
sustainable design. This paper attempts to unravel the role of a sustainable products is a response to problems associated with
series of badges which I produced and distributed as part of the overproduction and consumption (Mugge et al 2010, Schifferstein &
research. Zwartkruis-Pelgrim 2008, Chapman 2005). Designing products that
people will remain attached to and keep is very challenging, as the
The Campaign has developed over the last two years and has product’s meaning has to endure through the changing
taken the form of workshops, an exhibition, a series of conference circumstances of a person’s life. Traditional forms of design attempt
papers and a journal article. The badges discussed here were to create meaning through control of the physical, visual and
made as part of an exploratory research exhibition that took place material properties of the product, but this may be an inadequate
in 2011 at Sheffield Institute of Arts gallery. Visitors to the exhibition means of truly creating lasting meaning. My research looks beyond
were invited to contribute an uncherished gift, in the form of a the product itself to the circumstances and practices that influence
drawing or photograph and accompanying narrative, and in return how and why possessions are kept. This paper considers whether
they received a campaign badge. Each badge featured a it is really possible to create meaning through the design of a
photograph of an uncherished gift submitted by someone else. By product.
wearing it the participant gave the object a new ‘voice’ and took the
Campaign beyond the boundaries of the exhibition space. In order to explore how meaning develops in a possession during
its life in the home, I initiated a practice-led research project called
In this paper, the badges are the catalyst for a discussion about the the Campaign for Objects in Purgatory. The Campaign examines
disparity between the everyday circumstances that create meaning uncherished gifts, which despite their negative associations for the
in possessions, and design practices of creating meaning in owner, are still kept. Uncherished gifts are very effective research
products. vehicles for exposing the ways in which meaning forms in
possessions, because they usually embody a contradiction in
Author Keywords emotional value; as much as a recipient might want to rid
themselves of an uncherished gift, they may also feel compelled to
Creating meaning in design; gift giving; objects; emotionally keep it.
sustainable design.
132
Research Process This wasn’t the only way in which creating the brooches allowed
me to explore my ideas. A badge or brooch is a unique platform for
Uncherished Gifts and Conflicts in Meaning projecting a message, as it is displayed on the body. It gives the
The first significant stage of the Campaign for Objects in Purgatory experience of the badge a kind of intimacy; the viewer encounters it
was a live event and exhibition (SIA Gallery Sheffield, May 2011) when worn by another person, and it usually holds meaning to the
during which participants were invited to contribute the story of their wearer. Sometimes the meaning is very personal. Brooches
uncherished gift in the form of a drawing (figure 1), written or audio sometimes contain and frame other objects, such as precious
narrative, or a photo. A diverse range of conflicts in meaning stones, or photographs. They employ visual and material language
1
connected to the gifts were evident in the submissions. Most to communicate the significance of the contents.
commonly, contributors expressed distaste in connection with their
objects, and this was often expressed alongside disappointment The badges made for the Campaign for Objects in Purgatory made
with a fake brand, perceived material cheapness, or a style use of the capacity for badges and brooches to function as a
conflicting with the home interior. Yet despite these negative platform for visual communication. They exposed objects
associations the participants were compelled or motivated to keep (uncherished gifts) and associated scenarios that are usually
their objects. Meaning was often present, expressed as private and invisible. The uncherished gifts were thus given a new
connections to memories, important people, and appreciation of a ‘voice’. I was also interested in the capacity for the badges to
personal investment, e.g. hand-making. (See Keyte 2013 for more ‘spread the word’ of the Campaign. The exchange gave them a
analysis). kind of agency that extended the Campaign beyond the confines of
the exhibition space.
Figure 1. Annotated drawing submitted to
Badges: Exploring Material Meaning
Objects in Purgatory exhibition, SIA Contributors to the exhibition were able to choose the badge they
Gallery, Sheffield May 2011 As part of the exhibition, I created a series of badges (figure 2) to wanted to take. They usually enjoyed this process, and enjoyed
stimulate data collection and to explore my ideas about conflicting hearing the stories of the objects in the photographs. Their choice
meaning embodied in possessions. I gave a badge to each of badge was often empathetic; they frequently chose badges
participant, in exchange for their contribution of their object and containing objects that related to their own contribution in some
story. Each badge featured a photograph of an uncherished gift way. For example, a contributor who submitted a glass pumpkin he
submitted by someone else. had received from work colleagues, chose a badge featuring a
photograph of a small angel ornament also given to the recipient by
The badges were hand-made from embossed cartridge paper, wax, work colleagues.
and a dress-making pin. I chose materials that are of little obvious
material value, but the brooches embody an investment of my The badge exchange raised awareness of the instrumentality of gift
labour, creating a dilemma for the recipient; should they keep it, giving, however I wasn't possible to trace the subsequent journey
Figure 2. Campaign badge. Materials:
and care for it? The badge exchange was a purposeful and playful of the badges after they had been given to the contributor. I don’t
embossed cartridge paper, wax, and a reflection on gift exchange. Giving a gift creates an obligation to know whether they were all kept.
dress-making pin. One of a series of reciprocate, and I wanted to draw attention to the instrumentality of
badges exchanged with participants in the the obligation in compelling the recipient to keep the gift.
Campaign for Objects in Purgatory 1
The badges could also stand upright on a flat surface, as a framed picture;
exhibition at SIA Gallery, Sheffield, May a small, free-standing ornamental object, like many gifts.
2011.
133
The reviewer’s comments made in the submission process for this creation of meaning through design. In conventional approaches to
Carriage Clock (see figure 3 below) conference paper highlighted an interesting contradiction in my design, designers seek to create meaning in a product through its
“I think he got it really cheap, to tell you the research that previously I had not fully appreciated. I designed the visual language and material associations, in order to encourage
truth, I think it might have even been a badges in order to explore meaning through material ephemerality, desire for the product, or fulfill the user’s needs.
freebie,” and I created them with instinctive designerly intent to make them
“I don’t know why, he must have thought we beautiful and make them well. However, many of the submitted In developing his material-centric approach to understanding the
needed a clock” gifts are objects that probably weren’t conceived with aesthetic relationship of designed objects to people, Verbeek (2005)
“we’re sort of permanently attached to this principles as a priority. Do I need to resolve the disparity between discusses the ‘sign-value’ of products. Market oriented approaches
item, bless it” the material and aesthetic intentions expressed in the badges and to design identify users’ lifestyle choices and needs, and use
the apparent aesthetic impoverishment of the submitted gifts? directed symbolic or referential language to appeal to users’ values.

Verbeek builds on design theorist Wim Muller’s (2001) identification

Research Outcomes of two types of utility which designers try to combine in their
products: ‘material utility’ (the primary function of the product) and
The badges were an effective and interesting part of the Objects in ‘social cultural utility’ (its social and cultural meaning). Predicting
Purgatory exhibition, which itself was a creative means of collecting how the material utility of the object will be interpreted by the user
the stories and scenarios connected to uncherished gifts. The focus is fairly straightforward, but the possible interpretations of the social
of the research centred around the exhibition was an exploration of cultural utility are harder to read. It depends on the user being
the conflicts in meaning associated with the collected objects. correctly culturally placed to ‘read’ the language of the product.
This suggests that market centric approaches can’t always
The participants in the exhibition often expressed distaste for the adequately respond to the individuality of personal meaning
objects they submitted, as they perceived them to be inauthentic or making.
Figure 3. The recipient of this carriage clock of poor material quality. However, it is very difficult to pick out clear
believed it to be of little material value and patterns in the types of object submitted and their material and In the case of the collected uncherished gifts, meanings are formed
probably acquired by the giver as a free gift. aesthetic qualities. The data doesn’t suggest any definitive
The clock was initially kept simply because not through the visual and material attributes of the object, but
it was felt appropriate to do so in
categories of distasteful objects or material impoverishment. through the circumstances that surround it. Positive associations
acceptance of the gesture. It was kept in a Perhaps this isn’t surprising in the context of taste as expressions such as memories, family ties and personal investment can be
peripheral space; the office, on a shelf with of choice that form part of a person’s identity (Bayley 1991), or powerful enough to encourage the recipient to keep the gift, despite
books. It was brought to the attention of the expressions of difference from others (Barker 1992). Taste is the failure of the gift to contribute positively to self-perception
recipients every now and again when the culturally and socially informed, but idiosyncratic.
batteries needed changing, however it was (Keyte 2013). These positive associations are formed through the
eventually superseded in its function by a gift exchange, or through other practices, such as adapting or
nearby computer. Following the death of Despite the objectionable qualities of the gifts and the associated altering the gift, or keeping it for long enough to grow new value
the giver the bond between person and emotional discomfort however, the recipients felt compelled or (figure 3). These findings draw attention to the difficulties of
object strengthened, and it became harder motivated to keep their objects, and the objects hold meaning. In creating meaning through the design of the product, using
to contemplate getting rid of. Ultimately its this particular scenario of people-object relations (uncherished gifts
status has been elevated and its location conventional design approaches. In the scenarios explored in the
referred to as ‘a bit of a shrine’, as a
that are kept), there is a clear separation of the visual and material research, the intended meanings of the designer haven’t
photograph of the giver has been placed qualities of an object (how it looks), and the formation of its transferred successfully from designer, through the gift giver, to
nearby. meaning. This throws up some interesting challenges for the recipient.
134
Conclusion
The badges made for contributors to the Objects in Purgatory
References
exhibition were created as a playful exploration of gift exchange
and the creation of meaning in design. They successfully provoked 1. Barker, N. (1992) Signs of the Times. In: N. Barker and M. Parr, eds,
Signs of the times: a portrait of the nation's taste. Manchester:
people to think about the dilemmas created by gift giving rituals. Cornerhouse.
2. Bayley, S. (1991) Taste: the secret meaning of things. Faber.
It is difficult to reliably assess whether the material and visual
3. Chapman, J. (2005) Emotionally durable design: Objects, experiences
quality of the badges was instrumental in making the badges and empathy. Earthscan.
meaningful to their recipients, as it has not been possible to find out
4. Keyte, J. (2013) Objects in Purgatory: How we live with Uncherished
whether they have been kept. However, contributors to the Gifts. Interiors, Bloomsbury, 4(3).
exhibition clearly enjoyed engaging with the objects featured in the 5. Mugge, R., Schifferstein, H. and Schoormans, J. (2010). Product
badges and the stories connected with them, and they responded attachment and satisfaction: Understanding consumers' post-
Figure 4. Visitor to Objects in Purgatory with empathy. I know that some of the badges were worn or purchase behaviour. Journal of consumer marketing, 3 (27), 271-
exhibition submitting and uncherished gift. 282.
displayed once they were taken away, because they prompted new
people to visit the exhibition. It may be that the process of engaging 6. Muller, W. (2001) Order and Meaning in Design. Utrecht: Lemma.
in the exhibition and brooch exchange was more instrumental in 7. Schifferstein, H. and Zwartkruis-Pelgrim, E. (2008). Consumer-product
attachment: Measurement and design implications. International
creating meaning in the badges, than their visual and material journal of design, 2 (3), 1-13.
properties. Part of the process of engaging in the exhibition was
8. Verbeek, P. (2005) What Things Do: Philosophical reflections on
personal contact with me; I acted as an intermediary for the technology, agency and design. Pennsylvania, USA: The
objects; passing on the stories, and the meanings, to new people. Pennsylvania State University Press.
The possibility that the social aspects of the exhibition were more
instrumental in creating meaning than the aesthetic and material
qualities of the badges echoes the findings of the research. In the
case of the collected uncherished gifts, meanings are formed not
through the visual and material attributes of the object, but through
the circumstances that surround it. This points to the need for
design to seek alternatives to market-centric approaches, which
acknowledge the intimacy and idiosyncrasy of creating meaning in
possessions.
The badges are not a straightforward reflection of the uncherished

gifts they contain photographs of. But perhaps by framing the
aesthetically impoverished objects, their role is to draw our
attention to the gap between the intentions of the designer, and the
everyday circumstances that create meaning in possessions.
135
‘Sole Searching’ – Mediating Material Narratives for Meaningful Products

Nick Gant
University of Brighton
This submission will present research and objects generated by the The project utilizes the formation of pairs of shoes made from
Grand Parade
Brighton ‘Sole Searching’ and ‘Material Meaning Making’ project, which uses waste or by-product materials to engage audiences (public &
BN2 2OY the fabrication of pairs of shoes, each made from a waste material industrial) and research participants in issues of ‘material meaning-
n.a.gant@brighton.ac.uk as the methodological basis for forming more ‘meaningful’ making’. The research tests the hypothesis that waste materials
products. The research tests the hypothesis that waste materials can contain, embody and facilitate material narratives which when
Tanya Dean can embody and facilitate material narratives which when applied, applied, can imbed products with greater meaning, narrative and
University of Brighton
can imbed products with greater meaning, narrative and value(s). value(s).
Grand Parade
Brighton The research is predicated on the basis that products that are
BN2 2OY made more meaningful and valued can promote and nurture ethical The research tests the hypothesis that waste materials can contain,
td57@brighton.ac.uk and sustainable attributes. embody and facilitate material narratives which when applied, can
• Communicating complex messages of ethics or imbed products with greater meaning, narrative and value(s).
sustainability in accessible ways to consumers
• Helping market and popularise ‘more ethical and The research is predicated on the basis that products that are
sustainable’ products and materials made more meaningful and valued can promote and nurture
• Enhancing and transforming the cultural, industrial and sustainable attributes and promote more sustainable consumer
societal value of waste materials. behavior including:
• Providing authentic user experiences, extending product • Communicating complex messages or facilitating
life-spans and forming user attachments understandings of ethics, science and sustainability in
accessible ways to consumers
• Helping market and popularise ‘more ethical and
Each pair of shoes provides a useable design/craft method for
sustainable’ products and materials
‘meaning making’ that is structured around the shoe, the waste • Enhancing and transforming the cultural, industrial and
material, the process of fabrication and the user. societal value of waste materials as resources
• Providing authentic user experiences, extending material
The project endorses and demonstrates the value of ‘designed’ and product life-spans and forming user attachments
objects and materials as critical aspects of the methodological
process and in facilitating research and new knowledge production. As well as providing designers with methodological tools, the
research aims to promote the work of charities and NGOs that
campaign for changes in areas of problematic material culture or
Author Keywords who are exemplar ‘materialists’.
Meaning making; materials; ethics; consumer culture; semiotics;
semantics; sustainability;
136
Research Process
Each pair of shoes is a distinct ‘material story’ and methodology
composed around four key ‘actors’ - the object (shoe), the material,
the making process and user (hypothetical). Central, and seminal,
to the consideration of the shoe and the subject is the unique
relational notion of the material seeing these as waste, this project
reveals these materials as having enriched and exploitable,
embodied histories, stories, meanings and experiences held within
their materiality. Each material narrative and methodology forming
distinct algorithms for ‘material meaning making’ that are then
exhibited and evaluated by public and industrial participants. The
stories are established by the researchers identifying waste
streams and/or associated organisations that promote the ethical
consideration of material culture.

The project is not about shoe design per say, but deliberately
Figure 1. Businessman’s Brogues /
employs the popular and cultural iconography of shoes as a vehicle
‘Product protest’ - reformed synthetic
wine corks to carry content. Shoes were selected as an appropriate conduit to
mediate the research as they would be engaging for public
Reformation of a ‘faux’ material participation and there is relative likelihood of greater public literacy
product into a ‘faux’ leather shoe in terms of their manipulation as objects for communication
and story. Resembling reptilian purposes. Figure 2. Breast Milk Baby Bootees – fabricated from donated breast milk
skin, they expose the (casein protein), to promote World Breast Milk Donor Day in collaboration
contradictions of our A dissemination and data gathering exhibition and lecture was
with the NHS and UK Milk Bank. Also exploring the inherent perceptual
contemporary material and contradiction of our ‘love of children’ and their objects and our aversion to
devised by invitation at PUMA HQ (Sustainable Design Collective), human ‘waste’.
cultural rituals a nd ethics whilst where industrial designers from brands such as Dragon Rouge,
promoting the value of natural cork Adidas, Ideo and PUMA were asked to provide qualitative data, Examples of individual shoe stories (methodologies) and processes
as a sustainable material tradition. providing evidence of transferable processes for design and for exhibited shoes (of 10 pairs made so far):
‘meaning making’ through the processes / methods devised to
greater or lesser degree. Participants were asked to grade each Shoe title: Flip-flopsam and Jetsam (see Figure 5). Method title:
pair of shoes (meaning making methodology) according to their ‘Pride of place’ User: Volunteer conservationists Material: Plastic
meaning or meaningless, value or valueless and applicability or not beach waste collected by local volunteers. Process: Volunteers
to the participant’s own industry. Example of this tabulated data is are rewarded by heat pressing the beach waste into a pair of flip-
shown in Figure 3. flops that are also embossed with a map of the local area. As a
memento of the event and act of good will the value, local
significance and meaning is embodied and carried through the
material.
137
Material: Recycled synthetic corks. Process: Reformation of a

‘faux’ material product into a ‘faux’ shoe and story. Resembling
reptilian skin, they expose the contradictions of our contemporary
material and cultural rituals and ethics whilst promoting the value of
natural cork as a sustainable material tradition.
Research Outcomes
The research forms insights into the mediation of meaning through
the embedded, enhanced and/or composed narratives of waste
materials, understanding the communicative values of materials as
a vehicle for meaning (Lohmann 2012). This responds to the need
for product designers to create products that transfer meaning and
Figure 3. Example of qualitative
the further exploration of the capacity of materials to carry narrative
data table, gathered from industrial
designers (Karana 2010) and form designable narratives (Chapman 2005). In
particular, in this case, how ‘recycled’ or waste materials can
perhaps show this in ‘obvious’ ways (Dagmar 2009). Developing a
lexicon of material language, narrative construction and methods
for meaning. This will help provide rational tools to bridge the gap
between meaning and design decision-making (Kazmierczak
2003).
Figure 5. ‘Flip-Flotsam and Jetsam’ / ‘Pride of Place’ - volunteer rubbish
collectors are rewarded by fabricating a pair of flip-flops from waste The Breast Milk Booties were used by the UK Milk Bank and NHS
thermoplastics on the beach. Promoting Marine Conservation Society’s to promote International Breast Milk Donor Day (May 2013). Press
Summer Clean Up campaign. coverage in mainstream press (BBC TV) and over 61 websites (inc
the Mail Online as the world’s largest online newspaper) raised
Shoe: ‘Breast Milk Booties’ (see Figure 2) Method title: Taboos in awareness across international audiences (Israel, Canada, USA,
transition User: Premature baby / donor mums. Material: Breast Australia, India, Ireland, Germany, France). Blogs and comment
Figure 4. Example of qualitative
Milk (casein) forums provide additional qualitative feedback as well as
data being gathered from industrial
designers at PUMA HQ Process: Donor mums provide breast milk to be used by the UK demonstrating the communicative and mediation value of the
Milk Bank to feed premature or sick babies and in return receive a methods and meaningful materials. The research has also formed,
pair of bootees made from their milk. The shoes are used as a proven promotional channels for the associated and partner NGOs
reward and raise awareness through ‘provocation in the press’. and charities.
Shoe: Businessman’s brogues (see Figure 1). Method title: The PUMA data gathering event was filmed a presented at brand
‘Product protest’. User: Businessman design headquarters globally to members of the world’s largest
lifestyle brand. PUMA embedded the ten methodologies derived
138
through the shoes into their ‘50 Ways to Sustainable Design’ 3. Karana, E. (2010) How Do Materials Obtain Their Meanings? Middle
East Technical University Journal of the Faculty of Architecture,
corporate toolkit. The shoes / methods featured in trend forecasting Issue (27-2).
articles for the World’s largest agency WGSN – with 74,000 design
4. Kazmierczak, E. (2003) Design as meaning Making: From
industry clients including Apple, Nike, Walmart and Levis.
Making Things to the Design of Thinking. Design Issues
The capacity for the shoes (and stories) to promote awareness and (vol.19) pp 45-59
deeper engagement with issues of material culture has led to st
5. Lohmann, J. (2012) Julia Lohmann in 21 Designers for the 21 Century
further invitations to promote organisation’s campaigns for behavior by Williams, G. (V&A 2012).
change through the formation of new shoes, stories and methods.
These include Vision Aid Overseas and Interface and the London
Zoological Society.
The capacity for the shoes (and stories) to promote awareness and
deeper engagement with issues of material culture has led to
further invitations to promote organisation’s campaigns for behavior
change through the formation of new shoes, stories and methods.
These include Vision Aid Overseas and Interface and the London
Zoological Society.
Figures 6 & 7. Industry designers

The research has enabled the formation of ‘meaning making’,
engaging with shoes and providing
qualitative data at PUMA HQ evaluated, methodological processes (design methods) for further
application by design and craft practioners and those wishing to
embed products with meaning via material mediation. A lexicon of
material vocabularies and material language that is either
embedded and enhanced or constructed and contrived is
disseminated in the form of case study representational objects,
data tables and the design methods derived through the research.
The project will be forming an online toolkit for meaning making that
presents the evidence of public and industrial engagements.
References
1. Chapman, J. (2005) Emotionally Durable Design (EarthScan 2005). (pp
133).
2. Dagmar, S. (2009) Meaning and Narration in Product Design.
Figure 8. Flip-flopsam and Jetsam International Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and
details of sole embossed with map Interfaces, DPPI09.
of place where waste materials were
gathered to reinforce the designed
provenance.
139
The 4th Wall Project:

A Creative Exploration of 3D-Stereoscopic Viewing and Animation

Hugo Glover Abstract Research Imperatives
The stereoscope was invented in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone, a The aim of this research study is to creatively explore
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK British physicist. ‘The term “stereoscopic vision” means literally, the theoretical and practical dimensions of stereoscopic spatiality
hugo.glover@northumbria.ac.uk “solid sight” and refers to the visual perception of the three- through a practice-based approach. The driving questions of this
dimensional structure of the world…’ (Howard and Rogers, 1996). work are: How can the combination of stereoscopic animated
Stereoscopy works by artificially recreating binocular vision by content and a referential physical volume create new insight into
presenting a pair of images, one to the left eye and one to the right. relationships between digital animation and reality? What
When viewed through a stereoscope, the two images are combined knowledge can be gained from creating both animation and
in the brain through ‘stereopsis’ to create the illusion of depth. bespoke stereoscopic viewing systems as a co-existing
assemblage of techniques? It is the intention of this practice-based
The project is a technical and artistic endeavour combining 3D- research project to undertake such original creative investigation of
stereoscopic projection technology with purpose-made digital stereoscopic depth.
content (animation) with the aim of producing a immersive
experience for the viewer. The initial idea was to take the principles Since the invention of the stereoscope, stereoscopic imaging has
of stereoscopic vision and use the distinctive benefits of this evolved alongside the medium of photography and, subsequently,
medium as a creative and conceptual starting point for an moving image. Over the last 160 years, its cultural status has
animation project. Traditionally animated films are produced in a 2D fluctuated as technology has developed. Stereoscopic imaging
format and converted to 3D in the later stages of final production. requires distinct technical knowledge. Historically, innovation in this
th
The 4 Wall Project posed the question: What would happen if you field has concentrated on creating or improving a very specific
started with stereoscopic space and filled it with animation? as technical aspect of stereoscopic vision as opposed to exploring the
opposed to creating an animation and allowing it to then fill creative opportunities.
stereoscopic space when it is converted to 3D.
Animation is another distinct specialist field that until the
last ten years has predominantly been a two-dimensional medium.
Author Keywords In the last decade, the development of computer graphic animation
Stereoscopic; Animation, Immersive, Creative Space, Perception, has allowed three-dimensional stereoscopic options to evolve and
Engagement, Practice-Based Research be perfected. With this in mind, it is critical to note that in
contemporary animation production practice, stereoscopic
processing is often left to the later stages of post-production as it is
seen as a challenge to create a comfortable and compelling
140
stereoscopic effect. Examples of successful uses of stereoscopic animation experiments.

3D imaging are the work of filmmakers such as James Cameron
th
(Avatar, 2009), Wim Wenders (Pina, 2011) and Ang Lee (Life of Mk I and Mk II of the 4 Wall Viewer both utilized HD projectors
Pi, 2012) who most effectively and in a rarefied manner, weave it that were focused on small scale (65mm square), rear projection
into their projects from their inception. screens. The screens produced an extremely high quality (425
pixels per inch) image, but the calibration of the stereoscopic effect
th
In its simplest form, the 4 Wall Project’s core aim is the creative was compromised by a lack of adjustment so it was extremely
exploration of stereoscopic space, unhindered by the grammar of difficult to align the two images to create high-quality stereoscopic
cinema or the audience’s preconceptions of the screen. By using pairs. This was the motivating factor to move to iPads as the choice
th
the stereoscopic language of the 19 Century (two eyeholes) the animation playback devices in the Mk III Viewer since they offer
th
th
Figure 1. The 4 Wall Viewer prototype, 4 Wall Viewer becomes a single-person stereoscopic similar pixel density and solve alignment issues.
using syncronized HD projectors. experience, thus focusing both conceptually and physically, the
experience in one person’s consciousness at one time. This The Mk III Viewer is currently in development with research into
solitary viewing method in turn reinforces the sense of discovery, iPads concluding that there is no app available that synchronizes
wonderment and visceral experience by masking the viewer’s two animations on two different devices. Herewith, a bespoke app.
peripheral vision, thereby excluding any distractions. is being developed to achieve this. Intended construction of the Mk
III Viewer is a main internal and external chassy made from box
Wheatstone, over 160 years ago, predicted the transformative section mild steel. The exterior of the box is high-grade birch ply,
effect of combining stereoscopic imaging with animation. He with laser-etched logo and information. Internally the two iPads and
commented to a friend: ‘[to] combine the principle of the mirror array are mounted on an adjustable steel chassy.
stereoscope with that of the phenakistoscope […] Then shapes
that are simply painted on paper would inevitably be seen in The looping animation inside the viewer is of an orange
th three dimensions and moving, and would thus entirely present all ball bouncing in perfect, infinite motion. This ‘squash and stretch’
Figure 2. The 4 Wall Viewer prototype,
using syncronized HD projectors focused
the appearances of life. It would be the illusion of art taken to its (Thomas and Johnston, 1981) effect is one of the fundamental
on a rear projection viewer. highest point.’ (Mannoni, 2000). principles of animation illustrating how an object in motion has a
tendency to change shape but retain its volume. The classic ball is
. th
The 4 Wall Viewer seeks to deliver to those looking into it the the ideal animation sequence to use to illustrate the perceived
‘transformative effect’ that Wheatstone alludes to, and holds the (internal) 3D volume of the Viewer.
‘illusion of art taken to its highest point’ as its contextualising
ambition.
Research Process
The main thrust of the research process is carried our through
iterative design cycles, developing prototypes that will undergo a
series of tests and experiments. My research is mainly practice
based, and will produce both the stereoscopic viewer and
141
Research Outcomes
th
The 4 Wall Project combines three creative fields – industrial
design, animation and stereoscopic imaging
–and, for the first time, documents and presents this culmination
th
with/in a single physical artifact / immersive creative space – the 4
Wall Viewer, Mk III.
th
The 4 Wall Viewer also embodies technical innovation in its use of
two syncronized iPads to create stereoscopic effect and through
the creation of a unique app to achieve this.
th
For the person who looks into the 4 Wall Viewer to find the orange
Figure 3. Letters ‘a1’ and ‘b1’ show location of left and right eyes th
ball bouncing within the walls of the viewer, the 4 Wall Project
of the viewer; letters ‘a’ and ‘b’ are iPad minis showing stereoscopic
asks for the subject’s ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge,
animation. The iPads are mounted in a manner that allows minute
2
1817) and, in return, promises a magical ‘transformative effect’
adjustments to remove any ‘vertical disparity’ and avoid discomfort to the
(Wheatstone).
viewer.
References
1. Coleridge, S. T. (1817) Biographia Literaria
2. Howard, I.P. and Rogers, B.J. (1996) Binocular Vision and Stereopsis,
OUP, USA
3. Johnston, O. and Thomas, F. (1981, reprint 1997). The Illusion of Life:
Disney Animation. Hyperion. pp. 47–69
4. Kooi, F. L. and Toet, A. (2004) Visual Comfort of Binocular and 3D
Displays, Displays, Issues 2–3 (Vol. 25),
pp. 99–108
5. Mannoni, L. (2000) The Feeling of Life: the Birth of Stereoscopic Film,
Paris in 3D from the Stereoscope to Virtual Reality, 1850–2000. Musée
Carnavalet: Booth-Clibborn EditionsEdwards, C. (2011) Article title is
italicised Publication Name, Issue No. (Volume No.). pp 1-12
Figure 4. Internal construction of the viewer with the iPad chassy allowing
for adjustment in xyz planes of movement for accurate setting up of the
viewer.
142
Exploring Relationships Between Textiles and Drawing:

Kerry Walton Abstract viewpoint, using the loom as a tool for drawing to make some
Loughborough University woven sketches: developing a drawing attitude through weaving.
In traditional textiles imagery derived from drawing can be applied
Loughbrough
to (Print & Embroidery) or embedded within the Textile material
Leicestershire
(Woven & Knitted). In contemporary digital print and jacquard
Author Keywords
LE11 3TU
K.Walton@lboro.ac.uk weaving a more direct relationship between drawing practice and Textiles; Weaving; Drawing; Practice-led;
textiles process is developing - the emergence of these new
technologies places drawing as central to the making process.
Research suggests that there is, conversely, plenty of scope to
consider approaches to making drawing using textiles process and
media. This demands a shift in attitude, and requires the making

process to be approached with the intention of drawing; I am
interested in both the process of making (Textiles) and the process
Figure 1.Drawing 1, part of a series of making (Drawing), weaving has some very interesting parallels
about damage: 2011 with drawing – line, tone, shading effects can all be achieved in
both media, and the weaving process is essentially full of drawing,

Figure 2.Drawing 2, part of a series
about damage: 2011
as notation and specification.
However, there are constraints inherent in the process of weaving
so it was interesting to consider whether I could successfully weave
a drawing and how the approach might impact upon future design

work. My drawing practice acknowledges textiles process, and
uses textile reference. Through this work I wanted to challenge
some preconceptions about an accepted approach to drawing, and
explore some thoughts through a practice led, developmental
approach.

I am interested in the point where drawing no longer contributes to
an act of translation into textiles but where the work is a fusion of
ideas and materials- a crossover of making practices and drawing
thinking. The work aims to originate and explore a conceptual

143

Research Imperatives weaving have been shown as studies, or drawings, which she
describes: ‘I am making a new sketch/drawing, just using a different
This paper arises from 2 strands of recent enquiry: a practice led medium’. A number of contemporary artists are making use of
research project exploring and challenging some views around the weaving process but presenting the work as drawing, Patrick Van
relationships between woven textiles and drawing, and concurrent i ii
Caeckenbergh and Ruth Lasky recently showed work in New
research into designing and making textiles. In a textiles context York both using weaving process, clearly exhibited as drawing.
the development of new work whether as a prototype for industrial My drawing practice references textiles processes, but I wanted to
manufacture or individual artifact starts as an idea, progresses challenge some preconceptions about an accepted approach to
through a period of innovation and creativity, and is then realised in drawing: given constraints inherent in the process of weaving the
material form and ultimately communicated in one way or another
Figure 3. Detail of Damage Drawing 6, pen objective was to consider whether I could successfully weave a
on tracing paper, layered over print.42x29 to an external audience. This idea of a phase of approaches is drawing and present it as such into a drawing context. This work
cm. 2011 relevant to most aspects of textiles practice, and drawing has a link considers how the meaning of what is drawing manifests itself
to and a value within the development of all aspects of the process through the weaving process. By using knowledge of process to
Weaving has some very interesting - most of us will be making drawings with a view to a future understand and inform the productive process of drawing, the work
parallels with drawing – line, tone, process. Drawing content is clearly also important in the way it is identifies an approach which attempts to change the supporting
shading effects can all be achieved in used not only as an aid to making, in the development of ideas and role of drawing. It questions pre-conceptions about weaving (for
both media, there is a very obvious the production of artefacts, but more obviously is a key part of the design) and aims to produce drawing as an outcome. The research
relationship with Jacquard process, and essentially decorative nature of textiles. In its application drawing considers the potential for drawing through weaving in direct
the weaving process is essentially full of can be described as on textiles - print, and embroidery where it is
drawing, as notation and specification: response to a subject, or an idea. There are a number of immediate
be applied to the cloth or in textiles where the image is embedded parallels: weaving is constructed through a series of interacting
in the cloth construction - weaving for example. There are drawings threads - lines, which an experienced practitioner can manipulate to
‘’The weaver starts not with a single, about textiles, structure and process, and drawings about design
continuous line of yarn but with one create tonal effects, linear ‘marks’ and layers.
and decoration. The textiles influence permeates the Fine Art
set of parallel lines, the warp strung
lengthwise, through which another context, with artists such as Teresa Whitfield, a 2009 Jerwood
line, the weft is threaded crosswise Drawing Prize exhibitor, building an impressive body of work
alternately over and under the warp around Textiles references and Roanna Wells whose artistic
strings. If the weft is all of one colour, practice focuses on both the portrayal of the intricacies of drawing
then the finished cloth will appear as and stitch and also the ways in which this can be used to represent
an unbroken homogenous surface.
conceptual themes.There is some very interesting activity emerging
However by introducing wefts of
different colours it is easy to produce where contemporary textile makers are developing a more explicit
straight transverse stripes of any relationship between textiles practice and drawing, and a number of
desired thickness, From a distance, weavers developing drawing using both jacquard and hand
these will look like lines drawn across weaving techniques. The weaver Laura Thomas has produced a
1
the material’’ (Ingold, T, 2007, Lines A series of landscape works which she has called jacquard sketches
Brief History, pp 62) 2
(Thomas, 2007, web portfolio images). Ismini Samanidou
presents work in which the drawing content is clearly evident in
underpinning the weaving practice – however recent samples of
Figure 4. Woven Textile Drawing on the loom July 2012
144
Research Process ‘‘The design which is woven into the fabric forms an integral part of
the textile as the artist /weaver constructs the image and surface
The project required some criteria & parameters. I decided to take simultaneously’’ iii (Colette, C, 2010, Found in translation – Studies
a hand weaving approach, using a 4 shaft table loom: hand craft in Material Thinking, pp1)
allows for direct intervention and a greater degree of control,
through slow production, facilitates experimentation with process, Freedom from the constraints of textile design convention is a
and is less governed by counting systems and pre-defined challenging approach for an experienced weaving practitioner – but
weaving structures. The intention to make a drawing was at the I was able to use prior drawing knowledge to effect a paradigm shift
core of the work, and so I used a limited colour palette and organic in the way I approached creating a piece of work on a loom.
based yarns– linen, silk and cotton, to align better with traditional
notions of drawing and associated materials. I had no intention of
making a piece of weaving which was a translation of an existing
sketch or reproduction of an image which may already exist on
paper, and so there was no plan or pre-drawing at all – I was
aiming for honesty in exploring drawing ideas through making. I
used the project to develop a new approach - liberation from design
convention such as repeat, pattern and structure, forced a different
thought process to emerge. Structural integrity became unimportant
as experiments are not destined for an end use where this is
required. I also felt that it was essential to accept some
compromise of the quality of aesthetic in the interests of genuine
enquiry. Using these parameters as a guide I created a series of
weaving sketches, which embody the ideas and thinking around a
drawing approach.

There are of course some limitations, (which may provide a focus Figure 5. Woven Textile Drawing July 2012
for further research): In order to weave you need a loom – and
therein lies a new set of challenges: tension changes, on and off
the loom and can have a dramatic effect on the textile. The view of
Research Outcomes
the piece in progress is often restricted - disappearing around the Describing the ability to draw well is difficult due to the evasive
loom unlike a paper based drawing. The vertical and horizontal nature of a definition for drawing, as Deana Petherbridge
nature of the process provides limitations and creating curves is describes: ‘‘Drawing, however seldom attracts consensus views.
difficult and time consuming, and unlike conventional drawing Instead it invites frustration or obsession in attempting to clarify
practice you are making the surface and the drawing at the same something which is slippery and irresolute in its fluid status as
time, as in Tapestry construction. performative act and idea; as sign, and symbol and signifier: as
conceptual diagram as well as medium and process and technique
iv
with many uses, manifestations and applications’’
145
(Petherbridge,D,2008, Writing on Drawing, pp27) A summary of the 4. Lasky,R, The Armory Show NYC, 2009
qualities of good drawing has been a helpful way to think. The http://www.thearmoryshow.com/photographs/2009.html
5. Colette, C, Found in translation – Studies in Material Thinking,
following definition from the artist Michael Craig Martin seems to
Vol. 4 (September 2010), ISSN 1177-6234,
offer scope to transfer the ideas across a range of media and 6. Petherbridge, D, Nailing the Liminal: The Difficulties of Defining
contexts, and applies as much to a maker of textiles as it might to Drawing, Writing on Drawing, Essays on Drawing Practice and
any other discipline. ‘‘In 1994 Michael Craig Martin wrote an essay Research, Intellect 2008
for another Arts Council exhibition of drawings where he also 7. Farthing, S, Dirtying the Paper Delicately, Pg 24
8. Marshall, R, Sawdon, P, 2012, hyperdrawiing, Beyond the Lines
avoided hard and fast definitions and instead offered a check list of
of Contemporary Art, pp viii
qualities he felt all good drawings should possess: ‘’…spontaneity,
9. Meskimmon, M, 2012, hyperdrawiing, Beyond the Lines of
creative speculation, experimentation, directness, simplicity, Contemporary Art, pp xi
abbreviation, expressiveness, immediacy, personal vision,
technical diversity, modesty of means, rawness, fragmentation,
v
discontinuity, unfinishedness and open endedness’’ (Farthing, T,
2005, Dirtying the Paper Delicately, pp27) All of these qualities can
also be applied to making and weaving, most importantly in the
experimental and developmental stages. My work fits with the
parameters and definition of Hyper drawing: ‘‘Hyperdrawing partly
emerged from this bounding of the space, taking a broader and
unconstrained approach, beyond rather than between – where
drawing could be identified across any and all material
vi
approaches’’ (Marshall, R, Sawdon, P, hyperdrawing, pp viii) In
this context Marsha Meskimmon also talks about ‘‘drawing’s
exceptional ability to materialize thresholds between disciplinary
fields or conceptual territories while engaging with many modes of
vii
making at once’’ (Meskimmon, M, hyperdrawing, 2012, pp xi)
Direct Intervention in the process has brought about a more ‘poetic’
result, pushing the boundaries of my expertise and knowledge of
process. A conscious intention to draw has brought about a
paradigm shift in my approach to the weaving process. I am not
designing but drawing.
References
1. Ingold, T, 2007, Lines A Brief History, pp 62
2. Thomas,L, 2007 Web Site
http://www.laurathomas.co.uk/gallery/sketch/4
3. Caekenbergh, P, The Armory Show NYC 2009
http://www.thearmoryshow.com/photographs/2009.html
146
Moving Target: The Modification of Intent when Making a Pair of Scissors

Philip Luscombe Abstract objects. In the terminology of the most enthusiastic pioneers,
Northumbria University making has been ‘democratised’.
We present a reflection on a case study, during which a pair of
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK industrially produced scissors were reverse engineered to In this paper, we reflect on a practice-based case study that aims to
philip.luscombe@northumbria.ac.uk investigate the practice of creating high quality, functional objects in contribute to an understanding of how things can be made ‘well’ in
low volumes. Contextualized by contemporary debates on the the context of contemporary low volume production. As part of a
Paul Rodgers future of making, and evaluated with reference to anthropologist larger PhD project, which draws upon existing research in quality,
Northumbria University Tim Ingold’s descriptions of production, this paper observes the craft and the practice of making, studies such as the one presented
Newcastle upon Tyne importance of balancing design intent with the realities of material
NE1 8ST UK here are being used to inform, evaluate and support an exploration
engagement. It introduces the idea of prioritising certain formal of ‘quality’ at this scale of production. The study discussed below,
paul.rodgers@northumbria.ac.uk
qualities over others during the making process. The paper is in which a pair of scissors was reverse engineered, was devised to
Jayne Wallace intended to accompany an exhibition of the scissors and provoke explore the relationship between design intent and its realisation,
University of Dundee discussion around issues of ‘quality’ in low volume production and during the low volume production of high quality, functional objects.
Dundee the practices of making.
DD1 4HT
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk Without wanting to disregard the importance of increasingly
Author Keywords sophisticated material possessing, we suggest that contemporary
Rickard Whittingham Digital Fabrication; Hylomorphism; Craft; Making; discussion of low volume production might be based upon a
Northumbria University misconception of making, one which prioritises the realisation of
Newcastle upon Tyne accuracy above the ambiguities of material engagement. Our
NE1 8ST UK Introduction attempt to reverse engineer the scissors, to try and realise a fully
rickard.whittingham@northumbria.ac.uk
The increased accessibility of computer-controlled machines, such specified design intent, provides an opportunity to investigate this
as laser cutters, CNC routers and 3D printers can offer makers a understanding. Through reference to anthropologist Tim Ingold’s
new degree of dimensional accuracy at reduced costs. Combined work on the practice of making, and reflection upon the process of
with online information sharing, these technologies might, hand filing the scissor blades, we discuss the modification of design
according to some, lead to the development of artisanal, locally intent that characterised the production process. We introduce the
relevant forms of production, radically affecting consumption habits idea that it is the prioritisation of certain formal qualities over others,
and inspiring widespread user-led product innovation (Gershenfeld, throughout the making process, which can usefully inform the
2005, Lipson & Kurman, 2010, Anderson, 2012). Whereas accurate modification of intent.
form generation was once the preserve of either high-volume,
repeat production, or the result of highly skilled manual work, it can
now be achieved efficiently during the manufacture of one-off

147
Two kinds of making engagement and improvisation, provides us with a useful basis
from which to consider the peculiarities of low volume production.
Tim Ingold argues that scholars of material culture could benefit
by shifting their attention away from finished objects, and towards We suggest that the enthusiasm surrounding digital manufacturing
the relationship between practitioners and materials. In the fields technologies could be considered consistent with a ‘hylomorphic’
of anthropology and archaeology, these views have not gone understanding of production. The computer generated design, fully
undisputed (e.g. Miller, 2007). But what are most useful to this specified in all dimensions and laser sintered into a bed of powder
study are Ingold’s counteractive explorations into the practice of is a powerful example of humankind’s control of materials.
making, through which he develops the case for ‘a better Evidence indeed of our ability to transcribe pre-existent, ideal forms
appreciation of the material flows and currents of sensory onto an initially formless material substrate.
awareness within which both ideas and things reciprocally take
shape’ (2011, p.10). Through the case study documented here, we investigate whether
this conception of production, which sees preconceived forms
Ingold observes two conceptions of making – one which sees the being accurately realised in material, is appropriate whilst making
maker begin with a fully-formed, preconceived intent, to be functional objects at the low volume scale. How can design intent
imposed upon the material world; and an alternative vision, which be balanced with the realities of material engagement?
acknowledges improvisation through engagement with the world
of materials. In his criticism of the former model, Ingold explains
Making a pair of scissors
that to see making as serving ‘merely to transcribe pre-existent,
ideal forms onto an initially formless material substrate’ (2011, To explore this relationship between design intent and material
Figure 1. Original scissors in packaging
p.10) is an understanding that fails to account for the engagement during low volume production, in part inspired by
The design classic was selectively improvisatory realities of productive work. Drawing upon the work Ingold’s idea of transcribing pre-existing, ideal forms into an initially
sampled from Phaidon’s Design Classics of philosophers Deleuze and Guatarri (2004, pp.449-51), Ingold formless material substrate, we have attempted to transcribe a pre-
(Phaidon, 2006) book, as an object of
considers this misconception of making to founded on a existent, ideal form into initially formless material substrates. Or, as
manageable size and complexity. Whilst it
is difficult to properly define the merits of a hylomorphic understanding (Ingold, 2010). we put it, reverse engineer a ‘design classic’ – a pair of scissors
‘design classic’ (a term so closely (see Fig. 1.).
associated with marketing hyperbole), it Hylomorphism, from the Greek hyle (matter) and morphe (form),
might at least be possible to say that, by is a way of thinking about production that can be traced back to The attributes of the scissors – their form, weight, colour, texture,
evidence of their continuing reproduction,
Aristotle. Ingold argues that, in western thought, hylomorphic mechanical action, resistance to decay etc. – provided the ideal
such products have been proven to be of
an acceptable standard over a relatively thinking has become ever more dominant and increasingly that we would attempt to realise exactly. Through trying to create
long period of time, and therefore useful unbalanced, with form being ‘seen as imposed by an agent with a an accurate facsimile, we have been forced to honour a
as a standard for an exploration of ‘quality’ particular design in mind, answering to his or her purpose, while preconceived intent, without the option of redesigning parts to suit
in low volume production. matter – thus rendered passive and inert – became that which processes or materials more appropriate for low volume
was imposed upon ’(2013, p.37). manufacture. We have, in a sense, enacted a ‘hylomorphic’
approach to production. We acknowledge that this is an impractical
The distinction between this hylomorphic conception of making approach to design and manufacture, which has resulted in an
and Ingold’s alternative, which acknowledges real-world material artefact of grossly uncompetitive expense. But, where other
148
projects (e.g. Droog (2011)) might use designerly ingenuity to Making the blades
navigate the limitations of low-volume production technologies, this
approach is designed to test those limits. Against the challenges The scissor blades are made from RWL34, a stainless steel
and material resistances of the real world, where would the intent marketed to knife makers. Whilst the blades were waterjet cut,
be modified? In what ways would we fail? heat-treated and laser marked in collaboration with specialists,
Luscombe filed the facets and edges by hand (see Figure 4.).
Method
Hand filing the stainless steel blades was a time-consuming
The inquiry was based around a reflective, autobiographical process, taking 23 hours in total. Whilst it may have been sensible
account of the making process (Schön, 1983), conducted by Philip to enlist the help of a blade grinding specialist, rather than
Luscombe, one of this paper’s authors. This method drew upon the undertake this part of the work ‘in-house’, the process of trying to
approaches of anthropological studies of productive work (see match the original blades became a valuable investigation into the
Rosner, 2012 and Ingold, 2011, pp.51–62) and practice-based relationship between design intent and material engagement.
design research.
In his work on Chinese zisha potters, Gowlland describes how craft
To make the scissors, Luscombe collaborated with specialist practitioners can develop a personal style by seeking ‘variation
manufacturers on a professional basis and undertook simple hand within repetition’ (2009, p.135), by balancing their intent, a degree
finishing operations himself. He began by creating a 3D computer of perfectionism and the varied outcomes that come from material
model of the scissors, from which drawings could be provided to engagement in the real world. Whilst Luscombe would stop short of
collaborating manufacturers (see Fig. 2.). Outside of the applying notions of personal style to his inexpert filing of stainless
collaborations, Luscombe had access only to simply hand tools steel, it was a modification of intent, similar to the variations
(such as files, a scalpel, a clamp etc.) to create the scissors. This incorporated by zisha artisans, that informed his approach to
method was devised to recreate the making conditions of the ‘real shaping the blades.
world’, with all its difficulties and resistances, beyond the luxury of a
well-equipped workshop. Records of all work, including the time The modification of intent was, in this case, a tolerance of variation
taken on each job, notes on each process, costs and discussions from the original scissors. Unusually, the ‘intent’ was already fully
with collaborators, was kept throughout production. defined, more so than any technical drawing, because it already
existed as the original scissors. Every quality of the originals, down
Data from the records, the finished scissors and the originals are to the sound the blades make as they pass one another, can be
exhibited in this conference’s exhibition. We would encourage measured and checked. Throughout the project, therefore, efforts
readers to examine and compare the scissors in the exhibition, to accurately make any part of the scissors were characterised by
testing for themselves the different qualities of each. In this short continual failure.
paper, we describe just the production of the scissor blades,
focusing upon the process of hand filing the facets and edges. From the record of production, it can be seen that this failure (the
Figure 2. Line drawing generated from 3D
model of scissors. modification of intent) was guided by the prioritisation of certain
formal qualities over others. From those qualities that Luscombe
could affect on the blades (including, for example, the direction of
149
the ‘grind’ or the angle of the surfaces), the inaccuracy that References
appeared least acceptable was the lack of flatness to the facets.
1. Anderson, C. (2012). Makers: the new industrial revolution. London:
Through choosing to prioritise flattening the surfaces, Luscombe
Random House
deemed the shape, size and angle of the facets to be less
1 2. Deleuze, G. and Guatarri, F. (2004). A Thousand Plateaus: capitalism
important than their flatness . Other qualities could deviate from the
original more freely, whilst he concentrated on the flatness. By this and schizophrenia. London: Continuum
stage, the design intent had become a ‘moving target’ (Ingold, 3. Droog (2011). ‘Design for Download’ Available at:
2011, p.217), no longer fully represented by the original scissors, http://www.drooglab.com/projects/events/design-for-download/
but a concept responding to the results of the filing and guided by (Accessed: 31 May 2013)
the principle of flatness.
4. Gershenfeld, N. (2005). FAB: The Coming Revolution to Your Desktop –
Figure 3. Marking blade edge From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication. New York:
Conclusion Basic Books
Of course, it might just be the researcher’s lack of physical skill that 5. Gowlland, G. (2009). Style, Skill and Modernity in the Zisha Pottery of
necessitated deviation from the intent. Had he employed an expert China. The Journal of Modern Craft, 2(2), 129–141
blade grinder, it may have been possible to satisfy all requirements
6. Ingold T. (2010). The Textility of Making. Cambridge Journal of
of the design. Unfortunately, making the other scissor components,
Economics, 34, 91–102
including those utilising the skills of expert collaborators and
digitally controlled manufacturing processes, was consistent with 7. Ingold, T. (2011). Being Alive: essays on movement, knowledge and
the experience of resistance, failure and adjustment described description. Abingdon: Routledge
here. 8. Ingold, T. (2013). Making: anthropology, archaeology, art and
architecture. Abingdon: Routledge
We suggest that the continual adjustment of intent is critical to the
Figure 4. Hand filing blade edge 9. Lipson, H. & Kurman, M. (2010) Factory @ Home: The Emerging
low volume production of high quality objects. We have described
Note from Luscombe’s record: “I found it Economy of Personal Fabrication. A report commissioned by the
how this can be informed by the prioritisation of certain formal
difficult to create a flat surface by hand U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy.
qualities over others, and believe that the development of such
and, without care, the edges would round
ideas can lead to a better understanding of how to make things 10. Miller, D. (2007) Stone Age or Plastic Age?. Archaeological Dialogues,
off, causing the blades not to catch light in
one sharp glint, as with the original ‘well’ in the context of contemporary low volume production. The 14(1), 27–30
scissors, but in a rolling band that formed example of the scissor blades shows that, even with the most Phaidon (2006). Phaidon Design Classics. London: Phaidon Press
a gradient across their surface.” thoroughly specified of designs, making processes can come to
11. Rosner, DK. (2012). The material practices of collaboration, in
rely more on values and concepts (such as that of flatness), than
Proceedings of Computer Supported Cooperative Work
any preconceived, ideal form.
conference, February 11–15, 2012, Seattle, Washington, USA.
pp. 1155–1164

12. Schön, DA. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think
in action. New York: Basic Books
1
Unfortunately, there is not space enough to reflect on the decision to
prioritise ‘flatness’ in this paper.
150
Reading By Starlight: An Exploration Into Making Space Data Physical And
Personally Meaningful
James Thomas Abstract new ways for people to connect with space in an intimate, human
1
Northumbria University context.
NASA’s Kepler space telescope continually monitors the brightness
Newcastle upon Tyne
of over 150,000 stars, looking for periodic minuscule dips in
NE1 8ST UK Author Keywords
james.e.thomas@northumbria.ac.uk brightness caused by planets orbiting them. The science this
instrument is doing is astonishing; finding worlds that are orbiting Design; Digital; Meaningfulness; Open Space Data; Kepler Space
Jayne Wallace stars so distant and dim they are not visible to the human eye. Telescope; Physical Data
University of Dundee Despite this the Kepler telescope and the data it generates is so
Dundee
disconnected from our personal experience of the world it could be
DD1 4HT
s.j.wallace@dundee.ac.uk argued to be meaningless to us.
Jon Rogers This work is part of a larger “Turning Space Data into Physical
University of Dundee Apps” project, in collaboration with the open.NASA.gov initiative,
Dundee aimed at addressing this disconnect. Open data usually aims to
DD1 4HN UK
bring transparency to statistical and computational processes. Our
work explores an alternative approach focused on embedding
David McGloin space data into a domestic object to evoke a different kind of
University of Dundee connection with data and space, centring on personal meanings
Dundee and daily life.
DD1 4HN UK
d.mcgloin@dundee.ac.uk
The “Reading by starlight” piece harnesses Kepler data from a
particular star to dictate the brightness and intensity of a reading
Michael Shorter
University of Dundee lamp. The light is encompassed within a form, which takes
Dundee inspiration from a Kepler-Poinsot solid, discovered by the Figure 1. The Reading by Starlight lamp projecting a representation of
DD1 4HN UK telescope’s namesake Johannes Kepler. Planetary transits produce distant starlight upon a surface. Space data encompassed within a
mail@mrshorter.co.uk meaningful form.
subtle dips in brightness as detected by the telescope. Through
gently embedding space data in the light, we are exploring new
Alicia Llewellyn ways for NASA’s data to have fresh meaning for people and also
NASA
1
Johnson Space Centre The current form has been exhibited at SXSW Interactive 2013, Edinburgh
Houston, Texas Science Festival 2013 and at the Digital Futures exhibition, Victoria and
77058 USA Albert Museum, London 2013 and will be exhibited at London Design
Festival 2013.
alicia.llewellyn@nasa.gov
151

In recent years the United States government has been undergoing An initial set of playful ideas (Fig 2) was refined through exploration
a process of promoting “Open Governance”, stemming from the of the quality of the data available and discussions with NASA,
Open Government Directive (United States of America, 2009) producing a smaller set of manageable and worthwhile projects.
aiming to increase transparency, participation and collaboration. To Reading by Starlight and the work described by Shorter et al (2013,
adhere to this policy the National Aeronautics and Space forthcoming) represent the most developed of these.
Administration (NASA) published an Open Government Plan
(NASA, 2010), opening their datasets and source code and Reading by Starlight started with an exploration of the methods of
organizing hacking events to produce new technology and build a the Kepler Space Telescope and the context of the data it collects.
Figure 2. Initial idea sketches. Discussion wider community around NASA. Past involvement by members of An orbiting telescope continually observing more than 150,000
of potential physical manifestations of our team in one such event, the “International Space Apps stars over a 105 square degree portion of the sky. Any planets
space data. These ranged from the Challenge”, led to an invitation from NASA to begin a longer term orbiting these stars will periodically block a small portion of the
whimsical, such as painting with the project with them under the title “Turning Space Data into Physical starlight if their orbit passes between their star and earth. In
palette of celestial bodies, to more literal
projects such as 3D printed moon terrain.
Apps” (Llewellyn, A., 2013). detecting these “transits” the Kepler mission has discovered 132
confirmed planets as of May 2013 (NASA, 2013) with a potential
The released data, whilst technically open, requires skill and pool of 18,406 other potential transiting planet signals (Tenenbaum
knowledge to access, perhaps meeting the goals of open et al, 2013).
governance but as a wider non-specialist resource remains
impenetrable to many and could be more valuable with easier Given the ability of the telescope to discover new and unique solar
access. As such the data represents an interesting challenge to the systems the work has received considerable press attention. The
designer. One temptation might be to pursue the goal of making the raw data itself is released quarterly to the public, most accessible
data understandable by designing infographics, but this adds little via planethunters.org, a crowdsourcing effort to reveal further
to connect people on a more personal level to space and the data planetary systems hidden in the data (Schwamb et Al, 2012). Like
derived from there. Our approach was to firstly consider space data much modern science however this has no real connection to day
as a provocative lens on our own frames of reference of things like to day life. Reading By Starlight proposed to take the light from
scale and time as well as our experiences as humans and to these stars and make it bright enough to read by, whilst still
secondly value space data as a material to design with. We maintaining the signal contained, presenting a means to forge a
Figure 3. Reading by Starlight lamp,
developed a series of design ideas and prototypes (Fig. 2) relationship between the user and a newly discovered planetary
being used for its intended purpose, as a
reading light. It’s purposeful and subtle embedding the data within physical artefacts and this paper will system.
imperfection providing a link to the wider discuss one of these designs: Reading by Starlight here. Further,
universe during a mundane activity. we propose that the approach of embodying data thoughtfully The telescope’s namesake, Johannes Kepler, perhaps most
within artefacts in the domestic space could allow otherwise sterile
famous for his laws of planetary motion, also conducted important
data to be put on a human scale and foster emotional connection to
work in astronomy, optics and mathematics. One lesser known
the majestic astronomical objects producing it, without undue focus
discovery was a group of polyhedra with star-like aesthetics.
on the information itself.
Designing the lamp with inspiration from one of these forms, the
152
Great Dodecahedron (shown below in Fig. 6), allowed a drawing smoothing removed both the signal and noise, after
together of both his pivotal historical work and the present work experimentation with several smoothing functions in code,
done in his name. The visually unusual shape has also helped observation of the resulting time-series revealed a Gaussian
prompt discussion around the piece when exhibited. binomial smoothing of 100 passes produces a light suitable for
reading but also containing subtle transit data (shown red in Fig. 5).
Discussion
Further work is required to develop Reading by Starlight into a
refined lamp (we are experimenting with porcelain for example), but
the process has already raised early insights.
From the first attempt at giving this data physical form, though
Figure 4. Very early exploration of the connecting a bare LED (Fig. 4) to the data, it immediately attracted
data through a small LED form with intrigue from visiting design students and researchers. An object
external electronics. that is now so commonplace (an LED) was being discussed with
awe and fascination that via something so small the discovery of
planets was being witnessed. When exhibiting the Reading by
Starlight lamp to space program staff and interested laypeople at
2
SXSW one viewer commented that he found it moving that he was
tangibly connected to something (space) so huge and so distant
through an object that felt so intimate, homely and human. Bringing
space data into our domestic environments at a human scale
Figure 6. Side view of non-illuminated lamp showing Kepler-Poinsot Great opens up an interesting design space. It is thought-provoking to
Dodecahedron form. This represents a prototype, consisting of a Fusion explore how space data can be woven into gentle everyday
Depositional Modelled ABS body, encapsulating an LED module and driving experiences, like the reading of a book to create around these
electronics.
small acts and small daily occurrences potentially very powerful
Using the telescope’s data to provide light suitable for reading experiences.
presented several challenges. Firstly transiting the data cannot be Revealing what the light represents (science discovering wholly
observed at true brightness or speed, planets only block a small new and vastly distant worlds) comments from members of the
Figure 5. Telescope flux data spanning fraction of the light (in the order of 1/10000 of the full brightness of
12.5 days of Kepler-19’s light, signal public when exhibited indicated it inspired awe, as such discoveries
the star) and transit data typically exists on the order of hours, days rightly merit. Rather than the Kepler data being viewed as a
show represents only 0.1% of total
sensor counts. Released flux data (black) or months (Fig 5). Scaling the data in amplitude and timescale spectacle interest it is lived with through a lamp; a personal object,
was smoothed to produce values suitable made the data visible but resulted in a very distracting flicker daily, for potentially years.
to produce light to read by (red). certainly unsuited to reading. The source of this turned out to be
combination of noise from the sensors, variable star light output
and things other than planets blocking light. Naive attempts at 2
SXSW Interactive 2013
153
In a society overrun by novelty and change amazing scientific finds References

can be lost amongst the clamour, even to those with an interest. Edwards, C. (2011) Article title is italicised Publication Name, Issue No.
Our digital tools offer access to a wealth of knowledge but also a (Volume No.). pp 1-12
glut of distractions. With design we can make small monuments to Llewellyn, A. (2013) March 6, Turning Space Data into Physical Apps,
these scientific revelations knitted together with our day to day open.NASA blog [Online], Available:
lives, using physical artefacts on an intimate personal scale to slip http://open.nasa.gov/blog/2013/03/06/turning-space-data-into-
physical-apps/ [28 May 2013]
by our otherwise overwhelmed imaginations.
NASA (2010) Open Government Plan, [Online], Available:
This further step of embedding the data in a domestic object is very http://open.nasa.gov/plan/print/ [28 May 2013]
Figure 7. Illumination pattern and

important, allowing space data to mesh with our own daily rhythms NASA, (2013) Kepler Discoveries, Kepler homepage [Online], Available:
provides a means to step beyond the spectacle and form a http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/ [31 May 05]
translucency of current lamp.
personal lasting connection with the object and the larger Schwamb, M.E., Lintot T, C.J., Fischer D.A., Giguere M.J., Lynn, S., Smith,
processes it represents. A.M., Brewer, J.M., Parrish, M., Schawinski, K., and Simpson,
R.J. (2012) Planet Hunters: Assessing the Kepler Inventory of
This is by no means a universal approach. Care must be taken to Short-period Planet, The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 754, no. 2,
August,
choose a data source which can be represented with a simple,
easily comprehensible action (be it light, motion, or otherwise). Shorter, M., Metcalfe, T., Rogers, J., Napier, A., Wallace, J., and Thomas J.
(2013, forthcoming) The Loneliness of the Roving Martian Robot:
More complex processes needing contemplation would prove a The Mini Mars Rover, Praxis and Poetics: Research Through
different challenge and this approach may not work. Thought must Design proceedings
be given to abstraction of data in the process, in this instance the Tenenbaum, P., Jenkins, J.M., Seader, S., Burke, C.J., Christiansen, J.L.,
smoothing of the light and speeding of the data. A balance must be Rowe, J.F., Caldwell, D.A., Clarke, B.D., Li, J., Quintana, E.V.,
found between providing a more persuasive object and the cost of Smith, J.C., Thompson, S.E., and Twicken, J.D., (2013) Detection
of Potential Transit Signals in the First Twelve Quarters of Kepler
diluting the connection to the real physical process. Mission Data, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement, vol 206,
no.1, article 5
Space data presents a rich relatively untapped resource for
designers, and through techniques such as that discussed in this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND
BUDGET (2009) Open Government Directive, [Online], Available:
paper, design can provide an emotive day to day connection of the http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/memora
Figure 8. Prototype as a table-lamp type needed to celebrate scientific discoveries and provide the nda_2010/m10-06.pdf [28 May 2013]
impetus for us to keep pushing boundaries. This lamp, alongside its
useful purpose of illumination provides a subtle bond with a larger
context outside our atomized piecemeal lives, prompting an
opportunity to step back, look up, admire the universe and feel
connected.
154
Utopian Dreaming

Seton Wakenshaw Abstract conceive of spaces that better reflect the needs of society we
Northumbria University should consider that we may even need to create a shield against
As we move rapidly to a world environment that may not be the the realities of life.
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK utopia that has been predicted we better understand the sparsity of
Seton.wakenshaw@northumbria.ac.uk space within our urban realm and the increasing lack of leisure time Rapid prototyping alongside traditional modeling techniques will be
that we may enjoy. When considering these aspects compounded harnessed in the manufacture of models to communicate ideas and
Lucy Marlor we should be concerned, particularly in light of population growth. propositions and ultimately raise debate and conjecture as part of
Northumbria University Popular culture often paints a picture of an uninhabitable planet
Newcastle upon Tyne the ‘Praxis + Poetics’ conference. Resultant feedback will advance
where living space may be the most valuable resource. Should this the “Utopian Dreaming” project to the next stage of what is
NE1 8ST UK
Lucy.marlor@northumbria.ac.uk
be any form of prophecy then we should start to better consider expected to be a series of outputs with the ultimate goal of creating
how we use the available but unused interior and exterior spaces workable solutions to this hot topic of debate.
David Dalziel within our urban environments.
Dalziel and Pow
5-8 Hardwick Street
Author Keywords
This paper reports on research undertaken collectively by Interior
London
Design Academics and an industry professional of high standing, Design; Collaboration; Urban; Utopia; Dystopia; Interior; Exterior
EC1R 4RG UK
David Dalziel (Creative Director at Dalziel and Pow - expert in
brand environments and communications within our cities). We
propose a series of new three-dimensional works that will inform
future urban planning, from a user’s stand-point. These will evolve

through playful and speculative thoughts and result in objects as
talking points in beginning to make a directional response to the
challenges our towns and cities face going forward.

Our research has considered whether we should look to brave and
arguably irrational propositions from the past such as Dreamland,

New York which “in fact alienated a part of the earth’s surface
further from nature than architecture has ever succeeded in doing
before, and turned it into a magic carpet that can reproduce
experience and fabricate almost any sensation; sustain any number
of ritualistic performances that exorcise the apocalyptic penalties of

the modern condition.... and survive the onslaught of over a million
visitors a day.” (Koolhaas. 1994, pg 61). In order to visualise and
155

As the natives looked out, with deadened eyes, upon the chaos This is the first stage of the ‘Utopian Dreaming’ project and as such
and carnage they called home, young children circled the dystopian will aim to identify ‘lost’ areas of our urban realm that have potential
landscape like scavengers looking for a future. The speculative to enrich our lives through designed urban interactions and
utopian architecture had not predicted this ‘science fiction’ but had insertions that encourage a better connection with our towns and
instead created a territory for it to evolve. cities. Three-dimensional representations of an intrinsically
beautiful and intriguing nature will be produced to communicate
Not a quote but a prediction for the future, and hopefully one we findings. Further debate, encouraged by these representations, will
can do something about. How may we extract utopia from highlight and enforce relevant topics and lead to further primary
dystopia? The following text starts to dissect the ideas of utopia research to advance the ‘Utopian Dreaming’ project.
and dystopia and how they inform one another. Let us try to ensure
that the Orwellian condition does not materialise. Visuals illustrate the early stages of the project below with key
importance placed on the idea of locating ‘lost’ spaces, within our
“The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or urban realm, that offer opportunities for development. This will take
justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no place through the insertion of ideas and three-dimensional notions
emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. that enrich our daily lives.
Everything else we shall destroy — everything” (Orwell, 1949)
Figures 1 & 2. Unused ‘negative Research Outcomes
space’ is identified by a volumetric Utopia describes an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas
representation upon a generic New More’s Utopia (1516) as enjoying perfection in law and politics, of In starting to consider the utopian dream it would seem inevitable
York case study. being an ideal place or state. Essentially it is a visionary idea of the that the perfect state can only exist based upon perfection, in the
creation of the perfect environment within which we would live and decision-making and planning regarding our urban realm. It must
exist. Dystopia, however, could not offer more in contrast, it defines also consider the occupants within that realm and how they may
a society where human misery, squalor, oppression, disease and evolve as a community given their surroundings and also how they
overcrowding are endemic. Where there is very little sense of may enable those surroundings to evolve. There is a high degree of
optimism for the future, each day is a grind. control in doing this, how do we support communities and
individuals to make decisions to enable independence whilst also
The primary focus within this research is to better understand real ensuring that there is ultimate control over a state’s development?
urban realms that illustrate the ideas of utopia. Key texts, such as Strategic planning, architecture and design must play a large part in
Delirious New York will be analysed, with the aim of determining creating places and spaces that allow people ‘independence’ and
how utopia may be achievable or at least how we may improve our ‘choice’.
daily living and life experience in the first instance.
156
Popular culture and cinematography play a significant part in how ‘lung’ for urban New Yorkers, the location and proximity was
our urban spaces are responded to, used and abused and if we are perfect. And as New York evolved from city to metropolis, by 1860,
to believe such fiction “At the end of the 21st century, global the leisure space that Coney offered became critical, visitors
chemical war left the planet nearly uninhabitable.” And “Living arrived on mass. Pleasure and entertainment the key and through
space is now Earth’s most valuable resource” (Vanderbilt, enthusiasm, bravery and the use of technology an antidote was
Bomback and Wimmer, 2012), then we should start to consider developed to counter the seriousness of the world, or at least
how we better use our vacant and underused space now. Thomas Manhattan. This is perhaps the closest we have ever come to
Sharp discussed the idea of a town being a “utility for collective utopia, if only for a moment and as a transient state.
living” (Sharp, 1940, pg 73), this positive notion has diminished
over time but could encapsulate solutions to the problems we The challenge is now to evaluate our existing underused urban

encounter within our towns and cities. Space acting as a lung for realm, the various types of space and building stock that we
the ‘city’ has become minimised and the aim is to reverse this potentially have at our disposal and how we may consider the
trend. utopian and dystopian ideas discussed, in developing design and
Figures 3 & 4. The linearity evident planning solutions that enrich human life, particularly in the context
within urban landscapes, such as
New York 1960 evidences the importance of collective living and of the city. We must however, never lose sight of the impact of
NewYork City, lead to research
focused on cubist forms. community. In the face of polarising ‘master builder’ Robert Moses, these decisions both positive and negative in ensuring progress is
who had already dealt with “the loose strands and stray edges of in fact positive for all concerned.
the metropolitan of arterial tapestry” (Burns. R, 1999), by
decimating the outer boroughs of New York with a series of The ‘Utopian Dreaming’ project starts to consider a series of
expressways. His intention through urban renewal would rip the smaller ‘perfect states’ as a more realistic proposition to improving
heart from the communities of Soho and the West Village and this the underused cities that we inhabit. A series of strategically placed
“was not the rebuilding of cities but the sacking of cities” (Jacobs. ‘lungs’ within our urban realm that offer up small scale utopias that
1961), a potential dystopian reality. Jane Jacobs and her will enrich our individual and collective wellbeing.
community coalition fought the plans and ultimately won, and in so
doing proved the importance of community as an integral part of a A set of three models will be produced that sequentially illustrate
successful city and that you should ignore the end user at your our urban environment from the relative macro to micro. In doing so
peril! we look to draw a line under the inevitability of our potential
dystopian future.
Manhattan has been described as an “urban science fiction”
(Koolhaas, 1994, pg 15) However, not more than a 30 minute Model 1 will focus upon the existing urban environment, hand
subway ride away is the star of the show and instigator of the show crafted in oak to illustrate the permanence and, in part, beauty of
that Manhattan has become…….. Coney Island. the existing built environment. Citrine resin cast into the oak will
highlight areas for the potential improvement of our urban realm,
Discovered in 1609, prior to Manhattan, the original inhabitants, the while a 40mm thick perspex base will allow for a variety of sight
Canarsie Indians, named it “Place Without Shadows” a possible lines to communicate the wide range of possible opportunities.
nod towards the ‘attractions’ to come and ensure the fame and
notoriety that Coney encapsulates. The island was to become the
157
Model 2 will start to zoom into the pockets of the urban

environment that offer opportunities for development. The model
will again be constructed in Oak and citrine resin with a 40mm thick
Perspex base. Now at a larger scale the volumetric spaces will be
able to be more closely examined, to better illustrate and
communicate the proportion and type of spaces available whilst
also considering the human condition.
Model 3 will focus upon the opportunities ahead. Now at street

level and human in scale the oak and Perspex base remain but
rapid prototype abstract forms replace the citrine resin, which

highlighted opportunities in previous models. These are based
Figure 5. Further digital exploration
upon linearity within our major towns and cities and created to
and manipulation, maintaining an
integral grid framework, created spark discussion, based upon opportunities and the forgotten, as to
playful and intriguing three- how we better make use of and enrich our existing urban realm.
dimensional forms whilst continually This final model in the series, aims to engage the viewer further in
referencing the lineal volumes within the opportunities that we must all take responsibility within our
the urban realm. living urban environment.
References
1. Burns R. (1999) New York – The Center of the World, PBS
2. Koolhaas R. (1994) Delirious New York, The Monacelli Press
3. Jacobs J. (1961) Death and Life of Great American Cities, Modern
Library
4. Orwell G. (1949) 1984, Secker & Warburg
5. Sharp T. (1940) Town Planning, Pelican Books, Penguin
6. Vanderbilt J. Bomback M. and Wimmer K. (2012) Total Recall,
Columbia Pictures
Figure 6. Further notional insertions

begin to give new use and spectacle
to the highlighted spaces.
158
Design Fictions: Future Technology in Diegetic Worlds

Sarah Martindale Abstract by symbolic representations. Leading from this, we invite our
University of Nottingham research stakeholders to critically engage with VIVIEN,
Charting the Digital Lifespan is an interdisciplinary research project an envisioned digital estate planning service that enters peoples’
Nottingham
NG7 2TU, UK investigating the digital lifespan of UK citizens both now and in a lives and relationships in the transition to the digital afterlife, and
sarah.martindale@nottingham.ac.uk future where digital natives approach adulthood, become parents, gives ‘the double’ new cultural significance.
retire, and pass away. These four life transitions form loci
Abigail Durrant for focusing practice-based enquiry on digital personhood across
Author Keywords
Culture Lab the lifespan. Studying this as an emerging and ‘unmapped’
Newcastle University phenomenon calls for a methodological orientation that embraces Design fiction; critical design; digital personhood.
Newcastle upon Tyne
the world both as experienced and as envisioned. Within the
NE1 7RU, UK
abigail.durrant@newcastle.ac.uk
project’s work programme we are developing Design Fictions: Research Imperatives
compelling narratives formed through provocative conceptual
designs. The approach embeds fictional technologies The design exploration is motivated by a new interdisciplinary
in imaginatively crafted diegetic (story) worlds to serve narrative research project investigating the digital lifespan of UK citizens both
functions and anchor speculative thinking, rather than devising use now and in a future where digital natives approach adulthood,
case scenarios for prototypes. Our aim is to stimulate multiple, become parents, retire, and pass away. These four life transitions
alternative perspectives from the research stakeholders on possible form loci for engaging the research team with the concept of ‘digital
technology applications for future interactions, supporting personhood’ across the human lifespan. Bringing together
critical reflection on what the digital lifespan is (and is not) and what expertise in anthropology, interaction design, computer vision and
it could be. cultural studies, the project takes an empirical, experience-centred
approach to enquiry. Somewhat paradoxically, empirically studying
The first life transition being charted by the project is End of Life. the digital lifespan as an emerging and ‘unmapped’ phenomenon
Using Design Fictions we are interested in the version of self bound calls for a methodological orientation that embraces the world both
up in digital traces – simultaneously the same, but different from, as experienced and as envisioned. For a digital native at the
the individual that generates them – that persists after current time, the life transition into retirement is beyond one’s lived
physical death; and the socio-cultural fascination and anxiety experience; and a new challenge arises of how to generate
surrounding the potential for digital afterlife. The idea of ‘the double’ empirical, experiential insights about imagined near futures that are
resonates through folklore, poetry and literary theory, and extrapolated from current understandings, values and expectations.
the graphical, audio-visual and tangible objects that populate our
fictions tell stories that draw on powerful cultural associations: the To address this challenge, we are developing Design Fictions:
uncanny glimpse of the doppelganger; and what Barthes (1993) compelling narratives formed through provocative conceptual
described as punctum, the intensely subjective responses elicited designs. The Design Fiction approach embeds fictional
technologies in imaginatively crafted diegetic (story) worlds to serve
159
narrative functions and anchor speculative thinking (Bleecker, on the socio-cultural values and expectations that form around the
2009). Our aim is to stimulate multiple, alternative perspectives concept of the digital lifespan, and how these may shape and be
from the people who we engage in our research on possible shaped by the use of digital technologies to express personhood.
technology applications for future interactions, supporting
critical reflection on what the digital lifespan is (and is not), and Research Process
what it could be.
The first life transition being charted by the project is End of Life.
Design Fiction was coined by Julian Bleecker (2009) to describe Using Design Fictions, we are interested to explore how the self,
the potential of designed artefacts to serve as ‘props or bound up in digital traces, persists after physical death, and socio-
conversation pieces’ that invite speculation and reflection from cultural concerns surrounding the potential for digital afterlife. We
those interacting with them about possible worlds and imagined draw upon the idea of ‘the double’, a concept that resonates
contexts of use. The practice of Design Fiction draws on the notion throughout folklore, poetry and literary theory; and the graphical,
of diegetic prototypes (Kirby, 2010): compelling depictions of audio-visual and tangible objects that populate our fictions tell
completely artificial technologies embedded in fictional reality stories that draw on powerful cultural associations: the uncanny
(diegesis) as components of a story, which normalise these glimpse of the doppelganger; and what Barthes (1993) described
technologies as practical objects. The purpose of Design Fiction is as punctum, the intensely subjective responses elicited by symbolic
to facilitate exploration of socio-cultural frameworks for projecting representations.
images of the future through the reference points that connect
technological possibilities with lived human experience. We have chosen to distil issues of digital persistence after physical
death into the story of one couple and digital mediation of their
Arguably, Design Fictions is aligned with an established discourse relationship at a point of crisis. The process of developing the
about critical-reflective approaches to creative design practice, narrative took the form of creative dialogue between the authors,
including those pioneered by Dunne and Raby (2001), which are which focused on exploring a number of key themes: the impact of
concerned with designing for the world as it could be, rather than serious illness on scope of digital investment; unintended
as it exists now. Design Fiction “is a way of materializing ideas and consequences of technological interventions at sensitive moments;
speculations without the pragmatic curtailing that often happens potential estrangement engendered by a digital proxy; and the
when dead weights are fastened to the imagination” (Bleecker, unquantifiable value of personal significance derived from human
2009, p. 6). A feature of that legacy work is that, positioned outside memory and embodied experience.
of the constructive imperatives of mainstream product development
(to deliver to consumer markets), it creates the conceptual space The fiction we have designed (a short prose account of which is
for negative or dystopian experiences and envisionings to be given provided below) is constituted by various artefacts: visual (photos
visibility alongside positive, utopian ones, to capture and invite and graphics, Figs. 1 and 2); performative (audio monologues);
reflection on the rich, multivoicedness of ‘real’ life. physical (props). In workshops, research stakeholders are invited to
engage, cognitively, emotionally, and tangibly, with the narrative
Importantly, our objective is not to forecast the future; rather it is to world of the fiction encapsulated by the design artefacts. The
gather understandings of the digital lifespan as it is currently purpose of designing a fiction in this multi-modal form is to
experienced and envisioned. By doing this, we hope to shed light represent it as a complex alternative reality with several points of
160
entry. The artefacts are made meaningful by the narrative context Iris quickly realised that this wasn’t the best way to deal with things
in which they are situated but possess their own distinct though. John was spending ages keeping up with it all. Then he
significance and resonate differently for each participant. In the pointed out an advert to her – it had popped up in one of her SNS
workshop we want participants to consider and discuss the feeds – for VIVIEN, a ‘digital estate planning’ service. It seemed
possibility that people’s identities are bound up in digital things that like a good idea, to make everything a bit easier for John to
will outlive them, and that technological products and services to manage.
manage and safeguard this information may not function in ways
that are sensitive to the intense emotions bound up in such
representations of self. These are quite abstract ideas that touch on cc hsld
sensitive areas of life; by focusing attention on an imagined reality
the Design Fiction invites participants to respond imaginatively to
these issues.
The fiction is intended to be polysemic, that is open to many

different applications and interpretations. In terms of the responses
it elicits from our research participants, there is no preferred
reading of the narrative; the future technology is conceived as ‘a
possible thing’ rather than ‘a good thing’ or ‘a bad thing’. In the
context of a workshop, the aim is to invite participants to engage
with multiple characters’ views on the situation, including that of the
system itself, VIVIEN, in the sense that ‘her’ mechanisms are made
plausible and compelling by narrative integration. In turn, we invite
the workshop participants to offer up their critical perspectives on
Figure 1. ‘Photo of John and Iris’.
the fictional world as they experience it and make sense of it; and
meaningfully connect these perspectives to their previous lived
experiences, values, and expectations, in relation to the subject John hadn’t expected much from this system, beyond reducing the
matter of End of Life being explored. number of passwords he had to remember. But it turned out that
VIVIEN was pretty clever. The special things – holidays, births,
Design Fiction: John, Iris and VIVIEN weddings – were obvious, but VIVIEN could even tell him their
favourite songs of the time. It was fascinating, and pretty addictive:
After a sleepless night and lots of soul-searching, Iris decided to tell remembering things and discovering things he never knew.
her social networks about her illness. They’d spoken to the family
immediately, of course, but she knew people were worried about In hospital it was hard to keep track of the date or what was going
her and keen to hear some news, and she couldn’t face getting in on outside, which was why Iris forgot their anniversary. John turned
touch with them all separately. Better just to put it out there. Then up with a huge bouquet; green foliage and pinkish blooms because
she could go offline and let John deal with the fallout. 35 years was coral or jade, he said. He’d brought something else
too though: a parcel, addressed to him. ‘I think it’s from you to me’,
161
he said, ‘because VIVIEN knew you’d want to give me something The designs in this next phase are working prototypes made
special’. deployable as probes in the homes of our research participants for
extended periods of time; a probe design may constitute a novel
The parcel had arrived a few days ago and John had been interface or device that is mobile, wearable or situated ‘in the field’,
intrigued ever since. He hoped, believed it was something fitting and collects data about its use. The purpose of the probes is to
(not just a piece of corporate tat). Inside the parcel was a jewellery critically explore the findings of the previous Design Fiction
box and a card with a printed message: ‘That which was lost has analysis, bringing together novel, multiple perspectives on the
been found. Love you forever, Iris’. That’s how she always signed ‘lived’ and ‘envisioned’ digital lifespan. Other areas of the project
things to him. He opened the box; inside was a pair of cufflinks. informed by the Design Fiction workshop output include social data
mining and computer vision studies.
They were so familiar; Iris had bought them for John to wear at
their wedding. Afterwards he wore them to work every day. She Acknowledgements
hadn’t thought much of it, until he lost one, years ago now. He was
This work forms part of the ‘Charting the Digital Lifespan’ (CDL)
devastated: turned the house upside down. He kept the remaining
project (funded by RCUK EP/L00383X/1). We would like to thank
one on his key ring; it was still there. But here were another two,
our CDL project collaborators Wendy Moncur, John Collomosse
good as new.
and Mike Chantler for their input. The second author is additionally
supported by The Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2012-642).
Supporting and giving material form to this fiction is an ecology of
designed artefacts, comprising: VIVIEN branding and marketing
References
media (Fig. 2), and packaged products of the imagined service; and
audio recordings depicting individual character monologues, which Barthes, R. (1993) Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. Trans.
Howard, R. London: Vintage
each capture ‘lived’ experiences at various points along the
character’s narrative trajectory and thus offer different orientations Bleecker, J. (2009) Design Fiction: A short essay on design, science, fact
and fiction http://nearfuturelaboratory.com/2009/03/17/design-
to and experiences of VIVIEN. fiction-a-short-essay-on-design-science-fact-and-fiction/.
Figure 2. The envisioned service has
Accessed 31.05.13
narrative purposes. VIVIEN’s function as a
character is inherent in the branding. Research Outcomes Dunne, A. and Raby, F. (2001) Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic
Objects. Berlin: Birkhäuser
In the broader context of the project, analytic understanding of the Kirby, D. The Future is Now: Diegetic Prototypes and the Role of Popular
. digital lifespan from the Design Fiction workshop is used alongside Films in Generating Real-World Technological Development.
the findings of digital anthropology to generate a conceptual, socio- Social Studies of Science, 40 (1). pp 41-70
technical understanding of the End of Life transition. This
understanding informs the next phase of the project, and the
development of further critical design artefacts to be used in follow-
on user studies about End of Life. The empirical insights gathered
from the Design Fiction workshop thus serve as inspiration for
doing further ‘research through design’.
162
Poetics
DAY 3
Posters
163
Objectifying Sound

Alpay, Efe Abstract method in this project) is intervened in such a way that the form of
Department of Industrial Design the object that is being manufactured can be distorted with sound.
Despite an increasing distance between man and material, additive For this purpose, an apparatus that deviates the extruder head is
Faculty of Architecture
Middle East Technical University
manufacturing (or 3D printing as a more popular term) brings interfaced to the machine through a 450W bass amplifier. The
Ankara, Turkey unprecedented yet unexplored possibilities of object manufacturing. amplifier transforms sound waves generated either by a bass
efe.alpay@metu.edu.tr Besides the advantages of 3D printing such as extreme complexity guitar, microphone or audio soundtracks to an oscillating motion
of forms, customization of objects and flexibility in manufacturing that distorts the computer controlled original building path. Thus,
processes, 3D printing enables the immediate creation of an object the intervention constructs a poetic bridge connecting apparently
without any intermediary tool. This possibility brings the potentials different domains of form, meaning and sound.
to intervene into the process of object manufacturing that can
change our perception of objects, artifacts, beauty and aesthetics.
Author Keywords
However, meaningful intervention to this completely digitized and Additive manufacturing; 3D printing; design; customization
autonomous process is normally not possible with our conventional
toolsets. Since the object is formed according to the digital data, Research Imperatives
there is no chance of “touching” to the matter in the moment of its
formation. 3D printing is a very rapid evolution in the history of Automated fabrication of objects by additive manufacturing
mankind that changes the tool and object making process with technologies is untouchable by nature, which means no
thousands years of history (Alpay, 2012). On the contrary to this intervention can be made after sending the data to the machine
relatively new conceptions of object manufacturing brought by 3D (Alpay, 2012). The loss of the manual and tactile interaction with
printing, the history of artifacts has always involved an analog the material brings in the necessity of specialized CAD software
character, in which there is a direct relationship between the man tools that are mainly isolate the designer from the real world
and material. (Campbell, Hague, Sener and Wormald, 2003).
As the manufacturing and design technologies advance, the design Despite many advantages brought by additive manufacturing,
process has shifted more towards the CAD environment and human intervention into the material and the process is not allowed,
software. In these circumstances the distance between the thus excluding the person. Our real life interaction with material
designer and material has increased (Walker, 2006). includes a continuous and hands-on interaction with material either
through mechanized tools or by our hands. Yet, the connection
This project aims to explore what happens if we have the power to between the computer and the printer’s extruding nozzle, the idea
analogously intervene the object manufacturing process with sound and the materializer in other words, seem to create a sublime field
and the meanings associated with it. The 3D printing process (FDM that no humans are allowed to intervene. A field that is untouchable
by man due to its digital nature and absence of a decent tool for
164
controlling this process. At the moment that material is extruded the extruding nozzle of the machine to make deviations and
through the nozzle of the machine, this digital process turns into a distortions from the original model that is sent to the machine.
part of a physical object that is frozen in time and space.
Research Process
Designers are empowered with the usage of such tools in the
object creation process. However, these software and processes The initial research on finding a decent way of intervention into the
require specialized knowledge in the field of CAD modeling tools 3D printing process resulted in the usage of sound as an
not even mentioning the advanced software knowledge and intervening input to the process. However sound with lower
process know-how to pursue this manufacturing process. In real life frequencies were needed since high frequencies could be harder to
however, our relationship with matter is still more physical than observe as textures on the surface of the object. Thus, a bass
digital. guitar was selected as the tool of intervention.
Thus, this study aims to explore what happens if we have the In order to transmit the vibrations caused by the guitar strings to the
power to manipulate the object manufacturing process with tools artifact’s surface, and apparatus consisting of solenoid coils and
that we have more physical connection with such as playing guitar, magnets were built and attached to the extruding head of the 3D
singing, or talking. The aim of this initial experimentation has been printer. The vibrations of the strings also had to be amplified
the exploration of the ways of meaningful intervention to a enough so that the extruding head of the printer could make visible
completely autonomous manufacturing process in an analogous deformations on the surface of the object. For this, the guitar was
way. A combination of two practice-based research models plugged into a 450 W bass amplifier and the output of the amplifier
(devising improvements in design methods; and making was plugged in series to two solenoid coils (Figure 1). These
improvements to designed artifacts), as defined in Pedgley and solenoid coils had permanent magnets inserted into their cores and
Wormald (2007), was employed. the tips of the permanent magnets were attached to the extruder’s
nozzle. In this way, the system acted like a loudspeaker that
The initial research questions for the experiments were as follows: converts electric signals to oscillating motion and distorting the
extruder head’s motion.
1. What happens if we have the appropriate physical tools or
interfaces to intervene into this quasi-digital process?
2. How such an intervention affects the form and meaning of the
object
3. What are the possible potentials of such an intervention for the
design process?
Figure 1: Intervention Scheme.
This study is an attempt on the exploration of the applicability of
Diagram mapping the actors in the
using a musical instrument, a bass guitar, as a physical interface
intervention process.
for intervening the process of 3D printing. The main aim however,
is to modify this completely autonomous process with manual
intervention by connecting physical interfaces like a bass guitar to
Figure 2: Test object.
165
A CAD model of a tube with the height and diameter of 50 mm was the process can be found at: http://youtu.be/A1MYopELyyU. Figure
used as a test model to see the extent of deviations caused by the 5 below shows the results of various intervention sessions.
guitar. The reason for choosing a cylindrical shape rather than
another object or shape was to be able to manufacture a surface Research Outcomes
that lets easy observation of the deviations caused by the guitar
and prevent the initial form to surpass the modified form. Also the The manual intervention during the process of objectification
cylindrical shape provided a smooth and continuous surface to introduces new identities to a mechanically, and autonomously
illustrate the deviations caused by the rhythm of sound. Before manufactured object. The strokes and punches on the guitar strings
manufacturing the objects with intervention, test models were built transform to physical representations incarnated as blobs on the
(Figure 2) in order to determine the build parameters such as surface of the object itself solidifying the moment of the guitar
filament thickness, air pressure, and layer thickness. session. In a way, this direct intervention on the object making
process transforms the object into a photographic film, which in the
moment of exposure to light transforms into a frozen moment in
time. Then the object becomes a unique representation of time and
space, in a way gaining an artistic value. Of course, the authenticity
and aura of such an object can easily be detached from the object
and destroyed by means of the mechanical reproduction discussed
by Benjamin (2008) yet it is not in the scope of this paper.
The most important implication of this intervention process lies in

the fact that the designer is empowered to modify and customize
the object during its moment of manufacturing. This intervention
during the manufacture gains importance because of its previous
impossibility due to the absence of a decent and meaningful way.
Of course the process used here (the bass guitar as the interface)
has a very limited control over the object. But the main argument
here lies in the fact that being able to control the form and
manufacturing of an object with a direct physical interface closes
the increasing gap between the designer and material as put
forward by Walker (2006). Another outcome of the experiments is
the broad reachability of the form modification process. Since no
special CAD software (that are mainly for designers or engineers)
Figure 3: Resulting Objects - The comparison of initial test tube model,
modified with audio loops and live guitar session. knowledge is required, a non-specialist person can interact with the
form of the object, thus intervening to the form of the object.
After determining the parameters, same model was repeatedly
manufactured by the printer while intervening by playing bass guitar Although conscious manual intervention to this process is an
Figure 4: Resulting Object: Detail.
and audio loops (Figures 3,4 and 5). A brief video documentation of unexplored field, there has been an exploration attempt on the
166
relation between sound and form by an artist and potter Jonathan object and the guitar player in a way combines the mechanical
Keep who has generated digital vase designs that are modified by manufacturing technologies and injecting a craft essence to it. The
an audio track. The results, which are digital CAD files, are then 3D results of the process, although being at the initial stages for now,
printed from clay as unique vases. Yet, in his work the modification promise a great potential for the exploration of new conceptions of
of the form again happens in the digital domain which is still beauty and value of artifacts.
isolated from the user and completely digital. Also the resulting
objects and forms are completely duplicable since the deviations on In a world in which we are getting more and more used to “saving”
the surface are included in the digital file. things as digital entities, this combination of digital and analog
brings new horizons to be explored.
On the contrary to Keep’s work, the experimental work conducted
in this project involves the manipulation of the digital file in the Acknowledgments
physical world, thus causing some unrepeatable deviations. When
physical factors are also considered (such as changing Special thanks to my supervisors Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Şener-
temperature, humidity, and density of material) the interventions Pedgley and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Owain Pedgley for their help and
become even more unique. Therefore this factor of unrepeatability valuable feedback. I would also like to thank Dr. Harun Kaygan for
increases the uniqueness value of the manufactured object fusing his initial review of the abstract.
its value with time and space.
References
Conclusions 1. Alpay, E. (2012). Implications of Additive Manufacturing Applications for
Industrial Design Profession from the Perspective of Designers.
Figure 5: Resulting object scale and This initial experiment realized with a bass guitar as an intervention Master’s Thesis. Department of Industrial Design, Middle East
Technical University, Turkey.
surface textures. interface had a limited control over the object being manufactured.
Despite this limitation, however, some meaningful transformations 2. Benjamin, W. (2008). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction. ePenguin.
from the player’s hand and fingers to the surface of the object are:
3. Campbell, R. I., Hague, R. J., Sener, B., & Wormald, P. W. (2003). The
potential for the bespoke industrial designer. The Design Journal,
 Every stroke on strings by the fingers can be seen on the 6(3), 24–34.
surface of the object as wavy patterns. This effect is increased in
4. Doğan, Ç., Walker S. (2008). Localization – the Design and Production
low frequency notes and decreased in notes with higher frequency.
of Sustainable Products. International Journal of Product
 The deviations realized in the lower layers of the object effects Development, 6(3/4), 276-289.
the upper layers, thus can cause collapses of the object. 5. Pedgley O. & Wormald P. (2007), 'Integration of design projects within a
 Since the object is built in a certain direction, the surface PhD', Design Issues, Vol.23 No.3, pp70-85.
becomes a representation of the playing session from beginning to 6. Walker, S. (2006). Sustainable by Design. London: Earthscan.
end.
As cited in Dogan and Walker (2008), current manufacturing
technologies bring predictability and consistency at the price of
uniformity, which at some point make the aesthetic so predictable
that it becomes boring. Thus, unpredictability of the presented
experiment as a direct physical interface between the quasi-digital
167
Design Development: A Veterinary Operating Table

Howard Fenwick Abstract
Newcastle upon Tyne
Veterinary surgery products tend to be similarly based and
NE1 8ST UK manufactured on hospital medical surgery units and are primarily
howard.fenwick@northumbria.ac.uk focused around static installations in larger veterinary practices. In
reality a small veterinary practice is limited in staffing by just one or
two individuals. Transporting an incapacitated heavy animal from a
vehicle to the operating room, presents a manual handling problem.
An opportunity existed to develop a veterinary operating table that
was batch-produced to order, priced at the upper end of the
market, and possessed market-leading performance on
adjustability and stability. The proposed design was able to
negotiate door thresholds and include the ability to set the bed of
the unit to the boot height of most domestic vehicles.
As an integral piece of equipment in a veterinary practice the

functionality of the table is two fold: a prosaic trolley for transporting
animals around the practice but also posses the ability to position
an animal appropriately to suit the stature and preference of a
range of veterinary surgeons. The operating table must fit the ‘day
to day’ use and become an integral, robust and reliable tool used
over many years of operating on domestic animals.
The client over many years of feedback from customers had

identified a market opportunity at the premium end of surgery
tables whilst satisfying the requirements of a small practice. The
table was intended to be a departure from existing products in look,
feel and manufacture and offer consistent and reliable functional
qualities demanded by vets whilst imbuing a confidence and trust
from animal owners (Fig.1).

Figure 1. Example of first batch production. Table shown at mid height. The design responds to a genuine need, this paper explores the
design process including iterative design developments.

168
Author Keywords
Veterinary: Surgery: Design
Collaboration between client and designer was facilitated
and funded by Design Network North. Established in 2008,
Design Network North has actively encouraged relationships
and collaborations between business and designers in the
North East region, responding in part to the Cox Review of 2005 (1)
Vet Direct, Client, is an established distribution company with a
reputation for serving veterinary practices internationally and
Figure 2. Final CAD Assembly, view from
underside in lowest position
equipped an understanding of the needs and demands of the
beneficiary and stakeholders. WPS, designer, is a multidisciplinary
consultancy specializing in electronic, engineering solutions in a
range of fields including productionisation and procurement
strategy. The author worked with WPS on all aspects of industrial
design, including CAD development and iterative design
development. The initial design process was conducted over four
weeks with secondary design development, component sourcing
and prototyping lasting six months. A fixed ideal was maintained
throughout. The device was never intended to be mass Figure 3. Table shown at full height and bed at 45 degree angle.
manufactured, yet a fixed competitive cost point was necessary to
make the project viable. Market advantage could be gained by Development time was limited to two weeks. Functionality was
challenging the prosaic and average and offering perceived value, proven and established using a CAD (Fig.2) model generated to
reliability and longevity expected of a key piece of equipment. test against ergonomic statures and dynamic testing of maximum
and minimum heights of bed movement. Finite Element Analysis
(FEA) dictated the armature gauge and pivot point positioning and
‘Good restrictions, make for good design’
establishing chassis structure with mounted hydraulic ram. Upper
The design process focused around two fundamental aspects of and lower height requirement were restricted to a maximum
considerations: firstly that all structural and bracketry components working loading of 250 lbs.
were to be laser cut from 5mm steel with welded assembly.
th
Secondly that stress and dynamic testing would be the catalyst to Once the basic principles of the unit had been established a 5
the look and feel of the unit. Features such as wheels to lock scale model took preference to that of further CAD development in
centrally and the bed to incrementally adjust maximum tilt of 45 a bid to offer clarity of look and appeal. Steel structures and
degrees were key to market research. (Fig.3) components undertook a number of variations in reducing visual
169
weight, slimming down and adding subtle curves on more

superfluous structures yet keeping to a purposeful and compact
quality to the how the armatures connect to the rectangular base
structure. The compact and efficient nesting of the structures
particularly in the lowest position was best described to the client
using a physical model.
Treatment of structures and sensitising of engineering were

clarified through a number of iterative models. A physical model the
preferred medium to grasp the essence of the design and facilitate
group discussion. Final iterative model dimensions and detailing
was subsequently transferred back to CAD for further FEA testing
(Fig 4.) and dynamic testing of the full range of movement and
adjustability. The client throughout a number of iterations was able
to fully understand how each aspect of the table was achieved and Figure 4. Typical FEA image showing bed structure.
how in some circumstances one feature might impede on another.
Client expectation were managed during a number of staged Component selection as with any cost focused solution had an
reviews and the overall output very much the product of good added imperative to help contribute a solidity and robustness
iterative development exceeding original expectations. gaining confidence with the user. On some competitive rivals all
articulating structures are hidden from view, which makes for a less
stimulating and less understood height adjustment. Although not
essential seeing and understanding how the table acts whilst
depressing or releasing the ram adds a certain intrigue and
appreciation of leavers and engineering principles. ‘Oversized’ pivot
covers hide nylon sleeved bushes that take up any tolerance in the
assembled structure and makes the table quiet and smooth in
operation. Green coloured accented handles and foot controls
signify all user interaction parts. Steel brackets and structural
components are cut with tabs and slots enabling limited clamping
and reducing unnecessary welding and finishing (Fig.5). All steel
components are powder coated white before finishing assembly
(Fig. 6).

Figure 5. Tab and slot weld detail.

170
Research outcomes The outcome is less purposlely reaserched but rather a

representaion of measured appropriatness and expertise focused
The success of the project has come about primarily through a
on a realistic ideal. As with many flawed product, despite starting
robust and communicative colaboration between client designer
with a genuine market proposition the translation between
and manufacturer with a clear and unambigiuos shared objective.
departments and input from individuals provide a gradual journey of
The idea born out of a market oportunity identified by Vet Direct (2)
missed opportunities and a lack overall ownership of an ideal. The
responding to the needs of its customers, yet keen to develop a
role of the designer as with many a successful product is more than
unique and interesting departure from the prosaic and mediocre (3)
making an object look pretty.
product currently available to the market. The design is a function
led piece of equipment that has a bold and characterful
appearance. The solution posesses a positive intuitive user input to References
adjust and manipulate an animal with confidence and asuredness. 1. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-
In this case the designers role can be subdivided into a multitude of treasury.gov.uk/coxreview_index.htm
awareness. From an apropriatness of detail to low cost production 2. http://www.vet-direct.com
methods, stucturally sound yet with market leading adjustability and
3. http://www.dreveterinary.com/veterinary-equipment/veterinary-
user centered appeal. tables/surgical-tables
Figure 6. Prototype showing finished assembly in mid height elevation.
171
Recognising the Skill of the Silk Jacquard Designer

Joan Johnston
Newcastle upon Tyne A garment on the catwalk will catch the eye of the onlooker through This research was inspired by 17 years of working within the silk
NE1 8ST UK
the combination of cut, style, colour and fabric. To reach this stage, jacquard industry. Research has shown that the skills developed by
joan@bespokefabrics.co.uk the silk jacquard designers in the UK industry are rarely
a silk garment will have travelled a long journey from silk worm, to
the spun yarn, dyed yarn, to fabric design, colouring and weaving, acknowledged outside the individual companies. Much of this

garment design, cut & construction to its debut on the catwalk. industry works behind closed doors, partly due to the exclusivity of
Silk jacquard weaving is still a key part of the British textile industry. its high end client base. The aim of this research is to raise
“Like all bespoke, handcrafted
There are now only three companies left in Suffolk, who produce awareness of the extensive skills required in designing silk
products, few people outside the
luxury silk fabrics for leading fashion houses and the interior design jacquard fabrics.
industry have a thorough
understanding of the complexities, industry. It takes on average, 5 years for a jacquard designer to
master the art of creating these complex 3-Dimensional fabrics, With the downturn in the British textile industry over the last thirty
limitations and depths of
which are constructed like a compressed spiders web. Hours are years, it is important to maintain the skills that do remain, so they
knowledge required”
spent linking the 1152 x 5000 individual ends and picks, allocating can be sustained for the future. In November 2012, in response to
weaves, using a bespoke CAD system. a report by Lord Alliance and Professor Chris Carr of Manchester
Silk jacquard designer, Stephen
This research will inform the wider design community of the University, Vince Cable (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation
Walters & Sons Ltd
expertise required to produce an intricate piece of silk jacquard for and Skills) reinforced his support for UK textile manufacturing,
contemporary design. The process will record the design journey of saying the Government would help the industry by encouraging
“Silk thrills us by stimulating all our
the fabric from initial sketch, through to 3-dimensional construction both advancements in innovation and training.
senses. It delights our sight with its
shimmering colours; it caresses through to finished fabric.
Secondary research has found much coverage of the historical
the skin with ineffable softness”
Traditionally this industry works behind closed doors. The output facts around the silk industry in the UK, but very little has been
from this research will reveal the complexity and value of this published on its current position. (Scott,1993; Feltwell, 1990; Parry,
Andrea Gori, Rubelli
multifaceted product and inform the design community of its 2010 and Clarke, 2011). By recognising the “closed” nature of how
A Story of Silk In Venice, 2011
these companies operate, it is through personal involvement that I
presence. It is important to recognise this process and its
importance to the future of silk jacquard weaving in the UK. feel qualified to research and highlight the skills attained by the
designers in developing these beautiful and complex fabrics.

This research will focus on the three commercial silk jacquard mills
Author Keywords within Suffolk, UK, each with their own heritage and extensive
archives, who design and producing fabrics for leading international
Silk jacquard; design skill; luxury British fabrics; jacquard designer, luxury brands, stately homes and bespoke collections.
design process and design training.
172
Mathur and Seyam (2011) explain the process of creating designs to end can vary from a day to several weeks depending on the
through CAD. The skill of the designer to select the appropriate urgency, scale and number of people involved. I have witnessed a
weaves is not addressed. Like a painter or a sculptor it is the level design created in the morning, woven on the loom in the afternoon
of the skill that makes the difference between something and on the desk of the designer in New York the next day. This is
considered ordinary and something extraordinary. The same can the nature of this customer focused luxury market, for which these
Figures 1 An experienced designer
creates the initial design as a sketch
be said for the silk jacquard designer. fabrics are destined.
for approval by the client. (Photograph
courtesy of Stephen Walters & Sons Ltd) The research question centers around the length of time a silk Research outcomes
jacquard designer needs to develop the skills for the design
process. Is a degree in weaving enough? What additional training A jacquard design begins as a flat drawing before the technical
might be required? It is important to highlight why this is specific to designer turns it into cloth. Figure 1
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- silk jacquard rather than other fabric constructions. A large number of initial sketches may have been created before
Caption
the final one is selected. The layout of the design will have been
Research Process considered, in terms of scale, position and flow. Once the sketch
has been approved the design moves to the technical designer
The process for gathering primary research includes observations, The technical designer will consider a number of different factors.
interviews and questionnaires completed by the design teams. The How will the design be constructed?
Figure 2. The technical designer working
on the design creation considering type of questions asked include: What yarns will be used?
appropriate weaves. (Photograph Are all the yarns of the same thickness?
courtesy of Stephen Walters & Sons Ltd). 1.In your opinion how long would someone expect to train before Will ”cramming” be required?
they are fully qualified to be able to deal with the challenges of Cramming is a term used to describe the additional pressure
creating complicated double or triple cloth construction’s? applied at loom level to close up the weft. Gaps can appear across
the cloth, when multiply weft colours are bound at any given point.
2. What is the greatest challenge you have found in mastering the The process of designing for silk jacquard is complicated due to the
art of silk jacquard designing? variety of variables.

Unfortunately only one company engaged in this process and Figure 3 illustrates a single weft over a single warp. This simplified
interestingly another was wary of “sharing any secrets” that are diagram does not represent the fineness of the cloth. In the
commercially sensitive. Photographs have been taken to record the examples shown there are 76 individual ends of silk within 1 cm.
Figure 3. A simplified illustration showing journey of the design, which is only a small part that this piece will The ends are crossed with 76 weft picks within 1 cm.
the basic structure of warp and weft. Each travel before being seen by the public in a garment on the catwalk.
block represents a weft colour, sitting over There are a number of stages, which will be highlighted. For the It is important to recognize the difference in jacquard weaving as
the warp. purposes of this paper, I will address two types of designers. The compared to other forms of textile production.
first creating the initial sketch with the second being the technical
jacquard designer, who converts a drawing into 3 dimensional “The chief advantage of a jacquard is in its ability to govern
fabric using a jacquard CAD system. In some design studios the individual warps threads in each repeat of pattern” (Encyclopedia of
designers may be the same person. The timescale from beginning Textiles)
173
Figure 5 is a small section of a design enlarged to indicate the

A number of different construction options can be considered. weaves that are an intricate part of the design.
Following is a description of these.
A double cloth construction, gives you a choice of running a Another construction used, is a single cloth but where “tissue” is
minimum of two weft colours across at any one time. The beauty added to create the motif. “Tissue” is the term used to describe
of this is that the second colour can appear randomly and can extra weft colours, which are “crammed “ in at a given point. Here
also be “chinzed” ie if the ground colour A is the constant, the the ground picks could be 48px/cm with the motif added at the
second colour could be a mixture of C then D then E, up to a equivalent number of picks. This type of construction works well
maximum of 7 different colours. when large areas of a plain coloured ground are needed.
A+B Depending on the amount of tissue/colours needed the designer
A+C must decide how to construct a design depending on the weight
A+D required, yarn and possibly price point (the more picks per cm, the
A+D more expensive the fabric).
Figure 4. Highlighting a triple cloth with
the addition of tissue.
The total picks =64px/cm, split A=32px/cm and B/C/D/E=32px/cm This research has considered the levels of training and experience
required. Out of six designers, all have degrees in Textile Design
and all emphasis the need for ongoing training. One of the jacquard
designers said:
“My degree has been useful in terms of giving me training in the

aesthetics of design as well as knowledge on colour, repeats and
In contrast a triple cloth could look like experience using CAD software to produce designs. University had
given a basic introduction into jacquard design but the in house
A+B+C training has enabled me to use the software and have the technical
A+B+D knowledge on weaves, pick rates and fabric construction. Following
Figure 5. Specific weaves created around A+B+E university there is a lot of training required to get to the stage where
the shape. A+B+F you can produce jacquard designs”.
The total picks =78px/cm, split A=26px/cm, B=26px/cm and Another designer states “The technical knowledge can at first seem
C/D/E/F=26px/cm overwhelming as there are so many variables on construction,
customer and yarn. There is never a “one size fits all” approach to
Figure 4 is a triple cloth in all silk weft, across a “two thread” jacquard designing in my experience” .
warp. A small amount of blue “tissue” is added which indicates Steven Johnson a retired Jacquard Design Manager said:
that “cramming” might be needed here. The number of colours
can vary with up to a maximum of 9 colours weaving “designers joining the company have got so much there for them to
consecutively within the same design. learn from. We pass on our knowledge by explaining what works
Figure 6. The design becomes the shape and what doesn’t. “
as an integral part of the design.
174

Much of the knowledge is recorded through previous design’s
stored in the digital archive. Steven believes “that the learning
process is less than it would be if you were starting from scratch”.
Unlike other industries many of the designers stay for years and
don’t leave. The archives and the experienced designers are key to
the future.
creative industry of this hidden band of skilled artisans who create

the fabric behind many of the show stopping pieces seen on the
catwalk and to build a sustainable future for silk jacquard weaving
within the UK.
References
1. Aldrich, W. (1992) CAD In Clothing and Textiles. BSP Professional Books
(4)
2. Anquetil, J. Silk. Flammarion 1996 (6)
3. Clarke, Simon. Textile Design, Laurence King 2011

rd
4. Encyclopedia of Textiles, 3 Edition. 1980 Doric Publishing Company (1)
5. Feltwell, John. The Story of Silk, , Stroud:Sutton, 1990
6. Kavita Mathur and Abdel-Fattah M.Seyam ,2011. Color and Weave

Relationship in Woven Fabrics, Advances in Modern Woven
Fabric Technology. Precision Fabrics Group inc., Greensboro
NC, College of textiles, North Carolina State Univeristy, Raleigh
NC USA
7. Parry, Linda, British Textiles:1700 To The Present, London:V&A, 2010
8. www.clothworkers.co.uk/.../A-New-Dawn-Conference-Report-November-
th
2012.pdf.aspx - ( accessed May 25 ) (3)
9. Scott , P. (1993) The Book of Silk, Thames and Hudson.
10. Rubelli, A. (2011) Rubelli A Story of Silk In Venice. Marsilio
175

We Shape Our Tools, Then They Shape Us

Kay Politowicz Abstract Research Imperatives
University of the Arts London (UAL)
Chelsea College of Art & Design The artifact is a set of ten cards entitled TED’s TEN, developed by The name of the research group TED – Textiles Environment
16 John Islip Street the research group Textiles Environment Design (Chelsea College Design bears witness to its founding themes. The original
London, SW1P 4RJ of Art and Design, UAL), a group of education and practice based imperative motivating our group of practitioners was to understand
k.politowicz@chelsea.arts.ac.uk
design academics investigating sustainability in the textile and the growing problems of pollution of the environment from the

fashion industries. When used together, the cards can serve as production of the textile industry. As designers and teachers we
Rebecca Earley
practical guidelines to examine, survey and highlight the problem of needed accurate and detailed knowledge and a general overview
University of the Arts London (UAL)
Chelsea College of Art & Design sustainability and the role of designers in change and innovation. of the entire chain of production. It was essential to research and
16 John Islip Street They present visual evidence of strategic thinking. collate the existing body of knowledge, which subsequently turned
London, SW1P 4RJ out to be limited and unconnected.
r.l.earley@chelsea.arts.ac.uk Each card identifies a significant, critical area for attention in the
lifecycle of the product and suggests a strategy for analysis and The meaning and possibilities of sustainability in textiles became a
change; approach and resolution; consideration and action, acting key element in our research. We dedicated our practice to
as a tool to overcome the barriers to improvement. Developed with understanding and demonstrating how design could contribute to
a focus on textiles and fashion, they have a potential role in the future of textile products. Detailed analysis of every stage of the
generating strategic concepts for the design process generally. process of production including the ecological challenge to design
They offer a persuasive prototype from design research and are a out wastage of material, energy, water and landfill made it clear
research tool in themselves, whose relevance becomes clear when that designers must consider the entire lifecycle of textiles (Graedel
used to facilitate design workshops. et al., 1995:17).
The cards promote group workshop discussions in game-play and Questions surrounding production and consumption in the
role-play formats. They are offered as a range of entry points for consumer society, including the role of new technologies in
positive research-led engagement from the practical to the accelerating consumption, became important. We realised the need
idealistic. for a transformation of design education in textiles to be effective
for future designers. Awareness of sustainability had to be brought
into the core curriculum.
Author Keywords
Sustainability; textile design; prototype; toolbox; analysis; systemic The need for a map of the subject of sustainability, a complex and
change. difficult terrain, became a clear imperative. We focused on the
176
barriers to environmental improvement and devised a cluster of large installation provided a case study for communication of our
strategies to overcome them. The TEN cards (Fig. 1) are a tangible hypotheses to the public - a key event in the experience of
presentation of those strategies. collaboration.
As the TED group research evolved, the importance of In 2005-9 an AHRC funded project included a research exhibition
collaborative and predictive roles, also relevant to other disciplines, on the theme of recycling. We exhibited ‘narrative prototypes’,
became clear. Our imperatives have changed likewise and design explored through making. A significant element was the provision of
activity has shifted from creation to facilitation, to publication, workshops to encourage the interconnection between the
towards the development of our ‘toolbox’ and outcomes that have strategies that have since been developed for professional design
Figure 1: The TED’s TEN cards (2011)
www.tedresearch.net resulted from it. audiences.
The imperative always remains to develop methods of The importance of communication through group workshops was
communication and dissemination and foster relationships as a focused on Swedish fashion businesses in workshops with
community across disciplines. Two major challenges of particular reference to the life cycle of textile products. The use of
international importance exist concurrently – to achieve viable cards (six at first and, subsequently, ten) as tools for analysis, role-
systemic change within existing profitable industries and to change playing and prompts for developing strategies began at this stage,
the perception and behaviour of citizens towards sustainability. with a phenomenological approach to designing for sustainability
(Moustakas, 1994). Phenomenology provided a ready-formed
methodological basis for our investigation, with our subjective,
Research Process embodied design experience and our empathy for consumer
appreciation of the material qualities of clothing, as knowledge.
TED research began formally in 1996 when research funding
became available. The progress of research within the group was As a tool for action and reflection, the TEN cards provide a
marked by a series of significant events / exhibitions and checklist for designers - a lens with which to view issues of
commissions over 10 years before the introduction of the TED’s concern, cut through the rhetoric and solve apparently intractable
TEN cards. problems. In using this as a tool for analysis of conditions, prompts
and enablers, the designer contributes to networks of innovation
At an early stage, exploratory research was necessary to both map (Bussramcumpakorn and Wood, 2010). The cards as tools are now
the field of sustainable textile design and help identify a structure used in workshops following an initial lecture and visual
for a methodology of investigation. Qualitative research methods presentations, forming part of the delivery system (Fig. 2). As
Figure 2: The TED’s TEN cards used were used in combinations to develop theory and practice in an practitioners with tacit knowledge, we can group strategic
during TED’s 24: MISTRA Summer iterative sequence. combinations of the TEN cards to take risks and apply unexpected,
workshop at Chelsea College of Art & sometimes playful solutions via experimentation and improvisation.
Design (June 2012). This process was exemplified in a curated exhibition of artifacts,
https://vimeo.com/52461083
Through a process of ‘constructive research’, we identified the
need to produce prototypes by ‘imagining new things and building 2012. Using the cards as a brief to select and commission
them’ (Koskinen, 2011), defining our models through practice. This designers, we created imaginative, stimulating examples for large
was made visible in our first collective staff exhibition in 2002. A volume clothing producers, towards a different life view.
177
In the development of immersive workshops (Cassim, 2010), The body of knowledge gathered from literature, conferences,
employing an empirical approach, we have demonstrated the exhibitions, practice-based research and teaching experience is a
relevance of the TEN cards to product development in industry, key outcome of our research. It informs our studies and has grown
replicating and accelerating a proposed product supply chain with a by addition from our original activities to the networks, which have
design focus. An evaluative framework of the innovation that the developed in recent years. We adapt and update our resource
workshops encourage is developed using qualitative research materials for each intervention or engagement – tailoring to suit a
methods in a ‘self–report instrument’, to map the effects of the broad and diverse industry – from bags to shoes, menswear to
cards on the design process. In retrospective assessment of womenswear.
workshop participation, observation and description are used to
examine the experience, to generate theories during the action As practitioners we make prototypes as examples of innovation
research process for evolution of workshop practice. used in conjunction with the TEN strategy cards - as exhibited in:
‘Artists at Work: New Technology in Textile and Fiber Art’, Prato
Figure 3: Once T-Shirt (Politowicz & This has been a key part of our participation in an international Textile Museum (inaugural exhibition), Prato, Italy (2003); Exhibits
Maclennan, 2012) created using the consortium as one of eight research projects, funded by the in ‘Rethink! Eco-Textiles’, Audax Textile Museum, Tilburg,
TED’s TEN cards for US apparel Swedish government. The multi disciplinary MISTRA consortium Netherlands (2010); ‘Trash Fashion: Designing Out Waste’,
company VF Corporation to probe the includes social scientists, political scientists, material scientists and Science Museum, London (2010-2012). They were used to curate
potential for short life,
designers in a ‘Meta-design Framework’ (Wood, 2013). ‘Well Fashioned’: Eco style in the UK’, Crafts Council Gallery,
disposable/recyclable clothing.
London (2006) and to curate and commission work for the
By proposing and promoting compelling alternatives to existing ‘Responsible Living’ section of the VF Corporation ‘FutureWear’
industrial structures through cross-discipline collaborations, we Exhibition, USA (2012) (Fig. 3). The Top 100 project (1999-
encourage social change while challenging assumptions and ongoing) continually tests the combination of cards, specifically
beliefs about how we live, work and consume. Bourdieu refers to probing the potential for fashion: as a service, connecting the
such active researchers as ‘cultural intermediaries’. The cards (now consumer to products for added value and additional lifecycles; and
TED’s TEN) are currently being reformulated for other design cyclability as a driver for systemic change (Fig. 4).
disciplines, which is a particularly significant development and
testimony to interest shown in the research group. The outcomes in education have been important and have helped
in the modification of the cards. Students researched the usual
Research Outcomes environmental problems and created a rich variety of visual
examples to use on the cards. Some students looked beyond to
Figure 4: Fractal Shirt (Earley, 2013), The TEN cards are a tangible product of our research in the
Top 100 project (upcyclingtextiles.net). life-cycle issues, consumer awareness, service and retail delivery
Created using TED’s TEN cards to
sustainability of textiles. They were created, over a long time period and wider social concerns. Workshops in education were held in
extend the idea of material reuse – in this from our research into the body of knowledge, from extensive London, Hamburg, Berlin, Dublin, Eindhoven, Tel Aviv and
case overprinting a polyester shirt with practice-based research and workshops for industrial companies. Stockholm. Sustainability workshops can now be offered as part of
paper stencils – by engaging directly with The cards are: templates for the development of individual the basic curriculum in Textile Design.
the consumer strategies; flexible theoretical tools to help in the investigation of
http://vimeo.com/64294297 particular problems; and maps for surveying the whole territory. Dissemination and education workshops are important outcomes in
influencing future professional developments.
178
The development of the workshops in industry is closely allied to The cards are being used and developed in this exciting context
the use of the TEN cards and to their current format. After and in the requirements to work with Swedish fashion companies
launching the cards via the TED website, we were approached by such as H&M and in textile design education in Stockholm. The
large and small companies to introduce sustainability to their SMEs in the Swedish Fashion Academy (SFA) (fig. 5) are already
design teams. Companies recognise the need for general using the TEN sustainable strategies in conjunction with the Higg
awareness and education concerning sustainability. Some wanted interactive measurement tool (The Higg Index 1.0) to evaluate their
help in direct problem solving; others were concerned with product TED redesigned garments. TED will present an online exhibition of
narrative for brand image and marketing. The experience of the findings of our research team.
running workshops using the cards as strategies, accompanied
always with visual examples and diagrams, helped us develop our The development of communication skills is an important outcome
communication techniques and tailor our efforts to make the in itself. The MISTRA Consortium has attracted an extensive group
Figure 5: TED’s TEN cards in use with workshops of direct relevance. of like-minded designers and commentator bloggers who contribute
Danish fashion companies, at the to the project. A group of PhD students formally associated with
Sustainable Fashion Academy / NICE Our work in TED for MISTRA is particularly demanding and large each project in MISTRA have become an international network,
workshop, (September 2011). SFA
scale – to look at the future development of the Swedish fashion bringing a new generation of critical involvement. Textile and
workshops in 2013 now use the Higg
Index to measure this improvement by industry. We collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams of scientists fashion graduates, connected to TED through websites, blogs and
design, giving a pre- and post- TED and engineers developing new materials and processes and with annual events, are another part of our extensive, critical
workshop score. social and political scientists who are researching value systems. community. Our networks of communication are agents of change,
The work of lifecycle analysts on the connection between systems shaping us and our work as much as the cards and workshops
and speed are of particular interest to our study of the relative continue to do.
speeds within the lifecycle loops of products. This is of direct
“When educating the Scandinavian relevance to our proposals for changing manufacturing processes References
fashion industry in sustainability as part
in order to embed cyclability without compromising aesthetic value 1. Bussramcumpakorn, C., and Wood, J., (2010), ‘Design Innovation
of the NICE project, it is crucial for us to
include cutting edge tools and resources. or the functional sophistication of textile structures. Apart from Networks’ Lambert Academic Publishing
TED's TEN provides designers with collaboration, all TED practitioners have common ground in the 2. Cassim, J, (2010) ‘Designing Effective User Interactions – examples
hands on examples and relevant from the Challenge Workshops,’ Proceedings of the 3rd
sustainability of the lifecycle and the importance of consumer
dilemmas and have been highly valued in Conference of the International Association for Universal Design
engagement. IAUD, Hamamatsu, Japan
the NICE educational programme.
3. Graedel, T.E. et al. (1995), ‘Green Product Design’, AT&T Technical
Our individual studies include: open-source involvement in DIY and Journal (November/December. p17-24)
Furthermore, we have been much 4. Koskinen, I., et al, (2011) ‘Design Research Through Practice: From the
inspired to include TED's TEN in the designer-led hacks to slow down the lifecycle of existing garments Lab, Field and Showroom’: Amsterdam; Boston: Morgan
‘NICE Code of Conduct and Manual for by refashioning and extending the life of clothes; the use of Kaufmann/Elsevier
the Fashion and Textile Industry’ as a innovative paper-based fabrics developed from Swedish wood pulp 5. Moustakas, C., E. (1994) ‘Phenomenological Research Methods’:
th
concrete and recommended tool for SAGE Publications Inc. July 27 1994
in a radical new fast fashion cycle; a new generation of polyester 6. Wood, J., (2013), ‘Metadesigning Paradigm Change: an ecomimetic,
designers to work with under the UN
Global Compact umbrella.” treatments for closed loop cycles; the life-span of materials in language-centred approach’, a chapter in Handbook of Design for
relation to products and identifying the pressure points for Sustainability, edited by Stuart Walker and Jacques Giroud
(Berg), 2013
Jonas Eder-Hansen, Development environmental damage.
Director Danish Fashion Institute
179
Corporeality, creative process and dissemination

Abstract will be replaced by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in
Ko-Le Chen 2014, we may still anticipate to find researchers working under
Newcastle University As part of my PhD project I am investigating how researchers may similar pressure presented by the new framework.
Newcastle upon Tyne be invited to reflect on their written work, through thinking and
NE1 7RU UK creating new formats for research dissemination. Two pilot In short, the changing environment in academia indicates that the
k.l.chen2@newcastle.ac.uk workshops were carried out recently which aimed at creating a notion of publication and dissemination are potentially conflating.
space for my colleagues working in the Digital Interaction Group On one hand, academic researchers seeks to have their work
Elaine Campbell (School of Computing Science, Culture Lab, Newcastle University) acknowledged by high status journals, on the other they are also
Newcastle University encouraged, or sometimes pressured into making impact on a
to unpick their writing processes. A third session with a theatre
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU UK practitioner was also conducted as an opportunity to understand wider audience through various venues such as conferences, press
elaine.campbell@newcastle.ac.uk how the workshop framework may be applicable in the future for release and social media (Vines, 2013).
researchers working in disciplines of the Humanities. This paper There are various definitions on the term publication and
David Kirk presents a tool that was devised to facilitate group discussion and
Newcastle University
dissemination. The level of ambiguity those two terms carry is
individual exploration of future formats for documenting research somewhat analogous to the level of complexity in the ways we
Newcastle upon Tyne
process. communicate research. When referring to publications, Pike and
NE1 7RU UK
david.kirk@newcastle.ac.uk Gahegan claims that ‘Publications are a high-level mechanism for
knowledge transfer within a large community, but much of the
Author Keywords
discourse relevant to science is inaccessible outside of the small
Dissemination; hypermedia; publication; video; visual prompts. groups in which it occurs. Practitioners in other places or times can
have difficulty in reconstructing the discursive process that lead to a
particular finding’ (Pike and Gahegan, 2007, p.661).
Compared to publication, dissemination indicates that the
Academic researchers are motivated to publish and disseminate information will reach a public audience. Thorin explained that our
their work by their desires to enrich a collective understandings on use of the term scholarly communication these days illustrates the
particular subjects. A report compiled by the Research Information fact that we are no longer communicating in the traditional model
Network and JISC detailed why and how academics working in the when publication was clearly defined (Thorin, 2006). While most
UK are sharing their knowledge. The report explained that UK academics adhere to the idea that we tend to disseminate
researchers face difficulties in choosing different channels to completed results to a public, and scholarly communication mainly
communicate their work ‘…but the perception that their work is includes aspects of academic practice that occurs within a research
being monitored and assessed in particular ways, notably by the community, this paper would like to suggest a way to consider
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), has a major influence on disseminating information that is generated during the periods of
how they communicate’ (RIN report, 2009, p.4). Although the RAE trial and errors, not only to our peers but to a public of practitioners.
180
Thus the proposed framework for a workshop in which we may feedback has directly informed the way I prepared a pilot workshop
allow ourselves to consider alternative ways of recording our two months later.
research process and create hypermedia documents as new
vehicles for dissemination. The proposed pilot workshops were designed for but not limited to
HCI researchers. For the academic group (2 PhD students and 4
research associates), the use of ‘video figure’ was one of the main
Research Process topics of discussion. Each participant were invited to share their
experience in using videos for conference submissions. Incidentally
Video-making has become a fundamental part of the dissemination most participants had recently encounter a new challenge to create
process for many research communities, including Design and a short video clip as part of their submission to the ACMCHI
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) field, over the past two decades conference – an annual HCI event that hosted over 3000 delegates
(Cater; Chow, 1989). Some observations that sparked my PhD in 2013. Whereas discussion with a theatre director (Tess Denman-
interest took place while I was working as a freelance video maker. Cleaver) focused on her approach in recording and sharing the
Therefore the initial phase of my first year study comprised creative process one engages in when developing a play. The main
attempts to reconcile my previous professional stance and the new motivation to involve the director in the third workshop was that she
analytical distance I wish to adopt. had just produced a play called Alice in Bed (Sontag, 1993) which
is a story that explicitly resisted linear reading and demanded an
A sketch video – the academic paper as visual object unconventional staging to highlight the bodily experience the
Producing research videos for academic researchers in Culture Lab central character (Alice) suffers from as part of her mental illness.
Figure 4 & 5. Details of Bitmap not only allowed me to gain insight to certain technological Thus one anticipated that the focus on corporeality in theatre could
transferred onto acetate, Gelflex and development, it also revealed different ways of seeing images also bring a radically different dimension when considering
acrylic. (Berger, 2008). To better understand the difference between the alternative formats for publishing.
standpoint of a video-maker and that of the researcher, I started
exploring ways to first treat the conventional academic publication, Visual Prompts
printed on acetate, as a poor image (Steryl, 2009). This process
was documented by creating a sketch video (the full video can be
seen on Youtube - http://youtu.be/A8VOT6pIp0U) with my
colleagues working in the Digital Interaction group. In summary, a
front page of an academic paper published in the Designing
Interactive Systems conference (DIS) was printed on acetate. I
then asked ten colleagues to each pick a background for this
acetate in order for me to film the object with their hands holding it
against their chosen backgrounds. The video was shown as a
provocation to my colleagues during a semi-public event in
December 2012. The event allowed me to gather ideas and
confusions about the project from my colleagues. Some of the

181
Figure 3. Multiple “copies” of the “original” lenticular image of the left. The papers - in order to make the images on its surface somewhat
lenticular was first digitized through scanning and converted into Bitmap. ambiguous. However, the range of textures seemed to have
The Bitmap file was then printed on an acetate, laser-etched on a 8mm encouraged the workshop participants to propose future design.
acrylic, and lastly a form work was created by pouring yellow Gelflex onto For example, a participant suggested using the location of his field
the acrylic surface. study as the source of materials that could become a new printing
surface for the paper that he had written about the project. In other
A lenticular image, or more commonly referred as 3D picture was words, the participant attempted to find a physical link between the
adopted as a device to illustrate multiple perspectives. During the medium for dissemination and the social context of his original
workshop I introduced an analogy between the inherent complexity study, thus inspiring a new dissemination format. Whereas another
of research projects and the multiple views on the lenticular image. participant considered the challenge of creating radically new
Depending on how one is situated, we see different things. The dissemination formats as a way of reaching a wider audience.
visual prompts was brought to participants’ attention in the second Overall, participants explored the possibilities of new formats, both
half of the workshop when the group discussion began to focus on in terms of its social functions or its aesthetics. The pilot studies
aspects related to everyone’s own experience in documenting a offered an opportunity to situate the current debate on publication
research projects on video. vs. dissemination within a specific research group. The approach to
treat academic paper as visual object has helped create a space
for colleagues to reflect on the ways and techniques they have
Research Outcomes adopted in order to produce academic knowledge. The current
Figure 6 and 7. Tess holding an artefact The visual prompts caused many initial confusions in terms of its workshop framework deserves more explorations in the future. And
created after our interview. An image was role in the workshop. However, key terms like “translation”, further in-depth analysis will be conducted to clarify the role and
laser-etched onto a single-sided acrylic “modality”, or “mental filter” appeared several times during functions of visual prompts in the workshop. The project anticipates
mirror as her choice of medium for discussions prior to and after the use of visual prompts. When to organize a series of formal workshops in September 2013 for
dissemination. looking at the prompts, some participants were able to associate researchers working in cross-disciplinary teams.
the visual differences amongst the set of images to the lifecycle of
“…I think it's a really simple thing to an academic paper. For instance, whilst looking at the image References
do […] this idea that you're gonna registered on the yellow Gelflex (Fig. 3), a participant questioned 1. Berger, J. (2008). Ways of seeing. Penguin.
collage some images, or some text, the difference between the integrity of a film director’s message 2. Carter, K., Anderson, B. (1989). Can video research escape the
or some shapes from your research embedded in a Hollywood film and a researcher’s main argument technology? Some reflections on the problems and possibilities of
process which are your images. And A. V. research. SIGCHI Bull. 21, 2 (October 1989), 112-114.
presented in a paper. In other words, the array of visual prompts
now we can talk about the decisions seems to have led some participants to engage in an exercise 3. Chow, M.D. (1989). The role of the video professional in a research
environment. SIGCHI Bull. 21, 2 (October 1989), 83-87.
you make about how you overlay where they searched for their personal experience that embodies
them or cut them” [Quotes recorded 4. Communicating knowledge: How and why UK researchers publish and
the challenge of meaning making and its transfer onto a physical disseminate their findings (2009). Published online at :
on 21/03/13]. medium. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/research/2009/communicatingk
nowledgereport#downloads
As well as using the prompts as a source of analogy, some also 5. Pike, W., and Gahegan, M. (2007). Beyond ontologies: Toward situated
commented on its physical appearance. The physical textures of representations of scientific knowledge. International Journal of
Human-Computer Studies, 65(7), 674-688.
the prompts were aimed to be significantly different from printer
182
6. Steyerl, H. (2009). In defense of the poor image. Published online at

http://www. e-flux. com/journal/view/94.
7. Thorin, S. E. (2006). Global changes in scholarly communication. In
eLearning and Digital Publishing (pp. 221-240). Springer
Netherlands.
8. Vines, J. (2013). HCI in the press: online public reactions to mass
media portrayals of HCI research. Proceedings of the SIGCHI
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1873-
1882
183
Additive Manufacturing with Precious Metal Clay (PMC);

Aesthetic Opportunities that Bridge Digital and Traditional
Craft
Esteban Schunemann Abstract PDM exists in three domains; digital, code craft, and traditional
practice. This brings about a process that can be a hybrid in that it
Brunel University Paste Deposition Modelling (PDM) is an Additive Layer is ALM yet regains the nature of being ‘touched by hand’. The
School of Engineering and Design Manufacturing (ALM) method which presents design opportunities. combination of domains allows design freedoms that go beyond the
Kingston Lane PDM is explored here, focussing on depositing precious metal limitations of the equipment; this brings a change in the nature of
Uxbridge clays for jewellery. The research draws upon open systems; it uses practice and one in which coding skill (further to CAD) may become
Middlesex hacked together hardware and subverts software to explore syringe part of the designer-maker’s tool kit.
UB8 3PH based 3D printing of metals without a step-change process using a
Esteban@Schunemann.org low cost system.
Keywords
Sarah Silve
Metal clays (silver and bronze) can be adapted for PDM. This Precious Metal Clay; ALM; Rapid-Prototyping; Paste Deposition
Brunel University
involves diluting them so as to pass through a tapered syringe Modelling; 3D Printing
School of Engineering and Design
nozzle. Material reformulations and deposition parameters have
Kingston Lane
been determined that lead to fully sintered parts. Research Imperatives
Uxbridge
Middlesex
A range of 3D geometries showing the limits of deposition have 3D printing, Rapid Prototyping (RP) or Additive Layer
UB8 3PH
been developed. PDM has a filament nature which can be exploited Manufacturing (ALM) are synonymous terms for what has become
Sarah.silve@brunel.ac.uk
as wire-like structures or surface texture. This can be exaggerated a mainstream method for producing models, or parts, from a 3D
by changing the thickness of the filaments. Using printing CAD file (*.stl). There are many systems on the market and a
parameters outside the tolerances of the process can introduce a limited spectrum of materials, most of which are suitable for
prototyping but often require a step-change with other processes to
stochastic element, giving randomness to an otherwise regular
form. translate them into the correct material for purpose. In the jewellery
sector an example would be the printing of wax masters for
It is possible to use self-originated infill structures. This is investment casting. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and other
subsumed within a range of rings that demonstrate the ability to precursor metal ALM methods and systems have existed for many
create a product to a target size taking into account shrinkage years but were still not developed for use in the field of jewellery by
during firing. The rings were then subjectively treated in view of the the time of this project.
conventional methods of working with metal clays. Whilst the
filament texture is evident it can be blended and made smooth, In 2005, EOS demonstrated the possibility of sintering precious
according to the designer’s intention. metals (Paynter, 2005). Since then, EOS have collaborated with
Cookson Gold to produce an operational machine.
184
Comparatively, what is being developed here is a process by which This makes a contribution to the digital versus hand debate by
metal clay can be 3D printed using a low-cost CNC system with exploring artefacts made with the combination of virtual design,
reasonably low cost materials. It does this by using materials that programming and traditional hand working techniques where the
are already mass manufactured either as powders or clay that can success of the outcome cannot be contributed to a single domain
be reformulated. This makes the technology more accessible to the but to the combination of all of them.
end user and therefore more open to user innovation. Most
interestingly this research approach is ‘hands on’ and not outside Key research questions concern: 1) adapting metal clays for 3D
the scope of designer-makers with an interest in experimental deposition. In the first instance this means diluting them to a
enquiry when processing materials; similar examples to this consistency that will pass through a tapered syringe nozzle,
'alchemical' approach would be anodising, patination, enamelling or determining the deposition parameters, and finally seeing whether
Mokume-Gane. Currently there isn’t a low cost metal ALM system the reformulated material will sinter fully. 2) From initial results, to
that targets this market. develop a range of 3D geometries that show the limits of
deposition. 3) To show how such materials, within the constraints
With current ALM systems the goal is to achieve near finished found may be used for jewellery, by creating a range that suitably
products so as to require little finishing by hand. The trend in ALM aligns the aesthetics of PDM and the possibility of self-originated
system development is towards higher resolutions to eliminate infill structures with the intentions of the designer. 4) To appraise
evidence of the process by reducing the layer height (stepping). In volumetric shrinkage in relation to geometry 5) To evaluate the
doing so however, the opportunity to exploit the stepped quality of relationship of PDM in metal clays and conventional PMC working.
the process aesthetically; is lost, without intentional programming. Figure 2 shows a breakdown of the process.
PDM takes an almost retro perspective on this, and being a
filament based process, exaggerates the layered visual identity, Research Process
this allows for experimentation of repetitive textures and wire like
geometries. Metal clays consist of metal particles suspended in an organic
binder that burns away upon firing; the metal particles also sinter
Commercial ALM systems rely on certainty to successfully (like DMLS) and produce a near fully dense metal part. One of the
reproduce virtual designs in the physical realm as true to the fundamental issues of metal clays is that, despite manufacturer’s
original as possible, this is brought by the iterative development of guidelines, it is difficult to predict the shrinkage. Some
the machine, software and materials intended for the process. This characterisation of the sintering process, relative shrinkage and the
reduces the palette of materials available and shifts the materiality material properties of the various formulations of PMC has been
of making to the virtual domain. In such a controlled environment undertaken by McCreight (2010).
the uncertainty traditionally seen in craft practices is lost, where
reduced control over materials and processes brings about the Metal clays are too viscous to pass though a syringe nozzle, so,
unpredictability and uniqueness of hand crafted artefacts. In they are reformulated to a viscosity suitable for PDM by adding
contrast PDM in metal clays brings an element of traditional making water and small quantities of olive oil to the clay. Mixing is by hand
to the mix by cross-mapping the hand techniques of clay with ALM, on a flat surface using spatulas.
it also opens the possibility of experimentation with materials that
were not originally intended for ALM.
Figure 1, Machine setup, depositing
'seashell build in bronze
185
File preparation for RP generally makes use of slicing software, this ascertain and compare the strength of the sintered material across
generates instructions for each layer of the object including infill the different tests.
patterns and surface perimeters.
A selection of the rings after deposition were treated using
This automated process however, does not allow the designer traditional PMC working techniques, surfaces were made smooth
freedom to generate unique patterns pertaining to the designer's by burnishing with water. Further to this, once fired, the rings were
visual identity. To overcome this limitation, the layers of the object worked on a ring mandrel to take out the warp from firing. This also
are designed individually in 2D within 'CorelDraw' and exported to served to test the strength of the sintered metal. All silver pieces
G-code, where the sequence of layers can be repeated in code as were patinated to accentuate the texture. Figure 5 shows the
required; this method is more suited for straight walled builds. finished rings.
Alternatively, the layers generated in 'CorelDraw' can be imported
into '3D Studio Max' and edited there to create more complex Research outcomes
surfaces such as twists and overhangs. This approach allows for
greater control over the geometry and the resulting visual and The creation of texture goes beyond the virtual domain, the
tactile qualities of the artefact. This digital deconstruction method is material can be led to behave in a stochastic fashion; by depositing
similar to that used by Drummond Masterton (2007); where he at less than optimal parameters filament placement can be
interferes and manipulates the tool paths generated by CNC cutting unpredictable, breaking the symmetry of the layered texture and
software to create patterns and cutting marks that are distinctive to producing something unique, this was observed during the cone
his visual vocabulary and not just the outcome of a means to an draft angle tests where the print failed at 45°(Figure 3). This shows
end. Taking the process output as desirable aesthetic features, the process is open to 'happy accidents' where key aesthetic
instead of grinding and polishing away the evidence of the process. features are not reflected in the virtual design stages.
To build the knowledge required for deposition, basic test It has been shown that metal clays can be adapted for PDM. They
geometries were deposited; these included simple log pile can be prepared with large tolerances using simple tools and
structures and cones featuring draft angles from 30° up to 45° at 5° dispensed through a syringe nozzle. Firing schedules were
increments, this informed both the deposition and firing schedule determined and it was found that ‘BronzClay’ and ‘PMC Pro’
parameters. Building on this, more complex hollow geometries sintered fully and could withstand basic wroughting. Seashell
were deposited featuring curves and tappers (Figures 1, 4). geometries (Figs. 1 and 4) demonstrated that PDM can produce
sophisticated, tapered and twisted parts without support material,
Following these tests a series of rings were deposited, rings were which bodes well for creating 3D hollow parts. Benchmarking the
chosen so as to demonstrate control over the process by targeting dimensional stability of metal PDM by ring size shrinkage was
a specific size. The rings were made in both silver (PMC Pro), and attempted. This was combined with developing a body of work to
bronze (BronzClay). The firing schedules were based on work by demonstrate some anticipated benefits of coupling the PDM
Sanderson (2010), where she attempted to characterise the characteristics with self originated infill strategies. Where consistent
shrinking of PMC in the context of rings and how the firing stage batches were fired as built (i.e. not worked by hand), there was
influenced the final outcome. In the interest of validating the firing good consistency within the batch but not between different
schedules she also wrought the rings on a mandrel post-firing to designs, this is likely to be dependent on the design features of:
Figure 2, Process film strip,
from design to product, in BronzClay
186
external and internal perimeter geometries, infill patterns, wall

thicknesses and build height. PDM is in its infancy, for it to be
dimensionally reliable a more formalised experimental approach
would be required. This would encompass process development
rather than a crafts research based context. An exploration of metal
PDM for craft outcomes that are not dimensionally constrained
would appear an appropriate way forward.
Figure 3, 45° cone, 'failed' print. Further to the investigation with the rings, another piece was made,
a pendant was developed as a visual expression of the tessellation
patterns PDM is capable of when not dimensionally constrained as
per previous tests (Fig. 6).
With PDM for metal clays there isn’t a step-change and only the
material required in the part is prepared, rather than a bed of
powder. Together with the range of metals available in clay form,
PDM is also a candidate for multi metal ALM, metal clay Figure 6, Pendant, patinated silver.
combinations have been found to be possible using hand methods

(Jacobson, 2011).
Figure 4, Seashell in patinated silver. References
Whilst a layered texture is evident it can also be selectively
1. Jacobson, H. (2011). 'Follow-up on Mokume-Gane with Copper and
blended and made smooth, according to the designer’s intention.
Silver' .Available: http://artinsilver.com/blog/2011/04/23/follow-up-on-
This brings about a process that can be a hybrid in that it is ALM
mokume-gane-with-copper-and-silver/ Last accessed 10/05/13.
yet regains the nature of being ‘touched by hand’. This approach
presents a change in the nature of practice, one in which coding 2. Masterton, D., H., (2007), ‘Deconstructing the digital’, Proceedings of
skill needs to become part of the designer-maker's toolkit to take the New Craft Future Voices Conference, pp. 7-24
full advantage of the freedoms offered by the process.
3. McCreight, T., (2010), ‘PMC: The clay that just might change jewelry’,
Proceedings of the 24th Santa Fe Symposium on Jewelry
This combined with the desktop prototyping merits, could be an
Manufacturing Technology, pp.1-28
Figure 5, Rings, in silver and bronze. open-source, low-cost and versatile process for cold forming
metals. Making it ideal for one-offs or small batch production 4. Paynter, K., (2005). Report: Digital Manufacturing. The Goldsmith's
requiring little setup cost, this presents a viable route for designer- Technical Bulleting. issue (2), pp. 6-7
makers wishing to work with ALM in precious metals.
5. Sanderson, H., (2010). 'PMC PRO Ring Tests'. Available:
http://www.metalclayguru.com/storage/pdfs/PMC-PRO-Ring-Tests-
Hattie-Sanderson.pdf. Last accessed 17/11/ 2012.
187
Magic Interactions?
Game design to Counterattack Gambling Irresistible Illusions

Annamaria Andrea Vitali Abstract Each game is an adaptation of an existing game of chance, suitably
Politecnico di Milano revisited to enlighten a specific cognitive error related to play,
Magic Interaction is an experimental design project aimed to through meaningful play experiences.
Via Durando 38/A
Milano, IT provide a new user perspective on gambling, providing an
interactive and emotional experience with a rhetoric value. The
annamaria.vitali@mail.polimi.it
Author Keywords
objective of the project is to increase awareness about the
mechanisms that produce addicting play. The questions leading Interaction design; Gambling; Perception; Game Design;
this experimental project were: how do gamblers perceive the play Meaningful Play.
experience? What makes games of chance so appreciated and
compelling? How can digital design cope with this irresistible Research Imperatives
interaction?
Gambling and Cognitive Theories
In gambling players are immerse in intense perceptive experiences This research investigates gambling phenomena, through a design
that depend on game features and play contexts: rules and perspective, explaining how games of chance are structured and
mechanics, graphic features, sounds and rhythms of actions how they are related to cognitive errors that occur both in frequent
contribute to cognitive errors and illusions that could end up in or infrequent gamblers.
pathological behaviours (Parke and Griffiths, 2007).
These perceptions and cognitive phenomena are explained in Gamblers usually believe it is possible to find strategies, rules and
terms of play rhetoric (Frasca, 2007): games are designed to indicators to foresee the result of a draw: even if gambling relies on
produce meaningful experiences affecting players’ thoughts and chance, gamblers play as they are playing a skill game (Croce,
emotions. Considering three of the main gamblers’ cognitive errors Zerbetto, 2001). This happens because games of chance are
- illusion of control (Langer, 1975), near miss (Reid, 1986) and designed to hide chance and the independence of bets
suspension of judgment (Griffiths, 2007) – the project intends to (Ladouceur, 2003). Players are immersed in intense perceptive
offer an answer to the questions: is it possible to change gamblers experiences that depend on game features and play contexts:
experience of gambling? Is it possible, through game play, to mechanics, graphic features, sounds and rhythms of actions
improve users’ awareness about their cognitive errors? contribute to cognitive errors and illusions that can end up in
Magic Interaction is a set of digital interactive artifacts (Fast pathological behaviours. Those features were defined structural
Roulette, Invisible Roulette, Slot Machine What if?) providing micro characteristics of gambling “that facilitate the acquisition,
gambling experiences; these meaningful games intend to lead development, and/or maintenance of gambling behaviour
gamblers toward a new consciousness about illusions of gambling. irrespective of the individual’s psychological, physiological, or
socioeconomic status” (Parke and Griffiths, 2007, p.212).
188
Research Outcomes
From a design perspective, this means finding an answer to the
following questions. How can digital design cope with this The research process ended up in the design of digital interactive
irresistible interaction? Is it possible to change gamblers prototypes (developed with Unity3D, www.unity3d.com) providing
experience of gambling through game play, improving users’ meaningful gambling experience to fix players’ approach to
awareness about their cognitive errors? gambling, and to increase awareness about the perceptive and
cognitive tricks connected to games of chance features. The project
is supported by the fact that interaction and play are tools to convey
Research Process
meanings inducing behaviours: it is clearly demonstrated by the
Step 1: From psychology to game design fact that features of games of chance are designed to induce
Psychologists’ approaches to gambling cognitive phenomena were cognitive errors and then, continuing gambling. Moreover, we can
transferred into design research through interpretation of playing catch gamblers’ attention by “speaking their language”, but
game as interaction (Pichlmair, 2004) and play rhetoric (Frasca, disclosing through interactive experiences the concealed truths of
2007). Desired meaningful experiences are achievable designing gambling. I proposed three interactive prototypes based on existing
interactions between games and players (settings, rules, players games of chance, suitably revisited in their interactive processes
and game representations), affecting players’ emotions, ideas, and and design, to enlighten cognitive errors, through the appropriate
behaviours. This perspective, applied to games of chance, proves meaningful play experiences.
the irresistible attraction of gambling experience, because it is
voluntary based on illusory perception of game features. Prototype 1: Fast Roulette
Fast Roulette is a fast simulation of one thousand draws, showing
Step 2: Analysis of State of Art aspects of roulette game that usually are not, averting the emotions
The analysis of existent games of chance in play environments that occur every time players are waiting for the result of a draw.
(such as slot machine, scratch card lottery, lottery, online gambling Players are invited to place their bet (Fig.1), and then to see draw
etc.) was useful for a deeper understanding of their structure and by draw what will happen to their money if they had the possibility
the rhetoric relationship between design features, interaction to repeat the same bet strategy for one thousand times.
processes, players’ interpretation of play experience, and cognitive
errors.
Step 3: Cognitive Errors and Design Answers

I made a classification of design and play characteristics affecting
gamblers’ cognitive errors, illusion of control (Langer, 1975),
suspension of judgment (Griffiths, 2007), and near miss (Reid,
1986), concluding that it is impossible to think of gambling without
its illusory playability. Asking if it is possible to change gamblers’
experience of gambling, the research finds answer in the design of
digital interactive prototypes.
Figure 1. Fast Roulette, starting interface: wheel and table.
189
This artefact is focused on suspension of judgment cognitive error, column bets, dozen bets, black or red, odd or even etc.) and
interpreted as lack of player’s awareness about money players are induced to think that bet strategies provide them more
expenditure. If usually, as in many other games of chance, there chance to win. The interactive experience in this prototype exposes
are no possibilities to keep track of money bet or won, in fast the rhetoric use of play-world characteristics by eliminating signs
roulette it is clearly showed through the rhetoric power of money and elements that hide randomness in game reference system (for
visualisation and credit balance display: three counters show in real example colours and numbers, and the bet strategy deriving from
time actual player’s credit, the total amount of money bet and those). Starting from a standard roulette game interface (Fig.4),
money won (Fig.2), and a line graph for credit balance display is illusion of control is tested questioning the players about their next
employed too (Fig.3). Speed is another important mechanic bet in front of the new game reference system: player will face a
employed because the objective of the prototype is achievable only roulette with numbers but not colours (Fig.5), a roulette with colours
Figure 2. Fast Roulette, counters of
supposing a fast simulation of one thousand draws showing bets but not numbers (Fig.6) and in the end a blank roulette (Fig.7).
players’ credit, total bet and money won.
results draw by draw.
Figure 5. Invisible Roulette, second

interface with numbers, but not colours.
Figure 4. Invisible Roulette, starting interface: a standard roulette.
Figure 3. Fast Roulette, final interface: the line graph clearly shows players’
credit trend during the interactive experience.
Prototype 2: Invisible Roulette

Invisible roulette intends to explain illusion of control resulting from
player’s knowledge of game reference and signs system,
questioning how players will decide their next bet. Players never
really place random bets, although randomness is an intrinsic
characteristic of games of chance: gamblers place bet according to
favorite numbers, birthday dates, bets strategy etc. All these beliefs
are tied to the complexity (more apparent than real) of games of
Figure 6. Invisible Roulette, third interface
with colours, but not numbers. change rules hiding the randomness of gambling. For example, in
roulette game there are different type of bets (straight, split, corner,
190
Figure 7. Invisible Roulette, final interface: a blank roulette without colours If we do not use lights and sounds except that in actual win
or numbers. conditions, instead, we would help players to understand that
Prototype 3: Slot machine, What if? losses are more frequent that winnings. In the end, last level is also
While playing one slot machine, it is quite clear that its characterized by the elimination of symbols on reels: players
interestingness is related to lights and sound effects: it is an instant usually believe that symbols appear on reels according to a precise
lottery, enriched with emotional and entertainment experience. sequence that if learned, could allow them to foresee if the next
Playworld characteristics are a critical point in slot machine symbols match, is a winning one or not. Nevertheless, as slot
gambling, as demonstrate in the artefact. Abundance of lights and machine is an instant lottery, it is not possible: how would change
sounds effects inhibits players’ awareness about time and money player control perception when playworld elements are changed
Figure 9. Slot Machine, starting interface: expenditure, therefore the interactive experience is characterized profoundly?
one traditional slot machine.
by the gradual elimination of playworld elements, reducing slot
machine at its essential function, an instant lottery. The interactive The meaningful play experience proposed in each prototype can
experience is divided into different levels (Fig. 8-10): lights and apply to any other game of chance adapting the rhetoric features of
sound effects are turn on or off one after the other to provide mechanics and playworld to the desired cognitive experience. The
players different emotional experiences. The first cognitive dynamic prototypes, to be tested, could be part of a complete set of
affected by this choice is suspension of judgment. The use of lights meaningful gambling experiences to prevent the widespread of
and sound effects only in case of actual win would help player to pathological behaviour, increasing players’ awareness through play
pay more attention to money expenditure. Moreover, also near (project website: www.andreavitalidesign.it/magicinteraction).
miss is affected. Slot machine gambling is so rich and chaotic that it
is quite difficult to recognize a successful bet, from an unsuccessful References
one, especially in case of near miss. 1. Croce, M. and Zerbetto, R. (2001) Il gioco e l’azzardo. Il fenomeno, la
Figure 10. Slot Machine, final interface, clinica, le possibilità d’intervento, Ed. Franco Angeli
without symbols on reels. 2. Frasca, G. (2007) Play the message, Play, Game and Videogame
Rhetoric, Ph.D Dissertation, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Griffiths, M. (1993) Fruit Machine Gambling, The Importance of Structural
Characteristics, Journal of Gambling Studies, 9(2), 101-120
4. Ladouceur, R. et al. (2003) Il gioco d’azzardo eccessivo, vincere il
gambling, Centro Scientifico Editore, Torino
5. Langer, E.J. (1975) The Illusion of control, Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 32(2), 311-328
6. Parke, J., Griffiths, M. (2007) The role of structural characteristics in
gambling, In G. Smith, D. Hodgins & R. Williams (Eds.), Research and
Measurement Issues in Gambling Studies, New York: Elsevier, pp.211-
243
7. Pichlmair, M. (2004) Designing for emotions, arguments for an emphasis
on affect design, Ph.D Dissertation, Vienna University of Technology
Figure 8. Slot Machine, third level interface: a slot machine without lights
effects. 8. Reid, R. L. (1986) The psychology of the near miss, Journal of Gambling
Behaviour, 2, 32-39
191
The New Saint Cuthbert’s Banner

Fiona J. Raeside-Elliot Abstract Durham miners’ banners, the new St. Cuthbert’s banner
Northumbria University symbolises the ideals and aspirations of those who rallied under it,
This research narrates the design development and realisation of becoming “the visual memory of a movement” (Williams, cited in
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST UK the New St. Cuthbert’s Banner, an ecclesiastical banner for Gorman,1973 p.19).
fiona.raeside@northumbria.ac.uk Durham Cathedral (North East England), which replaces the
original, destroyed in the mid 1500’s.
Author Keywords
After my commission to design the new banner, the process began Design; Banner; St. Cuthbert; Ecclesiastical artefact; Community;
with historical research offered by a description of the original Reflection-in-practice
artefact in the Rites of Durham (1503) (cited by Fowler, 1903 p.26).
The creative process encompassed the research and development
of floral pattern in the pursuit of a simple ‘pleasing aesthetic’. The Research Imperatives
final version was chosen from over thirty ‘variations on a theme’,
My involvement with The New Saint Cuthbert’s Banner (Fig. 1) was
and was an innate response to the variables of materials, labour
the result of a design commission from the Northumbrian
costs, and the one that just ‘felt right’. Craftsmen drawn entirely 1
Association in 2008. The association cites words such as ‘identity’,
from North East England completed the four-year project by
and ‘community’ as the impetus for the banner’s creation 500 years
undertaking the embroidery, woodwork, silverwork and leatherwork
after the original was destroyed. They believe the new banner is a
to bring the project to realisation.
rallying-cry to the people of the North East to support the fight to
th
On 20 March 2012 - St. Cuthbert’s feast day – the banner was bring the Lindisfarne Gospels permanently back to the North East,
processed through the streets of Durham before being presented to and comes at a time when the loan of the gospels to Durham in
the Cathedral. It now enjoys permanent public display at the 2013 sees St Cuthbert’s Gospel, the Lindisfarne Gospels and the
entrance to St. Cuthbert’s shrine and is used at the discretion of the relics of St Cuthbert come together under one roof for the first time
Dean and Chapter in processions and worship. The Very Reverend since 1104.
Michael Sadgrove, Dean of Durham Cathedral speaks of the
banner’s timely addition to the Cathedral as “making history”, and
knowing that, “like its predecessor, it will bring inspiration and
pleasure for years to come, and be a source of particular pride to
the people of North-East England, Cuthbert’s Land” (Sadgrove,
1
2012). The Northumbrian Association is a registered charity whose patrons include; His
Grace the Duke of Northumberland and The Bishop of Durham. The Association exists
to maintain and advance the Northumbrian culture, heritage and traditions. Their
The new banner can only hope to represent the zeitgeist of the annual House of Common’s dinner uses this platform to present their visions for the
future, one such being the permanent re-instatement of the Lindisfarne Gospels to the
original. Like the historic and symbolic textile artefacts of the North East.
192
The life of St. Cuthbert (c.635-687) is widely documented, with Research Process
accounts of both his living years and his posthumous spiritual
presence serving to maintain the ‘cult’ that surrounded him. The New Saint Cuthbert’s Banner project was realised over a four-
Cuthbert is regarded as one of the most significant saints in year period. This section broadly chronicles the creation of the
England in the Middle Ages (Bliese, 1998, p.215). Documentation ecclesiastical artefact. The preceding section revealed ‘community’
suggests that the Lindisfarne Gospels, written by Eadfrith, his and ‘identity’ as main influencers for the research. However, the
successor as Bishop of Lindisfarne, were written to celebrate his showcasing of the talent and quality of North East England
beatification. More importantly in terms of this paper, Cuthbert’s craftsmen in the creation of the banner was also an imperative.
banner was also posthumously created as an embodiment of his
protection of ‘his people’ against both Scottish and foreign armies. October 2008 - June 2009 | It was important for me as the newly-
The Rites of Durham tells of the banner accompanying the armies commissioned designer of the banner to define that my work was
Richard II, Henry IV and Henry VIII into battle, where victories were based on the contemporary interpretation, or creation of a new
‘afforded’ by the presence of the sacred relic. It also recounts the banner, rather than the attempted recreation of the old. Therefore,
description of the first manifestation of the original banner, used in although historic tapestries and embroideries were appraised for
1346 at the Battle of Neville’s Cross. In a vision, the then prior of techniques to be used in the new embroidery, the design was not
Fig. 1. The banner being processed on
St. Cuthbert’s Day, 20th March 2012. the abbey at Durham, was instructed to take St. Cuthbert’s intended to follow a medieval style. With a fairly tight brief afforded
Photograph:Tony Griffiths corporax cloth “and to put the same holy relic like unto a banner by the description in the Rites of Durham (see side column, p.3),
cloth upon a spear point and on the morrow after to go and repair my research question really centred around the production of
to a place on the west part of the city of Durham called the Redhills meaning - how the design could represent the brand of Cuthbert,
and there to remain and abide till the end of the said battle…” with the banner becoming a logo to embody the effort to reinstate
(Fowler, 1903, p.23). the gospels to the North East. Although parallels have been drawn
with the banners of the Miners’ Lodges, these historical textiles
“Much modern social theory refers to tended towards a “visual representation of religious scenes, iconic
isolation, alienation and the breakdown of Of relevance here is the fact that the Redhills now sites the
headquarters of the Durham Miners’ Union. With a recent union leaders or simply the depiction of a life that could be”
community – but also the need for
collective support and identity in a world resurgence in attendance at the Durham Miners’ Gala, the North (Gorman 1973, p.13). The new St. Cuthbert’s banner in contrast, is
dominated by neo-liberal strategies East’s legacy of banner-bearing and the representation of shared a symbol of a narrative, rather than being a narrative in itself.
where there is much danger for the
values should be highlighted (see Stephenson, column opposite).
individual. The banner comes to The start of my creative design work centred around research into
represent shared values and the Stephenson and Wray (2005) reference how the lodge banner, at
the centre of all post-mining community activities, is perhaps even wildflowers that Cuthbert would have encountered during his life in
collective sharing could be seen to offer a
sense of protection” Stephenson (2013). more significant for the continuance of the well-being of their ancient Northumberland. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Wood
communities than when the mine was in operation. Wray suggests Avens (Geum urbanum), Cowslip (Primula veris), Sandwort
that “to some extent, it is as if the banners have gone through some (Arenaria), St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Ferns
anthropomorphic process and become individuals who possess the (Dryopteris) were chosen to represent the widespread
collective memory of the community they were created to Northumbrian common flora. Hand-rendered sketches of these
represent” (2009, p.162). flowers were made in order to generate original work, and these
® ®
were then scanned and traced using Adobe Illustrator to enable
colouration (Fig.2). Once the flowers were digitised, I was able to

193
follow the description to create the banner’s ‘structure’ in terms of She promotes the notion of the fundraising (£35,000 was needed to
size, colour and positioning of pectoral cross, and to start subsidise the project) and the developing of the ideas as being key;
manipulation and generation of pattern design work in response to
the description of “wrought with flowers of green silk and gold”. “The process of the production and the creation of the banner in
Early ‘playful’ experimental pattern work revealed that an itself created common purpose, builds skills, creates ‘community’.
intertwining aesthetic was the most ‘natural’ and ‘poetic’, and Here I am thinking of ‘community’ as a verb not a noun –
intuitively I knew of no real alternative worth considering. Schön community is something that is done, people are bound together in
(1987, p.25) can be referred to here to support my claim for a common purpose”. (Stephenson 2013)
‘knowing’ being tacit in our practice and implicit in our actions. My
creative process here was an inherent response as I searched for a Research Outcomes
simple ‘pleasing aesthetic’ and balanced the considerations of both
material and labour costs (embroidery). In referencing the practicum, Schön states that; “Emphasis is
placed on learning by doing, which John Dewey described a long
Figure. 2. Photographic wildflower
Over thirty ‘variations on a theme’ were produced over an eight- time ago as the “primary or initial subject matter” (1987, p.16). As a
research; hand-rendered drawings;
digitisation and colouration of floral month period to be reviewed by the Dean and Chapter, and also ‘student’ of ecclesiastical design myself, I entered into the banner
pattern the Fabric Advisory Committee of Durham Cathedral. The final commission with a curiosity and an open mind. Schön speaks of
version was unanimously accepted and was the obvious choice of exploratory experiment as “probing, playful activity by which we get
all involved in the decision-making, as it most closely echoed the a feel for things” (1987, p.70), and whilst it is tempting to call my
key word “sumptuously” from the description. experimental approach ‘trial and error’, Schön elevates this to what
“The banner cloth was a yard broad and he calls a sequence of “moments” in a viable process of reflection-
five quarters deep… and made fast with all August 2009- January 2012 | The task of realising the banner in-action, where we reflect on each “trial’ to inform the next” (1897,
about with red silk and gold. And also the then passed to the commissioned embroiderer who elected to pp.27 and 158).
said banner cloth was made of red velvet
undertake the task single-handedly using medieval ecclesiastical
on both sides most sumptuously
Opus Anglicanum embroidery techniques, split stitches and Although there were distinct processes involved with my design
embroidered and wrought with flowers of
green silk and gold… and so sumptuously goldwork embellishment for richness. Whilst the embroidery was work such as research, sketching and design development, I have
finished and absolutely perfected, was underway, other local craftsmen were commissioned to undertake a barrier to overcome when trying to explicitly describe it as part of
dedicated to holy St Cuthbert to the intent the woodwork for the poles, leatherwork for the harness and my reflection-on-action (see Biggs, side column, p. 4). In
and purpose that the same should be considering my role in the production of artefact, I have also been
silverwork for the ‘sacring bells’ and finial cross (fig. 3). I also
always after presented and carried to any
undertook to film these processes between April and November led to the writings of Nimkulrat (2007, p. 4). She identifies herself
battle as occasion should serve” (Rites of
Durham, cited by Fowler, 1903, p.26). 2011, to record the communal journey and to help narrate the as practice-based rather than practice-led creative, able to focus on
emotional attachment the artisans had for their involvement in the her role once the product is exhibited. She sees herself as a
project. practitioner-researcher who takes the researcher’s stance to
analysis and contextualise the earlier creative process. Conversely,
Whilst the banner project was not in its truest sense a ‘community this role is then reversed again in a practice-focused creation of
project’, the artisans worked discretely, but towards a shared goal, artefact until the research question is answered. She refers to
therefore functioning as a ‘virtual’ community. Stephenson (2013) Mäkelä (2003), who used “retroactive gaze” to denote the
talks of the ‘not doing what’, but ‘how’ in developing a community.
194
retrospective process of considering one’s own practice to find References

answers.
1. Andrew, S. (2008) Textile Semantics: Considering a Communication-based Reading
of Textiles. The Journal of Cloth and Culture, Volume 6, Number 1, pp. 32-65(34)
Of particular interest in terms of the public display of the banner in [Online]. Available at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/ content/berg/tjcc/
th
Durham Cathedral, were the writings of authors concerned with 2008/00000006/00000001/art00003 (Accessed: 20 May 2013).
product semantics and material culture studies, in particular, the

2. Biggs, M.A.R. 2002, "Editorial: the concept of knowledge in art and design", [Online],
artist-spectator relationship. As Duchamp et al (1957, p2) claim, the vol. 2. Available from: http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/artdes_ research/papers/wpades/
creative act is not a sole performance by the artist alone, but the vol2/intro02.html [accessed 3rd May 2013].
spectator adds to the creative act when he “brings the work in 3. Bliese, J.R.E. (1998). Saint Cuthbert and war. Journal of History, Vol.24. No. 3, pp.
215-24.
contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its
inner qualification” whilst also determining the aesthetic value. 4. Duchamp, M., Bateson, G., Seitz, F. & Arnheim, R. 1957, The Creative Act,
Available at: http://www.cathystone.com/Duchamp_Creative Act.pdf, [Accessed 3rd
May 2013] edn, [online], Convention of the American Federation of Arts Houston.
Andrew (2008) writes about textiles as "cultural signifiers", and 5. Fowler, J.T. (ed.) (1903). Rites of Durham. Surtees Society vol. 107, Durham
Fig. 3. final embroidery, woodwork &
uses the term "textile semantics" to examine the communicative [Online]. Available at http://archive.org/stream/ritesofdurhambei00cathrich#page/
silverwork for the pole & banner th
n7/mode/2up (Accessed 10 March 2013).
attachment, leatherwork for the qualities of textiles between the practitioner and spectator. She
harness and a silver ‘sacring’ bell. cites Tilley (1989, p.189) in her work who recognises that material 6. Gorman, J. 1973. Banner Bright. Allen Lane, London.
culture can be an individual output, but that “it is always a social 7. Nimkulrat, N. (2007), The Role of Documentation in Practice-Led Research,
[Online], vol. 3, no.1, Article M6, pp. 1-8. Available from: http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/
production”. Andrew (p.40) also cites Jackson who suggests that th
jrp/ article/viewArticle/58 [Accessed 20 March 2013].
studies of material culture should realign the focus of the physical
8. Sadgrove, M. (2012). http://www.durham.anglican.org/news-and-events/news-
“Have we somehow conspired to arrange production and also the production of meaning by the maker, th
article.aspx?id=249 (Accessed 20 March 2013)
matters so that knowledge is always what we towards the meaning the viewer derives from the artefact itself. 9. Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco, CA:
say about something rather than what we Considering this in the context of a public display of banners, Jossey-Bass Publishers.
show about it? If so, it would account for the Jackson’s theory suggests that the social and cultural signifiers 10. Stephenson, C. and Wray, D. (2005) Emotional regeneration through community
difficulty of using objects as constituting or results from both the physical environment where it is consumed action in post-industrial mining communities: The New Herrington Miners' Banner
Partnership. Capital & Class 29 pp.175-199.
communicating knowledge. Is the problem and also the use to which it is put. rd
11. Stephenson, C. (2013) Email to Fiona Raeside-Elliott, 3 June
that the whole concept of knowledge and
research arises out of words rather than Like it’s miners’ banner counterparts, it is anticipated that the New 12. Wray, D. (2009). The Place of Imagery in the Transmission of Culture: The
Banners of the Durham Coalfield. International Labor and Working-Class History No.
actions, or do we simply have too narrow a St. Cuthbert’s banner will impact further than that of a mere textile. 76, pp. 147–163.
range of examples, i.e. only lexical With the banner’s annual parade through Durham on St. Cuthbert’s 13. Tilley, C (1994) ‘Interpreting Material Culture', in Pearce, S.M. (ed.) Interpreting
examples? Have we defined ourselves into a Feast Day planned as an annual event, it will hopefully revive a Objects & Collections. London: Routledge, pp. 67-75.
corner?” (Biggs, 2002, p.1-2). historic ritual absent from Northumbria for 500 years. My research
is on-going - to understand historic and contemporary textiles and
their power to connect to a community. In asking these questions, I
hope to understand my role as a practitioner-researcher, how my
design work can play a part in rallying a sense of community spirit
in the North East of England.
195
Re-Designing the Dining Experience:

Harpooning Meatballs in the Name of Co-Creation

Mie Nørgaard Abstract fed up with how a traditional restaurant looks and works, some
have started experimenting with introducing performance theory to
Aarhus School of Architecture This is paper describes three design artefacts that are part of a restaurants, serving food that need to be co-created at the table, or
Nørreport 20 series of designs aimed to challenge and re-invent the social and
DK 8000 Aarhus using tools and preparations that allow for new tastes, textures and
aesthetic experience of dining. The artefacts comprise a social interactions.
Mie.Norgaard@aarch.dk
table designed to either expose or provide an intimate room for the
guests, fork-headed spears designed to invite playful behaviour, Intrigued by how the use of design skills can invite guests to
and a meatball cage, designed to extravagantly display an excess participate in the dining situation, we set out to experiment with
of food while at the same time making it hard for guests to get to some of the well-known ingredients in a meal: the table and the
the food. The design artefacts were used in a live experiment with cutlery. As a frame for the experiment we chose to challenge the
eight children, and helped guests take active part in composing, concept of good and bad table manners and through various
exploring and challenging the dining experience. designs invite guests to co-create a unique dining experience with
strangers around a table.
Author Keywords
Figure 1. For Figure 1: The Social Table setup during the experiment,
Social dining; experience design; experiment; reinventing the meal; including the meatball cage, fork-headed spears and the intimate room
aesthetic experience, social interaction. under the table.
Introduction
We all eat, and most of us like dining considerably. Everyday
experience tells us that a fine meal or eating experience has more
to it than simply the food. For this reason, people spend money on
romantic restaurants, throw barbeques under the summer sky, and
make an effort presenting special meals with silver-ware, candle
light and heir-loom tablecloths. In consequence, most adults are
quite experienced in designing experiences around the meal,
though mostly within certain well-known genres such as ‘picnic’ or
‘romantic dinner for two’.
Around the world, professional chefs have long experimented with

taking experience design and dining a bit further. Perhaps being
196
Within the fields of experience design, numerous attempts to shape children around the age of eight an age where the play between
experiences and invite to certain behaviour have been described. good and bad manners can be understood and appreciated. The
Some work concern the development of frameworks or vocabulary food served during the meal was a three-course dinner and eight
to help designers articulate qualities in their designs (for example snack servings co-designed and delivered by professional chefs.
Arrasvuori et al., 2010; Petersen et al., 2004). While some of these The preparation and presentation of the food was designed to fit
contributions voice a view on interaction qualities that are closely certain affordances such as sharing, poking, wondering or making
related to traditional HCI values, such as precision or instant a mess.
feedback (Lim et al., 2007) others open the field to other aesthetic
qualities such as dramaturgical structure (Löwgren, 2008), The social table
aesthetic ideals such as sensing or emotion (Lundgren, 2010), or The central design artefact is a large round table, approximately
sensory qualities such as the ones described by someastetics two metres wide, with room for eight guests (see, figure 1). On the
(Shusterman, 2008). Some work is less theoretical and describe surface are eight manholes in which the guests stand while eating.
practical experiments with designs that invite certain behaviour or As a result, the guest is restrained and cannot move to get things
reflection. In critical design, for example, a design artefact is out of reach. The table is covered by a long white tablecloth, which
presented as a physical representation of a hypothesis, inviting the reaches the floor, only keeping the manholes open. During the
user/audience to consider for example technology’s role in society experiment, the room above the table included several cultural
or mundane life (Dunne, 1999). The work presented in this paper references to a formal dining situation, including white napkins,
has taken inspiration from the theoretical work in the field but aims uniformed waiters, and spotlight. The rhythm of the servings and
to present a series of physical design artefacts that invite to the announcing of the food also contributed to the feel of a formal
exploration and reflection rather than offer explanations. dining experience.
In the following, I will describe three design artefacts that we used Under the table, and enclosed by the tablecloth, is a low space with
to shape eight children’s experience of a meal. These artefacts benches all the way round the walls, leaving a small room on the
comprise a social table, fork-headed spears, and a meatball cage. floor on about 1.5 m2. Each of the eight bench ‘pieces’ is fitted with
Further design artefacts were made as part of the experiment, a transparent drawer in which food servings were placed from
including edible tableware, partnered spoons, ‘broken’ cups and outside the tent-like room. Each drawer contains a light that during
glasses, and special servings for sharing. These are not the topic of the experiment was switched on when a snack was placed inside
the present paper, but may appear in the photos from the the drawer.
experiment.
The social table was designed to either expose or provide an
The Designs intimate room for the guests, and hold subtle clues about what
kinds of manners would be expected, such as decoration, cultural
The design artefacts were designed to challenge and help
references and the fixed positioning of guests. These clues where
participants re-invent the social and aesthetic experience of dining.
then contradicted by adding design objects with other values to the
As such, the artefacts are not stand-alone objects; they are
context. Two of these were the forks and the dish used to present
designed to trigger playful behaviours, and are best understood in
the main course.
use. Our exploration was enabled by the participation of eight
197
The fork-headed spears and were guided to take room under the table by the use of stage
The fork-headed spears are in fact ordinary forks attached to long light: the room fell dark and the space under the table lit up,
wooden sticks (see, figure 1). Because of their length they are signalling the children to enter. During the performance, change of
difficult to balance, and they invite the guest to explore just where light settings was used to invite the children to move from dining
to hold it and how to manoeuvre it to make use of it. The fork- over the table to under the table, or vice versa.
headed spears were designed to physically challenge the guests,
invite to playful behaviour (such as using them as swords) and to The experiment was witnessed by 20 guests, who, from dark
provide the guests the possibility to grab food from the dish used corners of the dining hall, formed a passive audience for about two
for the main course, the meatball cage, which was placed centrally hours. Servings and other interventions were based on a dress
on the table, and otherwise out of reach for the guests. rehearsal with eight other children, and directed on the fly, with a
sharp focus on group dynamics, and according to a detailed
The meatball cage storyboard.
In traditional cooking, the presentation of food is central to the
dining experience, and specialized dishes and arrangements are During a meal lasting two hours, and facilitated by a series of
often used to invoke a certain impression in the guest. Presenting design artefacts, alliances between eight strangers emerged,
meatballs in an impressive collective serving is a cultural norms about behaviour challenged, and about 500
challenge somehow meatballs don’t fit well with fine dining, they meatballs became either eaten or airborne. The social and exiting
tend to roll all over the place, and considering their size and shape experiences aside, the experiential performance enabled by our
they almost invite to being thrown, especially when served in designs, managed to gently provoke and challenge the cultural
abundance. Our solution for a dish that allowed for the serving of assumptions made about good and bad manners, and engage
500 meatballs was a circle of chicken wire, about 65 cm wide and eight children in this discussion.
20 cm high, which perfectly caged in and displayed the meatballs at
the same time. Inviting guests to become participants in the co-creation of an
experience around a meal does not have to entail a theatre troupe
The meatball cage was designed to display an overwhelming or a large budget. Small designs that challenges some of the
amount of food, inviting the guests to reach out of their manholes general assumptions made about the meal is all it takes to create
and in over the table to get the food. The high sides of the cage the outline for an experience that is exiting and extraordinary to
combined with the fork-headed spears facilitated harpooning in an take part in. The experiment ‘Re-designing the dining experience’
exaggerated diagonal direction from over one’s head/shoulder, managed to gently provoke and challenge the cultural assumptions
leaving it impossible not to break the atmosphere of fine dining, about the qualities of dining, and eight children who were initially
suggested by the tables. strangers formed in two hours a strong fellowship and together
explored the boundaries for a socially engaging meal.
The Experiment

The three design artefacts were deployed in an experiment, a
staged meal with eight invited children around the age of eight. The
children were escorted by, and instantly separated from, parents,

198
Acknowledgements
Thanks to chefs Bo Lindegaard og Lasse Askov from I’m a Kombo ,
Enemærke & Petersen A/S who helped construct the table, and the
students and children who participated in the experiments.
References
1. Arrasvuori, J.; Boberg, M.; Korhonen, H. (2010) Understanding
Playfulness. An Overview of the Revised Playful Experience
(PLEX) Framework. In Proc. of Design & Emotion 2010
conference, Design and Emotion Society 2010.
2. Dunne, A. (1999) Hertzian Tales. Electronic Products, Aesthetic
Experience and Critical Design. CRD Research Publications.
3. Lim, Y., Stolterman, E., Jung, H. and Donaldson, J. (2007) Interaction
gestalt and the design of aesthetic interactions. Designing
pleasurable products and interfaces, 22.-25. August, 2007,
Helsinki, Finland.
4. Löwgren, J. (2008) Five things I believe about the aesthetics of
interaction design. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, The study of
visual aesthetics in human-computer interaction.
5. Lundgren, S. (2010) Intermediate: Aesthetic ideals as aims for design.
In Teaching and Learning Aesthetics of interaction. Ph.D.
Dissertation, Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
Chalmers University, Sweden.
6. Shusterman, R. (2008) Body Conciousness: A philosophy of
mindfulness and somaeasthetics, Cambridge University Press.
7. Petersen, M.G., Iversen, O. S., Krogh, P.G., Ludvigsen, M., (2004)
Aesthetic Interaction - A pragmatist’s aesthetics of interactive
systems. Designing interactive systems, DIS’04, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, USA.
199
Cookie Riot: The Development of an Interactive Learning Platform for Healthy
Food Education
Miguel Bruns Alonso Abstract project includes children of different socio-economic backgrounds
Industrial Design, TU Eindhoven and the focus is on creating an opportunity for all children to start a
This paper describes the process of designing a personal and healthy life.
Den Dolech 2
5612 AZ Eindhoven, NL interactive learning environment that stimulates children to gain
mbruns@tue.nl knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding food through Author Keywords
experimentation. Cookie Riot is a product-system-service
Food Education; Children; Learning-by-Doing; Interaction Design;
Rob Dijkstra combination that intends to promote a healthy, conscious lifestyle
Games
Industrial Design, TU Eindhoven and facilitate positive behavioral change. The relevance of the
Den Dolech 2 project lies in its multidisciplinary approach, as various Research Imperatives
5612 AZ Eindhoven, NL
stakeholders such as the nutrition centre, an after school daycare
organization, the local municipality and an environmental education Over the past decades, the percentage of overweight children has
Manon Spermon increased substantially (World Health Organization, 2012). To
Industrial Design, TU Eindhoven centre have contributed to and collaborate in the design process.
address this societal concern, there is a need to identify the
Den Dolech 2
Through various design iterations and interventions Cookie Riot numerous factors that are causing this worrying trend. In contrast to
5612 AZ Eindhoven, NL
explores whether a hands-on learning environment improves traditional interventions the project Cookie Riot intends to increase

children’s healthy food preference and whether it stimulates the value of healthy food consumption through education by taking
Renée van den Berg
Industrial Design, TU Eindhoven consciousness towards food. The first three iterations consisted of a learning-by-doing approach. This approach empowers children to
Den Dolech 2 student projects that elaborated on each other’s work and followed learn and to discover the world on their own. Therefore, the main
5612 AZ Eindhoven, NL a research-through-design approach in itself. In the first iteration question addressed by this project is whether a hands-on learning
the concept of cooking with children was explored, secondly the environment can improve children’s healthy food preference and
Suzanne Aartsen freedom of exploration in cooking was explored and thirdly the whether they will gain more appreciation towards food.
Milieu Educatie Centrum
system was extended with games that support children in learning
Genneperweg 145 It has been argued that supporting children in making healthier food
5644 RS Eindhoven, NL while exploring. Currently the project is in its fourth phase and the
product-system-service is being expanded and evaluated by an choices is more likely to be an effective approach than solving
obesity by means of treatment (Seidell, 2000; Singh et al., 2009).
Angelique van Gemert extended group of people. Different interactive learning
Gemeente Eindhoven environments will be installed in various locations of the city and Children learn eating habits during childhood (Shepherd, 2006) and
Genneperweg 145 connected devices such as tablet computers and smart phones will recent studies indicate that developing healthy food behaviors
5644 RS Eindhoven, NL
connect to a platform, serving as Experiential Probes that gather during the early years may be an effective way to address
data in the context of use (Peeters et al., 2013). overweight (e.g. Zeinstra et al., 2007). Therefore, children should
be the main focus for healthy food promotion.
This project offers a theory-based health intervention for children in
their natural environment and aims at evaluating its outcomes over A better appreciation and understanding of food will influence
an extended period of time. It intends to lay the fundaments for a children’s food preference (Hu et al., 2010). Several programs have
healthier lifestyle by taking a positive perspective. Moreover, the been developed to promote healthy food preference (Atkinson and
200
Nitzke, 2001). However, current interventions are very much based confidence in their ability to cook and had a better understanding of
on cognitive learning, while food could support a much richer how they could eat healthier (Spermon and Bruns, 2012).
experience. Moreover, the preference of food in children between 4
and 8 years is experienced particularly on a perceptual and
emotional level (Zeinstra et al., 2007). Therefore, we believe that a
constructivist learning approach (Dewey, 1938) is much more
suitable for children to learn about food. In the constructivist
learning approach it is the learner who creates meaning, affected
by and reflecting on his/her social cultural environment. By
reflecting in action children can learn about food and food
preparation while cooking and tasting, i.e. they learn by doing
(Schön, 1983). This projects aims to achieve a balance between
perceptual (the making), emotional (the feeling) and cognitive (the
learning) skills by stimulating children to gain knowledge about food
by experimenting and cooking supported by informative games.
Research Process
Three master students in Industrial Design at the TU Eindhoven
developed separate projects addressing food and education.
Projects lasted for one year (starting in December 2010) and Figure 1. Child using the sensor-enabled knife and from left to right the
followed a research through design approach. Iterations were cooking utensils beaker, masher, rasp and peeler of the Supersous game
inspired by data from input and output from game involvement and (designed by Manon Spermon)
tool use as well as from semi-structured interviews. Supersous was Mix and Taste
evaluated at an after school daycare organization with a class of
Mix and Taste is an ingredient suggestion system that makes
twelve and Playing with Food and Kokkerelletje at MEC, the
people more aware of the ingredients that compose their meal. The
Environmental Education Centre, with various school classes. Both
system offers suggestions of combinations of ingredients based
environments involved children aged 6-10 years from Eindhoven.
upon an online database, when products are placed on a surface
Supersous display. By providing a direct link to ingredients that are placed on
The Supersous Game supports an interactive feedback loop with the kitchen table the system gives users the opportunity to create a
five different cooking utensils, a knife, a beaker, a masher, a rasp meal from scratch whereby the ingredients form the basis of the
and a peeler with incorporated sensors. The game guides the cooking process instead of the recipe. During the evaluation,
children through the process of cooking by auditory feedback on children with their parents created a range of novel meals, by
how children use the tools. Results from semi-structured interviews, combining a wide range of (sometimes unfamiliar) ingredients.
suggest that after playing the game, children had a more positive Playing with Food
attitude towards cooking. In addition, children had greater
Playing with Food elaborated upon the surface display of Mix and
Taste. In addition to the ingredients, children can also place tokens
201
on the table. With the ingredients and tokens, children can play
games that provide them with information and insights on food and
its characteristics. The main game element is based on working
with the most important characteristic of the specific food (or
combination), e.g. the amount of water to make non-sticky dough.
Kokkerelletje
Inspired by the previous three projects we are currently developing
Kokkerelletje. In this project the interactive surface, with ingredient
recognition system serves as starting platform. The surface,
incorporated in a little kitchen, is currently located at the MEC.
Children visit this centre and can learn cooking skills while playing
games displayed on the surface. The games link to the physical
realm (the ingredients and utensils), to support the development of
both perceptual and cognitive skills. Three new tables are currently
being build that will be placed in other locations of the city. The
tables are equipped with tools with incorporated sensors, as in the
Supersous, that will generate data on usage. Furthermore, game Figure 2. Child evaluating a cardboard prototype of the Mix and Match
applications running on the surface are extended to tablet ingredient suggestion system (designed by Renée van den Berg).
computers and smartphones, by which children can continue
learning at home.
Research Outcomes
This project aims to stimulate healthy food choices and
understanding with children aged seven to nine years. Although we
cannot evaluate the success of our intervention yet, preliminary
findings indicate that by cooking children create a better
appreciation and understanding about food (Spermon and Bruns,
2012). Moreover, while most interventions do not focus on the
agency of the child, the current project visualizes children as active
agents. It proves that children can take responsibility and have the
capacity to legitimately act upon their daily environment. As
observed from parent feedback, this project supports learning
through the use of didactic games. Thereby, this project offers an
approach that does not focus on the problem of obesity, as often
addressed in related interventions (De Droog, 2013), but takes the
stance of a behavioral change from scratch. Figure 3. The surface display of Mix and Taste with ingredient recognition
202
(designed by Renée van den Berg). References

1. Atkinson, R.L., and Nitzke, S.A. (2001). School based programmes on
Child observing the game displayed on obesity: Increase knowledge about nutrition but do not change
eating habits by much. BMJ 323, 1018-1019.
the interactive surface in the digital realm
2. Dewey, J. (1938) Experience in education. New York, NY: Touchstone.
3. Droog, S.M. De (2013) Establishing and explaining the impact of
characters on young children’s healthy food choices. Doctoral
Thesis. University of Amsterdam.
4. Hu, C., Ye, D., Li, Y., Huang, Y., Li, L., Gao, Y., and Wang, S. (2010).
Evaluation of a kindergarten-based nutrition education
intervention for pre-school children in China. Public Health
Child playing with food in a hands-on
Nutrition, 13(2), 253-260.
manner in the physical realm
5. Peeters, M.M.R., Megens, C.J.P.G., Hummels, C.C.M. and
Brombacher, A.C. (2013). Experiential probes: probing for
emerging behavior patterns in everyday life. Proceedings of the
5th International Congress of IASDR.
6. Schön, D.A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think
in action. London: Temple Smith.
7. Seidell, J. C. (2000). The current epidemic of obesity. In Bouchard, C.
(Ed.), Physical Activity and Obesity (pp. 21-30). Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.
Figure 4. Children experimenting with ingredients supported by an 8. Shepherd, J., Harden, A., Rees, R., Brunton, G., Garcia, J., Oliver, S.,
informative game on the interactive Kokkerelletje table (designed by Rob and Oakley, A. (2006) Young people and healthy eating: a
Dijkstra). systematic review of research on barriers and facilitators. Health
Education Research, 21 (2), 239–257.
Although the project is still in development and we are setting up a
9. Singh, A.S., Chin A Paw, M.J.M., Brug, J., and Van Mechelen, W.
longitudinal study, some conclusions can be drawn on how design (2009) Dutch obesity intervention in teenagers: effectiveness of a
Figure 5. Example of a game running on supports the process of involving various stakeholders. Through school-based program on body composition and behavior.
the interactive Kokkerelletje table in which the three iterations, users and parties such as the nutrition centre, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 163(4), 309-317.
children are encouraged to cut the longest the local municipality and the MEC got actively involved. Overall 10. Spermon, M. and Bruns, M. (2012). Getting healthier: creating
apple peel (designed by students from interactive cooking tools for kids. In F. Zampollo and C. Smith
these parties stated that they could immediately relate to the
SiNTLUCAS school Eindhoven) (Eds.), Proceedings of ICDFDFF, 236-248.
envisioned goal of the project, to prevent health problems by
11. World Health Organization (2012). Population-based approaches to
teaching children to cook instead of being paternalistic. The fact childhood obesity prevention. Via:
that stakeholders could experience the system and see how http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/
parents and children responded to the games and the kitchen 12. Zeinstra, G.G., Koelen, M.A., Kok, F.J., and De Graaf, C. (2007)
made this vision even more tangible. Due to the designs made for Cognitive development and children's perceptions of fruit and
the interventions their appreciation became much stronger in vegetables; a qualitative study. International Journal of Behavioral
Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4(30), 5868-4-30.
relation to traditional interventions. This suggests that healthy
behaviors can be enabled and supported through design
interventions, as they are experienceable and highly engaging.
203
Design Thinking set to Verse

Aysar Ghassan Abstract Author Keywords
Northumbria University Design is traditionally concerned with the creation of artifacts to fuel Design Thinking; Poetry; Critical Design; Bright Club;
Newcastle upon Tyne
consumption. More recently, the remit of design has widened Dissemination Fatigue.
NE1 8ST, UK
Aysar2006@hotmail.com greatly. Design activity is claimed to be beneficial in negotiating a
diverse range of complex issues, for example aiding humans Research Imperatives
attempting to exist on meager incomes or enabling effective
procurement practices within government bodies. The methodology Design is traditionally concerned with the creation of artifacts to fuel
termed “design thinking” is argued to help designers and non- consumption (see Buchanan, 1990). More recently, the remit of
designers engage with a broad remit of issues. design has widened greatly. The methodology termed “design
thinking” is argued to help enable the design community engage
As the subject of design thinking is complex, there exists a need for with a broad spectrum of issues (e.g. Brown, 2008). There follows a
a condensed means of communicating its claimed attributes and brief sketch of some of the claimed attributes and remit of design
remit. The design community has disseminated widely on design thinking.
thinking. This paper argues that this activity may have contributed
to “dissemination fatigue”. There exists a need for a means of Rather than being easily definable, design problems are complex
communicating design thinking’s attributes and remit in a new, (Lawson, 2006). Such problems require a non-linear approach to
informative, succinct and easily digestible manner. Poetry is argued tackle them – design thinking is claimed to be just such a method
to be a condensed method which for centuries has been utilized to (Buchanan, 1992). Rather than being reductive, design thinking is
disseminate complex notions, pass on knowledge and precipitate posited to be holistic phenomenon (Brown, 2008; Davey et al.,
emotions. This paper aims to convey some of the claimed attributes 2002).
and remit of design thinking in poetic verse.
Design thinking is argued to create a strong competitive advantage
This paper is influenced by the tradition of critical design. The in business (Martin, 2009; Brown, 2009). It can result in positive
overarching aim is to provide the community with a constructive effects on the environment (Davey et al., 2002). Design thinking is
vehicle to critically discuss the attributes and remit of design claimed to be people-centered: Borja de Mozota (2010, p. 93)
thinking. This process is important in helping the community to argues the process “adds value by “giving voice to silence” – that
unpick the debate surrounding this influential notion. is, to previously overlooked or unheard minorities”. Design thinking
has the potential to profoundly benefit society, for example in aiding
“billions of people trying to live on just a few dollars a day” and
“education systems that fail many students” (Brown, 2008, p.92).
The process can help to realize effective procurement within
government bodies (Design Council, 2011). Design thinking is
204
claimed to be vital in improving healthcare: Bevan, Robert, Bate, “What would happen if we got a bunch of interesting comedians
Mahler and Wells (2007, p. 150) argue it is “integral to the way and combined them with all of the fascinating people who work for
many people approach the task of change and service one of the UK’s best Universities?”
improvement within the NHS.” Such is the impact of the process,
the Design Council argues design thinking to be transformative Bright Club provides a unique opportunity for researchers to narrate
(Burns, Cottam, Vanstone and Winhall, 2006). Design thinking is the findings of their studies in a novel, lighthearted and inclusive
not exclusively practiced by design professionals; with training, manner to an audience consisting of individuals both working
other individuals can become versed in it too (Manzini, 2011; Burns and/or studying in a higher education institution and members of
et al, ibid). the public gainfully employed outside of an academic setting.

Figure 1. The author’s first Bright Club th
As the subject of design thinking is complex, there exists a need for Bright Club currently has chapters in cities across the UK. On 27
th rd
performance (27 June 2012). © Elin a condensed means of communicating its claimed attributes and June 2012 and again on 23 January 2013, the author was invited
Roberts. remit. Designers and design researchers frequently disseminate to perform in its Newcastle-Upon-Tyne branch. The audience
information on design thinking in the form of physical or digital numbered around 200 individuals at both performances. Though
artifacts, speeches, academic papers and journalistic articles. (thankfully) there does not appear to be any footage of these
Because the community is accustomed to reflecting on these misadventures in existence, figures 1 & 2 provide a glimpse of
methods, it may be argued that a certain level of desensitisation – proceedings.
or what might be termed “dissemination fatigue” – may set in.
The topic of design thinking featured in both performances. On
There exists an opportunity to introduce a different method of reflecting upon the first stint, the author decided that the
communicating concepts relevant to design thinking as a vehicle for subsequent outing would benefit from a succinct yet accessible
stimulating discussion. Grisham (2006) claims poetry is a means of disseminating knowledge on the attributes and remit of
“compressed communication” which for centuries has been used to design thinking to an audience which was unlikely to be unfamiliar
Figure 2. The second performance (23
rd
“convey complex ideas” (p. 492) to others as well as “to transfer with it. Poetry was chosen as the medium through which to relay
January 2013). © Richard Kenworthy. knowledge and to elicit emotive feelings” (p. 487). This contribution this information. ‘Design Thinking Poem Mk 1’ was incorporated
attempts to convey some of the claimed attributes and remit of into the January 2013 repertoire. Given that Bright Club is designed
design thinking in poetic verse – and consequently in a to be an entertaining experience for a fee-paying clientele, the
compressed, new, digestible and emotive manner to the design circumstances did not lend themselves to conducting qualitative or
community. quantitative analysis in to the efficacy of this poem. However, given
the audience’s positive response (judged wholly unscientifically by
Research Process the dearth of both tumbleweed and rotten tomatoes) the verse had
made an informative and entertaining contribution to proceedings.
‘Bright Club’ was founded at University College London in 2009. Its
website describes it as the “Thinking Person’s Variety Night” stating On reflecting upon the prototype delivered at Bright Club, the
(Bright Club, n.d.,n.p), author has attempted to improve the verse’s metric qualities.
‘Design Thinking Poem Mk 2’ (figure 3) was crafted for this
contribution:
205
Design Thinking Figure 3. Design Thinking Poem Mk 2.
If your boss needs interrupting Research Outcomes

We can do some real disrupting
At first glance, Design Thinking Poem Mk 2 may appear slightly
whimsical in nature. It is however born of serious research
If your school is in a mess imperatives. It is important to be able to condense some of the
Don’t get down and all depressed claimed attributes and wide remit of design thinking in an emotive
and tangible medium in order to unpick the debate surrounding this
If you are at death’s front door influential notion.
You can stick around some more.
Performing at Bright Club enabled the author to prototype a novel
‘Worried over icebergs shrinking? and condensed means of communicating some of the claimed
Put to bed that linear thinking attributes and remit of design thinking in an informal and
explorative setting. A tradition of questioning principles through the
If you feel like naughts and zeros creation of artifacts exists in design (e.g. Dunne, 2005). Building on
We can be your shining heroes. the opportunity granted by Bright Club, this contribution employs a
critical design perspective to include an age-old method of
If your public service grates communication – poetry – into the toolkit utilized by the design
We can help it innovate community.
No need to sit and have a groan The community’s reaction and feedback on the incorporation of
We can help it all transform verse is crucial to stimulating healthy discussion on important
issues in contemporary design research and practice. If poetry can
Armed with just some sticky notes help tackle any stirring of “dissemination fatigue” then its use may
We can change the World you know. have important implications for the community. As such, exploration
utilizing poetry could be pursued in future studies.
And with not a lot of fuss
We can help you be like us. It is hoped that the author’s foray into the world of variety
entertainment may inspire other researchers to embark on tackling
No cause too small novel and foolhardy methods of provoking debate both in, and
Have no fear outside of, an academic setting.
No fee too big Acknowledgements

No grant too dear. My gratitude to Sheela Joy at the Centre for Life, Newcastle-Upon-
Tyne and all at Bright Club, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
Holistic design thinking
All round, it’s the best idea.
206
References
1. Bevan, H., Robert, G., Bate, P., Maher, L., & Wells, J. (2007). Using 13. Lawson, B. (2006) How Designers Think: the design process
a Design Approach to Assist Large-Scale Organizational Change “10 demystified. Oxford: Architectural Press. Fourth Edition
High Impact Changes” to Improve the National Health Service in 14. Manzini, E (2011) Design Schools as Agents of (Sustainable)
England. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43(1): 135-152. Change: A Design Labs Network for an Open Design Program. Paper
2.Borja de Mozota, B (2010) “Design Management as Core presented at: CUMULUS // DRS SIG on Design Pedagogy 1st
Competency: From “Design You Can See” to “Design You Can’t See”. International Symposium for Design Education Researchers La Bourse
The Journal of Design Strategies. Vol. 4, No. 1:, 91-98. du Commerce, Paris 18–19 May 2011: 9-16
3. Bright Club (n.d./n.p). About Bright Club. Accessed: 15. Martin, R. (2009) The Design of Business: why Design Thinking Is
http://www.brightclub.org/ the Next Competitive Advantage. Boston MA: Harvard Business Press.
4. Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking

transforms organizations and inspires innovation. New York:
HarperCollins.
5. Brown, T. (2008) Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review, June
2008: 85-92
6. Buchanan, R (1990) Myth and Maturity: Toward a New Order in the
Decade of Design. Design Issues. Vol. 6 No.2: 70–80.
7. Buchanan, R. (1992) Wicked Problems in Design Thinking. Design
Issues. Vol. 8 No. 2: 5-21.
8. Burns, C., Cottam, H., Vanstone, C., Winhall, J. (2006) Red Paper
Number 2: Transformation Design .Design council. Accessed:
http://www.designcouncil.info/mt/RED/transformationdesign/Transform
ationDesignFinalDraft.pdf
9. Davey, C.L., Cooper, R., Press, M., Wooton, A.B, Olson, E. (2002)
Design Against Crime: design leadership in the development of
emotional values. Paper presented at the Design Management Institute
Conference, Boston MA. June, 2002. Accessed:
http://extra.shu.ac.uk/dac/DACemotionalvalues.pdf
10. Design Council, (2011) Design For Innovation. Accessed:
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Documents/Documents/OurWork/Insig
ht/DesignForInnovation/DesignForInnovation_Dec2011.pdf
11. Dunne, A. (2005) Hertzian Tales: Electronic Products, Aesthetic
Experience, and Critical Design. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
12. Grisham, T. (2006) Metaphor, poetry, storytelling and cross-cultural
leadership. Management Decision, Vol. 44 No. 4: 486-503.
207
Networked Tactile Objects

Joanne Hodge Abstract Author Keywords
Dundee University
Networked Tactile Objects arises from two doctoral research Craft; Wearable technology; Smart textiles; Interaction;
Dundee
DD1 4HT projects; Pigeon Post (Fig.1) and Skyping Scarf (Fig.2). Findings Communication; Separation; Empathy
joanne@joannehodge.co.uk and suggestions from the outcomes of these two studies will be
taken further into the Smart Networked Toys project. These
Smart Networked Objects
Hazel White projects explore communication between parents and children who
Dundee University are separated through illness or family breakdown. The research Smart Networked Objects explores how technology can be
Dundee addresses the questions: What is the potential of textile based humanised by using handcrafted or ‘loved’ objects, which hold
DD1 4HT meaning for the user offering purpose to interactions with online
objects integrated with wearable technology in facilitating mindful
h.white@dundee.ac.uk
communication over distances between parent and child? How content and social networks. It is proposed that by doing this it will
would these exemplars of textile-based communications embody enable the user to feel more connected and take ownership of their
Mike Press
empathy for the user when communicating emotions to the parent communications.
Dundee University
Dundee and child? The project demonstrates the use of Radio Frequency
DD1 4HT Identity (RFID) tagged toys and accessories to enable very young Research Imperatives
m.press@dundee.ac.uk children to activate Voice Over Internet (VOIP) calls, send text
There is an unmet need to enable parent and child to communicate
messages, emails or access online content, both to and from family
in an intimate way over distances.
and relatives from whom they are separated due to illness, family
breakdown or work. The soft textile based ‘input devices’ are very This research explores communication between parents and
simple and easy to use, each is tagged with a single URL which children who are separated through illness or family breakdown
means the object can only take the child to a pre-specified online causing them to live separately at times, weakening the bonds of
activity or person. It is impossible to make a call to a stranger or their relationships
visit an inappropriate webpage making it safe for children to use Kelly and Lamb (2000), state that "Development literature
Figure 1. Pigeon Post and giving the parents peace of mind. emphasises the importance of parental involvement in both care
This paper proposes that new types of ‘mindful’ communication and play activities, to build secure relationships”.
methods could enhance and nurture parent/child relationships Where separation occurs it becomes difficult, if not impossible for
when separated by distance, developed through soft textile objects parents to stay involved within these care and play activities with
that integrate wearable technology and smart materials. their children on a day-to-day basis. This research highlights the
By offering users tagged soft textile communication objects, this need for more thoughtful and emotive communicators whilst
paper proposes that said objects will enhance connection and separated, looking at the potential of textile based objects
communication for both parent and child by being empathetic to the integrated with wearable technology in facilitating mindful
individuals need(s) and unique situation(s). communication over distances between parent and child and how
Figure 2. Skyping Scarf these prototypes of textile based communications could embody
empathy. Modern conventional communicators such as the
208
telephone, email and other internet based communications, strongly towards the technologically driven and market-oriented.
suitable for adult connections, do not allow parents and children to This research builds on previous research by the principal author
communicate effectively. According to Dalsgaard et al (2006) exploring how virtual communication methods can be more
"parents and children build intimacy through care and play" personal and tactile through the use of smart materials and sought
something the before mentioned platforms do not lend themselves to define new methods of remote connectedness. The Skyping
to easily. Scarf and Pigeon Post project(s), 2009, are doctoral research
exploring communication between two people who are separated.
The Skyping Scarf project highlights the use of digitally tagged
accessories and the use of QR codes which enable users to
activate Skype calls with family and friends from whom they are
Figure 2. For captions apply style: RTD- separated by either scanning the QR code with a smart phone or
Caption internet ready device or touching the scarf (housing a RFID tag) to
the RFID reader connected to a computer (both) activating the call.
The Pigeon Post project demonstrates the use of Radio Frequency
Identity (RFID) tagged toys and accessories to enable very young
children to activate Voice Over Internet (VOIP) or Skype calls and
send texts to family and relatives from whom they are separated.
The soft textile based ‘input devices’ are very simple and easy to
use, each is tagged with a single URL which means the object can
only take the child to a pre-specified online activity or person. It is
impossible to make a call to a stranger or visit an inappropriate
webpage making it safe for children to use and giving the parents
peace of mind.
Pigeon Post explores how technology can be humanised by using
handcrafted or ‘loved’ objects, which hold meaning for the user
offering purpose to interactions with online content and social
networks. It is proposed that by doing this it will enable the user to
Figure 3. Research Focus
feel more connected and take ownership of their communications.
Smart Networked Objects draws upon continuing doctoral research
Figure 4. Extract from Figure 3. Research

Research Process within the field of textile design that addresses the question raised
Focus by Agamanolis (2008), “how can we bring back intimacy in
This research explores how users might usefully integrate ‘the
communication technologies?”. If two people are geographically
internet of things’ into their lives without becoming overloaded by
remote from each other, can intimacy be enhanced by embedding
technology.
technologies used in communication devices within textile design?
Wearable technologies, according to Wallace (2007) “are fast The research is addressing this question by drawing on the
emerging phenomena”. However, much research in this field tends inherent aesthetic and emotive qualities of craft practice along with
209
co-design methods and using them as tools to project personal

connections and bonds between the users, and between the users
and the mobile device itself.
"Designing for parents and young children requires a different
approach than doing so for friends or adult family members due to
the asymmetry in goals and need between parent and child, the
challenges posed by the cognitive and emotional limitations of
young children, and the focus on play and care rather than direct
communication" (Druin 2009, p288).
With this in mind this paper proposes that for parent/child remote
connectedness to be successful, communication needs to be
asynchronous in object, while both synchronous and asynchronous
in time.
Figure 6. Extract from Figure 5. Figure 5. offers two clear areas of focus within the study of
Researchers interpretation of
asynchronous and synchronous
Asynchronous and synchronous communications, the blue area
communications & inputs where research is being focused on asynchronous applications that
have synchronous inputs. Meaning that the communication is not
'real-time' but has the same input availability at either end. This
area of research is well saturated so this research was focused
within the yellow circle, showing asynchronous input
with synchronous communications. Meaning that the
communication aimed to be 'real-time'. The input / output methods
then have the opportunity to be very different to suit the ages and Figure 5. Researchers interpretation of asynchronous and synchronous
stages of the communicators. The child for example will have a communications & inputs
tactile multi sensory object while the parent will have an application
on a mobile phone or tablet to send, store and correlate information objects, as well as outlining and understanding the complex
and communications with the child. The information each receives dynamics of the parent/child relationship.
will also be very different. Parents will focus on the general health
and wellbeing of the child - 'did they eat their lunch' , 'what did they It should also be noted that synchronous communications may not
have?', 'did they remember their homework', 'have they had fun at always be possible due to timings (work, school, time zones etc.)
their friends birthday party' etc. They will be tracking and storing so asynchronous communications with asynchronous inputs will
Figure 7. Pigeon Post Project; soft textile
tags connecting to Skype via RFID tag mood, activity etc. The child will receive fun interactions, play, and also become possible outputs.
and reader.
emotional reassurances in keeping with their needs from the While technological advances over the past 100 years have given
communications. Allowing the objects to work in this way and to be us the ability to communicate (either virtually or physically) through
tailored to the needs of the individuals, will offer a strategy for phone, the internet and fast affordable travel, these advances have
further research into the area of smart networked tactile mobile compromised the quality of the communication and perhaps diluted
210
the meaning and emotions behind certain interactions. 5. Hodge, J. (2011) Skyping Scarf Project [Online] Available at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joprints/sets/72157626504014962/
This research aims to re-introduce the need and importance for this [Accessed: 24th 2013]
type of emotive communication and highlight possible solutions and 6. Kelly, J. B., & Lamb, M. E. (2000). Using child development research to
future research needed in the search for a connection that does not make appropriate custody and access decitions for young
children. Family Court Review, 38(3), 297-311 [Online] Available
merely fulfill our need to pass on information but supports our
at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.174-
emotional needs of connectedness too. 1617.2000.tb00577.x/asset/j.174-
1617.2000.tb00577.x.pdf?v=1&t=hibpndj9&s=49379140c2ab489
69c585f3c614accdae99e2935 [Accessed: 24th June 2013]
Research Outcomes 7. Wallace, J. (2007) Emotionally Charged: A practice-centred enquiry of

digital jewellery and personal significance [Online] Available at:
http://www.digitaljewellery.com/jaynewallace/PhD_thesis.html
This research will contribute to the empirical record exploring ways
[Accessed: 24th June 2013]
in which textile design and wearable technology interact, making
connections through social media without the users having the
knowledge to ordinarily access it.
Theoretically this research will advance how mobile technology is
used in conjunction, and embedded within textile design and offer
up questions and reasoning’s for future research into the field. It will
draw upon and contribute to scholarly literature that is concerned
with remote communication devices for children.
It sets out an agenda for future research into the field of remote
communication devices for children that will be explored further by
the principal author in the forthcoming research project Smart
Networked Toys.
References
1. Agamanolis, S. (2008) Slow Communication [Online] Available at:
http://thenextweb.com/2008/09/25/agamanolis-wants-to-get-rid-
of-the-communication-burger/ [Accessed: 24th June 2013]
2. Dalsgaard, Y., Skov, M. B., Stougaard, M., & Thomassen, B. (2006).
Mediated intimacy in families: understanding the relation between
children and parents. In Proc. of IDC (pp.145-152). Tampere,
Finland: ACM.
3. Druin, A. (2009) Mobile Technology For Children; Designing for
Interaction and Learning. Elisevier Inc.
4. Hodge, J. (2011) Pigeon Post Project [Online] Available at:
http://talkingpigeon.wordpress.com [Accessed: 24th 2013]
211
High Tea at the Conviviality Cafe: Research Tool or Design Intervention?
Ann Light Abstract The research reported here was set in the context of diminishing
Northumbria University numbers of places for people to meet serendipitously, with the rise
The FLEX project asked how we might age convivially at home. In
Newcastle upon Tyne of online activity, the erosion of High Street meeting places and the
response to concerns about an ageing British population, we
NE1 8ST UK loss of social facilities such as community centres, pubs and other
ann.light@northumbria.ac.uk looked at social factors of wellbeing in the ambient realm of
informal spaces in which people have traditionally gathered. As
neighbourhood encounters. We report on how we asked our
Hickman (2010) describes it, the ‘third places’ of ‘neighbourhood
Andy M illigan research participants in Newcastle, north England, and Dundee,
infrastructure’ are disappearing.
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Scotland, about their understanding of conviviality, using a café
Art & Design, University of Dundee, environment to inspire a relaxed and friendly exchange of views
Dundee, To collect people’s opinions about remedies to address this trend
over tea. We consider the way that questions were designed into
DD1 4HN, UK pointing towards social isolation, the Connected Communities
a.milligan@dundee.ac.uk the two courses of the meal and ask: is this perhaps a form of
“Flexible Dwellings for Extended Living” (FLEX) project, funded by
research-through-design for social contexts? Certainly, participants
the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, talked with ageing
Lowri Bond responded to the environment and subtle questioning style. And we
and housing experts and motivated members of the public in
Northern Architecture draw a contrast between this form of designing - for use in research
Newcastle Upon Tyne Newcastle and Dundee. We used the chance to learn how housing
- and the more summative purpose of the exhibits that also came
NE1 4XN, UK (and ways of living in and around it) might accommodate public,
out of the project.
lowri@northernarchitecture.com shared and private life, being modified to make dwellings more
socially flexible for people as they age in place.
Linsey McIntosh Author Keywords
Duncan of Jordanstone College of
Ageing; social design; probes; questions; conviviality.
Art & Design, University of Dundee,
Dundee,
DD1 4HN, UK Research Imperatives
l.h.mcintosh@dundee.ac.uk
“Places make people. Thus when we ask questions such as, ‘What
Carol Botten kind of place do we want to maintain or bring about?’, we are at the
Northern Architecture same time asking the question ‘what kind of people do we want to
Newcastle Upon Tyne be?.’” (Brook, 2012, p112)
NE1 4XN, UK
carol@northernarchitecture.com
An ageing population and spiraling costs of care suggest that a
challenge is living well at home for longer. And with the loss of
meeting places, there is a need to ask what a serendipitous social
life now looks like for people as they retire and beyond. How might
people adapt their homes and lifestyles to experience the wellbeing
of staying in touch with the neighbourhood as other horizons
shrink? What are the private/ public boundaries in sharing space Figure 1. Participants choose their own moment to pick a question as they
and other resources? And what divides ‘convivial’ from ‘invasive’? talk and eat sandwiches at the High Tea.
212
Probes and Questions research-through-design approach without imposing on our

participants. By this we meant that we did not plan to test out a full
How does one enquire about such a topic without running long-
set of new living conditions on a group of people who had not yet
term experiments? Wallace et al. (2013) describe how designed
reached the stage in life we were considering – it would have been
objects are used to elicit subtle and thoughtful responses from
a major (and possibly unethical) experiment and not guaranteed to
participants in ‘cultural probe’ studies (Gaver et al., 1999). These
reveal any more of their attitudes than a carefully staged set might
probes are one-off designs, prepared for a context, setting an
elicit. So, we attempted to place people in a context that was
agenda and anticipating types of response but not controlling them.
suggestive of the atmosphere and issues we were considering.
Rather, probes are suggestive, given over to research participants
to interpret.
But, in real-time situations, when participants in a study are brought

Figure
Figure 2.
2: For captions
Questions areapply
stuckstyle:
into RTD-
Caption together to investigate a relational phenomenon, how does one
sandwiches and cakes, hidden in saucers
relinquish control of ideas while setting a context? Is it possible to
and placed under plates.
relax the conditions of face-to-face encounters, work on
atmosphere and move away from formal semi-structured
interviewing to a shape of event which lets a conversation develop -
designing ones stimuli accordingly to inspire the necessary
reflection?
Interviewing is not often regarded as requiring design skills.

Methodological textbooks - such as Kaplan (2004) and Tracy
(2012) - show how constraints, opportunities, materials and
traditions meet in the preparation of questions, just as in projects
that set out to design more conspicuous tools. Quantitative and
qualitative methods of data collection both use conventions built on
considerable design work. But questions are principally used in
disciplines that do not wish to emphasise the idiosyncrasy of each
situation. Rather than play up novelty, as design tends to,
qualitative research, to which the technique of questioning often
belongs, stresses comparability of conditions. Too much creativity

serves to undermine the perceived accuracy of interviews, thereby
Figure 3: Rustic styling, mixed tea sets and a candle in a cup all add to the
threatening the validity of the findings derived from them.
relaxed feeling at the discussion table, softening the impact of the digital
recorder in the midst of the event.
Research Process
A decorated café and ingeniously positioned questions invoked the
The FLEX team was engaged in research on social design. As part conviviality we wanted to discuss. In this sense, it was research-
of planning the research, we asked if social design can take a through-design, but there was no artifact as such, as designing
213
social process does not necessarily involve things. That said, our team members, we joined up the tables for a plenary discussion so
methods, like Wallace et al.’s (2013), were designed specifically to that participants could report to each other. We concluded each tea
fit the question that FLEX posed. party by suggesting participants each take spare food away with
them to share with others, continuing the spirit of the event.
We invited strangers with different housing experience to come to
tea. We let participants self-select after inviting people to register
through extensive mailing lists. We only stipulated they should be
at least 40 years old. Our intention was to catch the generation that
is beginning to consider retirement and empty nest possibilities, but
has not yet reached the situation we were discussing. Do people
plan ahead and what types of changes would be required to make
social wellbeing part of the planning for getting older?
After the events in the two towns, we transcribed the recorded

discussions (Fig. 3) and analyzed them for consistent and divergent
themes and how these related to our core question about
conviviality and crossing physical and social boundaries to increase
ambient sociality.
As mentioned, to engage our participants, we designed a convivial

space and, quite literally, flagged up our questions. We ran high tea
events that sought to capture the qualities that we were
investigating. We decorated a café and served up savoury and
sweet tasty treats. We used flags in the food of the two courses to
set the agenda (Fig. 1 and 2) so people could digest the questions
and respond at their own pace. There were two groups of flagged
questions – colour-coded by course, with each question a different
shade to help people collect the set. The first, sandwich, course
was concerned with What do we and would we share?, broken
down into six sub-questions: What do I share now? What could I
share as I get older? What would I share? Where does sharing
happen? How does sharing happen? How does sharing change as
Figure 4. Installation that picks up FLEX themes on display at Dundee.
I age? The second, cake/scones, course concerned How do we live
convivially as we age? and the related discussion flags were: What
makes a home? What does it mean to live flexibly? What changes
Research Outcome: Reflexive Environments
in living do I expect to make? What alternatives do I think should In one respect, this was a classic focus group – a diverse set of
exist? After each set of questions and a facilitated discussion by people being asked for their views over a finite time by researchers.
214
In another, it could be considered research by design. We worked images from the research in a slide show to some of our
to make the encounters delightful and entertain our guests. We participants and others concerned with ageing well. Again, we
allowed people to stumble on questions and take them at their own found we were bringing together strangers in an accessible fashion.
pace, giving steerage without intrusion. This aspect of the work was
rewarded when a participant, trying to explain how facilitated So, the tea party scenarios were more ambiguous. If we are
common spaces might work, waved her hand around her and said: designing to increase conviviality, then there is a degree of
‘Like we came in here today and there was an atmosphere with the reflexivity in inviting people into a convivial environment as part of
candles on the tables, cakes and it invited you in and you wanted to talking to them about what it means to them. Did it work
come in. Some communal spaces are just dead.’ (participant convivially? We did not pose that question explicitly. In the same
comment, Newcastle event). way that we used tangible questions (on coloured flags like other
decorated cocktail sticks) so that these could be muted or hidden,
We can contrast the café environment used in the research with the allowing conversation to flow, we did not explicitly ask whether we
installation shown at Dundee to share ideas that came out of the had designed a convivial space of the kind that might encourage
Figure 5: Detail of installation showing research and report back to participants (Figs 4 and 5). In the older people to gather. It was therefore all the more interesting to
teacup. exhibition, we showed pictures from the tea parties on a screen have the space acknowledged by a participant as exactly the kind
mounted in a large installation. This installation demonstrated of environment we were talking about. Thus, in staging the High
symbolically the idea of ‘porous design’, being a frame made of Tea, we asked about the boundary between research tool and
insulation material with iconic elements, such as a hanging light design intervention, even as we researched how to stay socially
bulb and tea cup (Fig. 5) to represent aspects of home. Porous engaged as we age and the boundaries that people wished to
design was the name we gave the social and physical elements maintain or break down in living together in the future.
that can be introduced into a neighbourhood to promote conviviality
and social wellbeing, such as sharing schemes (social) and References
porches (physical) that allow others’ actions to be visible and Brook, I. (2012) Make Do and Mend: Solving Placelessness through
accessible to those living with them. This porosity was captured in Embodied Environmental Engagement in Human-Environment
the exhibit as a way to intrigue spectators, but the exhibit was not Relations: Transformative Values in Theory and Practice, (eds) E.
Brady and P. Phemister, Springer, pp109-120
used explicitly as part of the research process. If it posed questions
in the minds of those gathered, we only heard these in a small Gaver, W.W., Dunne, A., & Pacenti, E. (1999). Cultural Probes. Interactions
vi(1), 21–29
amount of feedback. This was design in response to research: we
Hickman,.P. (2010) Neighbourhood Infrastructure, ‘Third Places’ and
created these artifacts as part of the FLEX process of reflection; no Patterns of Social Interaction, Centre for Regional Economic and
loop was closed by showing them. That said, we hope that we may Social Research Paper No. 4, Joseph Rowntree Trust, March
be able to work with a stage set, echoing the installation, in the 2010
future, to create physical spaces for discussion that further embody Kaplan, D (ed.) (2004). The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology
some of our questions. This was a thought experiment in that for the Social Sciences, Sage
direction. Tracy, S.J. (2012) Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence,
Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact, John Wiley
At our session reporting back in Newcastle, we stayed with the Wallace, J., McCarthy, J. Wright, P. and Olivier, P. (2013) Making design
probes work, CHI 2013 pp2617-2626
more familiar format of a tea party while we presented ideas and
215

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Poetics

Research Through Design

ROOM 1 | Theme: VIEWING ROOM 2 | Theme: DOING

ROOM 1 | Theme: MEANING ROOM 2 | Theme: MAKING

004 FutureFactories: Practice-Based Research in the Creative Use of

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ROOM 1 | Theme: DOING ROOM 2 | Theme: MAKING

ROOM 1 | Theme: BEING ROOM 2 | Theme: MEANING

ROOM 1 | Theme: DOING ROOM 2 | Theme: MEANING

059 High Tea at the Conviviality Cafe: Research Tool or Design

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