RS4 – Research Studio 4
ADVANCED INTERACTION
Senior Faculty: Luis Fraguada // Klaus Obermaier

INTERACTION AGENCY

Today we communicate and interact with smart devices, physical and virtual environments, the Internet of Things. User-generated content mixes with professional contributions. In our Age of Participation, mostly driven by social media and gaming but also by interactive arts and performances, passive recipients turn into active participants, becoming creative players. Interactive environments go beyond the passive reception by creating an immersive, communicative and social experience. All fields of study and practice require the skills to make meaningful use of available and forthcoming technologies. This is mainly due to the increased adoption of technology in our daily lives. Data and Information now encompass a sort of Metadata Layer which crosses all aspects of our existence.

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MAA 2013-14 ADVANCED INTERACTION
HELIX // C. Aguilar y Wedge

The Interactive Agency research line questions the limits of this contemporary technological phenomena and prepares candidates to be the key actors capable of making connections between disciplines where none were possible or even considered before. The research line is aimed at developing and exhibiting projects which define meaningful interaction through novel technological solutions, performances, installations a series of installations and performances. The ambition of these projects go well beyond digital media and are communicated through software and hardware development, solid theoretical foundations, and prototypes completed in IAAC’s digital fabrication laboratory. The theoretical basis of the course is to question how current technology can augment the agency and impact of all kinds of interactions around us. Our learning-by-doing research integrates methods used in design, programming and social sciences to produce projects prototypes and products that will define the outer limits of what is possible to do imaginatively with technology today. Wearables, artificial intelligence, human-machine interaction and augmented environments are some of the key topics which form the agenda of the Interactive Agency research line.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
MAA 2013-14 ADVANCED INTERACTION
PROTOTYPE GINGA // S. Alvarado

The first (Term 2) research studio serves to question the agency in interaction. Students will propose and complete projects which combine core skills and contemporary theoretical discourse by applying techniques acquired in the seminar sessions. Key to this studio is the application of Computer Vision as a medium which allows interaction to pass between human and digital actors alike. The application of computer vision in the studio will extend into Virtual and Augmented Reality for mixed reality experiences.
The second (Term 3) research studio expands the scope and scale of the projects to encompass a spatial domain, engaging both the technical capabilities already learned as well as the opportunities afforded by conceiving of a space capable of interacting to passive and active forces acting within. Techniques such as interactive projection mapping and proximity sensing expand the potential for projects to explore novel means to employ light and sound to create immersive spatial experiences. Data gathering, manipulation, and interchange will play a key role during the studio and will include the opportunity to use data from various input sources.

2016-2017 SEMINARS
Interaction Tools Seminar (Term 2) – MAX/MSP
Interaction Methods Seminar (Term 3) – Wearables

RESEARCH TRIP
Resonate Festival – Belgrade
other activities will be added along the year

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MAA 2013-14 ADVANCED INTERACTION
HYPERPORTRAIT // J. Giraldo