Mónica Sofia Santos Mendes
Mestrado em Comunicação Educacional Multimédia Licenciatura em Design de Comunicação
ARTiVIS
Arts, Real-Time Video and Interactivity
for Sustainability
Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Media Digitais
Orientador: Nuno Manuel Robalo Correia, Professor
Catedrático, Faculdade de Ciências e
Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Co-orientadora: Sílvia Lamy Tavares Chicó, Professora
Catedrática, Faculdade de Belas-Artes
da Universidade de Lisboa
Júri:
Presidente: Prof. Doutor António da Nóbrega de Sousa da Câmara Arguentes: Prof. Doutora Christa Sommerer
Prof. Doutor Pedro Sérgio Oliveira Branco Vogais: Prof. Doutora Maria Teresa Caeiro Chambel
Prof. Doutor Paulo Bernardino Neves Bastos Prof. Doutora Teresa Isabel Lopes Romão
JointDoctoralProgram in DigitalMedia byUP and UNL
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS E TECNOLOGIA DA UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN DIGITAL MEDIA
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Mónica Sofia Santos Mendes
ADVISOR
Nuno ManuelRobalo Correia,PhD
FullProfessor| Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia,Universidade Nova de Lisboa
CO-ADVISOR
Sílvia LamyTavares Chicó,PhD
FullProfessor| Faculdade Belas-Artes,Universidade de Lisboa
Thesis submitted in partialfulfillment ofthe requirements forthe degree of DoctorofPhilosophy in DigitalMedia
Lisbon,2012
JointDoctoralProgram in DigitalMedia by UP and UNL
FCT/UNL – FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS E TECNOLOGIA DA UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN DIGITAL MEDIA
ARTIVIS
Arts,Real-time Video and Interactivity forSustainability
by Mónica Mendes
with ProfessorNuno Correia as advisor and ProfessorSílvia Chicó as co-advisor
Lisbon,October2012
---The Faculty ofSciences and Technology and the New University ofLisbon has the right,perpetualand without geographicalboundaries,to archive and publish this dissertation through copies printed on paperorin digital form,orby any othermeans known orto be invented,and to disseminate through the scientific repositories and admitcopying and distribution with educationalobjectives or research,non commercial,as long as credit is given to the authorand publisher.
Dedi
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to my Family,
to my AdvisorsNuno Correia and Sílvia Chicó,
to Pedro Ângelo,
to Asiima,Rosa,and Shrilekha,
and to Meco.
Acknowledgements
Iam sincerelygratefulto mythesisadvisors,professorsNuno Correia and Sílvia Chicó,forenabling this research in such a propitiousframework,and fortheirguidance and availability.
Iam also gratefulto Valentina Nisiforthe collaboration in Playwith Fireand the supportwith ARTiVIS, to AZ Labs–altLab,LCDand xDA– and itsmembersRicardo Lobo,Guilherme Martins,Tiago Serra,João Carvalho,Maurício Martins,Catarina Mota,Filipe Cruz,Ricardo Webbens,Ferdinand Meier,Filipe Pais, Sérgio Ferreira,VitorLago,Margarida Faria,Marco Moura,João Ferreira,fortheircontribution to the interactive installations development,and especially to Pedro Ângelo,who has been programming the ARTiVIS experiencesimplemented in the scope ofthisresearch.Thanksto thepeople atMaçaldo Chão, including Fernando Mendes,Valter Cruz,André Correia,and the localmayor DanielCadete.Thanks also to Paulo Leandro forhelping with specifictranslation issues,and to my colleaguesMoisésCoelho, Rossana Santos,Cláudia Pernencar,Luisa Ribasand LuísFriasfortheirsupport.
Acknowledgementsto FBAULand CIEBAforthe supportregarding participation in conferencesand ex-hibitions;to Victoria Vesna,for the research term at UCLA Art|Scicenter+lab,and Adam Stieg for the work regarding the participation with the Hug@reeinstallation and tests in the Sci|ArtSummerSchool. Regarding thisperiod in LA,my specialthanksgoesto my friendsTito da Costa forthe advice and r e-sources shared abroad,to MiguelPedreira forthe bond,and also to António Carvalho,Ana Ribas,my surfwriterfriend Ben Marcus,and my DMA colleague and friend Tiffany Trenda.
We thank UT Austin|PortugalProgram/Colaband Sharon Strover,Karen Gustafson,Prentiss Riddle, RosentalAlves,Nancy Schiesary,Karen Kocher,Ben Bays,Pedro Madeira,Luiza Oliveira,Carolina Enes, Conceição Capelo;SINAISand Nuno Nunes,Filipe Quintal,LucasPereira,and Ian Oakley;Subverticeand MiguelRosa;O EspaçodoTempo(OET)and RuiHorta,forthe artistresidencies,including the collabor a-tion ofAna Carina Paulino,Nuno Motta,António Costa,and exhibition guide Francisco Gomes;Ciência Viva;Artica;InMotionand Filipe Valpereiro.
We would also like to thank the entrepreneurs who kindly accepted to be interviewed – TMS Ruge,J u-liana Rotich,John Brennan,and Pedro Ângelo – and the participantswho returned the questionnaires– atPop Up Lisboa,Sci|ArtUCLA,Maçaldo Chão,AZ Labs,Pop Up Guimarães2012– and who have therefore made the evaluation ofthisresearch possible.
Finally,specialthanksto allmy family,especially my parents,sisters,and nephewsforallthe love and unconditionalsupport.
ABSTRACT
ARTiVIS » Arts,Real-Time Video and InteractivityforSustainability
Thisthesisproposesto investigate innovative conceptsand design methodsregarding the use ofreal -time video asraw materialforartisticexploration on environmentalcauses.In thisexploratory project and practice-based research,we can also play a role aspromotersofchange in people'sbehaviorregar d-ing forestprotection.
Can DigitalArtsfosterawarenessand respectfornature?Asa step in answering thisquestion,we seek to c
on-tribute with a constructive approach to the destructive dynamicsoffire thataggravate climate change, byaddressing artistic,scientificand technologicaldimensionsofthe challenging issuesexplored in this research.
In orderto testand progressthe ARTiVIS research project,interactive installations using real-time video asraw materialwere created.B-Wind!,Hug@reeand Playwith Firewere the three ARTiVIS experi -encesdeveloped,publicly presented and evaluated in the scope ofthisresearch.B-Wind!focuseson the poetry ofthe movementto bring attention on how localaction can have consequencesin remote places;
Hug@reeenhancesaffection through the physicalcontactwith nature and on how individualaction can collectively become so relevant;Playwith Fireexploresthe paradox between the aestheticwonderand the consequencesofforestfires.The ARTiVIS system accomplished in the scope ofthisresearch isalso c om-prised ofthe conceptdesign ofan online platform and the prototype ofan open source forestsurveil -lance kitthatwillconnectto the platform.The aim isto stimulate consciousnessand prevention offire related damagesto the forest.
Interviews were conducted in order to validate the theme and to inspire the developments of the ARTiVIS project.The interactive installationsevaluation processgradually developed from usability as-pectsto more subjective issueslike environmentalawareness.From thisprocess,we inferthatthese ex-periences contribute to a feeling ofbelonging,providing contactwith nature and leading to social change through awarenesson environmentalissues– ultimately,forthe design ofa more sustainable environment.
KEYWORDSDIGITAL ARTS,EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN,REAL-TIME VIDEO,INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS,FOREST PROTECTION, SUSTAINABILITY
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Esta tese propõe investigarconceitos e métodos de design inovadores utilizando vídeo em tempo-real como matéria-prima para exploração artística em causasambientais.Neste projecto exploratório e i n-vestigação baseada na prática,podemostambém desempenharum papelrelevante como promotoresde mudança no comportamento daspessoasno que respeita à protecção dasflorestas.
PoderãoasArtesDigitaissuscitarconsciência erespeitopela natureza?Como um passo para respondera esta
questão,procuramos contribuircom uma abordagem construtiva relativamente à dinâmica destrutiva dosincêndiosque agravam asAlteraçõesClimáticas,com recurso àsdimensõesartísticas,científicase tecnológicasdosdesafiosexploradosnesta investigação.
De modo a testare fazerprogrediro projecto de investigação ARTiVIS,foram criadasinstalaçõesint er-activasutilizando vídeo em tempo realcomo matéria prima.B-Wind!,Hug@reee Playwith Fireforam as três experiências ARTiVIS desenvolvidas,apresentadas publicamente,e avaliadas no âmbito desta i n-vestigação.B-Wind!centra-se na poesia do movimento permitindo tomarconsciência de como a acção localpode terconsequências em locais remotos;Hug@reeevidencia a afectividade através do contacto físico com a natureza e em como a acção individualpode colectivamente tornar-se tão relevante;Play with Fireexplora o paradoxo entre o encanto da contemplação estética easconsequênciasdosincêndios
florestais.O sistema ARTiVIS concretizado no âmbito desta investigação incluitambém o conceito de uma plataforma online e o protótipo de um kitde vigilância florestalde código aberto que vaicomunicar com a plataforma.O objectivo é estimulara sensibilização e prevenção de danosrelacionados com i n-cêndiosflorestais.
Foram realizadasentrevistasde modo a validaro tema e a inspirarosdesenvolvimentosfeitosno pr o-jecto ARTiVIS.O processo de avaliação dasinstalações interactivasevoluiu gradualmente,partindo de aspectos de usabilidade para questões mais subjectivas como a consciencialização ambiental.A partir deste processo,inferimosque estasexperiênciascontribuem para um sentimento de pertença,propor -cionando o contacto com a natureza e conduzindo à mudança socialatravés da consciencialização em assuntosambientais– em última instância,para o design de um ambiente maissustentável.
PALAVRAS-CHAVEARTES DIGITAIS,DESIGN EXPERIMENTAL,VÍDEO EM TEMPO-REAL,SISTEMAS INTERACTIVOS, PROTECÇÃO DA FLORESTA,SUSTENTABILIDADE.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Motivation and Context 1
1.1.1 The NaturalEnvironment 2 1.1.2 Real-Time Video as Information Media 4 1.1.3 Exploration ofReal-Time Video in Challenging Arts and Technology Contexts 4 1.1.4 ForestFire Subjective Experience 4
1.2 Research Questions 5
1.2.1 Can DigitalArts fosterAwareness and RespectforNature? 6 1.2.2 Objectives ofthe Research 7 1.2.3 The ARTiVIS Outcomes 8
1.3 Publicationsand Presentations 9
1.4 DocumentStructure 11
2.REVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE ART 13
2.1 Multiple Inspirations 13
2.2 Nature asArt& Arton Nature 15
2.3 EnvironmentalActivism in Media Artsand Design 18
2.4 Real-Time Video Streaming,Surveillance and ForestMonitoring
– is Big Brothergoing Green? 21
2.5 ComputerVision and PhysicalComputing – Sensorsand Devices 27
2.6 CommunityBuilding and LocalCulture 28
2.7 Summaryand Discussion 31
3.RESEARCH CONCEPTAND METHODOLOGY 33
3.1 Concept 34
3.1.1 ArtorScience? 34 3.1.2 Real-Time Video:both Information and Contemplation 35 3.1.3 The Places:Here and Everywhere 36
3.2 Methods 39
3.2.1 ConceptMapping 41
3.2.2 Sketching 42
3.2.3 Userand Task Analysis 43 3.2.4 Requirements and TechnicalSpecifications 43 3.2.5 Field Work 44 3.2.6 Experience Design 44 3.2.7 Collaborative Work 45 3.2.8 WhataboutEvaluation? 46 3.2.9 Documentation and Archiving 46
3.3 EarlyWork and Beyond 47
3.3.1 InsightOutInteractive Documentary 48 3.3.2 Spinning Trees Interactive Installation 49 3.3.3 In Between,Earth on Heaven,andInSides Fine Arts Videos 50 3.3.4 LOEV Online Platform 53 3.3.5 Treeellucinations – A Preliminary Interactive Installation 55 3.3.6 The Enchanted Forest– Getting Physical 57 3.3.7MAicro – Connecting to FurtherDimensions 58
4.ARTIVIS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION 61
4.1 Online Platform |Prototype and Interface Design 64
4.1.1 Related Work 65 4.1.2 Design ofthe ARTiVIS Online Platform 67 4.1.3 ARTiVIS Platform in Future Exhibitions 70 4.1.4 Future Work 72
4.2 DIY ForestSurveillance Kit| Design and Prototype 73
4.2.1 Related Work 73 4.2.2 DIY KitComponents and Functionalities 74 4.2.3 Ongoing and Future Work 77
4.3 B-Wind! | Concept,Developmentand Presentation 78
4.3.2 Related Work 79 4.3.3 ProjectDevelopment 80 4.3.4 System Architecture and Interaction Design 82 4.3.5 TechnicalAchievements 82 4.3.6 Currentand Future Work 84
4.4 Hug@ree | Concept,Developmentand Presentations 87
4.4.1 The Concept:Hug a RealTree 87 4.4.2 Related Work 88 4.4.3 TechnicalDescription and Interaction Design 89 4.4.4 UserInterface and Experience Design 90 4.4.5 DevelopmentIterations 92 4.4.6 Exhibition History 94 4.4.7 Conclusions and Future Work 96
4.5 Play with Fire | Concept,Developmentand Presentations 98
4.5.1 The Concept:from Arsonistto ForestCaretaker 98 4.5.2 Related Work 100 4.5.3 Installation Setup and Experience Design 101 4.5.4 Discussion on Cognitive Aspects 105 4.5.5 Implementation and TechnicalChallenges 106 4.5.6 Process and Outcomes | Presentations 107 4.5.7 Conclusions and Future Work 108
5.EVALUATION AND RESULTS ANALYSIS 111
5.1 Combining Artand HCI– TowardsHybrid Evaluation Methods 111
5.2 Outline ofthe Evaluation Processand Methods 113
5.3 InterviewsforConceptTesting and Future Plans 116
5.3.1 Interviews on ForestFires 116
5.3.1.1 Facts,Feelings,and Possible Causes 116 5.3.1.2 Prevention Measures and Suggestions 118 5.3.1.3 Interviews FinalConsiderations 119
5.3.2 Interviews to Entrepreneurs 120
5.3.2.1 Entrepreneurship Projects 122 5.3.2.2 Entrepreneurs'Suggestions 125 5.3.2.3 FinalConsiderations 126 5.4 Interactive InstallationsEvaluation and ResultsAnalysis 127
5.4.1 B-Wind!UserExperience Tests and Participants Observation 128
5.4.1.1 TestDesign Realized forthe B-Wind!Installation 128
5.4.1.2 B-Wind!to AffectRealTrees in Remote Places?Observation Results 130 5.4.1.3 B-Wind!Evaluation Conclusions and Future Work 136
5.4.2 Hug@ree UserExperience,Observation and Questionnaires 137
5.4.2.1 Design oftheHug@ree Evaluation 137 5.4.2.2 Hugging Trees forReal?Evaluation Results 142 5.4.2.3 Hug@ree Evaluation Conclusions and Future Work 148
5.4.3 Play with Fire UserExperience Tests,Observation and Questionnaires 149
5.4.3.1 Design ofthe Play with Fire Evaluation 150 5.4.3.2 Playing with Fire forSustainability?Evaluation Results from Data
Collected and Analyzed 152 5.4.3.3 Play with Fire Evaluation Future Work 161 5.5 OverallResearch ResultsAnalysis 162
6.CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 165
6.1 Findingsand Contributions 166
6.2 Future Work 167
SOURCES | BIBLIOGRAPHY 173
APPENDIX 1
A.Structured Interviews Script 1 B.Observation Form 2 C.Questionnaire Forms 3
C.1 Hug@ree Questionnaire Forms:Version 1 and 2 3 C.2 Play with Fire Questionnaire Forms:Version 1 and 2 12
D.Photo Documentation Archive Published Online 20 E.Video Documentation Archive Published Online 31 F.Blog Posts – ARTiVIS Research Iterations 32 G.Published ARTiVIS ProjectWebsites 33
G.1 ARTiVIS Online Platform Website 33 G.2 ARTiVIS DIY ForestSurveillance KitWebsite 34 G.3 B-Wind!Interactive Installation Website 35 G.4 Hug@ree Interactive Installation Website 36 G.5 Play with Fire Interactive Installation Website 37
H.TechnicalRiders ofthe Interactive Installations 38
H.1 B-Wind!Interactive Installation TechnicalRider 38 H.2 Hug@ree Interactive Installation TechnicalRider 39 H.3 Play with Fire Interactive Installation TechnicalRider 41
IMAGE INDEX
Figure 1.1.Maçaldo Chão,the place where everything started:Quinta de Santo André aftera forestfire in 1994...2
Figure 1.2.The same Quinta de Santo André in 2012,showing the results ofa reforestation project18 years afterthe forestfire...3
Figure 1.3.Conceptmap ofthe ARTiVIS research framework and outcomes...9
Figure 2.1.“How is Video Surveillance|CCTV explored in DigitalCinema?”Detailofthe conceptmap presented in the DigitalCinema workshop...25
Figure 3.1.The ARTiVIS research lives atthe intersection ofArt,Science and Technology...35
Figure 3.2.ARTiVIS places aimed superimposed on the NASA world map offorestfires as ofOctober2011.This visualization displays the correlation ofareas affected by forestfires (colored orange)and the online platform nuclearstructure proposed (green spots)...37
Figure 3.3.Views ofthe trees and forests as displayed atthe exhibitions and demonstrations at:(a)Guimarães,(b)Montemor-o-Novo, (c)Maçaldo Chão,(d)Fanalin Madeira,(e)Los Angeles,and (f)Adamastorlookoutin Lisbon...38
Figure 3.4.Detailofthe ARTiVIS conceptmap,places and process,included in the firstposterpresented in the scope ofthis research (ACM Multimedia 2010)...41
Figure 3.5.Firstsketches ofthe ARTiVIS conceptofplaces,online platform interface,and participants interaction in an installation...42
Figure 3.6.Play with Fire experience storyboard and gesture mapping by Valentina Nisi...42
Figure 3.7.Collaborative work during the AZ Labs residency atO Espaço do Tempo forthe developmentofthe Play with Fire installation. ...45
Figure 3.8.Screenshots ofthe Interactive Documentary workshop website,showcasing the homepage and the InsightOutvideo created. ...48
Figure 3.9.Interactive Documentary workshop mobile version:home,listmenu,and access to the InsightOutdescription and video...49
Figure 3.10.Spinning Trees rotating atincreasing speed in reaction to the activity captured by the camera sensor...50
Figure 3.11.Screenshotofthe ARTiVIS website headermaking use ofthe one minute video In Between...51
Figure 3.12.Screenshots ofthe video In Between used as section break in the ARTiVIS presentations...51
Figure 3.13.Screenshots ofthe one minute video InSides Fine Arts displaying the green elements presented throughoutthe sequence.51 Figure 3.14.Screenshotofthe Earth on Heaven video,as exhibited online atcityoneminutes.org in the scope ofthe City One Minutes Lisbon...52
Figure 3.15.LOEV printed postcards presenting conceptteasers in the frontand the team and contacts in the back...53
Figure 3.16.LOEV online platform Web 3.0 prospective prototype...54
Figure 3.17.LOEV prototype displaying a specificevent.The interface was designed as a template and applied in the ARTiVIS project websites...54
Figure 3.18.Treeellucinations presentation atAZ residency and screen captures ofthe videoloop atFuture Places...56
Figure 3.19.Enchanted Forestconceptart:the video and audio inputdevices placed on trees outdoors and a suggestion ofa visual outputin reused screens to be displayed in the installation indoors...57
Figure 3.20.MAicro WaterFlow conceptimages displaying the forestmacro scale and the microscopicview ofthe waterin a tree leaf...59
Figure 3.21.Waterbodies.org online platform with MAicro WaterFlow included in the projects menu,and in the WaterbodiesPT website created to collectwaterrelated works from Portugal...60
Figure 4.1.Diagram ofthe ARTiVIS system components,theircorrelations,and userexperience...62
Figure 4.2.ARTiVIS online platform web and mobile interface design...65
Figure 4.3.ARTiVIS online platform interface design – grids and mockups ofthe homepage and 2nd levelpages displaying live video and an image gallery ofthe covered forest...68
Figure 4.4.ARTiVIS online platform category cloud (left)and space-based interface (right),including pastevents and future places...69
Figure 4.5.Sketches forthe ARTiVIS online platform home interface.The conceptmap views on the top show a dynamicinterface ofthe projects interconnected by theme.The maps below display the projects geographically distributed and in differenttimes:early and currentpresentations on the leftand center,and future work announcements on the right...69
Figure 4.6.Mockup ofthe ARTiVIS online platform interface formobile devices displaying a video gallery and video playback...70
Figure 4.7.ARTiVIS live forests videos exhibition proposal,including a monitoring wallatthe entrance,and walls with severaldisplays..71
Figure 4.8.Panoramiclarge scale screens displaying a sequence offorests in real-time.The orderfollows the world time zones, evidencing day and nightcycles...72
Figure 4.9.ARTiVIS DIY forestsurveillance kitsystem architecture...74
Figure 4.10.Prototype ofthe ARTiVIS surveillance kitshowing the CPU module based on the Raspberry PIplatform,using a USB HD camera as camera module,and a USB miniwifiadapteras network module...75
Figure 4.11.Prototype ofthe ARTiVIS surveillance kitshowing the CPU module based on the CuBox platform,using a USB HD camera...76
Figure 4.12.B-Wind!conceptart:participantinteraction with visualeffects indoors and fans activation ...79
Figure 4.13.Electroniccircuitschematics (left)and interactive electronics representation (right)ofthe B-Wind!early prototype...80
Figure 4.14.Prototype ofthe B-Wind!fan being created during the firstphase ofthe AZ residency...81
Figure 4.15.B-Wind!fan prototype,testin a smallscale projection,and role play forcomputervision tests...81
zigure 4.16.B-Wind!system architecture...82
Figure 4.17.Firsttestofthe real-time video lag (left)evidencing the delay between reality and the projected output.Real-time video tests (right)showing the userinteraction and video effects already synchronized...83
Figure 4.18.The Saudação conventwindow where the IP camera was placed seen from outdoors (left)and from indoors (right)...84
Figure 4.19.Outdoorfans setup and calibration.The fans were placed within sightofthe installation...84
Figure 4.20.B-Wind!Interaction effects both indoors on the real-time video projection and outdoors on the fans activation on the trees. ...85
Figure 4.21.Hug@ree conceptart:tree hug outdoorand touch interaction indoors...87
Figure 4.23.Instrumenting the tree atUCLA courtyard,the microcontrollerand XBee emitternested atthe tree,Sci|Artparticipants hugging the tree activating the sensors and sending the signalto the receivernearthe screen interface,where the videoloops are
shown...89
Figure 4.24.Hug@ree interactive installation system architecture...90
Figure 4.25.Hug@ree caption hanging atthe tree (left)and the tree being hugged (right)...91
Figure 4.26.Interaction indoors showing the tree outdoors in real-time and the new videoloops on the “ground”generated from the tree hugs outdoors.Participants drag the smallvideos in the touchscreen interface,becoming partofthe human hugs foliage...91
Figure 4.27.Hug@ree screenshotshowing the visualresultafterthree weeks oftree hugs atPop Up in Lisbon...92
Figure 4.28.Screenshotofthe Hug@ree finaldays atPop Up.A participantis hugging the tree outdoors as the videoloop is displayed in real-time on the ground.The "foliage"displays the individualand group hugs gathered during the exhibition...93
Figure 4.29.Hug@ree atUCLA:Sci|Artparticipants daily hug to the tree on theirlunch break and a screenshotcapturing a group hug..95
Figure 4.30.Hug@ree interactive installation presentations atPop Up in Lisbon,AZ hackmeetin Porto,TEI'11 in Madeira,Sci|Art Summerschoolin Los Angeles,Artropocode in Santiago de Compostela,and Summerin Maçaldo Chão...96
Figure 4.31:Play with Fire conceptart:the originallandscape,userexperience on site and consequences to carry...98
Figure 4.32.Play with Fire atCreative Algorithms exhibition.Scenes 1-5 show the news mashup,userinteraction and mobile application. ...102
Figure 4.33.ARTiVIS news mashup from Play with Fire displaying a combination oftext,image and video news focused on different locations:Serra da Estrela region in the North ofPortugal,and Laurissilva in Madeira...103
Figure 4.34.Play with Fire mobile application displaying the userresults,forestinformation,and exhibition context...104
Figure 4.35.Play with Fire system architecture...106
Figure 5.1.Detailofthe conceptmap ofthe interviews to entrepreneurs as partofthe "PersonalStrategicPlan"presented in the scope ofthe Entrepreneurship workshop...121
Figure 5.2.Screenshotofthe interviews interactive movie title sequence and ofthe main interface displaying video options...122
Figure 5.3.Interactive video opening titles presenting the entrepreneurs interviewed and theirentrepreneurialprojects'URLs...125
Figure 5.4.B-Wind!role play tests forfullbody interaction gesture mapping and computervision software calibration...128
Figure 5.5.B-Wind!role play fortesting the scale,the display hardware,and the software gesture recognition in the firstversion prototype...129
Figure 5.6.Userexperience tests done to assess the visualeffects as reaction to usermovements...129
Figure 5.7.Images captured by the camera thatmonitored the B-Wind!experience showing screen calibration setup with projectors placed on the ceiling...131
Figure 5.8.Setup ofthe camera used as motion sensorand userexperience tests thatpreceded the exhibition opening...131
Figure 5.9.Participantlistening to the exhibition guide describing the installation,then interacting,and sharing with otherfriends...132
Figure 5.10.Participantobserving the B-Wind!visualeffects,then looking atthe caption on the leftside,walking towards the camera capturing the courtyard trees,and again interacting in frontofthe projection...132
Figure 5.11.Sequence showing visitors notnoticing the projection,then the guide intervening to explain,followed by participants' interaction while otherelements ofthe group waitto continue the visit...132
Figure 5.12.Child interacting and then taking others to run from side to side to generate more impressive effects...133
Figure 5.13.Adultand child visitors interacting by exploring the space and speed...133
Figure 5.14.Presentation ofthe exhibition guide to be seen on the exhibition video streaming channelas the firstcontactwith the installation:"Hello,my name is Francisco and Iwillbe yourguide in this exhibition,so come and enjoy B-Wind!"...134
Figure 5.15.Participantinteracting by exploring differentmovements and observing the corresponding effects on the projection.The interference ofthe sunlightin the room can clearly be noticed through the lightcoming from the window on the rightside...135
Figure 5.16.Interface changes as a resultofthe participants interaction.Although noticeable ata distance through lightchanges in the interface,visualeffects were stillsubtle in this publicexhibition space...136
Figure 5.17.Testing the capacitive sensors forthe firsttime during AZ sprintin Maçaldo Chão...138
Figure 5.18.Hug@ree atPop Up:testing the capacitive sensors on the tree outdoors,the IP camera atthe window inside the installation room,the XBee communication,and the video loop triggeron the screen...138
Figure 5.19.Gallery ofthe 26 participants thathugged a tree fortask analysis in the scope ofthe “10/10/10 GlobalWork Party”on 2012.10.10 and sentto the Hug@ree callat350.org (the figure includes 5 previous usertestphotos from the AZ sprintin the middle of bottom row)...139
Figure 5.20.Participants answering the Hug@ree questionnaires atPop Up Lisboa,inside the exhibition venue atSanta Catarina palace. ...141
Figure 5.21.Hug@ree questionnaires atMaçaldo Chão,outdoors underthe “interactive”tree,helping olderpeople to read /write the answers...143
Figure 5.22.The firstthree words with which participants in the ruralenvironmentdescribed Hug@ree rightafterthe experience...143
Figure 5.23.Words used to describe Hug@ree in urban environment,mid-long term – Sci|ArtatUCLA,ten months afterthe experience. ...144
Figure 5.24.Words used to describe Hug@ree in ruralenvironment,mid-long term – Maçaldo Chão,three to six months afterthe experience...144
Figure 5.25.Word cloud aggregating the firstimpressions aboutthe experience and the installation obtained from the Hug@ree questionnaire done at(b)Maçaldo Chão in Summer,(c)Maçaldo Chão three to six months later,and (d)UCLA ten months later...145
Figure 5.26.Play with Fire role play tests performed during the developmentatAZ Labs residency:starting the fire,growing,
concentrating,moving,and extinguishing it...150
Figure 5.27.Play with Fire exhibition atPop Up:the action and excitementofplaying with fire,and the mashup,the score and the user scanning the QR code to access the web mobile application...151
Figure 5.28.Word cloud aggregating the firstimpressions ofthe Play with Fire questionnaire done at(a)AZ Labs,(b)Creative Algorithms, (c)Pop Up,and (d)Maçaldo Chão...154
Figure 5.29.Word clouds ofthe firstimpressions ofthe Play with Fire experience comparing the tests iterations:(a)AZ Labs pilottestup left,(b)Creative Algorithms exhibition in Lisbon up right,(c)Pop Up exhibition in Guimarães bottom left,and (d)ruralvillage
demonstration in Maçaldo Chão bottom right.The relative proportion ofthe characters in each ofthe word clouds also gives us a comparative notion ofthe quantity ofparticipants in each ofthe venues...155
Figure 5.30.Selection oftwo questionnaire results ofeach Play with Fire experience dimension:(I)EnvironmentalAwareness| Sustainability,(II)Knowledge|Learning aboutthe dynamics ofFires,(III)EmotionalEngagement,(IV)AestheticEnjoyment|Artistic Exploration,(V)PlayfulExperience,and (VI)System Functionality|Interaction|Usability...156
Figure 5.31.Scatterplots displaying the relationship between individualexperience dimensions (IIto VI)and the Environmental Awareness dimension (I)in Play with Fire...158
Figure 5.32 Correlation between experience dimensions (IIto VI)and EnvironmentalAwareness (I)...159
TABLE INDEX
Table 1.ARTiVIS outcomes and corresponding characteristics – whatthey are,and how they complementeach other...63
Table 2.Objectives ofthe methods and techniques used forevaluating the ARTiVIS conceptand interactive installations....115
Table 3.Demographicdata ofthe participants ofthe fourHug@ree evaluation iterations.[F=Female,M=Male | N=No Schooling,S=Primary School,H=High School,U=University,P=Post-Graduate]...142
Table 4.Demographicdata ofthe participants ofthe fourPlay with Fire evaluation iterations.[F=Female,M=Male | N=No Schooling,S=Primary School,H=High School,U=University,P=Post-Graduate]...153
Table 5.Play with Fire results:summary statistics..Questions are coded using group name corresponding to the experience dimension (Ito VI)...157
1.
I
NTRODUCTI
ON
A healthy relationship between the evolving human nature and the changing naturalworld demands the need to iteratively rethink concepts and communication models through the exploration ofnew forms ofexpression and emerging technologies.This research proposes innovative design ofinteractive installations as ways ofconceiving both digitalmedia arts and practices forenvironmentalsustainability through practice-based research with a criti -calattitude and experimentalapproaches.
Concerned with climate change,especially in whatrelatesto forestsand theirpreservation,in thisr e-search we are addressing artistic, scientific and technological aspects of this challenging theme. ARTiVIS1– Arts,Real-TimeVideoand InteractivityforSustainability– isa projectthatencompassesresearch
with the useofreal-time video to protectforests.The projectincludesa seriesofinteractive installations to raise awarenesson the dangersthatthreaten the forests,the prototype ofa hardware kitthatwillal -low people to easily setup and enable the video stream ofa forest,and the proposalofa platform that ag-gregatesthe real-time video streamstogetherwith forestmonitoring systems.Thisresearch projectwill behere introduced and furtherdescribed in laterchaptersofthe thesis.
In this introductory chapter,the motivation and contextofthe research are specified,then the main questionspursued through the researchareposed.Finally we presentthe objectivesand contributions, publications,and an overview ofhow the thesisisstructured,including whatwas reported and doc u-mented.
1.
1
Mot
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Forestcovers31% ofthe planet'stotalland area2.Precious forestshave been sacrificed,especially in r
e-centyears.Every year millions ofhectares ofland across the planetare ravaged by fierce forestfires which rage outofcontrol,destroying the environment,crops,homes and,in the worstcase scenarios, lives[Viegas09].
1 ARTiVIS projectwebsite » http://artivis.net
2 United Nations,InternationalYearofForests» http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Fact_Sheet_IYF.pdf
Thisresearch isalso motivated by a growing numberofrelevantworksthatreiterate the powerofart ex-ploration and design asan efficientway ofspreading a message.Chapter2 looks atexamples ofpr ac-tice,distributed mainly among the categoriesof“Nature asArt& Arton Nature”(cf.2.2),“Envir onmen-talActivism in Media Artsand Design”(cf.2.3),and “Community Building and LocalCulture”(cf.2.6).
The reasonsforthismultidisciplinary research arise from the variousareasofinterestand research,as wellasfrom the diversified contextsofthe author'sexperience and activities.Three main areasstand outin thiscase:(1)the will– and the need – foran active approach regarding awarenesson the natural environment,(2)the effectivenessofthe use ofreal-time video forinformative purposes,and (3)the po-tentialforexploration ofthe real-time video stream in artisticcontextswith demanding challengesin technologicalissues.
1.1.1 The NaturalEnvironment
Living in placesthathave been extremely exposed to forestfireslike Portugal[Catry07,Silva10],makes usverysensitive to the destruction offorestpatrimony by fire hazards,which also appliesto a world scale.In fact,“Globally,95percentofallfiresarecaused by varioushuman activities”[FAO04,Silva10]. Despite previousmeasures[Catry07,Forest09,GMES10,LPN03],an attitude towardsprevention pr e-vailspertinentand urgent[AFN12,FAO04,Pedrosa07].
Thisinitialenvironmentalawarenessmotivation came from directexperience with forestfires:
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3Asdesigners and researchers,we have decided to undertake the challenge ofcontributing to help hu-manity in a meaningfulway.Contributing forthe cause offorestfires prevention is an approach that may ultimately help reduce the climate change threat.
With this research approach and theme proposal,we committo play a role aspromoters ofchange in people'sbehaviorthrough environmentalawarenessforforestsprotection.
3 In Aboutthe ARTiVIS project» http://artivis.net/about.html
INTRODUCTION3
1.1.2 Real-Time Video as Information Media
Real-time video wasfirstconsidered from itsuse forsportspractice,when looking atthe video stream of webcamsthatdeliversignificantvisualinformation on surfconditions,such asthe sea wavesheight, wind visible effectsand,obviously,the crowd.Thisexperience could be then extended to othercontexts – Whatifweusethisinformation functionalityforforestsprotection?Moreover,whataboutcombiningthisfeature with thepotentialforcontemplation?
In thisapproach,the real-time video offorestsisbroughtto fruition notonly foritsimmediate function ofreporting information,butalso foraestheticcontemplation,aswindowsto nature thatwillalso be the gatesto surveillance systemsmonitored by the ARTiVIS community.
1.1.3 Exploration ofReal-Time Video in Challenging Artsand TechnologyContexts
The use ofreal-time video in artisticcontextswasalso inspired byenjoying the artworksobserved in art exhibitionssuch as ARCO4(between 2007 and 2011),including works thatuse real-time video in local
networks[Jacinto06],and itsunexplored use asremote feed in thisscope.
A triggerforthisproposalon the technologicalside wasthe potentialglimpsed in the creation and rise ofnew programming languagesand environments such asProcessingand openFrameworksand physical computing extensionspowered by the use ofmicrocontrollerssuch asArduino5thatwould enable artists
to use it.Early artworksbyJohn Maeda [Maeda04]were followed by itsbroad use in severalexamples [Watson07,Madeira09,O'Shea09]thataredescribed in the following chapterregarding the stateofthe art.
1.1.4 ForestFire Subjective Experience
Thischapterisenlightened with interviewsquotes– reinforcing and confirming initialassumptions– by people'stestimoniescorroborating hypothesis,theirfearsand suspicions.
Structured interviewswere conducted to both localpeople who live by the forestsaswellasthose who own forestsin the smallvillage Maçaldo Chão in orderto assesstheirposition in relation to the ground motivationsofthisstudy.The whole region ofthe area ofSerra da Estrela thatincludesMaçaldo Chão hasbeen severely affected by forestfires.Thisqualitative useranalysisenabled usto confirm and to ad-justthe research based on existing data with the testimony ofthe people involved.Although these int er-views are described and analyzed in detailin the evaluation chapterofthis research (cf.5.3.1),we are
4ARCO –InternationalContemporary ArtFair,Madrid » http://www.ifema.es/ferias/arco/default2_i.html
here highlighting some ofthe contentsrelated with the research themeand approach.Quoting their an-swersto the questionsreinforcesthe assumption ofthis researchto the need for an urgentinter ven-tion:
Haveyou witnessed a forestfire?Ifso,how did ithappen?And whatdid you feelduring and after?“Iwas c on-cerned.Iwashelping firefighterswith waterhoses.The firefighterslaunched a counterfire.Itfeelsbad”.
When asked aboutforestfire causesand the main reasonsforthishappening in the region,the res pon-dents'answersvaried.Examplesincluded:the drop ofa match orcigarette butt,setting fire to forests “on purpose”,glass under the Summer heat,farmers burning brushwood.There are even those who claim people are hired to drop flammable items from mid air.The testimony ofa helicopter pilotr e-ferred to a tightState budget,aswellasnumerousfinancialinterestsbehind forestfires.
Regarding prevention methodsthatwere being applied,some were unaware,although othersreferred to “surveillance by guardsin towersand in cars”,orthat“people should be more cautiouswhen smoking. They should also clean the forestsand create new pathsin orderto facilitate the fire authoritieswork”.
When in the end they wereasked:Whatdoyou thinkoftheparticipation in experiencesand artisticapproaches in thisscope?,mostrespondents had no idea ofwhatthis represented,and others were unaware ofthe
meaning behind whatwasbeing asked,butasa whole they were intrigued and open to the perspective ofnew ideasthatattain the desired goal:“Ithink itisvery good,itfitswith whatIjustsaid aboutmore information forawareness”;“Everything thatcan be done in thatsense – artistic approaches, engage-ment– allthese meansshould be used because they mobilize and bring awareness”.
This empiricaldata ends up making evidentthe same concerns and proposals as the studies and r e-search on thissubject,furtherdetailed in the nextsection.
1.
2
Resear
c
h
Quest
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ons
Although forestfireshave decreased asa resultofseveralinitiatives,little attention hasbeen paid to ed-ucating and raising awarenessamong the population,especially when dealing with naturaland human-ized landscapeswith a greatenvironmentaland culturalvalue.Raising awarenesson living naturalel e-mentsaround us,and respectfornature,isan essentialdeparture assumption towardscontributing to fire prevention forsustainability.Selected proceduresinclude naturalregeneration,removalofinvasive species and improvementofthe naturalregeneration using species ofhigh environmentalvalue,and elaboration ofa code ofgood practiceson burned area recovery [Pedrosa07].
Beyond institutionalcampaigns and isolated initiatives,much can be done [FAO04].Governments up-portisone ofthe factorsthatcan make a difference when itcomesto incentives6.
On the otherhand,“criticalweatherconditionshaverecently caused unprecedented damagesin ec o-nomictermsand in numberofhuman casualties.(…)governmentsare discussing potentialoptions un-derfuture climate change conditionsthatmay triggermore dangerousand more frequentforestfires” – in the5th ForestDay7(coinciding with COP178),motivationswere clear:“The need forgreaterawareness
ofthe latestresearch on Africa'sforestsisunderscored bypredictionsthatthe continentwillbe hithard byclimate change”9.
Asa citizen doing research and artpractices,one can also play a role foreffective change in people'sbe -haviorregarding forestsprotection:Whatarethepossibilitiesofproposingconstructiveapproachestothede -structivedynamicsoffirethataggravateclimatechange?
1.2.1 Can DigitalArtsfosterAwarenessand RespectforNature?
A substantive partofthe motivation forthisresearch isthe relationship between Artand Nature.Mor e-over,there isalso a greatpotentialregarding sustainability.
Originalapproachesthrough digitalmedia artworkson environmentalcauseshave shown people'se n-gagementand effective impacttowardsawarenessand activism.In thisconcern,Allan stated (2001)that “one mustmove from ontology (whatisart?)to pragmatism (whatcan artdo?)”[Daniel11,p.56].Paradi g-maticexamplesare duly described in chapter2 sections“Multiple Inspirations”,“Nature asArt& Arton Nature”,“EnvironmentalActivism in Media Artsand Design”,and “Community Building and LocalCul -ture”,complemented with the referencesfrom each ofthe related work sectionsin chapter4.
In this scope,the contributions by artists,designers,researchers,and activists with sustainability in mind – like Terry Irwin,Bruce Mau,John Tackara,Brenda Laurel,Gabriela Albergaria,Edward Burt yn-sky,Julia Butterfly Hill– are furtherdescribed throughoutthe pagesofthisthesis.Specificartworksand hybrid projectsthatwere very compelling regarding itsimpactand awarenessachieved through artand nature forsustainability – NuageVert,Funky Forest,In FondoalMar,MassiveChange,350.org 10/10/10,Re -farm theCity,the TreehuggerProject,GamesforChange,An InconvenientTruth– are also recalled throughout
the following chapters.Internationally recognized eventsin media artswith sustainability and surveil
-6 An example is a village in China,thathad no uncontrolled fires forover35 years,since a policy thatprovided benefits and income from the forests to the villagers was adopted [FAO04].
7 The ForestDay has become one ofthe mostinfluentialannualglobalevents on forests.5th ForestDay.December4,2011,Durban,South Africa,by the CenterforInternationalForestry Research» http://www.forestsclimatechange.org/events/forest-day/forest-day-5.html
8 COP17 – The 17th Conference ofthe Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC)and the 7th Session ofthe Conference ofthe Partiesserving as the Meeting ofthe Parties (CMP7)to the Kyoto Protocol» http://www.cop17-cmp7durban.com
lance asthe core goalthrough themes– such as“Repair”and “Goodbye Privacy”atArsElectronica,“Cli -mate Change as CulturalDemand”in Transmediale,Artand Activism lectureseriesat Art|Sci,“The Artof Gathering EnvironmentalData”in Pixelache,“Machine Wilderness”in ISEA,“GreaterGood”atSXSW I n-teractive,and exhibitionslike “The Tree”atthe GettyMuseumand “Sustainable Futures”atthe Design
Mu-seum– are also considered fortheircontribution towardsenvironmentalawareness.
With combinationsofartisticexplorationsandfunctionalpurposeslikethese,can weconceiveaprojectthatisboth
artisticandfunctional?
Regarding the impactand the potentialofartand technology on society and the environment,we aim at creating a “forestsshowroom”experience through digitalmedia,in orderto inspire lifestyle change.The questions,reflectionsand itschallengescan be furtherrefined asfollows:
»Why and how would we contribute with ourskillsto environmentalsustainability practices?
»Can repurposed surveillance technology bring people togetherto protecttheirforests? »Whataboutthe creative usesofreal-time video asraw materialforartisticexperiments? »In which waysare artists,technologistsand activistsworking togetherusing open source technologies?
»How can anyone become partofa forestsurveillance community like ARTiVIS?
Ratherthan trying to answerallthese questionsin a definitive way,we also agree with Victoria Vesna thatthe artist'srole isnotto answerthe questions,butto raise them [Vesna11].Through the devel op-mentofthisresearch project,weaddressed these issuesand possible approachesforsolutions.
1.2.2 Objectives ofthe Research
Building forestsurveillance systemsto record and make the data available to an open community, ARTiVIS aimsto combine visualaestheticsexperimentswith broadcasting access.Refuting the idea of waiting fordramaticevidence to come,we are actively building on a paradigm shiftproposalso that oursand generationsto come bring a wiserwayofthinking thatcan contribute towardsa betterworld.
With thisproposal,weaim to develop ideasthatcan become creative and thought-provoking.Through research with a criticalperspective and experimentalartisticapproaches,thispractice based research livesatthe intersection ofArt,Science and Technology.ARTiVIS exploresreal-time video'stechnological challengesto offerparticipantswaysto experience and to remotely accessthe naturalenvironment.
The objectivesofthe overallresearch are:
»To create digitalcontextsofaestheticcontemplation ofnature by exploring the beauty and dangeroftreesand forestfires.
»To raise awarenesson the naturalenvironmentby establishing a bond between people and forests,using technology in artisticcontexts.
»To empowerlocalpopulationswith a way to share the beauty oftheirforestsand help preventforestfiresthrough monitoring by online communities.
»To explore new waysto use real-time streaming video offorestsforawareness,activism and artisticpurposes.
»To help preventforestfiresby extending surveillance systemsto online communities through “the emotion ofreal-time”monitoring.
In thisscope,wearecreating interactive experiencesthataremeantto stimulate awarenessand pr even-tion offire related damagesto the forests,while engaging community members to participate with a sense ofwonderand enthusiasm.
1.2.3 The ARTiVIS Outcomes
Regarding the impactand the potentialofartand technology on society and the environment,we aim to create a “forestsshowroom” experience,in orderto inspire change in the lifestyle ofthe public.The ARTiVIS outputsarea tradeoffbetween aestheticpleasure from contemplative observation and interac -tiveexperimentsofforestsreal-time videos.With the goalto promote a more sustainable world through digitalmedia and experimentaldesign,the outcomesofthisiterative processinclude:
»Interactive installationsforpublicexhibition thatuse real-time video offorestsasraw material.These include B-Wind!,Hug@ree,and Playwith Fire,the interactive experiencesthatwere implemented in the scope ofthisproject.
»The prototype design ofan online video sharing platform,in orderto display real-time forestsvideos and corresponding artisticexplorations,working asthe ARTiVIS community hub.
Alltogether,weforesee thatthese interactionsprovide the experiencesofcontactwith nature contribut -ing to a feeling ofbelonging,strengthening the relationship with the forest,and leading to localc om-munitiesgrowth and empowerment.An overview ofthe research and dissemination done and the ARTiVIS system outputscan be visualized in the following conceptmap.
1.
3
Publ
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ons
and
Pr
esent
at
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ons
The currentresearch work on thisARTiVIS (initially RTiVISS10)proposaland developmentofitsc
ompo-nentshasbeen published in diverse venuesand contexts,including:three fullpapers(Artech 2010,ISEA 2011and NordiCHI2012),one shortpaperand a poster(ACM MM'10),three demonstrationsin interactive
artsshowcases(TEI2011,ACE 2012and DIS 2012),two doctoralconsortia (CoLab UT Austin|PortugalPro -gram 2011and DIS 2012),one research symposium (FuturePlaces2012),one workshop (CHI2011),two
posters(FCT,FCG).
The work was also presented in a wide range ofartistic,technologic and sociologicalcontexts:exhibi -tions,demos,schoolvisits,summerschool,hackmeets,both proposed [such asAlgoritmosCriativos(Cre -ativeAlgorithms),SXSW 2011,and ACE 2011]and invited (like in PopUpCityLisbonand PopUpGuimarães
2012).
10 Priorto 2011,ARTiVIS (Arts,Real-Time Video and Interactivity forSustainability)was mentioned as RTiVISS (Real-Time Video Interactive Systems forSustainability).This change was meantto betterexpress the conceptofthe research and to allow non English speaking participants to better pronounce the name ofthe project.» http://monicamendes.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/artivis/
INTRODUCTION9
The interactive installationsB-Wind!,Hug@reeand Playwith Fire– were in totalpresented in fourcolle c-tive exhibitions (Pop Up City Lisbon,AZ LabsShowcase,CreativeAlgorithms,Pop Up Guimarães2012),two self-proposed public presentations in ruralenvironment,four hackmeets (AZ Labs2010and 2011,and Artropocode2011and 2012).These presentationswere preceded ofearly work presented in screenings.The
websitesofthe ARTiVIS interactive installations,online platform and DIY forestsurveillancekitwere pub-lished in the scope ofthisresearch and are presented in AppendixG.
The following listsummarizes the textwork published in the scope ofthis PhD research,herein pr e-sented in chronologicalorderstarting with the mostrecent.
MENDES,Mónica,ÂNGELO,Pedro,NISI,Valentina,CORREIA,Nuno (2012)“DigitalArt,HCIand Environmental
Awareness:Evaluating Play with Fire”,Proceedings ofthe 7th Nordic Conference on Human-ComputerInteraction, NordiCHI2012,Copenhagen,Denmark,October14-17,2012,pp.408-417.DOI10.1145/2399016.2399079
MENDES,Mónica (2012)“ARTiVIS – Arts,Real-Time Video and Interactivity forSustainability”,Proceedings ofthe ACM conference on Designing Interactive Systems,DIS 2012 ,DoctoralConsortium,Newcastle,UK,June 11,2012.
MENDES,Mónica,ÂNGELO,Pedro,NISI,Valentina,CORREIA,Nuno (2012)“Play with Fire”,Proceedings ofthe ACM conference on Designing Interactive Systems,DIS 2012,Demonstrations,Newcastle,UK,June 13,2012.
MENDES,Mónica,ÂNGELO,Pedro,NISI,Valentina,CORREIA,Nuno (2011)“Play with Fire”,Proceedings ofthe 8th InternationalConference on Advances in ComputerEntertainmentTechnology,ACE '11,Creative Showcase and Interactive Art,Lisbon,Portugal,November08-11,2011.DOI10.1145/2071423.2071530
MENDES,Mónica,CORREIA,Nuno,NISI,Valentina,ÂNGELO,Pedro (2011)“Play with Fire | A Real-Time Video Experience for Sustainability”,Proceedings ofthe 17th InternationalFestivalofNew Media,Electronic and DigitalArts – ISEA2011, Istanbul,Turkey,September14-21,2011 | Conference paperonline athttp://isea2011.sabanciuniv.edu/paper/pl ay-fire-real-time-video-experience-sustainability
MENDES,Mónica (2011)“RTiVISS as a Sustainable Design Proposal”,CHI2011 Workshop:Sustainable Interaction Design in ProfessionalDomains – Visible – Actionable – Sustainable,position paper,Vancouver,Canada,May 7,2011 | Workshop site and position papers online athttp://sustainablehci.wordpress.com
MENDES,Mónica,CORREIA,Nuno (2011)“Big BrotherGoes Green:Surveillance forSustainable Forests”,South by Southwest Interactive Festival,Dualpanelpresented atSXSW Interactive,GreaterGood category,Austin,USA,March 11-15,2011 | Abstractand podcastonline athttp://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP6736
MOTA,Catarina,MENDES,Mónica,ÂNGELO,Pedro,LOBO,Ricardo (2011)"Audiência Zero",MCD - Musique & Cultures Digitales #62 - Media Labs in Europe,Mapping Places and Networks,pp.40-41.
MENDES,Mónica,ÂNGELO,Pedro,CORREIA,Nuno (2011)“Hug@ree:A RTiVISS experience”,Proceedings ofthe 5th internationalconference on Tangible,Embedded,and Embodied Interaction,TEI'11,ArtExplorations exhibition and extended abstract,Funchal,Portugal,January 25-29,2011,pp.257-260.DOI10.1145/1935701.1935753
MENDES,Mónica,CORREIA,Nuno (2010)“Design forMobile Devices atFuture Places in Perspective”,in Calling AllFutures: an Overview ofFuture Places Past,Present,and...,Proceedings ofFuture Places Festival2009,Porto,Portugal,pp.21-28.
MENDES,Mónica (2010)“RTiVISS Real-Time Video Interactive Systems forSustainability”,Proceedings of5th International Conference Artech 2010,Guimarães,Portugal,April22-23,2010,pp.29-38.| Awarded BestPortuguese Paperofthe Conference.
CORREIA,Nuno,MENDES,Mónica (2009)“Interface Design forMobile Devices”,Proceedings ofFuture Places Festival2008, Porto,Portugal,pp.47-49.
1.
4
Doc
ument
St
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e
Thissection consistsofa shortdescription ofthe contentofeach ofthe chaptersthatcomposethe str uc-ture ofthisthesis.
In thischapter1,we began by introducing the motivation and context– departing from the natural en-vironment,exploring the potentialofreal-time video information and its use in challenging arts and technology contexts,and quoting people'svoice and subjective experience on forestfiresasa confir ma-tion ofthe need ofaction regarding thisissue.Whetherdigitalartscan fosterawarenessand respectfor nature is the main research question,presented after the facts related with climate change and forest fires.Following furthersubsequentquestions,the objectivesofthe research and the ARTiVIS outcomes ascontributionsare then briefly unraveled.The chaptercloseswith the listofpublicationsmade within the scope ofthe project.
In the following chapter2,we review the state ofthe artthrough the presentation ofa broad setofrefer -encesrelated to the subjectsinvolved in thismultidisciplinary approach.Thisresearch also addressesa range ofsubjectsin which we considerartand design activism,focusing on activism towardsthe envi -ronment.Through the conceptualinspirations regarding artworks on nature and environmental ac-tivism in media artsand design,along with real-time video streaming,surveillance and forestsmonit or-ing case studies,computer vision and physicalcomputing with sensors and devices,to community building and localculture,we described approachesthatarerelevantforthisresearch.We close thisse c-tion with a comprehensive discussion ofthe referencespresented and theirvalue forthe research.
Chapter3explainsthe generalconceptand design ofthe ARTiVIS projectproposaland then the met h-odsadopted.Furtherdevelopmentswith early work arealso outlined by describing the video work done and the ARTiVIS interactive installationsthatwere designed beyond the scope ofthisresearch – Treeel -lucinations,EnchantedForestand MAicro.
In chapter4,the design and implementation ofthe diverse componentsofthe ARTiVIS are revealed.The outputsthatare described in detailcoverthe online platform mashup information and interface design, the DIY forestsurveillancekitprototype thatconnectsto the platform,and the concept,related work, de-velopmentand presentationsofthe interactive installationsB-Wind!,Hug@ree,and Playwith Fire.
The othermain componentofthe currentresearch isdescribed nextin chapter5,where testsplanned and putin practice are outlined,followed by the data collection and resultsanalysis.This iswhere the description ofthe process,methodsand contentsofthe interviewsdoneon the theme offorestfiresand on the perspectivesofentrepreneurship are presented,along with the diverse iterationsoftestsforthe interactive installationsevaluation and resultsanalysis.Thissection includesthe highlightsofthe B-Wind!interactive installation evaluation processconsisting ofuserexperience testsand participants
ob-servation,the Hug@reeiterationsregarding userexperience,observation and questionnaires,and also the Playwith Fireuserexperience tests,observation and questionnairesdoneduring the publicpresent a-tionsofthe installations.The research resultsanalysisare then reported in the conclusionsofthiseval u-ation chapter.
Finally,in the conclusionsand future perspectiveschapter6,research resultsand conclusionsare pr e-sented,assuming the limitationsofthe study,and outlining future work rooted in the research work ac -complished.
Additionally,the Appendixcoversdata used in and resulting from thisresearch processalong with the implemented projects.Thissection includesthe structured interviewsquestions,the observation form guidelines,and the differenttestformsproposed to the participantsofthe interactive installations.The gallery ofphotosarchive published online ispresented asa contactsheetforavisualdocumentation of the field work,the development processand publicpresentations ofthe research,and as wellas the videosgallery.These mosaicsand the blog interface ofthe ARTiVIS research iterations,the project web-sitesofthe online platform,the DIY forestsurveillancekit,and ofthe interactive installationsB-Wind!, Hug@ree,and Playwith Firealso work asstarting pointsfordetailed viewing online.The technicalriders
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ARTiVIS isa transdisciplinary projectand as such itrequires a diversityofreferences.Invol v-ing the use ofdigitalmedia,the focus on the naturalenvironment,and real-time video, ARTiVIS combines references from the Arts,Sciences,and Technology.The selected case studiespresented in thischapterare examplesthatinspired the ARTiVIS concept,itsfeatures orfuture perspectives.
The currentchapterintroducesthe main topicsand referencesforthe work.Starting by the references thatinspired the concept(cf.2.1),we provide an overview ofthe majorinfluencesin thisresearch.Since the keyissue isthe naturalenvironment,weshow examplesofartisticapproachesto nature,whetheron artworkson nature orthe nature itselfasart(cf.2.2),aswellasofenvironmentalactivism in media arts and design (cf.2.3).Then we look more deeply atsome examples using real-time video streaming,sur -veillance and forestsmonitoring,in a section where both controversieson surveillance and privacy are raised,and artistic approaches making use ofreal-time video are presented (cf.2.4).Computervision and physicalcomputing topics are presented through the description ofreferences related with the technologiesused in the projectand the case studiesthateffectively showcase it(cf.2.5).We also look at community building and localculture dynamics and examples in search ofgood practices and gui de-linesforthe creation ofthe ARTiVIS community (cf.2.6).Finally,we synthesizeand draw reflectionsr e-garding the overalluniverse ofreferences,discussing the relevance ofthe work done so fartowardsthe ARTiVIS research (cf.2.7).
Additionally,specificreferencesofwork related to the conceptand developmentofeach ofthe c ompo-nentsofthe ARTiVIS project– online platform,DIY kitand interactive installations– are presented in the corresponding sectionsofthe ARTiVIS design and implementation (cf.chapter4).
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The conceptofthisresearch had already been maturing fora long time (from around 2000)before its formalstartin theframework ofthe PhD (2008-2009).Throughoutthistime – before and during thisr e-search – some references have worked asconceptualsparkswhile othershave contributed to the ideas and to furtherreflection around the theme and projectdevelopment.Thefollowing referencesdescribed
