HCI2008 -Aesthetics, digital technology and collaboration

Xerox Research Centre Europe (XRCE) , Grenoble, France: Tommaso Colombino, Antonietta Grasso, David Martin, Jacki O'Neill

Goldsmiths University of London: John Bowers

The workshop examines aesthetics-in-action through naturalistic studies focusing on the role of technology in artistic composition-production, performance, consumption, aimed at creating a body of knowledge to inform innovative technology design.Call for Papers

As technology's reach extends into all aspects of our lives, art and technology become increasingly intertwined. Technology ranges from being implemented in - to integral to - the creation, exhibition, performance and appreciation of much art and aesthetic work. For example, graphic design is now predominantly achieved using applications such as Adobe Premier, Photoshop, Quark Express and so on; photography and photographic editing and manipulation is primarily digital, as is much film; many musicians use technologies for producing and performing music such as samplers, synthesisers and production applications. Artists are increasingly exploiting and exploring novel uses of digital technology. In all of these cases the properties - facilities, affordances, features, constraints - of the technology will necessarily impact, in some manner on the aesthetic product.

There have been many ethnographies of work and the way technologies are employed in these settings technologies - their capacities and effects in practice. There is also a long history of academic work on aesthetics in a range of disciplines - art and design, critical theory, sociology and psychology. However, we find that there seems to be a relative lack of social studies of aesthetics-in-action. That is, with aesthetics as visible, available, social practice in artistic composition-production, performance or consumption. How do we understand technologies and artistic endeavour, performance and aesthetic experience? How can this be used to evaluate existing technologies and inform the design of technologies to support existing or enable new ways of producing and appreciating artistic work? What is the situated, practical, social and cultural nature of aesthetics?

Topics of Interest

We are interested in social studies relating to the composition-production, performance and consumption of artwork, and crucially the role of technology and artefacts in this. We are particularly interested in ethnographies that capture aesthetic 'work' in natural settings, in action. Topics may include but are not limited to the following:

    * visual arts and design

    * music, drama, performance arts

    * the production and appreciation of colour, music, structure and harmony

    * visual and visible aspects of performance

    * aesthetics in action and practice

    * aesthetics work and its relation to different purposes in different settings, e.g. the interrelation of the work of production to performance

    * aesthetics talk and the work it does in production, performance and composition

    * the use of supplementary materials such as programme notes, catalogues etc. in configuring the aesthetic experience

By focusing on what we think is an under-explored, but technologically interesting, area of research we aim to bring together a set of practitioners/researchers and their data, as a first step in creating a body of knowledge on aesthetics in action. Possibilities for a special journal issue based on the workshop will be pursued.