[ISEA2011] Paper: Anne Nigten, Lars Kynde & Andreas Zingerle – Co-creation in the Big South Lab

Abstract

The Patchingzone is a transdisciplinary laboratory for innovation where students and young professionals from different backgrounds create meaningful content. In our laboratories the students and researchers work together, supervised by experts, on commissions with creative use of high-tech materials, digital media. This paper highlights the co-creation processes of two electronic art works that were created as part of the Big South Lab; the Vjacket  coordinated by Andreas Zingerle and Tyler Freeman in collaboration with Kevin Brito and The Big South Orchestra, coordinated by Lars Kynde in collaboration with 12 youngsters from Rotterdam South were the BSL was developed. Big South Lab, executed and initiated by The Patching Zone and its partners, distinguishes itself from competitors and other initiatives through its way of working: above-average students and young professionals addressed a socially relevant project as a team. The team combines some principles of participatory design, co-creation and interactive art. This means that stakeholders (young people/residents) play an important role in the design, realisation and distribution process. Their roles vary from designers, usability testers, interns, trend watchers, co-owners of projects. In contrast to the familiar 1970s community-art model, negotiation and collaboration are central at The Patching Zone; thus for example, much work will was done in processes of exchange and peer-to-peer learning processes. In contrast to the Big South Orchestra, the Vjacket an interactive sensor equipped jacket that works as a VJ interface for movement and dancer was developed for and tested by a small group of young people. While the Big South Orchestra was co-developed by its stakeholders, the young people from the neighborhood. In this paper we’ll analyse these collaboration approaches that were applied the Vjacket and Big South Orchestra, what can we learn from these approaches and are these relevant for future projects.

  • Dr. Anne Nigten (NL), The Patching Zone, transdisciplinary laboratory and Hanze University of applied research, Groningen.  patchingzone.net/nl
  • Lars Kynde is a young Danish composer and sound artist. His works focus on the mutual influence of music, instrument and notational system. By building physical sculptures, mechanical machines, and three dimensional scores he seeks new ways of constructing and comprehending musical structures. These works has been shown and performed internationally mainly in Europe but also in Mexico, China and Japan. He graduated as composer in 2007 from at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He continued his studies in the Netherlands at the interfaculty ArtScience in the Hague from which he graduated in 2010. He worked in 2010 at the transdisciplinary laboratory the PatchingZone.
  • Andreas Zingerle. I am a graduate of the New Design University, St. Pölten-Vienna/Austria (department “Mediadesign”) and hold a master degree from the University of Art and Industrial Design, Linz/Austria (department “Media Theory – Interface Cultures“). In spring 2008, I did an exchange semester at the Media Lab, Taideteollinen korkeakoulu (University of Art and Design), Helsinki/Finland. In the last years, I worked on several installations exploring a creative (mis)use of technology and alternative ways of Human Computer Interaction.  Together with Linda Kronman I started the artist platform kairus.org: Through numerous events like workshops, exhibitions, talks, presentations and guided tours people are invited to participate and share opportune moments for art collaborations. Check the website for more information and current projects. Research interest:Interactive Narratives, Wearable Technology, Interaction Design & Human Computer Interaction.  andreaszingerle.com

Full text (PDF) p. 2679-2685