Interaction Design

Paul Maguire Programme Leader

As part of their degree, all BA Hons School of Design students submit a substantial piece of written work to the Department of Design History and Theory (DH&T) and a synopsis of every one is included in these pages. Students may opt for either a shorter (5,000 word) or longer (10,000 word) submission, the latter being a third of their overall degree submissions. In addition to the two lengths, there are three different modes of submission; essay/dissertation; critical journal (exploring the author’s studio practice in a larger critical and cultural context); or curatorial rationale (an in-depth proposal for an exhibition with its subject and venue the choice of the author). All DH&T staff are involved in the supervision of Honours submissions, which is on a one-to-one basis, and it is always a pleasure to guide what is always a wide range of fascinating and challenging projects.

DH&T is independent of studio, with its own external examiner, and upholds a principle of free subject choice. Therefore, while some write on topics directly concerned with their studio practice, others explore topics that seem to have no bearing on it, often personal interests or socio-cultural issues. This does not mean they are unconnected with studio, however, as the creative process is one of thought and all these submissions are deeply thoughtful, often informing practice in intangible, but significant ways.

Finally, congratulations to everyone who has submitted this year. On behalf of all in the Department, good luck in whatever the future holds.

Interaction Design at Glasgow School of art is a multi-disciplinary programme of study which explores the use of technology in an art and design context. We craft experimental digital artefacts using a broad palette of software and hardware workflows. Students on the programme not only learn digital craftsmanship but also develop deep criticality, interrogating themes such as data privacy, surveillance capitalism, authorship in the face of Machine Learning and AI, the attention economy, and other powerful narratives of the early 21st century. Graduates from the programme leave as well-rounded ‘creative technologists’, fluent in the language of new media design. This generalist approach is highly valued beyond education – multi-disciplinarity, agility and responsiveness are vital to the survival of any creative practitioners amid the incessant flux of our technological media age.

This year’s graduates explore a diverse range of media, themes and approaches – brain interface-controlled soundworks, modern reinterpretations of ancient storytelling traditions, data textiles, interactive physical and kinetic sculptures, multi-dimensional data visualisations, haptic interfaces for pirate radio broadcasting, generative light-based music sequencers, virtual immersive installations expressing mental spaces, and more.

I am indebted to the efforts of the Interaction Design teaching staff who have been hugely supportive of the students in their project ambitions this year. hope you enjoy the exhibition as much as we did working with these students throughout their time at GSA.

I’m an Interaction Design student at Glasgow School of Art. My work is inspired by a takeaway accident, starting from people’s most prone to inertial thinking, and using arcade games and arcade game boards as carriers. Throughout the work, used unity to make game files, and arduino to control objects in the game. At the same time, I added some unconventional things to the two, such as wasd disruption, game clearance conditions, etc. The purpose is to allow players not only to experience the game process beyond people’s imagination during the game, but also to reflect on whether there is inertial thinking during the game and challenge their own thoughts to correct the incorrect thing of inertial thinking. In addition, it is presented in the form of a game because it is one of the most well-known things in the world. For game enthusiasts or those who have been in contact with it for a short time, it has formed some mindsets, such as character control, attack methods, and game clearance conditions. So starting from this aspect will greatly increase the player’s doubts and challenges to their own ideas when playing this game, so as to achieve the goal that this entire work wants to achieve. And some changes to the arcade game board that controls the movement of the ball in front of it also have the same reason.

My project began in the psychological connection we have to music. Research shows the outstanding effects that music can have on the brain, from altering mood, to having a profoundly positive effect on some people suffering from illnesses such as dementia. wanted to harness this musical power and turn it into art. First, starting off by visualising it and then seeing how a computer could replicate such effects. This led to generating code that would create musical scores and then be transcribed into emotive and evocative musical pieces.

My interest in audio as a medium stems from my own love and practice of music. I have been playing in orchestras and on my own from a young age and consider my connection to music to be a key part of who I am today. Because of this, ‘An AI Orchestra’ is a deeply personal piece to me, and in a way, reflects who am as not only an artist, but also a musician. Through my research I discovered that audio and audio-based visuals, and the ensuing reactions, are entirely down to personal opinion. There is no formula to create music that everyone will enjoy and so, these pieces are made ever more interesting based on people’s experiences of them.

As a creative technologist, I want to empower people, and encourage dialogues concerning the impacts of technology on society. I approach digital tools in a hands-on manner; blurring the conventional boundaries of interface, whilst considering the intangible and ephemeral properties of digital material, tools and platforms.

This project converged from practical research pathways into modular toys, sandbox video games, and tactile interfaces. New Media and Information Architecture theories, such as Remediation and Semantic webs provided a critical backing to my experiments.

My final piece is a mixed-reality installation in which audiences re-organise fragments of virtual worlds by interacting with a series of tactile blocks. The resulting 3D patchworks represent the three interacting worlds of my creative practice- studio, computer and mind (following Karl Popper’s ‘three worlds’ theory). The physical tiles act as draggable icons-creating a tangible, sensory interface between the audience and the technologically augmented gallery space.

As someone who is passionate about art and technology, was drawn to the field of cybernetic arts and cybernetic engineering this year. Through writing my essay, ‘Holographic Icarus: A study on the failure of cybernetic socialism’ I gained valuable insights into the challenges of applying cybernetic theory to complex systems, allows me to explore two cases where cybernetic theory failed due to our limitations. I was able to understand the importance of taking human factors into account when designing complex systems.

In my artistic work, have a particular love of physical computing skills for collecting and visualizing data. I have previously built a non-invasive braincomputer interface that collects EEG signals and converts them into MIDI signals and music. I am continually exploring new methods and technologies to enhance my ability to create art that integrates technology and design.

In my most recent project, incorporated multiple sensors into my installation to collect diverse human data such as pulse, temperature, and pressure. The ultimate goal of the project was to showcase this diversity. I am confident that my background in Interaction design, as well as my interest in physical computing, will inform and enrich my future work.