interaction as a component of meaning-making
Using a multi-media work of art, SenSpace , we investigate the relationship of meaning making and meaning-understanding to interaction. SenSpace is a multimedia installation that uses visual, audio and tactile cues to convey the Greek myth of Narcissus to the user. As opposed to books, audio-books, oral literature and other traditional means of conveying a story, Sen-Space embeds the myth within a physical space, engaging the user in an exercise in meaning-making that can involve multiple senses at the scale of the human body. The SenSpace installation uses projections, water reflections, sound, and distorted visual imagery to present a scripted experience of fixed duration. Following a visit to SenSpace , visitors were surveyed on their expectations and interpretations to help us answer the following research questions: (1) how and to what extent does interaction with the work of art encourage engagement with ideas and interpretation? (2) how and to what extent does content ambiguity encourage engagement and interpretation? (3) does social interaction encourage interpretation?
multimedia interpretation ambiguity art installation museum calm technology mythology ubiquitous computing