Tutorial on Technology & Art in Stimulating Creative Place making in Public-Use Spaces

by Wendy Ann Mansilla and Andrew Perkis 

In this tutorial, we are going to elaborate on how technology and art can contribute to stimulating creative placemaking in public-use spaces. This presentation will highlight the authors’ approach and several other past and potential approaches that embrace on technology and connectivity to refocus on a creative function in public spaces that aims to move away from traditional planning and textbook concepts. Our approach, which is demonstrated by our design and implementation of a multi-use public space called “Adressaparken” is aimed to create a space towards greater flexibility, changeability, and appreciation for the public`s contribution.
The presenters will also identify key lessons learned in the design and implementation of a technology re-usable public space. Potential variables needed to address the challenges in the integration and evaluation of digital public art installations will also be elaborated. By surveying past and present exhibited contributions and the presenters’ own contributions in a public realm, this tutorial will offer guidance to artists, designers, researchers and practitioners on how they can successfully blend into this interdisciplinary area of research.

The tutorial will serve as a valuable resource even for those who wish to implement their projects at Adressaparken. Our aim is that you can use our resources so that you yourself can create your project that stimulates creative placemaking for interactive projects.

Tutorial Overview

1. Introduction
2. Digital Art and Gaming Project Showcases
3. Designing Interactive Experiences for Creative Placemaking
4. Designing and Implementing Adressaparken
5. Pitch your own Public Art/Gaming Project with us!
6. Open Discussion

Resources:
Adressaparken Design and Development
Multi-use Destinations: Creative Placemaking Toolkit to support Multi-use Public Spaces

TUTORIAL OVERVIEW

This half-day tutorial is broken down into the following topics and activities:

1. Introduction (40 minutes): Technology and other new forms of aesthetics are changing expectations and needs of individuals in a public sphere (e.g. [2] [4] [6]). But exactly how a technology such asPokémon Go game or how an artwork such as Rafael Lozano-Hemmer`s “Pulse Park” [3] is encouraging people to engage with public spaces has become a major topic of discussion. This tutorial will look upon the meteoric success of the Pokémon Go game and other digital public installations to think creatively about how we can use digital technologies to enable interactions and narratives in real places such as Adressaparken.

Like any gaming environment, Pokémon Go`s popularity will eventually reach its peak and decline, but what lasting lessons can we learn from it? In the same way, the lessons learned and challenges from hosting and implementing several public art installations at Adressaparken will be explored. Furthermore, this tutorial will outline and discuss potential new fields of research and practices in a technologically enhanced public sphere.

2. Digital Art and Gaming Project Showcases (20minutes): Several art and gaming contribution will be highlighted to explore and discuss the technology, tools and interactions employed to design and produce engaging public art and gaming works.

3. Designing Interactive Experiences for Creative Placemaking (20 minutes): This tutorial will present a toolkit that explores how re-usable or multi-functioning technological infrastructures and material along with community initiatives in a public space can be used to spark creativity and to encourage in deeper, more robust kinds of play, learning or interaction than is traditionally made available in public spaces.

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4. Designing and Implementing Adressaparken (40 minutes): The presenters’ process of designing the infrastructure will be shown and the technology enabler and tools in the Adressaparken will be highlighted.

5. Pitch your own Public Art/Gaming Project with us! (30 – 40 minutes): Participants in this tutorial will be requested to form a group. The presenters will ask the participants to take the role of a team that has been granted access to Adressaparken for an art installation or a gaming project. Based on the description of Adressaparken`smulti-use technology and infrastructure, participants will be asked to generate a concept or an idea of a project that can promote creative city-making practices in Adressaparken. The team with the best concept gets a chance to use Adressaparken.

6. Open Discussion: The floor will be opened for discussions and question. Collaboration possibilities or interested parties who would like to use Adressaparken to create their own projects are invited in this section.