"Chinese Whispers": mediating oscillations between physical form and digital space

  • Authors:
  • Simon Fraser;Marcia Lyons;Julian Looser;Hartmut Seichter

  • Affiliations:
  • Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand;Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand;Canterbury University;Canterbury University

  • Venue:
  • ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA 2008 educators programme
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

In this paper we investigate the use of next generation remote collaboration tools for supporting design education. "Chinese Whispers" [ref] refers to the concept of mediating between remote studios with new forms of hybrid designing and real time online collaboration. We conducted a sequence of experiments which explore the concept of linkage and slippage, occurring at the boundaries of converging technologies as a means of generating innovative and unexpected design outcomes -- real and virtual, tangible and intangible. The project is framed in a contemporary context with background research into current concepts and theories centered on learning ecology, and user-generated design into future trends and state of the art technologies. Chinese Whisper involved linking hard- and soft-wares that are not immediately compatible in a remote networked environment, to facilitate an educational design process in both remote and real environments. Through this process students engaged in 3D scanning, downloading, visualizing, analyzing, remote simultaneous modeling in stereo and deciding when to hit '3D print' at any given stage to invent a new design methodology.