Studios have always played a major role in TEI conferences, and we want this year to be no different. Eight unique Studios at TEI 2024 will provide new and enriching perspectives on the field of tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction by combining the hands-on with the academic. All Studios are one-day and will take place at The Architecture Factory, Munster Technological University, Melbourn Building, Bishopstown, Cork (T12 P594) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/t1jZBN4pGyVcpA5t9) on Sunday, Feb 11, 2024. The planning of each Studio will be decided by its organizers, and shared below. For most Studios, you can simply sign up when registering for the conference, though some Studios require participant submissions. See the Studio descriptions to learn more.
Accepted studios
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From Individual Discomfort to Collective Solidarity: Choreographic Exploration of Extractivist Technology
Organizers
Joana Chicau, University of the Arts London
Kristina Popova, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Rebecca Fiebrink, University of the Arts London
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 13:00
We invite technology practitioners to join us in the collaborative exploration of discomfort associated with technology in the age of surveillance capitalism. With the help of body-based exercises inspired by choreography we will articulate the discomforts of living and designing with extractivist technology. Our studio is aimed at technology practitioners of a broad range of expertise who have experienced discomfort in relation to data-driven extractivist systems. In the first part of the studio participants will share their experiences of resisting such systems both as users and creators of technology. In the second part, participants will engage in an ideation session to propose forms of countering existing technologies. Embodied methods and choreographic approaches will be used for making digital discomfort tangible and for guiding the exploration of the topics at stake. As an outcome, participants will collectively design a toolbox to conceptualise discomfort in a tangible, embodied way, and form a network to continue discuss these matters post-studio in an online community discussion group.
Studio Website: https://cci.arts.ac.uk/~jchicau/TEI-studio-24/index.html
For details on participation please contact: Joana Chicau, University of the Arts London j.chicau@arts.ac.uk
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Entangled threads – Exploring the value and significance of bringing a craft ethos to debates around the IoT/connected things.
Organizers
Justin Marshall Northumbria University
Jayne Wallace, Northumbria University
Jayn Verkerk, Northumbria University
Philip Heslop, Northumbria University
Loraine Clarke, University of St Andrews
Martin Skelly, University of Dundee
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 16:45
“How healthy is the internet?”. As more and more things become internet-connected (i.e., become part of the IoT) questions of trust, privacy, security, legibility, transparency, data ownership and bias become ever more pressing. In this studio we will reflect on these challenges applying craft, as both practice and ethos. Entangling threads will use embroidery practice to scaffold a discussion using our craft characteristics of subjectivity, bespokeness, localism, embodiment, provenance, authenticity, and care-full-ness. In this embodied making activity, you will create a bespoke embroidered badge through responding to provocations, while taking a deep dive into the issues with IoT we have highlighted. By making together while supported by experienced researchers working in the field, we hope to create an environment for rich discussion and material speculation on alternative visions of ‘healthier’ connected futures.
Studio website: https://hicraftnorthumbria.org/?page_id=2258
For details on participation please contact: Jayne Wallace, Northumbria University jayne.wallace@northumbria.ac.uk
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Making Biomaterials for Sustainable Tangible Interfaces
Organizers
Fiona Bell, University of New Mexico
Shanel Wu, Carleton University
Nadia Campo Woytuk, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez, University of Colorado Boulder
Mirela Alistar, University of Colorado Boulder
Leah Buechley, University of New Mexico
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 17:00
In this studio, we will explore sustainable tangible interfaces by making a range of biomaterials that are bio-based and readily biodegradable. Building off of previous TEI studios that were centered around one specific biomaterial (i.e., bioplastics at TEI’22 and microbial cellulose at TEI’23), this studio will provide participants the ability to experience a wide variety of biomaterials from algae-based bioplastics, to food-waste-based bioclays, to gelatin-based biofoams. We will teach participants how to identify types of biomaterials that are applicable to their own research and how to make them. Through hands-on activities, we will demonstrate how to implement biomaterials in the design of sustainable tangible interfaces and discuss topics sensitized by biological media such as more-than-human temporalities, bio-ethics, care, and unmaking. Ultimately, our goal is to facilitate a space in which HCI researchers and designers can collaborate, create, and discuss the opportunities and challenges of working with sustainable biomaterials.
Studio website: https://sites.google.com/view/biomaterials-tei2024
For details on participation please contact: Fiona Bell, University of New Mexico fbell1@unm.edu
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[e]Motion: Designing Expressive Movement in Robots and Actuated Tangible Interfaces
Organizers
Vali Lalioti, University of the Arts London
Ken Nakagaki, University of Chicago
Ramarko Bhattacharya, University of Chicago
Yasuaki Kakehi, University of Tokyo
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 17:00
As robots are starting to inhabit more social spheres, their functionality in fundamentally social environments greatly depend on them being accepted by humans. The way robotic movement is perceived is crucial to their acceptance in society. However, robotic movement is most often a result of function rather than purposefully designed. Working in the continuum between robotic, tangible and shape-shifting interfaces will enable a deeper exploration on the effects and interpretation of expressive movement. Hence, we propose [e]Motion, a hands-on opportunity for participants to explore design methods and prototype a variety of expressive movements in robotic and actuated and shape-shifting tangible interfaces. We will collectively reflect on evaluation methods and co-develop a visual vocabulary of motion and emotion, mapping movement more directly to personality and emotion. With this we aim to foster a practical understanding of expressive movement and how it might affect human acceptance of robots and tangible interfaces.
Studio Website: https://www.arts.ac.uk/creative-computing-institute/public-programme/tei2024-studio
For details on participation please contact: Dr. Vali Lalioti, University of the Arts London, v.lalioti@arts.ac.uk
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Are Conferences Sus?: Fostering Conversations on the Sustainability of HCI Conferences Through Data Physicalization
Organizers
Sarah Hayes, Munster Technological University
Martin V. A. Lindrup, Aalborg University
Rebecca Noonan, Munster Technological University
Lisa Zimmermann, Munster Technological University
Denise Heffernan, Munster Technological University
Kim Sauvé, University of Bath
Nathalie Bressa, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Samuel Huron, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Trevor Hogan, Munster Technological University
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 17:00
Against the backdrop of a climate crisis, HCI researchers and designers are reflecting upon, reconsidering, and re-imagining the work that we do through the lens of sustainability. In this Studio, we propose to adopt this critical perspective to Sustainable HCI through an examination and reflection on the environmental impact of research conferences. Our Studio builds upon our prior work that explored sustainable methods and toolkits for facilitating data physicalization workshops. We apply the tools and strategies developed through this prior work within a Studio in which participants are facilitated to engage with, reflect upon, and create with data relating to the sustainability of HCI conferences such as Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI). Through the creation of data artifacts that can be displayed, worn, or shared throughout the conference beyond the Studio, we aim to spark wider conversations about the environmental sustainability of TEI2024, as well as HCI conferences more generally.
Studio website: https://sustainablephys.wordpress.com/
For details on participation please contact: Sarah Hayes, Munster Technological University sarah.hayes@mtu.ie
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Diversifying Knowledge Production in HCI: Exploring Materiality and Novel Formats for Scholarly Expression
Organizers
Miriam Sturdee, University of St. Andrews
Hüseyin Uğur Genç, TU Delft
Vanissa Wanick, University of Southampton
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 17:00
This one-day studio aims to catalyze discussions and experimentation around non-textual academic documentation methods. With the understanding that human knowledge transcends written words, we aim to explore innovative ways to present and disseminate research outputs in diverse forms and of varying materiality. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, and academics from different disciplines and backgrounds, we seek to challenge the status quo of textual output and envision a future where knowledge production embraces the multisensory nature of human data.
For details on participation please contact: Miriam Sturdee, University of St. Andrews ms535@st-andrews.ac.uk
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Foot Augmentation 101: Design your own Augmented Experiences
Organizers
Dennis Wittchen, Max Planck Institute for Informatics dennis.wittchen@htw-dresden.de
Nihar Sabnis, Max Planck Institute for Informatics
Troy Robert Nachtigall, Amsterdam University of Applied Science
Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller, Monash University
Paul Strohmeier, Max Planck Institute for Informatics
Don Samitha Elvitigala, Monash University
Max. participants number: 10
Duration: 09:00 – 17:00
This studio aims to collaboratively build foot augmentations, experiment with different materials and techniques, and create new designs for low-cost, wearable, and accessible devices that can be used by researchers, makers, designers, and artists. Considering the heightened focus on the human body with the rise of AR/VR/XR technologies, foot augmentation has great potential. To explore this potential, we invite researchers, designers and artists to share their applications, experiences, and ideas while designing foot augmentations. Participants will share knowledge, brainstorm ideas, and explore tools and materials for rapid prototyping. Finally, they will tinker and explore, discussing their design strategies to derive common approaches and best practices. Based on the hands-on session results, we will write a paper on design strategies for foot augmentation that will help facilitate more sustainable investigations and design of future foot interfaces.
Studio website: https://nihars123.github.io/FootAugmentation101/
For details on participation please contact: Dennis Wittchen, Max Planck Institute for Informatics dennis.wittchen@htw-dresden.de
STUDIO CHAIRS
Rohit Ashok Khot, HAFP Research Lab, RMIT University, Australia
Bettina Nissen, Institute for Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Joey Campbell, Munster Technological University, Ireland
For further questions please contact the Studio chairs at studio_chairs@tei.acm.org