Tangible Interactions: 2009

DESCRIPTION OF THE X-KLIMA INSTALLATION
by Elisa Briones, Ane Hegerstrøm and Ruben Constanco

*Producers: Codesign, Swedish architecture studio headed by Peter Ullstad

*The exhibition shows the causes, effects and possible solutions to global warming.

*Verbally description: The space is covered with water, so you have to wear rubber boots to walk in. There are projections in the walls with images and texts. Rounds pillars contain text information, images and a screen with videos from different parts of the world. Two big ice cubes in the middle of the hall, a trivia game in one of the walls and one dark room with film projections.

*Concept: Learning tool, content based. Includes a game.

*Context: The exhibition is placed at the Teknisk Museum. It is placed at the start, so everybody can see it when they are walking in to the museum. You see a big sign that stands Klima X, a wall covered of yellow boots, and person sitting there who looks like is waiting for you.

2 CHARACTER/ATTRIBUTES/ROLES

* User: The user is expressed as a traveller, and it is represented with the yellow rubber boots. This element gives the user the character and identity, makes him feel safe to start exploring. The boots are the attribute that put the user into the context.

*Collaborators: There are some collaborators present in real time, people at the exhibition that are using the same rubber boots as the audience, but in red color. They are three persons, one at the entrance, one at an inside stand and one going around. Their role is to guide you if you need help.

*Audience: The whole audience is represented with the yellow rubber boots. The rest of the audience are just spectators.

*Installation: Its is an ambience to dive in, that has some tools inside to manipulate like the screens.

3 ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION . INPUT DEVICE/SENSORS AND OUTPUT DEVICE

*Inputs/outputs:

**Pillars with screens: there is a sensor (infrared light) in the bottom of the pillar, where you are supposed to activate the screens with your feet. When you move four feet by the infrared light, the screen get activated, and star giving you information (sound, text, images).

**Trivia game: 6 boxes with footprints, that contains sensors. You are supposed to push this buttons with your feet. This is boxes are placed in front of a wall with projections. The projection is asking you questions, and you have to answer with your feet pushing the red footprint if your answer is no, and pushing the green one if your answer is yes. After a few seconds you get the results of all the answers, you can participate alone or with 5 other people.

** Tip screen: At the entrance you can read about climate friendly tips in a screen. This is a touch screen and you can send what you are reading to a friend, introducing a cellphone number.

In general, you are supposed to read a lot and be more like an spectator. The screens can be activated with a small movement in your feet, so is not too much activity. the trivia game is the most active part, where you have to move more and hit this button. Your activity level will vary depending on which part of the installation you are. If you are just reading the texts in the walls, or watching the ice cubes melting, or watching the films, it will be low level of activity. If you are hitting the buttons in the trivia part, the level of activity will increase.

*Motivation: When the user get the rubber boots, understand that something is going to happen with their feet. The user can’t see the water in the moment he is putting the boots on, just when you go into the entrance corridor you notice that there is water in the floor and you need to have to boots to go in. This motivates the user to walk around.

4 DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME

*Narrative structure: the installation takes place in a closed space, so when you get in you don’t have any competitor. The user can design his own journey through it, go around and check the different stages in disorder.

*Phases:

**The user put on the boots.

**The user walks in through the entrance corridor.

* *In the inside space, the user can guide his trip through the different stages.

* *Reading the walls, the user is supposed to use a lot of time reading the information in the walls.

* *In each screen the user can spend around 5 minutes reading.

* *In the film room the user can watch many different shortfilms about global warming.

* *The user can play the trivia game.

5 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

When we put our boots on we didn’t know what we were going to see. While Ruben and Ane where putting their boots on, I played with the touchscreen at the entrance, where I read about climate friendly tips and send a sms to Ruben with a tip. Then, Ane and me walked through the entrance corridor, and saw the water. I thought that the transition in the darkness to the water was very nice. Then we saw our shadows projected in a wall, with a temperature camera. That was interesting too. When we got in, we found this big ice cubes melting, actually it was one very melted that was small already. It was impressing to see them. Then I read some of the english information, but it was obviously too much to read it all. We walked around and try some of the screens, and notice that there was water falling from sky like rain. There was also a place where when you walked in, bubbles came from the floor. When we tried the trivia game we where already bored of the excess of information, so we didn’t pay too much attention there. Then we moved to the final stage, a darkroom with films. That was very nice, and we just sited and watched nice shortfilms. That was the last place, then we just went away and put our own shoes on.