Embodying culture: Interactive installation on women’s rights

Authors

  • Patrizia Marti University of Siena
  • Jeroen Peeters UmeÃ¥ University, Sweden
  • Ambra Trotto UmeÃ¥ School of Architecture, Sweden
  • Michele Tittarelli University of Siena, Italy
  • Nicholas True UmeÃ¥ University, Sweden
  • Nigel Papworth Interactive Institute Swedish ICT, Sweden
  • Caroline Hummels Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i4.5897

Abstract

The paper describes an interactive installation exploring perspectives on women’s rights, triggering visitors’ personal reflections through an immersive experience. Starting from the life histories of the women depicted in three paintings from fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth century, we explored three themes: emancipation, self-determination and violence. In the installation, representations of these three paintings were fragmented into panels, floating in the space suspended from a self-standing structure. On these elements, both the original painting and a writhing of visual material were dynamically displayed using a projector. The presence and movement of visitors in the room was tracked by means of a Kinect™ camera and influenced both the position and movements of the panels. A software crawler monitored discussions and debates on social networks. The intensity of these discussions was reflected in the movements of the panels and the content of the projections. The purpose of this interactive installation is to engage visitors in composing a harmonious picture of the complex domain of women’s rights. The experiential form confronts visitors with the opinions of other people debating the theme worldwide. The installation was the outcome of a craft-inspired learning module, grounded on constructivism and reflective practice.

Author Biographies

Patrizia Marti, University of Siena

Senior Researcher at the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Science Department, University of Siena

Jeroen Peeters, Umeå University, Sweden

Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and Department of Informatics, Umeå University, Sweden

Ambra Trotto, Umeå School of Architecture, Sweden

Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and Umeå School of Architecture, Sweden

Michele Tittarelli, University of Siena, Italy

Department of Social, Political, Cognitive Science, University of Siena, Italy

Nicholas True, Umeå University, Sweden

Department of Informatics, Umeå University, Sweden

Caroline Hummels, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

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Published

2015-03-29

How to Cite

Marti, P., Peeters, J., Trotto, A., Tittarelli, M., True, N., Papworth, N., & Hummels, C. (2015). Embodying culture: Interactive installation on women’s rights. First Monday, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i4.5897