Quorum Sensing
The biological name for patterns of responding to the perceived closeness of other agencies is quorum sensing. Human-machine interaction, by analogy, is not a single structure of any kind, but rather varying fluctuations of sensory affordances. What kind of quorum humans and machines create?
Machines and humans are viewed as separate kinds of entities, with each processing information in the specific way. How can human and non-human collectives integrate on the sensory level? How the workings of the five senses lead to the formation of new, technosocial senses? What kind of hybrid experience results from human-machine interaction?
The biological name for patterns of responding to the perceived closeness of other agencies is quorum sensing. Human-machine interaction, by analogy, is not a single structure of any kind, but rather the process of integrating and modifying sensory affordances.
We plan to build a plywood chamber of around 50 m2 that will be totally painted in black. We will inscribe words for the five 'human' senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hear) on the walls of this "black box" inside with bright paint. At the center, a red LED ceiling light will blink once every minute. Four loud speakers with Bluetooth connections will be positioned in the corners, emitting machine vibrations.
Brighter clothing on people entering the chamber would emit some light, whereas darker clothing would almost completely obscure their vision. Visitors' visibly shredded "parts" would move around the space, possibly reintegrating beneath the LED-light in the center. These fleeting overlaps, crosses, and hustles of mechanical reverberations, mix of scents, and visual trickery would provide the idea of growing community sensorium, the sense of quorum.
The biological name for patterns of responding to the perceived closeness of other agencies is quorum sensing. Human-machine interaction, by analogy, is not a single structure of any kind, but rather the process of integrating and modifying sensory affordances.
We plan to build a plywood chamber of around 50 m2 that will be totally painted in black. We will inscribe words for the five 'human' senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hear) on the walls of this "black box" inside with bright paint. At the center, a red LED ceiling light will blink once every minute. Four loud speakers with Bluetooth connections will be positioned in the corners, emitting machine vibrations.
Brighter clothing on people entering the chamber would emit some light, whereas darker clothing would almost completely obscure their vision. Visitors' visibly shredded "parts" would move around the space, possibly reintegrating beneath the LED-light in the center. These fleeting overlaps, crosses, and hustles of mechanical reverberations, mix of scents, and visual trickery would provide the idea of growing community sensorium, the sense of quorum.
