Symposium

Embodied Space for Ubiquitous Computing
Erik Conrad
Concordia University
http://www.peripheralfocus.net/
Summary:

Technologies are not mere exterior aids but interior changes of consciousness that shape the way the world is experienced. (Ong) As we enter the age of ubiquitous computing, where computers are worn, carried or embedded into the environment, we must be careful that the ideology the technology embodies is not blindly incorporated into the environment as well. As disciplines, engineering and computer science make implicit assumptions about the world that conflict with traditional modes of cultural production. Space is commonly understood to be the void left behind when no objects are present. Unfortunately, once we see space in this way, we are unable to understand the role it plays in our everyday experience. Space is never merely a neutral background for human activity; culture is built into its forms. In this paper, I would like to first briefly outline how abstract systems and technologies of representation alter spatial perception. I argue that with the realization of the vision of ubiquitous computing, the fields of computer science and engineering reify the dominance of abstract space in real space. A new approach to the design of computing systems is necessary to re-embody space. The social nature of the interface allows us to situate it within Henrí Lefebvre’s notions of space, providing new tools for thinking about how computing practice engages space as well as opening avenues to rematerialize the environment through embodied interaction.

Biography
Erik Conrad is an artist and PhD student at the Topological Media Lab (Concordia University) researching the relationship between the phenomenal understanding of the body and the experience and understanding of space. His background is interdisciplinary, including a MS Information and Computer Science from University of California Irvine’s Arts, Computation and Engineering program, MS Information Design and Technology from Georgia Tech, and BA Visual and Performing Arts from University of Maryland Baltimore County. Conrad has presented internationally at SIGGRAPH and ISWC, and his most recent work, TactileSpace, has been exhibited at the Beall Center for Art and Technology in California.