When Things Speak: Giving Voice to Objects

When Things Speak: Giving Voice to Objects

Update 2/18/21 *Registration closed early due to max. number of attendees*

Ryo Hanmura’s short story Cardboard Box is told from the perspective of a cardboard box. In the box’s own words, it shares its painful journey from factory, to use, and finally to being discarded. Along the way, we find ourselves empathizing with the box’s character, leading us to question our role as consumers. We might question how we “treat” the objects, products and technologies we encounter everyday. This may lead to other questions about objects or technologies that have (or have been given) character, personality, or even autonomy through voice or other anthropomorphic characteristics. What happens when we treat objects like people, or people like objects? As designers, artists, creators, when is it appropriate to give our creations human characteristics and what are the benefits and risks of doing so?

In this hands-on creative code and speculative design workshop, we will investigate what our world might be like if the objects around us (including products, clothing, etc.) could speak. Participants will learn how to create their own interactive art objects, inventions, and wearables that can speak words, produce melodies, and make other sounds. We will also investigate some of the above questions about creating technologies with “personality.” Students will use the Adafruit Circuit Playground: a microcontroller prototyping board that comes with many sensors and built-in sound capabilities to explore these questions in conjunction with re-imagining the objects around them, sketching new speculative objects, or incorporating technology into their previously constructed works.

Date/Time: 2. March 2021 from 15 CET -18 CET (online event)

Workshop led by Mirabelle Jones.

Hosted by Catch and Artsformation. Part of the Digital Alchemy Workshop Series.

Registration: Register for the workshop via this link: https://forms.gle/jaxocD9gkQcjAAyK8

Deadline for registration Thursday 25. February. A link for the event will be sent to you the day before the event begins. This workshop requires physical materials (circuit playground kit) that will be donated and mailed to participants prior to the workshop, registration with home or work address is therefore required.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/893589171183516

Artsformation will use this workshop as part of its data collection. This means that a member of our consortium will be doing participant observation during the workshop. We may also approach you to ask if you would be willing to participate in an interview following the workshop. All data collected will be anonymised.

Upon registration to the workshop you will receive detailed information about the research conducted. If you have any immediate questions, please do not hesitate to contact Post Doc Kirsti Reitan Andersen, Copenhagen Business School, on email: kra.msc@cbs.dk