Organizational affordances: A structuration theory approach to affordances

Affordance is an important concept in the field of human–computer interaction. There are various interpretations of affordances, often extending the original notion of James J. Gibson. Often the treatment of affordances in the current human–computer interaction literature has been a one-to-one relationship between a user and an artefact. We believe that the social and cultural contexts within which an artefact is situated affect the way in which the artefact is used and the notion of affordance needs to be seen as a dynamic, always emerging relationship between people and their environment. Using a Structuration Theory approach, we conceptualize the notion of affordance at a much broader level, encompassing social and cultural aspects. We suggest that affordances should be seen at three levels: single user, organizational (or work group) and societal. Focusing on the organizational level affordances, we provide details of several important factors that affect the emergence of affordances. - This article provides a new perspective on the discourse of affordance with the use of Structuration Theory. - It shows how affordance can be understood as ‘use’ in situated practices (i.e. ‘technology-in-practice’) - The Structuration Theory approach to affordances is showcased using two case studies.

The fabric of transcultural collaboration: Interweaving the traditional Korean vocal form of p'ansori and the contemporary Japanese dance form of butoh in a transculturally Australian context

This practice-led research investigated the negotiation processes informing effective models of transcultural collaboration. In a creative project interweaving the image-based physicality of the Japanese dance form of butoh with the traditional Korean vocal style of p'ansori, a series of creative development cycles were undertaken with a team of artists from Australia and Korea, culminating in Deluge, a work of physical theatre. The development of interventions at 'sites of transcultural potential' resulted in improvements to the negotiation of interpersonal relationships and assisted in the emergence of a productive working environment in transculturally collaborative artistic practice.

VIBRANTe 2.0

ARTIST STATEMENT VIBRANTe 2.0 was inspired by a research project for Parkinson’s disease patients aimed at developing a wearable device to collect relevant data for patients and medical health professionals. Vibrante is a Spanish word that translates to vibrant; literally meaning shaking or vibrations. Vibrante also has a dual meaning including vibrancy, energy, activity, and liveliness. Parkinson’s can be a debilitating disease, but it does not mean the person has to lose energy, activeness or vibrancy. As technology moves from being worn to becoming implantable and completely hidden within the body, the very notion of its physicality becomes difficult to grasp. While the human body hides implantable technology, VIBRANTe 2.0 intentionally hides the human body by making it invisible to reveal the technology stitched within. Wires become veins, delivering lifeblood to the technology inside, allowing it to pulsate and exist, while motherboards become networked hubs by which information is transferred through and within the body, performing functions that mirror and often surpass human performance capabilities. Ultimately, VIBRANTe 2.0 seeks to prompt the viewer to reflect on the potential ramifications of the complete immersion of technology into the human body. CONTEXT Technology is increasingly penetrating all aspects of our environment, and the rapid uptake of devices that live near, on or in our bodies is facilitating radical new ways of working, relating and socialising. Such technology, with its capacity to generate previously unimaginable levels of data, offers the potential to provide life-augmenting levels of interactivity. However, the absorption of technology into the very fabric of clothes, accessories and even bodies begins to dilute boundaries between physical, technological and social spheres, generating genuine ethical and privacy concerns and potentially having implications for human evolution. Embedding technology into the fabric of our clothes, accessories, and even the body enable the acquisition of and the connection to vast amounts of data about people and environments in order to provide life-augmenting levels of interactivity. Wearable sensors for example, offer the potential for significant benefits in the future management of our wellbeing. Fitness trackers such as ‘Fitbit’ and ‘Garmen’ provide wearers with the ability to monitor their personal fitness indicators while other wearables provide healthcare professionals with information that improves diagnosis and observation of medical conditions. This exhibition aimed to illustrate this shifting landscape through a selection of experimental wearable and interactive works by local, national and international artists and designers. The exhibition will also provide a platform for broader debate around wearable technology, our mediated future-selves and human interactions in this future landscape. EXHIBITION As part of Artisan’s Wearnext exhibition, the work was on public display from 25 July to 7 November 2015 and received the following media coverage: [Please refer to Additional URLs]