The Prospect team report on their experiences of the V&A's new interaction design exhibition.

Over the past couple of weeks the Prospect team have visited and enjoyed the V&A’s Decode exhibition – an introduction to interaction design, a showcase of the latest and greatest and some inspiring talks which our newest team member, Itamar writes up below.

Weave Mirror

The exhibition explores three themes: Code, Interaction & The Network. One of the exhibits that stood out most for Prospect was Daniel Rozin’s 'Weave Mirror'. It’s entire canvas is made from hundreds of c-shaped individually mechanical wooden pieces creating a smoky grayscale version of you. The other side of the piece was just as interesting, as you could admire the functional circuitry and wiring of it’s bare back. The association to textiles and its sculptural character brings it into the analog-physical world, which played nicely in a room with walls covered of light-projected digital art.

Video Grid

The other installation that seemed to capture everyone’s imagination and attention was Ross Phillips’ ‘Video Grid’. A digital screen consisting of 25 individual loops that allowed the user to record a 1 second movie and instantly view their masterpieceTeasing out extrovert and exhibitionist behaviours from the museum crowd.

Digital Museums

It’s exciting to see how the concepts’ interactivity and design come closer to the environment of the museum which is continuously changing from being a space where you looked but did not touch to a space where the visitor engages with everything in it. In other words, has a richer experience.

The V&A is a leader in this field, from their Interactive Kiosks (Designed by our very own Chris whilst at Oyster Partners!) that allow access to the collection in an enlightening and educational way, to inviting the Decode visitor to interact with and create your own original, ephemeral artwork.

Nintendo Orchestra

Itamar attended an incredibly inspirational talk during the V&A’s SAP Weekend: Digital Design Festival by ‘Multidisciplinary Artist and Techno Anthropologist’ Matthew C. Applegate, AKA Pixelh8’. Applegate makes ‘chip tune’ music from reprogramming vintage computer systems such as the ZX spectrum, Commodore 64 and Game Boy. He is piloting software in workshops in schools encouraging and enabling 4-7 year olds to ‘play’ music using ‘instruments’ that are familiar to them, such as the Nintendo DS. The software relies on the participants’ video game playing abilities with the end goal of creating and performing actual music. And so the ‘DS Orchestra’ was born!

The team left thinking of all the possibilities of embracing digital tools, developing hybrids matched with physical objects, discovering unexpected routes for implementation and allowing the users to build on them, creating their own personalised journeys and experiences.

Decode is a collaboration between the V&A and onedotzero. The exhibition runs until 11th April 2010.