Exhibiting reality
Exhibiting reality: collaboration in practice
ABSTRACT
In this paper we examine developments that fall outside traditional development processes with the intention of identifying emergent themes that we can generalise back to the wider computing sphere. The developments are all exhibit based, a a collaborative inquiry based robotic agent development with a group of young scientists, a long running collaboration with a photographer, an augmented exhibit that provides a cross over between virtual and real life and the computer based component in the development of a large scale tropical habitat development. These developments have in common an interactive basis. All are driven by computing that is non-trivial. In the finished form none involve a traditional screen-keyboard-mouse arrangement. We find a different role for functional requirements, differing measures of success, a complex role of interactivity that is closely intertwined with narrative and educational parameters. Perhaps the most important aspect is that of reality, not in terms of virtual reality (although this is discussed too) but in terms of the integration of real and not real in the forms of interface, story and engine. This element of faked aspects of development is perhaps unique to this area.