Semina Aeternitatis: Using Bacteria for Tangible Interaction with Data

Font Your Friends and Loved Ones: On the Utility of Ugly Interfaces

“…While we contend that fonts are the frst interface, one can easily imagine futures where all interfaces intersect with this proposed paradigm. Previous works within the human-factors community have explored ideas for such future interfaces including synthetic human-skin phone cases [50], robotic fngers for mobile devices [49], 3D-printed wearable algorithmically-generated representations of internal organs [40], and tangible data representations of human memory [1]. We see this work extending these predecessors by creating feshy, typeFACE like interfaces for mobile phones, desktops, and other UIs.…”

“…Exploring and deconstructing the particular evocation of "ugliness" evoked by typeFACE reveals a dialogue between the "uncanny" or "situational" horror latent within such systems. To faithfully experience the uncanniness of typeFACE, we encourage readers to engage with our prototype web interface 1 where visitors can render a chosen text in typeFACE. We present this work as a radical and playful gesture towards injecting the human and imperfect back into interface design research, and encourage an embrace of the ugly as avant-garde UI design.…”

“…We contextualize our work within the history of ugliness, UI/UX design, and new media interface practice. 1 gofontyourself.xyz…”

“Turning the Invisible Visible”: Transdisciplinary Bioart Explorations in Human-DNA Interaction

“…museum installation, users could view Euglena gracilis microorganisms through a magnifying glass and interact with them through a touchscreen and optical hardware [49].A few recent projects have specifically focused on exploring the intersection of bioart and HCI, viewing bioart as a site of cultural production and interrogation that through its material entanglement with both digital and biological entities may open up new opportunities for interdisciplinary discussion. Alistar and Pevere created a tangible bioart installation that embedded the memories of an elderly participant that were recorded, transcribed and encoded into DNA code before being inserted into the cells of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus bacteria [3]. In addition to describing their process of encoding text information into the DNA of living organisms, the authors discussed the characteristics of living organisms as tangible living media that, in comparison with digital physical computing components, may create a sense of relatability in human audiences and provide opportunities for rapid replicability (through cellular reproduction), as well as having a slower response time and increased chance of contamination.…”

Perspectives of Bioartists and Community Lab Organizers on Working with Living Organisms

“…Her presentation signaled the growing excitement in an emerging area of HCI research that studies the design and evaluation of interactive systems that incorporate living organisms, such as plants [21], bacteria [35] or fungi [19], among others [39]. Recent projects have explored the functional and aesthetic qualities of these hybrid Living Media Interfaces (LMIs) [39] in educational and therapeutic applications [19,35], for data visualization [14], and more rarely in interactive art installations [1]. This growing body of research has shown that LMIs can support engaging and meaningful interactions, while also raising ethical and practical concerns.…”