Open prototyping: A framework for combining art and innovation in the IoT and Smart Cities

Drew Hemment, Joanna Bletcher, Saskia Coulson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Recent developments in big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) profoundly shape the human condition today, often in ways that are neither transparent, nor accountable. At the same time, a tradition of art practice has developed over recent decades in which artists experiment with these technologies, and the social context in which they are situated. Crucially, this practice speaks to, and participates in, wider debates and developments surrounding emerging socio-technological constructs. Such practices cross disciplinary boundaries, and, as a consequence, have an uncertain relationship to both the wider arts sector and the technology industry. This paper presents a guide to understanding this practice, and a framework for devising and evaluating such boundary-spanning works. The framework, referred to as Open Prototyping (OP), was developed by Hemment building on twenty years as Artistic Director of the FutureEverything digital culture agency and festival. Case studies include the first art commission in the UK's national IoT demonstrator and the first cultural programme in the Singapore Smart Nation initiative, both of which were conceived and curated by Hemment. The studies are examined using the OP framework to understand how they operate as boundary objects across domains. The paper concludes with reflections on the potential of such practice to shape the direction of future technology development.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRoutledge Companion to Mobile Media Art
EditorsLarissa Hjorth, Adriana de Souza e Silva, Klare Lanson
Place of PublicationMilton
PublisherRoutledge
Pages270-283
ISBN (Electronic)9780429242816
ISBN (Print)9780367197162
Publication statusPublished - 28 Jul 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Art, Media Art, Technology, Design, Critical, Futures

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