Didactic applications
The advantages of interactive design become obvious in didactic software and installations. Interaction plays a major role here. "Learning by doing" is a very powerful learning concept because whatever you experience by your own doing anchors better in your mind than if you just read or listen. By acquiring content interactively one gains individual access to knowledge and thus creates a personal relation between herself and the information. Moreover the medium computer offers ways to inspire people with attractive design and original ways of transporting content. This may, in the best case help to overcome inhibitions and awake interest and maybe even enthusiasm.
An installation for the Museum of Science
The Museum of Science in Berlin was about to restructure its exhibition concept and in this connection offered students attending the class of Joachim Sauter at the University of Arts to contribute their own ideas and suggestions. In this context concepts for interactive exhibits and computer aided explanations were developed. I wanted my interactive installation about the first appearance of life on earth to take a look at scientific ideas on a popular level and to encourage a further extension of the gained knowledge. The physical part of this exhibit consists of a pedestal with a receptacle filled with water on top. Images deriving from a computer are being projected on the water surface. The visitor interacts with this installation with a sort of flashlight. One opposes the entropy of this, up to then lifeless ecosystem and thus information about life is called into being.
Interactive typography
Short kept sentences about eight different features of life are presented to the observer by interactive illustrative typography. While doing so they grant the input in form of light added by the visitor a major part.
Illustration
On an additional layer the simulation of a simple "ecosystem" emerges and vanishes depending on the interaction of the visitor. Here the visitor also opposes entropy with the flashlight. As soon as the visitor leaves the installation the system returns step by step to a "dead" balanced state waiting for the next visitor.
Images
