HCI stands for Human-Computer Interaction. It is the field that studies how people interact with technology and how these interactions can be designed to be understandable, accessible and appropriate for users.
Although it was originally associated with computers, HCI is now applied to many different types of technology, including mobile phones, touchscreens, virtual and augmented reality, voice assistants, sensors and interactive installations.
HCI is not only concerned with whether a technology works, but also with how people perceive, understand and use it. For this reason, it combines knowledge from areas such as computer science, design, psychology and engineering.
Examples of HCI in Art
The relationship between people and technology can also become part of an artistic experience. In an interactive artwork, for example, the way the audience interacts with an interface, sensor or digital system can become another element of the artwork itself.
Sensors, cameras, sound, projections, digital interfaces, virtual reality or different systems capable of detecting and responding to a person’s actions can be used to achieve this. In this way, the artwork and the audience establish a two-way relationship.
This is where HCI becomes particularly interesting for art. The question is no longer simply how to use a particular technology to create an artwork, but how we want people to experience that artwork through technology.
Response time, visitors’ movements, the feeling of control, immersion or even the way an interface influences our behaviour can become artistic elements.
Dejha Ti and Ania Catherine: HCI and Immersive Art
An example of the relationship between HCI and art could be seen at Technarte 2022, with the participation of artists Dejha Ti and Ania Catherine. The duo, whose practice combines environments, technology and performance, presented On View: Ubiquitous Computing in Immersive Art. Dejha Ti also had a background in immersive art and human-computer interaction, while Ania Catherine was a choreographer, performance artist and gender studies scholar.
During their talk, they presented On View, an immersive artwork that examined how art experiences generate in audiences a desire to become the subject of the artwork itself, as well as the influence of addictive interfaces, surveillance capitalism and data privacy on this phenomenon.
The work combined sociopolitical critique with experimentation in art and technology. Through human-computer interaction and immersion, On View sought to generate feelings and knowledge and to open up a critical conversation about the digital architectures that form part of our everyday lives.
The participation of Dejha Ti and Ania Catherine at Technarte 2022 provided an opportunity to explore a proposal in which Human-Computer Interaction was directly connected to art and to reflection on our relationship with digital environments.
Discover New Ways to Bring Art and Technology Together at Technarte
HCI is just one of the many areas where art and technology converge. Since its first edition in 2006, Technarte has brought together artists, designers, researchers and professionals from different disciplines to explore new forms of technological creation.
Technarte talks cover a wide range of topics, from immersive art and artificial intelligence to robotics, data, design, virtual reality and new forms of interaction.
In addition, the Technarte call for speakers is open until October 15. If you are developing a project or research that explores the relationship between art and technology, you can submit your proposal to take part in the next edition.
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