Contesting Control: Journeys Through Surrender, Self-Awareness, and Looseness of Control in Embodied Interaction
<- Publications
Contesting Control: Journeys Through Surrender, Self-Awareness, and Looseness of Control in Embodied Interaction
Steve Benford,
Richard Ramchurn,
Joe Marshall,
Max L. Wilson,
Matthew Pike,
Sarah Martindale,
Adrian Hazzard,
Chris Greenhalgh,
Maria Kallionpää,
Paul Tennent,
Brendan Walker
Human-Computer Interaction | 2021
| View on Publisher's Website
Abstract
As computer interfaces spread across and even into our bodies, we find ourselves engaged in ever more deeply connected bodily interactions. This paper argues that these interactions inevitably lead to situations in which people contest control of both the system and their own bodies and thoughts. We present three artistic explorations—a breath-controlled bucking bronco, a brain-controlled film, and an interactive musical performance duet with a physically actuated piano—that reveal the opportunities and challenges inherent to contesting control during bodily interactions. These examples highlight ambiguous, challenging, and playful experiences, requiring exploration, interpretation, and skill as control tips back and forth between human and machine. We formulate a conceptual framework identifying three dimensions of contesting control: the surrender of control, self-awareness of control, and looseness of control. These dimensions define a space of control through which users travel within and between experiences. Our framework provides HCI researchers and practitioners with sensitizing concepts to guide the study and design of embodied interactive experiences.