TECHNOLOGY

Interactive art installations and instruments using sensor technology can be uniquely appropriate for a neurodiverse audience.  I use the phrase “casual instrument”, analogous to a casual game, to describe things with natural and intuitive interfaces that allow someone to express their creativity with no learning curve or other barriers to entry.  Finger painting is a good example.  You don’t need to teach someone to finger paint because it has such a natural interface, and yet with practice and creativity it can even lead to performance art like sand painting.  With new technology (sensors or otherwise), there is a natural tendency to replicate in a digital realm the things we’re already familiar with.  That’s fine to a point, but as sensor technology continues to advance, my vision for interactive art and casual instruments is a much bolder exploration of the possibilities, and socializing these to a wider and more diverse audience.