Extending Software Engineering Collaboration towards the Intersection of Software and Art

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PhD defence presentation, NTNU

March 11, 2011

Extending Software Engineering

Collaboration towards the

Intersection of Software and Art

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Outline

• Motivation and Research Context • Software Dependent Artwork (SDA) • Research Questions • Research Methods • Contributions • Results • Limitations • Future Work

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Motivation and Context

• Motivation – Art and Science collaboration – Artists seeking SE intervention • Research Context – SArt project at Software Engineering group, NTNU • Objectives of SArt – Develop knowledge on the interdisciplinary nature of software production – Support artists with SE knowledge and tools – Educate practitioners and researchers

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Research Area

Software

Intersection of Software Engineering & Art Intersection of Software & Art

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Software Dependent Artwork Projects

• Software Dependent Artwork (SDA) – Artwork in which software is used for creation and display of the artwork – Often interactive in nature, the output or functionality depends on software • SDA Projects – Sonic Onyx – Open Wall – Flyndre

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Sonic Onyx

• Interactive art installation • Receives user sent files via Bluetooth • Convert them into sound files • Plays music back via speakers located on the arms • Sphere on top changes colors

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Open Wall

• A big display of (16x6) LED boards on a white wall creating a matrix (80x30) of light pixels. Each LED has 100 intensity levels. • Users can access the wall through internet and draw images. animation

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Flyndre

• Interactive sound Installation, takes input from environment e.g., time, temperature

• Real time music composition software generates music based on the input

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Research Area

Software

Intersection of Software Engineering & Art Intersection of Software & Art

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Research Questions

1. What is the relationship between art and software and how can we conceptualise it? 2. How can we characterise the development process of software dependent artwork (SDA) projects? 3. How can we increase collaboration between artists and software engineers and improve the field of computing by borrowing concepts from arts?

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Research Method

• Literature Review 1 • Literature Review 2 • Case Study

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Study‐Literature Review‐1

• Address RQ1: What is the relationship between art and software and how can we conceptualise it? • Search on: Electronic databases, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Computer, Leonardo, Proceedings of Art festivals and so on • Keywords: Both art and software related terms • Selection Criteria: Artists requirements, software development process, artist‐technologists collaboration, research issues at the intersection • Result: Research Issues, Conceptual Framework (Kitchenham 2004)

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Study‐Literature Review‐2

• Address RQ3: How can we bridge the field of art and computing, increase collaboration between artists and software engineers by borrowing knowledge and concepts from the arts • Search on: Proceedings of CHI, DPPI, DIS, TOCHI, NordiCHI conferences • Keywords: Aesthetics, aesthetic • Selection Criteria: Use of aesthetics, role, impact or effect of aesthetics, authors viewpoint, context, meaning and usage of the word aesthetics. • Result: Sectors of common interest in HCI, aesthetics as a bridge to connect HCI and arts (Kitchenham 2004)

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Case Study‐ Sonic Onyx

Address RQ2: How can we characterise the development process of software dependent artwork (SDA) projects? Strategy: Participant Observation Data collection: Interviews, Documents, Questionnaires Data Analysis: Case descriptor Result: Identification of factors that contribute to the success/failure of SDA project (Yin 1989)

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Observation

• Collected data and observed the development

process of

– Open Wall – Glimps, an art piece for Open Wall

• _{As part of SArt, cooperated with students in}

projects related to

– Improsculpt, the composition software used in Flyndre

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Contributions

• C1. Identification of the research issues at the intersection of software and art. • C2. Conceptual framework of different entities, and themes at the intersection of software and art • C3. Identification of the features/issues that contribute to the success or failure of a software dependent art project and the features that facilitates collaboration between artists and technologists • C4. Proposals on how can we bridge software engineering and art through collaborations and improve computing discipline by borrowing concepts and ideas from art.

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Papers

• P1 SArt: Towards Innovation at the Intersection of Software Engineering and Art • P2 Software Engineering Processes Under the Influence of Aesthetics and Art Projects • P3 Achieving pervasive awareness through artwork • P4 Conceptual framework for the intersection of software and art • P5 Information technology and art: Concepts and state of the practice • P6 Aesthetics in Human‐Computer Interaction: Views and Reviews • P7 Sonic Onyx: Case Study of an Interactive Artwork • P8 Developing software dependent artwork in collaboration with students

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Contributions, studies and papers

Identifying Research Issues Conceptual Framework Factors influencing SDA project Improve and Extend Collaboration P1, P2 P4, P5 P7, P8 P3, P6 RQ1 _RQ2 _RQ3

Lit. Review 1 Case Study

Lit. Review 2 Observation

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Results

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Results

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Research Issues

• Software Development issues – Requirements – Evaluation – Tools – Development Methods – Collaboration – Business Model • Social and Cultural Implications • Educational Issues – Computer in Art Curriculum – Multidisciplinary Collaboration – Art in CS Curriculum • Aesthetics Issues – Aesthetic of the Code – Software Art – User Interface

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Results

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Conceptual Framework

• Who (Actors) – Artists – Theorists, art critics – Software engineers – Researchers • Why – Artists need tool supports – SDA needs SE expertise – Computing needs aesthetics – Technological advancements • Where – Educational Institutes – Software Industry – Research Institutes – Art Projects – Art Festivals • What – Tools – Programming Languages – Support tools

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Results

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Factors Influencing the Success/Failure of

SDA Project

• _{Positive Factors}

– Artist’s know‐how and understanding of the technology – Good communication between the developers of the team – Good communication between the software developers and the artist(s) – Agile development method/Rapid development method – Pair programming

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Factors Influencing the Success/Failure of

SDA Project

Negative Factors

– Lack of agreement between the stakeholders of the project – Lack of communication between artist and developers – Lack of awareness of the sponsors about subsequent maintenance – Not considering every phases of development important

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Results

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Improve and Extend Collaboration

• Extension and enrichment through

– Utilising SDA in pervasive awareness, ubiquitous computing – Aesthetics as a bridge between HCI and Art – Utilising SDA in SE and Computer education

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Limitations

• For literature review only articles published in

scientific media were considered

• _{Statistical analysis was not conducted on}

review

• Features influencing success/failure of an SDA

project was collected from one project.

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Future Work

• _{Survey on user evaluation and engagement}

can be carried upon in future.

• _{Further case studies and experiment on which}

SW development method is more suitable for

a SDA project development

• Development of Tools

– For capturing artists requirements – Collaborative tools that takes care of both artistic process and engineering process

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Implications

• Stakeholders who can use the results include

– Artists – Software engineers and developers – Sponsor of SDA projects – Academics in computing discipline – Researchers

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Implications

• SE/Computer Science Education

– SDA projects in Software Engineering Education – Collaboration with art to enhance creativity,

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Implications

• SE Research Agenda

– SDA requires SE expertise – SDA is a domain and it has its own specific requirements – SDA is more than just art project, it can be part of many computing research areas such as pervasive awareness, ubiquitous computing – Agile /iterations based development for SDA projects

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Conclusion

• Intersection of Software and Art includes

many issues interesting for both artists and

software engineers

• SDA requires SE intervention

• SE research agenda can be extended to

include SDA projects with a special focus on

development method, tools, requirements

and maintenance

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References

• Kitchenham, B., Procedures for Performing Systematic Reviews. 2004, Keele University Technical Report TR/SE‐0401 and NICTA Technical Report 0400011T.1 • Hevner, A.R., et al., Design science in Information Systems research. Mis Quarterly, 2004. 28(1): p. 75‐105 • Machin, C. H. C. (2002). Digital artworks: bridging the technology gap. Eurographics UK Conference, 2002. Proceedings. The 20th: 16‐23. • Gross, J. B. (2005). Programming for Artists: A Visual Language for Expressive Lighting Design. Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human‐Centric Computing (VL/HCC'05) ‐ Volume 00, IEEE Computer Society. • ASPHAUG, T., BIELSA, C., GRYTÅ, E. M., THORSRUD, E. & TOLLEFSEN, T. (2007) Sculpture with 3D Interactive Sound. Department of Electronical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Technology. HiST. • CANDY, L. & EDMONDS, E. (2002) Modeling co‐creativity in art and technology. Proceedings of the 4th conference on Creativity & cognition. Loughborough, UK, ACM Press. • Redström, J., Skog, T., and Hallnäs, L. . Informative art: using amplified artworks as information displays. In Informative art: using amplified artworks as information displays. 2000. Elsinore, Denmark: ACM, New York, NY, 103‐114.

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Extending Software Engineering

Collaboration towards the Intersection of Software and Art