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Mark

Attributes of Aliveness —
Human-Computer Interaction in Design



[paper]

This work originated with our conference presentation at “Beyond Intelligence: the 11th Conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM)” at MIT in 2019, co-authored with Oliver Luo and Prof. Allen Sayegh.

[projects]

Since 2019, I have been furthering this work through the development of various responsive/interactive architectural installations with my students and research assistants.

        Research Assistants: Sadi Wali (summer/fall 2025), Siena Buzzelli (fall 2025), Jason Lee (summer 2025)   
        Students are named per associated project. 

[Imago Machina]

Students: Liam Cassano, Claire Yuen, Jack Simon, Anna Geng



[REM room]

Students: Eda Sarac, Micha Fairfax-Angod, Brian Wong, Anastasiya Mishaniova



[Blooming Web]

Students: Emma Chen, Dora Calista, Ohviya Sivananda, Ana K Andeme




[Posture to Prospect]

Students: Naushin Priya, Jeffery Chang, Luis Sanchez-Ma, Nicole Tsai




[Echoes in the Pond]

Students: Jun Heng Tan, Chidubem Nwokeocha, Amy Yi, Leon Li



[Form in Motion]

Students: Lamita Hermez, Nathania Nagarajah





Summer 2025 // Projects developed as part of University of Toronto ARC395 Design/Build

[The Zones]

Students: Claire Yuen, Eda Sarac Sarac, Emma Chen



[The Unfolding]

Students: Dora Calista, Kyla Tang, Zhihuan Eunia Xu



[Vessels of Memory]

Students: Megan Fezi, Kyra Holzscherer, Naomi Huang, Sling Velasquez Lanza
Mark
 

[conference paper]


Title: Attributes of Aliveness — A Case Study of Two Interactive Public Art Installations 

Conference: Beyond Intelligence: the 11th Conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM), MIT, 2019

Authors: Humbi Song, Oliver Luo, Allen Sayegh

Keywords: Aliveness, perception, human-technology interaction, technological augmentation, public art installation.

Abstract:
What elements make people think that an interactive public art installation seems “alive”? To answer this question, the paper examines the design and the reception of two public artworks by the INVIVIA studio: MIMMI and PULSUS. Both are responsive installations that aggregate collective data and interpret it through elements such as vibrations, lighting, and/ or mists, but differences in design decisions have led to different perceptions of their aliveness. Through the case study, this paper identifies key attributes in an installation that contribute to the sense of aliveness and discusses the importance of considering aliveness in design. While these attributes are distilled from public art examples, they can generally apply to designed objects that are, through technological augmentation, physically interactive at the human scale.






Citation:
Song, H., Luo, O., Sayegh, A. “Attributes of Aliveness: A Case Study of Two Interactive Public Art Installations”. Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM), Conference Proceedings, MIT Design Lab, Boston, 2019,  https://desform19.org/DeSForM_2019_Proceedings.pdf. p.254-257.
Mark