In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a world in which real-life, physical settings and the digital environment became increasingly entangled. What better moment to investigate the resulting new systems of social interaction than the Uncertainty Seminar: Care (US: Care) organised by Stroom Den Haag? We designed three experimental ways to actively connect the online audience with visitors on-site in a physical space.
cultures of information
challenge
Can we find ways to actively connect digital audiences with a physical location and its visitors during hybrid, digital/physical events?
impact
Digital visitors to Uncertainty Seminar: Care (organised by Stroom Den Haag, 25,26 September 2020) participated in three experimental ways of connecting to the audience on-site.
Objects of communication
Jules Rochielle was not able to travel to the Netherlands for the seminar. For that reason, we created a light that was her physical avatar in the room. Jules was able to turn it on and draw attention to her digital presence when she wanted to talk with the speaker or the audience.
Physical avatar
Digital visitors could attend online in a Zoom room connected to a physical avatar doll that was cared for by the visitors on-site. The material presence of this avatar enabled and encouraged interactions between the digital and physical visitors.
Walking camera
One physical visitor carried around a go-pro camera and stayed in touch with online visitors through comments via various social media channels. Digital visitors experienced the seminar through the interactions with and bodily movements of the physical visitor.
‘US: Care’ at Stroom Den Haag, 25 & 26 September 2020
Photos: Hani Chladilová, courtesy Stroom Den Haag
