VIRTUAL Barcelona
Abstract
This paper delves into a collaborative pedagogical exercise between design students from Porto’s universities and the Optical and Kinetic art exhibition at the Atkinson Museum, featuring the Tate Collection in 2023. The exercise aimed to create digital interpretations of the artworks, connecting them with a younger audience and providing university design students with real-life project development opportunities. Employing qualitative methodology, the study explores students’ creative processes, the impact of digital interpretations, and the effectiveness of connecting Optical and Kinetic art with a younger audience. The ongoing exhibition is set to conclude on November 30, 2023. Preliminary findings focus on the interaction between audiences, namely primary and secondary school children, and the videos, facilitating individual interpretations within a shared space. Post-exhibition, a comprehensive analysis will validate the initiative. Expected outcomes encompass innovative digital interpretations showcasing Design students’ creative engagement, fostering a meaningful connection with a younger audience, and providing opportunities for practical project development at the intersection of art and technology. These results aim to validate the pedagogical approach, assessing its impact on artistic expression, audience engagement, and project development.
Susana Barreto is a Design Educator and Researcher at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto. Susana’s scholarly inquiry is focused on the role of ethics in visual communication, design and crime, cross-cultural design, and plural narratives in design through local stories. For the past couple of years, Susana has been involved in several research projects focusing on preserving specialised knowledge at risk of disappearance embedded in the experiences of retired professors and artists, researchers, and practitioners in the arts and crafts fields and design.
Cláudia Lima research is focused on the recovery of community stories and local art and design stories through biographical testimonies and visual analysis. This was done within research projects funded by FCT: Echoing the Communal Self; Wisdom Transfer.
Rodrigo Carvalho (Porto, 1983). Graduated in Design (U. Aveiro, 2005), Master’s Degree in Digital Arts (U.Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona,2009), and Ph.D. in Digital Media (U. Porto/UT Austin Colab, 2018). He has been working as an artist and as an educator in the fields of Interactive and New Media Arts. His work on live visuals, coding, and interactive art involves a wide range of different outputs, from screen digital work, interactive installations, audiovisual live acts, or interactive visuals for stage performances. He has presented work at many events worldwide as Sonar Festival (Barcelona), Iminente (Lisboa), Echo(Dubai) or Stereolux (Nantes), among others.
Eliana Penedos-Santiago is a Design Educator She developed pedagogical practices focused on social issues in partnership with Alzheimer Portugal and Portuguese Red Cross; and projects with Soares dos Reis National Museum and WOW Museum aimed at the interpretation of artworks from the past through digital media with the results included in exhibitions at these museums;