Autobiographical system based on photo-tracking of artefacts

A. Frigo

Smart Studio, Interactive Institute, 104 50 Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

This paper proposes a system which allows anybody to produce an authentic autobiography based on a photographic tracking of his/her interaction with artefacts.

1. Typologies of artefacts

The typologies of artefacts suitable for the kind of documentation requested are as follow: those that are independent, those that are manual and those that are consistent.

Other typologies results in being too obtrusive for their frequency of engagement and not as easy to represent and recognize for their physical qualities.

Figure 1: From left to right three examples of artefacts that are respectively not independent (the car-wheel is dependent to the car), not manual (the stair are walked with the feet), and not consistent (a candy).

2. System description

2.1 Labelling

A digital camera unit is designed to allow the user to immediately label the image with a simple combination of icon-buttons representing the situation in which it was taken.

The system proposes four sets of icons respectively related to the following parameters: where the image was taken, who else was present, how the artefact was engaged and with what it did interact.

Figure 2: A labelled image representing the user in the toilette, alone, brushing, his mouth.

The user is asked to document all of the artefacts engaged within an action. If the action changes the user is asked to take new images. If a new image has some parameters in common with the previous one the user can skip the typing of those.

Within the four matrixes the icons can be re-customized by the user via a special software editor.

Figure 3: A possible customization of the four matrixes corresponding from left to right to where, who, how and what.

2.2 Browsing

The images can be reviewed spatially in a daily chronological sequence. Every image shown in such a sequence is linked to another sequence containing all the other images sharing the same label but captured at different times.

Those other images in this last sequence are linked back to the chronological sequence they individually belong to.

Figure 4: A screenshot sample of the 07/11/03 sequence.

Figure 5: A screenshot sample of a sequence containing all the images with a common label. Such sequence is linked to the previous one with the last two images descending left to right.

An example of this would be the following: a sequence shows the images of a match, a knife, a spoon etc. The user reviewing the sequence is then reminded she was cooking at a friend’s kitchen which has a gas stove. She suddenly associates the gas stove with that of her mother. By clicking on the match the sequence containing all the matches is displayed. Here she finds those she was looking for, she clicks on one and a sequence containing a day she was helping her mother cooking is displayed.

2.3 An aesthetic identity

As days pass by the system assumes an increasing aesthetic value, generating a macro image in which the user can at the same time reflect upon his documented life and determine his future activities. This aesthetic, a carefully arranged mosaic of nestled patterns rhythmically repeating themselves, could in the long run become the mask representing him/her in a social context.

2.4 A face-to-face visual communication device

An alternative use of the system is to embed a screen visualizing the images on the clothing of the subject. This provides the subject with an augmented “face-to-face” communication device where the images shown correspond to the topic of the discussion the subject is involved in. Two examples of this would be the following: when the subject is thirsty the device displays images of him drinking, and when the subject is telling a friend about his holidays the device displays the associated chronological sequence of images archived.

3. The demo-performance

The presentation will show the result of a three months experiment on myself photographing each of my interactions with mobile/independent/consistent artefacts.

At the time of the conference, during the open public event, I will try to reconstruct my documented history.

This will occur in two rounds. The first time I will story-tell what my memory alone remembers. The second time I will story-tell what my memory remembers with the support of the system engaged. In both times a minimum of two persons will certify that during the demonstration I haven’t had any other types of support either on myself, from other persons or in the architecture. The event will be documented and later evaluated to support my studies. Public visitors can interrupt anytime to get further explanations.

The system is updated daily at the following address: http://www.id.gu.se/~alberto/.

4. Conclusions

In conclusion, such a system is meant to assist an otherwise confused historical reconstruction of the self, characterized by frequent encounters with industrial artefacts that on one side are very seductive entities and on the other are obsolete garbage ready to be recycled for the newer trend. Human history is in the process of becoming those trends and the individuals just its scenography. Therefore a controversial design effort would be to invite the individuals back into the scene. Perhaps further advances in miniaturized technology and biotechnology may allow an autobiographical system free of demands from the users. The design challenge will still be to adapt those future possibilities to an understanding of everyday life, and to understand how this everyday life is already adapted to those possibilities.